OWNERS NEWS - KOA Owners Association

Owners
News
OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE KAMPGROUND OWNERS ASSOCIATION, INC.
Volume 32
Issue 1
January/February/March
2012
• Contents •
Presidents Letter.......................................................................... 2
2012 OA Board............................................................................. 4
2012 Disaster Relief Board.......................................................... 6
2011 State/Provincial Presidents.................................................. 7
Gas Prices vs Camper Nights...................................................... 8
Medical Payments in the General Liability Policy Explained...... 14
Meetings Do Matter.................................................................... 15
OA Associate Members.............................................................. 16
Raising the Quality Bar in 2012.................................................. 18
Joke Korner................................................................................ 19
WorkKamper’s Korner................................................................ 20
KOA Spotlight: BURCO.............................................................. 21
Welcome to the latest edition of
“Your Partnership with Southeast Publications”......................... 23
2012 Care Camps Board............................................................ 24
A Million Smiles.......................................................................... 25
Care Camps Big Weekend Ideas............................................... 26
KOA Care Camps....................................................................... 27
Announcement of Cancer Camp Grants.................................... 27
A Missionary Visit By Some Of Our Koa Owners...................... 28
www.koaowners.org
www.koaowners.org
1
Volume 32, Issue 1
President’s Letter
Newsletter Issue 1, 2012
It’s hard to believe
that by the time you
receive your first OA
newsletter of 2012
our season will be
well underway for
many of you. Garry
and I have visited
quite a number of
campgrounds during
our off season and it
seems like many of us are looking forward to a
good year in 2012
We held our first board meeting this year in
Orlando at the Fort Summit KOA, hosted
by Elliott Smith. We reviewed the results
of our recent membership survey and based
on the responses we decided to create a
members only section to our OA website,
which will be available on Ekamp in about 1-2
months. We discussed with corporate the two
resolutions presented at our last annual meeting
(eliminating royalties on metered electric
sites, and to develop a quality improvement
plan for under performing campgrounds).
Based on those discussions corporate is
reviewing our request to eliminate the royalty
payments currently being charged on metered
electric sites. They also shared with us their
development service plan for under performing
campgrounds. The OA board has decided to
continue to pursue both these issues at every
future board meeting. I will keep you updated
on any developments.
Remember we contacted you several weeks
ago regarding updating our email list of
owners. In an effort to better communicate
with all owners in the system, get information
out sooner, and keep costs down we have sent
out an email blast to everyone on our mailing
list. If you would send us your email address
we would be most appreciative. You don’t
have to be a member of the OA to participate
2
in this information sharing, because we want the
entire system to be informed of any information
we might be passing along. You can send your
contact information to info@koaowners.org.
Please remember that your state/provincial
association will receive a 5% rebate if OA
membership in your state reaches 75% of all the
KOA campgrounds in your state, and 10% if you
reach 100%. We hope you will be able to help
us recruit every member in your state/province to
become active members in the OA. We will be
happy to help you with membership for both your
OA and the national OA. Just let us know what
kind of help you would like. We are pleased to
announce that in 2011 five states have earned
royalties from us for reaching the 75% or
100% level of OA members in their states.
The five states that earned rebates in 2011
were: West Virginia, Idaho, Illinois, South
Dakota, and New Mexico.
The Philadelphia Insurance Co. and OIG agency,
our partner in property and casualty insurance are
again offering to conduct loss prevention seminars
at your spring or fall meetings. They would like
to have at least 10 campgrounds attend and would
offer a 10% discount to any attendees that are in
our group program. Please let us know if you are
interested in having them put on a program for
you at your next meeting.
Finally, we would appreciate any updates or
changes in your state/provincial association’s
leadership and dates of upcoming meetings. KOA
has asked us to ask you to let us know if you
would like a representative from corporate to
attend your upcoming meeting. Again, you can
simply contact us at the email address above.
Thanks again for your help and support and we
wish you all a great 2012 season.
