San Joaquin County officers are flagging what one supervisor is looking a savvy advertising marketing campaign cloaked as patriotism by recreational-vehicle big Tenting World.
The nation’s largest retailer of RVs and RV-related equipment and companies is flying a large American flag once more outdoors its retailer within the Northern California city of French Camp.
This time, nonetheless, the flag’s look is authorized.
The county and the RV enterprise have been wrangling for greater than a yr over the massive flag and the extraordinarily tall flagpole from which it flies; the county mentioned the peak of the pole required correct permits, which Tenting World didn’t have. There was additionally preliminary concern about how shut the pole was to Interstate 5.
In between, Previous Glory was quickly eliminated after which hoisted once more in opposition to protocols.
The company’s CEO instructed a neighborhood outlet it was his patriotic responsibility to fly the flag. The county, nonetheless, maintained that the right course of was not adopted however that the retailer in the end obtained what it craved: publicity.
“This can be a advertising alternative for Tenting World,” San Joaquin County Supervisor Tom Patti mentioned in an e mail to The Occasions. “Tenting World has a behavior of putting in flagpoles which might be fairly massive in dimension, however they do it with out pulling permits on quite a few events.”
Tenting World didn’t reply to emailed questions.
The shop is simply south of Stockton off the 5 Freeway.
The county turned conscious of a possible code violation in June of 2023, in response to Patti. County officers responded by asking for the shop’s web site plans.
Tenting World submitted “incomplete web site plans” in December, Patti mentioned.
The San Joaquin County Neighborhood Improvement Division had beforehand consulted with Caltrans relating to considerations in regards to the pole’s proximity to the freeway. Full plans have been submitted in June and permitted Thursday, in response to county spokesperson Hilary Crowley.
The Tenting World flagpole is 130 toes tall. That peak required approval by the county zoning administrator and a constructing allow, in response to Crowley.
Though the dimensions of the flag was not disclosed, different Tenting World retailer flags nationwide have routinely measured 40 toes by 80 toes. Which means if that flag have been laid down, it will cowl about 70% of a regulation-size NBA court docket.
Tenting World in French Camp lowered its flag for an undisclosed time through the allow course of. Firm Chief Govt Marcus Lemonis then ordered the shop to fly the flag once more Monday, in response to reviews from the native Fox Information affiliate.
The flag’s elimination was a tricky capsule to swallow for Lemonis. The Lebanese immigrant and star of CNBC’s “The Revenue” mentioned he was grateful to “enter this nation and change into a citizen.”
He instructed Fox the flag should fly as a result of it symbolizes “how we really feel about this nation.” Additionally, he mentioned, “we’ve numerous veterans who work for us, and numerous veterans who store with us.”
The county disputes media reviews that it ordered the shop to decrease the flag till correct permits have been permitted.
“The County by no means instructed them to take a flag down,” Patti wrote. “We shouldn’t have any document nor a quotation to take away the flag, and we’ve at all times had an open line of communication asking for web site plans which have been delayed in coming from Tenting World.”
County spokesperson Crowley mentioned the difficulty “has been solely with the peak of the flagpole.”
Tenting World has run into flag troubles earlier than.
In 2019, the town of Statesville, N.C., sued the Illinois-based company over the dimensions of the flag at an affiliate retailer.
The lawsuit generated loads of buzz, and Tenting World created a web-based petition signed by greater than 450,000 folks calling on the town to reverse its coverage.
“Many cities like Statesville have requested that Tenting World and Gander Open air take down their American Flags,” the petition learn. “WE WON’T DO IT! Stand with us.”
Tenting World paid $11,000 in fines to settle the difficulty.
Patti thanked Tenting World for its patriotism and added that the county “helps our flag 100%.”
“This can be a self-inflicted difficulty, however as a enterprise proprietor and somebody that understands advertising, it’s sensible,” he added.
