Lon and Lisa Tatum                                                                                                Back

Created South Hill RV Sales from "scratch".  With Lon's experience in sales, and managerial skills, the business plan came together during May of 2001, and the corporation was born;  LLTatum Inc. doing business as South Hill RV Sales!  Our inventory consisted of a load of Rockwood Tent Trailers, and a few Northern Lite Truck Campers!  We opened the doors for business on August 11, 2001.  We sold 17 RV's before September 11, 2001. Although we came to work everyday after our nation was attacked by terrorists, people stopped coming.  At least for a while.  If there is such a thing as a silver lining in a black cloud, we experienced it.  People still wanted to travel and vacation, but they decided it might be safer on the ground!  We hit the ground running, and it has been a marathon ever since! South Hill RV Sales has been consistently ranked within the Top Ten Dealers in Washington State for over six years now!  We have also been recognized as Number One Dealer for several manufacturers including: Alpenlite 2003 (WRV), Trailblazer 2003 (Komfort Corp), Salem 2005, 2006, 2007, (Forest River Inc.), Carriage 2005, 2006, 2007,(Carriage Inc), and various other awards for the Western Region.

Our mission statement, created by Lon Tatum, has held true for over six years now. It proves that our customers (Happy Campers) are also convinced, and prefer to purchase from our knowledgeable, friendly sales team, offering the BEST products, at affordable prices! We are family owned and operated, and our customers feel the difference.  We pride ourselves in being service-oriented, and when you purchase from South Hill RV Sales, you are not just a number here, you become part of the family!  Click here to see what some of our customers have to say about us!

We now have nearly five acres on Meridian, in South Hill, Puyallup, and over 140 new RV's on display.  We have late model, clean used RV's for sale as well.  We have the very affordable fun tent trailers, all the way up the luxury 100K fifth wheels. We have something for everyone here at South Hill RV Sales.

We are viable members of the Chamber of Commerce of Eastern Pierce County, Manufactured Home and Recreational Vehicle Show Association, and the Better Business Bureau of Washington State. You can find us on the popular "Go RVing" website!  We participate in all the local RV Shows, and we believe in giving back to the community-in the way of sponsorships to athletic organizations, cheerleading squads, community auctions, local high schools, and many other organizations too numerous to mention.

In June 2004, our company was informed that we made the HOT 100 Entrepreneur Magazine! Under Lon Tatum's tutorage, we (starting with our small staff of 7-which has now grown to 15) were chosen as number 39.  These are the Hottest, and fastest growing businesses across the nation!  Evidently with our small start-up capital, we, in a very short time, made a name for ourselves among the business and financial community, selling over 7.3 million in retail sales during the fiscal year 2003.  Turning inventory, paying off loans and interest early, combined with blood, sweat, and tears produced results that surprised everyone!  Lon Tatum received an invite to attend a Presidential Dinner hosted by President Bush, honoring Hot Entrepreneurs in June 2004.

March 25, 2004, we learned that Lon had pancreatic cancer, and had about two months left on earth.  He tutored the kids the best he could during that short period.  Being a very vital, active, healthy man all his life, (loved to skydive, and ride his Harley) this was very different. In a short time, he made plans and implemented them.  He crossed over to Heaven in his home in Olympia on June 7, 2004.  He knew he was going to pass the dealership down to his kids, it just happened sooner than we thought.  Lon and Lisa's oldest three adult children are running the dealership just as their father would.  He created and implemented our mission statement and our policy's, and we adhere to them loyally.  We have been recognized by other dealers, and manufacturers as an outstanding dealership, who operates with integrity and sincerity.

We feel blessed to be doing something we all love.  We know we are only as good as our last sale! We have grown tremendously due to our fine reputation, and word of mouth.  We plan to be your neighborhood dealer for many, many years to come. We are always and continually guided from above. Thank you for allowing us to share this terrific story.  For visuals on this terrific family owned and operated dealership, click on the thumbnails below!