Sun Outdoors has entered an agreement to acquire Leisure Systems Incorporated (LSI), the franchisor of Jellystone Park.
LSI President and CEO Rob Schutter made the announcement in a letter addressed to Jellystone Park operators on December 21. Two current franchise owners who did not want to be named also confirmed the news.
“Sun has been a valuable partner in the Jellystone Park franchise and today marks a welcomed expansion of that partnership that I believe we will all benefit from,” Schutter said, noting Sun Outdoors’ achievements as a franchisee, growing ownership and improving their parks through the years.
A Zoom meeting was held yesterday (December 21) to discuss the change and introduce Jonathan Zacharias, Sun’s head of RV Strategy.
“We hope today is just the beginning of an open, collaborative discussion on the growth of Jellystone. Jellystone is by far the most iconic name in family camping and the closest franchisee network in the industry. Our strength lies in the LSI team here in Cincinnati and in the strength of our franchisee network, and our goal as new owners is to ensure the support and stability of both,” Jonathan Zacharias, Sun’s head of RV Strategy, said in an email to Jellystone franchisees after the virtual meeting.
Schutter will continue to lead the Camp Jellystone Park team. Camp Jellystone Park leaders will also remain in their roles.
As part of the changes, the company will strengthen the team by adding additional resources for better support and will be moving into a new office space and warehouse just outside of Cincinnati later this winter.
“I am looking forward to the resources they will provide to Camp Jellystone Park through their experience as operators and their proven desire to invest capital and create value for their stakeholders,” Schutter said.
“I firmly believe this time will be even better and I look forward to embarking on this next journey together,” Schutter ended.
This is a breaking news story and we will update as new information becomes available.