YORK-Dodd RV & Marine celebrated its grand opening with a ribbon cutting ceremony on Monday, May 15, at its new location at 6326 George Washington Memorial Highway in Yorktown.
Multiple generations of the Dodd family, Dodd RV staff members, county officials, and community business leaders were in attendance to celebrate the opening of the new business. Located less than a mile from Dodd RV on George Washington Memorial Highway, Dodd RV & Marine offers new and pre-owned boats and RVs, along with RV and boat service.
Dodd RV was originally founded by George Dodd in 1956. Jamie Dodd, George’s son, joined the business in the early 1990s and now owns and operates the family business, which celebrated its 67th anniversary in January 2022. Dodd RV originally opened its first location on the Peninsula in Newport News in 2004. The company moved to 7023 George Washington Memorial Highway in York County in 2008.
Stu Hodges, founder and lead pastor of Waters Edge Church in Yorktown, kicked off the gathering of more than 100 people with a blessing.
“I had the privilege of speaking with Jamie a couple of months ago right as this building was being completed and talking about his hopes and dreams for his family, and really for the community,” said Hodges. “It’s really amazing to think about how this is not just in your heart, but in your father’s heart, and really a legacy that’s being passed down to your kids now as well.”
Thomas G. Shepperd Jr., chair of the York County Board of Supervisors, offered comments on behalf of the county.
“With 200 miles of coastline here in York County, to have somebody selling boats is always positive, really wonderful,” said Shepperd. “It’s always a pleasure to come out, welcome, and celebrate the development of a new business. I say this is a new business, but the Dodd family has been around here for about 67 years in various businesses.”
George Dodd began his career as owner of a Texaco gas station in Portsmouth in the 1950s.
“That’s where it all started,” said Jamie Dodd. “It was right around the corner from where he grew up. In the 60s, he came up with this idea that he wanted to expand and sell something that would possibly generate a little more income because selling gas at that time was getting very competitive.”
A boater at heart, George Dodd toyed with the idea of selling boats, but a friend of his who ran a successful RV shop suggested focusing on RV sales instead of selling boats. George Dodd eventually became an RV salesman and phased out of the gasoline business.
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