Vicki Cole,
Owners Association, President
Owners News
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3
Volume 32, Issue 1
KOA Owners Association
Area 1
TENNESSEE, NORTH CAROLINA, SOUTH CAROLINA, ALABAMA, GEORGIA, FLORIDA, KENTUCKY, VIRGINIA,
WEST VIRGINIA
KEN BOWMAN FORSYTH KOA 10101
414 S. FRONTAGE RD
FORSYTH, GA 31029
Phone: (478) 994-2019
Email: ke123@msn.com
Jerry Dale
MANCHESTER TN KOA
586 KAMPGROUND RD
MANCHESTER, TN 37355
Phone: (931) 728-9750
Fax: (931) 728-9777
Email: jddale@earthlink.net
Area 2
OHIO, DELAWARE, NEW JERSEY, NEW YORK, PENNSYLVANIA, MAINE, VERMONT, MASSACHUSETTS,
NEW HAMPSHIRE, MARYLAND, CONNECTICUT, RHODE ISLAND
VICKI COLE, PRESIDENT SHELBY/MANSFIELD KOA 35164
6787 BAKER 47
SHELBY, OH 44875-9103
Phone: (419) 347-1392
Fax: (419) 342-5353
Email: camp@shelbymansfieldkoa.com KARL SCHMIDT, TREASURER
ELIZABETHTOWN/HERSHEY KOA 38181
1980 TURNPIKE RD
ELIZABETHTOWN, PA 17022
Phone: (717) 367-7718
Fax: (717) 367-3412
Email: karl.hersheykoa@live.com
Area 3
MICHIGAN, ILLINOIS, INDIANA, NORTH DAKOTA, SOUTH DAKOTA, NEBRASKA, MINNESOTA, WISCONSIN, IOWA
CARROL MURRAY
West Omaha KOA 27104
14601 Hwy 6
Gretna, NE 68028 Phone: (402) 332-3010
Fax: (402) 332-0246
Email: carrol@sisna.com
Howard Stein
Port Huron KOA
5151 LAPEER RD
KIMBALL, MI 48074
Phone: (810) 987-7075
Fax: (810) 987-7073
Email: porthuronkoa@aol.com
Area 4
LOUISIANA, MISSISSIPPI, KANSAS, MISSOURI, OKLAHOMA, TEXAS, ARKANSAS
Photo
Unavailable
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GARY WILLIS
Brookeland/Lake Sam Rayburne KOA 43235
505 COUNTY RD 212
BROOKELAND, TX 75931 Phone: (409) 698-3422
Email: info@rvlake.com
DIANE KING
SPRINGFIELD/RT 66 KOA 25137
5775 WEST FARM ROAD 140
SPRINGFIELD, MO 65802
Phone: (417) 831-3645
Fax: (417) 863-0295
Email: threekingsmo@yahoo.com
Owners News
Board of Directors 2012
Area 5
ALASKA, WASHINGTON, OREGON, IDAHO, MONTANA, WYOMING
KIM CARRANZA
TWIN FALLS/JEROME KOA 12109
5431 US HWY 93
JEROME, ID 83338
Phone: (208) 324-4169
Fax: (208) 324-4376
Email: kim@twinfallskoa.com
HOMER STAVES
WHITEFISH/KALISPELL KOA 26161
3191 PARKHILL
Billings, MT 59102
Phone: (406) 656-7086
Fax: (406) 656-7086 Email: hstaves@stavesconsulting.com
Area 6
HAWAII, CALIFORNIA, NEVADA, UTAH, COLORADO, ARIZONA, NEW MEXICO
PAMELA MENDALA
SARAH MARTIN
CLOVERDALE KOA 5275
BUENA VISTA KOA 6103
1166 ASTI RIDGE RD, PO BOX 600
27700 COUNTY RD 303
CLOVERDALE, CA 95425
BUENA VISTA, CO 81211
Phone: (707) 894-3337 Phone: (719) 395-8313
Fax: (707) 894-9206
Fax: (719) 395-3103
Email: clovkoa@sonic.net
Email: bvkoa@msn.com
Area 7
CENTRAL & EASTERN CANADA
DAVE BARTON, SECRETARY
1000 ISLAND/IVY LEA KOA 55203
514 1000 ISLANDS PKWY
LANSDOWNE, ON K0E 1L0
Phone: (613) 659-2408
Fax: (613) 659-2992
Email: rsbarton@koa.net
Area 8
Koa Inc. Liaison
Executive Director
Jef Sutherland
VP of Franchisee Service
PO BOX 3055
BILLINGS, MT 59114
Phone: (800) 548-7104
Email: jsutherlandt@koa.net
William Ranieri
3416 PRIMM LANE
BIRMINGHAM, AL 35216
(800) 678-9976, (888) 461-2062
FAX: (205) 823-2760
