A Decade of Success and Challenges in Campground Management: Insights from Lelah Campo of Cozy Hills, Connecticut Running a successful campground is no easy feat, as evidenced by the journey of Lelah Campo, the dynamic owner of Cozy Hills in Bantam, Connecticut. On a recent episode of the Campground Confidential podcast, Lelah shared her experiences, challenges, and successes in the campground industry, including the recent opening of a second RV park. Introduction to Lelah Campo and Cozy Hills ...
Jun 06, 2024•37 min•Ep. 12
Enhancing Guest Experiences in Outdoor Hospitality: Insights from Amy Hansen of Amity Outdoors Management and Consulting In this episode of Campground Confidential, we talk to Amy Hansen, a seasoned expert in property management and RV resort operations. With over 25 years of experience, Amy has built a stellar reputation in the outdoor hospitality industry, particularly in managing RV parks, RV resorts, and campgrounds. Her journey from a general manager at an RV resort to a director of operati...
May 20, 2024•32 min•Ep. 11
In this episode of Campground Confidential, Maddi Bourgerie, Senior Director of Communications at RVshare, joins us to discuss the ins and outs of hosting RV renters at your campground or RV park. Maddie has worked in the industry for a decade, visited almost all 50 states, and rented more than 20 RVs. She is dedicated to the company’s mission to help travelers experience the magic of an RV adventure. Maddi has RVed on the East and West Coast checking off National Parks and music festivals from ...
May 06, 2024•28 min•Ep. 10
On this episode of Campground Confidential, we talk with Marcia Neese, owner–along with her husband Jim– of RiverWalk RV Park in Jonesville, North Carolina. Marcia and Jim spent two years building their campground, and then opened RiverWalk RV Park in 2020…right in the middle of the pandemic. Even though the journey to opening the campground was not without its challenges, Marcia’s prior professional experience in sales and managing multi million dollar businesses has been worth its weight in go...
Apr 22, 2024•39 min•Ep. 9
This episode of Campground Confidential features Chris Pyle, the Director of Operations at RV Self Park, a small, family-owned campground business. In this multifaceted role, Chris has worn various hats, handling everything from answering calls and spearheading marketing initiatives to overseeing upgrades at the park. His journey into the outdoor hospitality industry began with a solid foundation in customer service as a recruiter prior to joining RV Self Park. This experience equipped him with ...
Mar 28, 2024•35 min•Ep. 8
Elevating the Guest Experience at Gather Campground Our guest on this episode of Campground Confidential is Garrett Weber-Gale who describes himself as a husband, father, athlete, and entrepreneur. He is perhaps most well-known as an athlete, having won two Olympic gold medals at the Beijing Olympics in swimming, and for having broken eight American Records and Four World records, one of which still stands today that he set in Beijing along with Michael Phelps, Jason Lezak, and Cullen Jones in t...
Mar 18, 2024•36 min•Ep. 7
Our guest on this episode of Campground Confidential by Park Vendor Review is Johann Schnell who joins us to talk about SBA Campground Financing. Johann worked in commercial banking from 2006-2019 and then moved into the area of SBA financing. His company works with everyone from start up businesses to enterprise corporations, and has personally done financing packages for all the programs we discuss on this episode for more than 12 years. Johann is currently at a Community Development Company–o...
Mar 04, 2024•34 min•Ep. 6
Our guest on Campground Confidential is Kathryn Berta, owner--along with her husband Alan--of the Brattleboro North KOA Journey in East Dummerston, Vermont. This is a gem of a campground that I have personally visited quite a few times over the last decade. Kat and Alan purchased the property in 2019, while she was still in her late 20s. She takes a fresh approach to earned media placements, including being interviewed by Readers Digest about camping mistakes she witnesses at her own campground ...
Feb 19, 2024•36 min•Ep. 5
Ali Rasmussen is the CEO and Creative Director of Spacious Skies Campgrounds, a dynamic collection of campgrounds unified by a “cosmic” night-sky theme. Her journey into the industry began during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic when Ali and her co-founder and husband, Eric Rasmussen, purchased their first travel trailer. Embarking on a three-month family adventure with their three young children, they explored over 25 campgrounds of all varieties, sparking their vision for a unique-yet-c...
Feb 05, 2024•49 min•Ep. 4
Our guest on this episode of the Campground Confidential podcast from Park Vendor Review is Evanne Schmarder. Evanne has been teaching, talking, and writing about digital marketing for outdoor hospitality for more than 20 years. Maybe you read her monthly Modern Marketing column in Woodall’s Campground Management; maybe you own a copy of her book, Marketing Your RV Park/ Campground Online ; or maybe you have seen her speak at an industry event somewhere across the United States or Europe. Many o...
Jan 22, 2024•40 min•Ep. 3
In this episode of Campground Confidential, Erin and Dan Thiem share their journey of building the Inn Town Campground in Nevada City, California. They describe the type of campground they own and operate, the timeline of building the campground, and the battles for approvals and permits they fought along the way. They also discuss the trends they have observed in the campground industry, such as multigenerational camping and the impact of electric vehicles. Erin shares her expertise in visual s...
Jan 08, 2024•47 min•Ep. 2
Welcome to Campground Confidential, a podcast about starting, running, and growing your campground business. On each podcast episode we’ll talk to campground owners and other experts in the Outdoor Hospitality Industry. We’ll hear stories about what it’s really like to own a campground—the good and the ugly. Along the way our guests will pass along hard learned lessons, and wisdom earned from being in the trenches. From Park Vendor Review, this is Campground Confidential, coming in January 2024....
Dec 29, 2023•56 sec•Ep. 1
