As in any industry, you have the "big guys" and then you have the "small guys." Looking beyond the billboards and catalogs of the big guys in the RV industry you will find plenty of regional distributors who have staked out a nice territory and compete very effectively in the marketplace.

One such company is Foland Sales, Inc. of Syracuse, New York. Foland is representative of a different type of distributor who can spend a lot of time with a smaller number of customers and service them so well that they become the primary supplier to the dealers they do business with.

Foland has an interesting history that dates back to 1932 when Charles S. Foland opened a poultry farm at the same location the company works from today, just off Carrier Circle and a stones throw from the New York Thruway. After the depression and the war, the company expanded to sell appliances, boats, and even Polaroid cameras in their old-fashioned General Store. Later on in the 40s the company expanded by building a mobile home park on the property and its still there today with 110 units, and still owned by the family business.

Chuck and Gene Foland were now actively involved in the family business and contributed strongly to the continued success of the company.