A Painful Betrayal

“I had worked for so little, always believing that Jerry and I were partners and that I was working hard for a business that would be mine in the end. The story of his betrayal is long and involved, but the bottom line is that he decided to sell the property and cut me out, despite a long-standing verbal agreement that if and when he was ready to get out he would sell to me. He had drained the business of assets and it was encumbered by debt. A supplier was owed $350,000 and Jerry threatened that if I did not pay it myself, he would tell the supplier that I had stolen the money so that my reputation would be ruined and I would not be able to start over.”

Take Two

“The goodwill I had built in the community saved me. I went right across the street and made a deal for a new lot. The employees came with me and the vendors kept supplying me. I covered payroll using my credit cards. I paid off every single one of Jerry’s creditors even though I had no legal obligation to do so. So there I was working for free again for those first few years, but we made it and I have since bought out two other dealerships.”

Branching Out

“I just purchased a former hockey/skating sports facility in Deerfield Beach, Florida, that I plan to develop into ‘RV World’, an RV destination with recreation for adults and children, food/beverage and retail outlets, and other amenities. I am also developing a specialty line of kitchen, bed, and bath products for use in RVs.”

Motivation

“I have been obsessed with horses since I was 2, and this is what gave me the desire to make something out of myself. I wanted to ride horses so badly and the only way I was going to have the money to do so was if I made it myself. It’s good for kids to really want something and to have to figure out how to earn it. Now I compete on the equestrian circuit and it’s something that brings a lot of balance to my life.”

Nine Lives

“I’m writing a book about my life story, about all of these different things that have happened to me and how I always ended up landing on my feet. Prior to getting into the RV business I was working in hotel and property management and was renovating a run-down apartment building. I made a deal with a guy who was living in the boiler room to let him live in an apartment in exchange for painting. One day he went a little crazy and started throwing beer bottles from the roof. I called 911, but he burst in and stabbed me 21 times and tried to strangle me with an air conditioner cord while I was on the line with the police. I fought back and finally played dead, doing whatever I had to do to stay alive until the police got there. The moral to the story—to all of my stories—is that you just can’t give up.”