Email: info@koaowners.org
WESTERN CANADA
JIM BROWN
HINTON/JASPER KOA 51124
50409 B HIGHWAY 16
HINTON, AB T7V 1X3
Phone: (780) 865-5062
Email: brownkoa4@shaw.ca
www.koaowners.org
January/February/March 2012
MICHAEL KUPER, VICE PRESIDENT
THUNDER BAY KOA 55120
162 SPRUCE RIVER RD.
THUNDER BAY, ON P7B 5E4
Phone: (807) 683-6221
Fax: (807) 683-6222
Email: tbaykoa@tbaytel.net
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Volume 32, Issue 1
KOA Disaster Relief Board 2012
Chairman
Dave Barton
1000 Islands/Ivy Lea KOA
514 1000 Islands Pkwy
Lansdowne, ON K0E 1L0
Phone: (613) 659-2408
Fax: (613)6592992
campinfo@1000islandskoa.com
Danny Goad 17-139
Bowling Green KOA
1040 Edgewater Lane
Bowling Green, KY 42104
Phone: (270) 843-1919
Fax: (270) 843-1909
dangoad@att.net
6
Rick Dillon 38-117
Bellefonte State College KOA
2481 Jacksonville Rd.
Bellefonte, PA 16823
Phone: (814) 355-7912
Fax: (814) 353-8207
bellkoa@verizon.net
Tommy Martin 61-03
Buena Vista KOA
27700 County Rd 303
Buena Vista, CO 81211
Phone: (719) 395-8313
Fax: (719) 395-3103
bvkoa@msn.com
Howard Stein 22-220
Port Huron KOA
5151 Lapeer Rd
Kimball, MI 48074
Phone: (810) 987-7075
Fax: (810) 987-7073
porthuronkoa@aol.com
Jeff Stovold 55-252
Toronto North/Cookstown KOA
139 Reive Blvd
Cookstown, ON L0L 1L0
Phone: (705) 456-2120
Fax: (705) 458-1389
jeffslhri@rogers.com
Loren Smith 26153
Great Falls KOA
1500 51st Street South
Great Falls, MT 59405
Phone: (406) 562-6584
loren@pkscabins.com
Owners News
CALIFORNIA/NEVADA
Brian Cushman
Lake Isabella/Kern River KOA
15627 Highway 178
Weldon, CA 93283
(760) 378-4669
koa@mchsi.com
NEW ENGLAND
Steve Jesseman
Littleton/Lisbon, NH KOA
2154 Route 302
Lisbon, NH 03585
(603) 838-5525
sjlittletonkoa@live.com
TENNESSEE/KENTUCKY
Rodger Pannell
Memphis KOA
7037 I-55
Marion, AR 72364
(870) 739-4801
info@memphiskoa.com
COLORADO
Carolyn Stowe
Pueblo KOA
4131 Interstate 25 N
Pueblo, CO 81001
(719) 542-2273
pueblokoa@juno.com
NEW MEXICO
Cindy Lewis
Tucumcari KOA 31114
6299A Quay Road AL
Tucumcari, NM 88401
(575) 461-1841
tuckoa@plateautel.net
TEXAS
Marshal Gray 43111
Concho Valley KOA
6699 Knickerbocker Rd
San Angelo, TX 76904
(325) 656-6446
shgray1@gte.net
FLORIDA
Elliott Smith 9205
St. Augustine Beach KOA
525 W. Pope Rd
St. Augustine, FL 32080
(904) 806-1431
staugkoa@aol.com
NEW YORK
Wayne Hempel
Saugerties/Woodstock KOA
882 Rt 212
Saugerties, NY 12477
(845) 246-4089
saugertieskoa@hotmail.com
UTAH/IDAHO
Oscar Carranza
Twin Falls/Jerome KOA 12109
5431 US Hwy 93
Jerome, ID 83338
(208) 324-4169
oscar@twinfallskoa.com
Heartland-AR, OK, KS, MO
Terry Haith
Oklahoma City East KOA
6200 S Choctaw Rd
Choctaw, OK 73020
(405) 760-3022
heartlandoa@yahoo.com
OHIO
Garry Cole
Shelby/Mansfield KOA 35-164
6787 Baker 47
Shelby, OH 44875-9103
(419) 347-1392
camp@shelbymansfieldkoa.com
VIRGINIA
Steven Albrecht
Staunton/Walnut Hills KOA 46187
484 Walnut Hills Road
Staunton, VA 24401
(540) 337-3920
stauntonkoa@yahoo.com
ILLINOIS
John Downing 13-156
Rock Island KOA
2311 78th Ave. W.
