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The LaGrange-Troup County Chamber of Commerce celebrated the opening of Overboard Marine and RV with a ribbon-cutting ceremony Wednesday morning.

The business is owned and operated by Randy Wolfenbarger, who has 25 years of experience in the marine industry having previously run boat dealerships in Knoxville, Tennessee, and Detroit, Michigan.

Wolfenbarger said his time on the water while growing up lead him to working in the boating industry.

“I grew up on the water. My parents had a place at the lake, and that’s kind of what we did every weekend,” Wolfenbarger said. “My wife and I, our second date was to the lake and it’s just kind of been our way of life.”

Wolfenbarger and his wife, Traci, have lived in LaGrange for two years. Their son, Brandon, also works at Overboard.  

Recreational vehicle service is an uncommon addition to a boat dealership and service company but it’s in Wolfenbarger’s wheelhouse. He has been in the boat business for decades but took a three-year break to manage an RV dealership.

It’s a perfect match for what they want to do in LaGrange, he said.

Overboard Marine and RV will sell you a boat, but their main focus is on parts and service, and finding similar service for recreational vehicles can be hard to find.

“There’s so many RVs on the road, but the service side is a little underserved. In every market. There’s a lot of people out there with everything from pop up campers to big buses. So there’s a big service need out there,” Wolfenbarger said,

 “We were lucky to get a local guy, [Josh McNair], that’s a really seasoned RV technician. So he’s been really busy,” he said.

Wolfenbarger said their sales department will sell you a boat from one of their great partners, whether that be a Falcon, Blazer, Yamaha, Mercury or Suzuki, but their focus is service.

“We really believe that, because no matter what the boat brand or the RV brand, they’re going to break at some point. Things happen, and when that happens, who do you call? Who’s there for you on Friday afternoon when your boat won’t start? So that’s really what we’re focusing on,” he said.

Between Randy and the rest of the crew, they have many years of experience dealing with boats and recreational vehicles.

“We’ve got probably 100 years of experience [between us]. It’s a new building, a new venture, but a very experienced group, and that’s really what matters,” Wolfenbarger said. “Anybody can sell you a boat, but what happens when something goes wrong?” 

Overboard Marine and RV is located at 23 Busch Drive in LaGrange. They are open Tuesday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. For more information, call (706) 551-7035 or visit overboardmarineandrv.com.