Business was conducted from a leased service station with a focus on renting small travel trailers. This was a new opportunity for local families to have great summer outings at affordable prices. Parts were readily available from the back of a pick-up truck complete with a canopy. From these meager beginnings, Bretz RV & Marine has blossomed into one of the premiere RV and Marine dealerships in t
he Northwest and the nation! The business grew into its first building in 1970 on Kensington Ave, the south side of Missoula. It was slightly over 2000 square feet and sat on about 2/3 of an acre of land. The building was designed to hold the largest travel trailer being sold, with a tow vehicle hooked up to it. This dimension was only 40 foot, a size that ultimately would not even hold the largest vehicle we now sell, excluding the tow vehicle. In 1984 an addition of almost 1000 square feet was added to this building for office and retail space. In 1987 it was time to move again. The Kensington location was sold and a new property purchased. This new location on Mullan Road had a much needed four and a half acres of land and a 10,000 square-foot building. By 1990 it was time to expand with an addition to the shop of 6,000 square feet. With the purchase of two additional acres in 1992, the building was remodeled, customer parking increased, and the sales lot enlarged. Business continued to grow and after operating in a very crowded lot for several years, the decision to purchase 30 acres was made. During the summer of 1998, ground was broken for Bretz RV & Marine's current facility. Features include a dump station, as well as power and water hookups for customers. Service bays are outfitted with 50, 30, and 20 amp electrical services, water, sewer drains and other equipment to provide top-notch RV service. Dealers from across the nation and top executives from Fleetwood and Winnebago have toured our facility and given it rave reviews. Our design is custom tailored for customer service. In the spring of 2003, we expanded our service department from 12 fully equipped bays to 26. In Montana we are proud to have the most RVDA certified technicians under one roof. In January of 2008 Bretz RV & Marine took their first step into expanding into new markets. Tour America RV Center Inc in Billings, MT became part of the largest dealership group in the region. Tour America's existing personnel and business ethics seemed to make for a perfect match. The stores are now able to share inventory at a moment's notice. A second expansion occurred in 2010 when, in partnership with long time RV Industry colleague, Bruce Young, the brand new RV dealership B.Young RV in Portland, Oregon opened its doors. In 2011 Bretz RV teamed up with Happy Trails RV in Nampa, Idaho, and mergeded that store to add an additional brand new Bretz RV location in Boise, Idaho. Bretz RV Idaho carries a large selection of inventory, offers free storage with a purchase and is part of the largest dealership group in Idaho, Montana, E. Washington, Wyoming & the Dakotas!