Rock Island, IL 61201
(309) 787-0665
john@RIQKOA.com
OREGON
Michael Greig 37-176
Corvallis/Albany KOA
33775 Oakville Rd. SW
Albany, OR 37321
(541) 967-8521
michaeljgreig@hotmail.com
WASHINGTON
Carey Keith 47-161
Seattle/Tacoma KOA
5801 S. 212th St.
Kent, WA 98032
(253) 872-8652
seattlekoa@aol.com
INDIANA
Hope Perkins 14-133
Elkhart/Middlebury KOA
52867 State Rd. 13
Middlebury, IN 46540
(574) 825-5932
kamp@middleburykoa.com
PA CENTRAL
John Dillon 38-117
Bellefonte/State College KOA
2481 Jacksonville Rd
Bellefonte, PA 16823
(814) 355-7912
bellkoa@aol.com
WISCONSIN
Jeff Irwin 49106
Madison KOA
4859 Cty Rd V
DeForest, WI 53532
(608) 846-4528
madisonwikoa@centurytel.net
MICHIGAN
Cathleen Kuebler 22-225
Traverse City KOA
9700 M37
Buckley, MI 49620
(231) 269-3203
info@traversecitykoa.com
PA-WEST
Gary Levesque 38-104
Philadelphia/West Chester KOA
PO Box 920
Unionville, PA 19375
(610) 486-0447
philadelphaikoa@verizon.net
WESTERN CANADA
James Brown 51124
Hinton Jasper KOA
4720 Vegas Rd NW
Calgary, AB T3A 1W3 CANADA
(780) 865-5062
brownkoa4@shaw.ca
MINNESOTA
Kim Hornbrook
Minneapolis SW KOA
3315 W 166th St
Jordan, MN 55352
(952) 492-6440
minneapolisswkoa@hotmail.com
SOUTH CAROLINA
Bill Olendorf 40-113
Point South KOA
14 Kampground Rd
Yemassee, SC 29945
(843) 726-5733
pskoa@hargray.com
EASTERN CANADA
Richard Marcoux 55-208
1000 Island/Mallorytown KOA
1477 CR 2 PO Box 29
Mallorytown, ON K0E 1R0 CANADA
(613) 923-5339
FUN@1000islandscamping.com
MONTANA/WYOMING
Homer Staves 26-161
Whitefish/Kalispell KOA
5121 Highway 935
Whitefish, MT 59937
(406) 862-4242
info@glacierparkkoa.com
SOUTH DAKOTA
John Adler
Hot Springs KOA 41114
27585 SD Highway 79
Hot Springs, SD 57747
(605) 745-6449
kampkoa@gwtc.net
www.koaowners.org
January/February/March 2012
2012 State & Provincial Presidents
7
Volume 32, Issue 1
Gas Prices -vs- Camper Nights
And…
“Refinish Your Cabins to Refurbish Your Wallet”
Loren Smith
Prairie Kraft Specialties, LLC
Great Falls, Montana
PART 1:
“Gas Prices vs. Camper Nights”
Is Loren an optimist or a pessimist? I am an
optimist; however, I am a realistic optimist.
Realistic means: Gas prices are on the rise, the
national media has it front and center of everyone,
and this is the time people are planning vacations.
The second reality: We have solid historical
evidence that at $4.00/gallon, people start
reducing consumption, distance they drive, etc. A
third reality (plus a little personal opinion here):
this is not a long- term event; however, it is
definitely for the 2012 summer camping season.
So, what does Loren recommend considering his
35+ years of experience? This is important and
“Engineer Loren” likes to enumerate important
items:
8
1. Do not hunker down, bunker up and wait
for the world to end. That won’t work;
however, you need to prepare.
2. Prepare for the upcoming camping season
as you would for any other season- assume
it will be an average year. Remember, you
are not in the middle of camping season
yet– it’s only you and mom “working” and
you’re getting your campground ready.
3. Store sales will be down as people will
“scrimp,” bring food from home, buy at
Wal-Mart, etc. Stock up on essentials, but
go light on whimsical items. Again,
prepare for an average season (see next
item).
