be updated . please update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information . august 2016 it has been suggested that this article be merged into stephen adams business . discuss proposed since february 2014 . good sam enterprises type private industry recreational vehicles predecessor affinity group inc. founded 1935 founder stephen adams headquarters ventura california u.s. key people marcus lemonis chairman & ceo revenue us 562.2 million number of employees 20 2008 subsidiaries good sam club camping world website www.goodsamclub.com good sam enterprises formerly affinity group or agi is a provider of membership clubs as well as subscription based products services and publications targeted toward recreational vehicle and other outdoor enthusiasts in the united states . additionally the company owns camping world a leading rv related specialty retailer and rv.net an rv focused website . the company is the composite of several distinct businesses acquired through a leveraged buildup in the 1980s and 1990s and traces its earliest predecessors back to 1935 . the company is based in ventura california with major operations in englewood colorado and is 97 % owned by private equity investor stephen adams . contents 1 history 2 see also 3 references 4 external links history edit agi s antecedents date back to the 1935 with the first publication of the woodall s travel trailer magazine and the 1941 publication of . 1 followed by the publication of the first woodall s directory in 1948 . the good sam club was founded in 1966 the same year that the first camping world location opened in bowling green ky. coast to coast resorts coast to coast and the golf card were introduced in 1972 and 1974 respectively . 2 3 historical affinity group logo last affinity group logo on december 23 1988 the direct predecessor of agi acquired a company called american bakeries company owned by investor stephen adams for approximately 138 million . 4 adams was a noted private equity investor in the 1980s completing rollups of billboard assets to form adams outdoor advertising and he also owns or has owned various banking bottling publishing as well as television and radio companies . 5 6 at the time of the merger the sole operating assets of american bakeries company were tl enterprises inc. and camp coast to coast inc. these entities consisted of what is today the good sam club coast to coast agi s subscription based products and services business and the company s rv related publications with the exception of the woodall s titles . 7 8 from 1990 through 1997 the company made a number of significant acquisitions that expanded agi s scale and presence . in 1990 the company acquired golf card international inc. for approximately 18 million . subsequently in may 1994 agi acquired woodall publishing company l.p. and woodall world of travel l.p. collectively woodall s for approximately 11.5 million . in october 1993 agi completed a leveraged recapitalization consisting of a 50 million credit facility and a 120 million of 11 % agi senior subordinated notes due 2003 . as part of the recapitalization stephen adams increased his fully diluted ownership from approximately 71 % to approximately 97 % . in 1995 agi acquired san francisco thrift and loan founded in 1982 and the company s headquarters were relocated to ventura california . in 1997 the bank was renamed affinity bank and in 1999 agi transferred ownership to affinity bank holdings inc. a separate entity controlled by adams 9 u.s. bank regulators closed affinity bank of ventura california on august 28 2009 . the federal deposit insurance corp said affinity had 1 billion in assets and about 922 million in deposits . pacific western bank of san diego agreed to assume all the deposits of affinity . affinity bank had 10 branches . the fdic estimates affinity s failure will cost its deposit insurance fund 254 million . in march 1997 as part of the company s 130 million offering of the holding company notes due 2007 agi acquired camping world inc. and ehlert publishing for approximately 123 million and 22.3 million respectively . 10 11 12 subsequently the company focused on integrating its operations and repaying indebtedness . in october 1998 the company issued 200 million of senior secured credit facilities to repay its then existing senior credit facility as well as the agi subordinated notes and in december 2001 the company completed a 52.3 million property sale leaseback transaction the proceeds of which were used to repay senior indebtedness . on august 15 2009 agi failed to make a 6.2 million interest payment to bondholders and standard & poors subsequently lowered agi s credit rating to d. standard & poor reported that they had taken this view because bondholders will be receiving less than par value for the notes and because of the company s highly leveraged financial profile weak operating outlook and limited liquidity given the near term maturity of its senior credit facility . in may 2011 agi announced that it was changing the company s name to good sam enterprises . 13 see also edit good sam club camping world trailer life stephen adams references edit history of affinity . affinitygroup.com . 2010 12 21 . retrieved 2013 11 02 . affinity group inc. form 10 k 1998 us securities and exchange commission edgar filing system affinity group inc. form 424b1 august 12 1997 us securities and exchange commission edgar filing system cecil holly . affinity group holding inc. business information profile and history . companies.jrank.org . retrieved 2013 11 02 . adams outdoor advertising . adamsoutdoor.com . retrieved 2013 11 02 . adams honored with 2006 arbuckle award stanford business magazine 2006 travel america inc. a delaware corporation et al. plaintiffs vs. camp coast to coast inc. a delaware corporation et al. defendants case no. 789743 superior court of california county of orange june 14 2000 travel america inc. a delaware corporation et al. plaintiffs vs. camp coast to coast inc. a delaware corporation et al. defendants case no. 789743 superior court of california county of orange july 13 2000 about us . affinity bank . retrieved 2013 11 02 . just about everything in the world you would ever want to know about affinity group s acquisition of camping world rv news online 1997 affinity group to acquire a retailer and a publisher the new york times march 4 1997 affinity group to buy ehlert publishing . september 5 1996 good sam enterprises quarterly report . sec.gov . retrieved 2013 11 02 . external links edit affinity group inc. official website yahoo finance profile affinity group holding inc. company history . funding universe rv owners make themselves at home on the road . los angeles times january 22 2001 retrieved from https en.wikipedia.org w index.php title good sam enterprises & oldid 733435605 categories companies established in 1935holding companies of the united statesrecreational vehicleshidden categories 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