Don Wallace

Don Wallace

Manager
Capital Realty Investors, LLC.

Don Wallace is the Founder and former CEO of Lazydays RV SuperCenter, Inc. - the world's largest RV dealership. Located on Interstate 4 in Seffner, Florida (just east of Tampa), this 140-acre complex is a landmark destination in the RV industry with over one million visitors a year. Mr. Wallace retired as Lazy Days CEO in August 2007, but remains a major stock holder.

Don comes from a very unique and dynamic background, with roots in the tomato farming business in Tennessee. When he first moved to Tampa, he planned on starting a landscaping business. The business began when Don sold his personal travel trailer for a profit of $500. After he sold his second and third travel trailers in 1976 Don convinced his father and brother to go into the RV business. Lazydays was born with two trailers and very little capital on a 1.75-acre lot on Florida Avenue.

Don focused the organization on training and customer service, following the mission of "making customers for life." The successful strategy has resulted in a momentum that to date continues to chart progressive annual growth for the company. The 140-acre Seffner complex is so expansive that customers need to be transported in golf carts. Sales revenue has grown to $800 million in 2004. You have to see it to believe it.

Don felt a major contributor of the success of the company was the establishment of an employee stock ownership plan in 1995. As a result of this plan, the employees of Lazy Days owned almost 10% of the company.

Don sold his majority ownership of Lazydays to Alliance Holdings, a Pennsylvania based company in 1999. In 2004, Alliance along with the employees of the company, sold to a New York based private equity firm. This proved to be a major windfall for the employees of Lazy Days, since they received over $30 million from the sale of their ownership stake.

He and his wife Erika have two young children, Donnie and Alexa. Don retired from Lazy Days in August 2007.