Owners News
5. You need money for debt service (your
mortgage payment to the bank, etc.) and
focus on that number. Money for debt
service unequivocally comes from renting
sites. Yes, we make some money from
store sales, but nothing like we do from
renting sites. Focus on renting sites. You
have already bought your sites. Store
sales need goods to resell. Notice that I
didn’t say to not sell stuff in your store,
but focus on getting sites rented. The only
expense you have on “sites rented” is the
amount of electricity and water someone
uses and that’s generally less than
$1.00/camper night. The costs of
insurance, taxes and your mortgage are not
going to change. You must make enough
to pay all of these.
6. Don’t categorically discount all your site
pricing; however, be flexible. Teach your
staff to flex pricing down if it will rent a
site. Remember, you “make money on
renting sites.”
7. You have little or no control over your
expenses with the exception of one –
labor. By way of example, you can’t
control the cost of your insurance, taxes,
royalties, mortgage, and necessary repairs
like broken water lines, severed electrical
cables, etc.; however, you do have control
of labor. The campgrounds that are most at
risk are the small “mom and pops,” and to
put it candidly, that describes the Great
Falls KOA. To control labor, it means you
and your partner are going to do lots of the
www.koaowners.org
work yourselves and you may have to lay
off or not hire people that you would have
in other years. At the Great Falls KOA,
Loren will be hiring and staffing as if it
will be an average year. However, the
minute we see that it isn’t (think mid May
to early June) we will lay off people (if
necessary) to accommodate the reality of
the 2012 camping season. I will explain
what you “want to do” by starting with
what you “don’t want to do.” You do not
want to operate the entire camping season
with a full staff, arriving at the end of the
camping season saying, “Woe is me – we
had a bad year – I have no money”.
Prepare for an average year knowing in
your mind it probably isn’t going to be
average. It’s going to be down. Then as
you see it down, adjust accordingly, and
yes, you are going to work harder this year
than you did last year.
8. Turn off electricity, fix leaking water
faucets, and do those things that will, in
small ways, reduce the cost of your
operation. You are going to need money at
the end of the year for two things: (1) your
bank payment and (2) some money leftover for you and mom to take a vacation,
because you have worked your butt off
this summer! Yes, you read right – you
definitely want some money to get away in
late fall or winter, relax for a few weeks,
and plan for the 2013 season.
9. Loren lives at the edge of the Bakken Oil
Fields of North Dakota, Eastern Montana
and Saskatchewan. The “Bakken Oil
Field” was simply good old U.S. ingenuity
and technology. An average well is 10,000
ft. deep. They then drill horizontally
January/February/March 2012
4. Do not buy a full year’s worth of stock.
Stock your store so it looks full and have
everything in place to order as needed to
replace. Remember, store sales will be
down, but you want to sell all you can;
hence, you need a good “full” looking
store. Don’t plan to reorder those cute
little “tourist trinkets (souvenirs)” five or
six times through the course of the
summer. It may only happen once or
twice.
9
Volume 32, Issue 1
another 10,000 ft. in a 30 ft. wide oilproducing zone. Last year North Dakota
pumped more oil than the entire OPEC
country of Ecuador and they are drilling
like mad. I am not going to spend any time
here on why gas prices are going up. It’s
immaterial – they are. However, when you
look at this with a long point of view, it is
my opinion that you will see them drop.
Unfortunately, it won’t be this coming
summer; hence the reason for this article.
10. Do you quit improving or growing your
campground at this time? Absolutely not!
You plan and grow your business as long
as it makes business sense. Don’t do
whimsical things that are simply what you
want to do, unless you clearly state in your
mind “I am doing this because I want to,
and I know I won’t make any money!”
Loren likes to speak by example: hence, if
installing a 99.9% efficient hot water
heater to replace an undersized old 70%
efficient one will give you happy
customers (you no longer run out of hot
water), do it! Take out a small loan, and
the 30% plus fuel savings will pay it off in
less than five years.
PART 2:
“Refinish Your Cabins to
Refurbish Your Wallet”
The second part of this writing concerns what I
love to write about: making money. You all
remember the nursery rhyme about the
shoemaker’s kids who didn’t have shoes; the
carpenter’s house whose roof leaked, etc. Well,
Great Falls KOA had ugly cabins. A cabin
customer’s first impression is the exterior finish
and it is important.
Over the last month I have had lots of first-hand
experience refinishing the outside of 26 cabins,
cottages, satellite bathroom, etc. All log
buildings. They now look nice and yes, we raised
our pricing “slightly” because they do look nice.
I expect my cabin nights will be equal to last year,
but my overall camper nights will probably be
down. However, I will be monitoring it closely
and adjust that one expense that I can (labor) to
end up with some money at the end of the year. In
banking we call this “managing to a favorable
outcome.”
