The American flag should flown proudly all across this nation.
Camping World CEO Marcus Lemonis isn’t backing down when it comes to flying the American flag high and proud, despite facing daily fines.
Lemonis, a businessman who has always held patriotism close to his heart, shared his thoughts on the ongoing battle with local government regulations during an appearance on The Bottom Line. “This isn’t the first time we’ve dealt with this. We’ve had issues like this in Statesville, Morgan Hill, California, Onalaska, Wisconsin, and now Greenville, North Carolina. Our flags have been part of our business since I was a little kid,” he explained.
Camping World, a company with over 250 RV dealerships nationwide, proudly displays large American flags at its locations. But in October, when the company raised a massive flag at its Greenville, North Carolina, dealership, trouble began. Local zoning officials raised concerns, claiming the flag exceeded the allowable size by 15 times and that the 130-foot flagpole was too tall. As a result, Camping World began to incur fines, amounting to $1,150 by the end of the week.
While the fines are stacking up, the city of Greenville has since recognized the controversy surrounding the flag and is working on an amendment to the local zoning code. On January 25, the Greenville City Council unanimously voted to propose a change, allowing flags as large as 3,200 square feet to be flown with a pole height of 130 feet. The amendment will be reviewed by the city’s Planning and Zoning Commission in February before final approval in March.
Lemonis defended his decision to fly the flag, stating, “I do it because I believe in it. I’m an immigrant, and this country gave me the opportunity to succeed. I’ve had this flag since I was a child, and I choose to display it as a sign of respect for our veterans and our customers.” He went on to explain how unnecessary regulations like these not only stifle business but contribute to higher costs for consumers.
“Regulating business to the point where it’s adding more layers of expense just makes things more expensive for everyone,” Lemonis added. “This is a prime example of how over-regulation creates inflation, and it’s not something that helps anyone—especially the people who are working hard to keep their businesses afloat.”