1. It’s Loren’s opinion that our franchisor has
been too cavalier about what to use for an
exterior finish on log cabins. It’s not that
they’re bad folks – it’s just that they don’t
have the experience. When you look at the
exterior finish, not only do you want it
good-looking and durable, but you have to
think about what happens in four or five
years, not what does it look like after I
have finished “painting it.” Although
some of this may seem self-serving, it is
not meant to be. It is meant to state what
we have unequivocally seen and observed
over the past many years.
2. Placing paint or a heavy-bodies stain on a
log cabin is a bad deal. It may look ok
right after you are done, but once the paint
fades, starts to crack and peel (it will, no
matter what you use), it’s going to look
ugly and now you are faced with a BIG
stripping job. Note the adjective BIG was
put in capital letters. If you are faced with
stripping a cabin, call us – we won’t
bother with that in this article.
10
Owners News
• Paint, stains, etc., are a commodity,
and, as such, price plays a big role.
When a housewife goes to Home
Depot to buy a can of white paint, she
will buy a medium-priced or lowpriced white paint. It is difficult to sell
high-priced premium paint. In simple
words, it’s a price-driven market.
• All the chemists have said, “It is easy
to increase the life of paint, stain, or
varnish and increase its UV resistance,
resistance to fungal and mildew
growth, etc. You just can’t be price
sensitive.” If Home Depot is looking
for a paint supplier, they know their
customers want inexpensive paint.
6. A cabin refinished in the Prairie Kraft
transoxide stains unequivocally has a life
of 8 to 12 years between refinishing. We
can, and do, state that from our personal
experience.
7. If we are refinishing a cabin that has been
previously done using transoxide stain
(such as the Prairie Kraft stains), it is a
simple matter to clean the cabin using
what is commonly called a “Hotsy,” or a
hot water power washer. You don’t need
pressure – you need hot. When I say hot, I
am talking 265ºF of hot. Yes, water boils
at 212ºF (sea level), but water in a “Hotsy”
is under pressure, so - like a pressure
cooker – it’s not boiling. The instant it
comes out of that nozzle, however, it is and it cleans a cabin so easily!
4. At the Great Falls KOA, I am really not
interested if a gallon of stain costs me $40
or $60 – I am interested in how long it is
going to hold up. The difference of $20 is
nothing compared to the amount of work it
takes to refinish these things! So, here is
the self-serving part. The paints and
finishes that have been developed and
carry the Prairie Kraft Specialties label
were not developed with price sensitivity
in mind. They were developed to get
every last week and month of life possible
out of that finish, so we don’t have to
refinish these cabins any more than we
absolutely have to.
5. The use of transoxide stains (stains you
can see through) are unequivocally the
finish to use on a wood or log building.
Solid bodied stains are a bad idea if you
want to keep the “natural wood look,”
which is the only reason to have a log
building. Transoxide, transparent stains
do not ever need to be stripped. They can
literally be washed off when they finally
wear out.
www.koaowners.org
“Hotsy” Presure Washer – See the Steam!
January/February/March 2012
3. We have years of experience with many
chemists in the paint industry and there is
one common, consistent truth.
11
Volume 32, Issue 1
Unfortunately, it won’t strip paint or solidbodied stains but it will really clean up one
that is done in transoxide, semi-transparent
stains.
Oxalic Acid in the Plastic Weed Sprayer
8. After power washing (265ºF water!), use a
weed sprayer and spray the cabin down
with a solution on water and oxalic acid.
As most of you know, Loren doesn’t
believe in generalities; hence:
• Mix crystalline oxalic acid at the rate
of cup per gallon of water. Use hot
water. Not boiling hot – hot out of the
tap is just fine.
• Let the oxalic acid/water sit for 15 to
20 minutes, then take the “Hotsy” and
rewash the cabin. Notice I didn’t say
blast the cabin – I said wash the
cabin!
• Oxalic acid can be found on the
internet, or we can supply it for
$4.40/lb in one, two, or five pound
bags. One pound will make four
gallons of mixture – enough to do one
one-room cabin. In simple words, “it’s
cheap.”
• Mix the oxilic acid and water in an all
plastic weed sprayer. Spray it on the
walls after you wash/strip the cabin
with the “Hotsy” power washer. Start
from the bottom and work up the
walls, spraying the oxalic acid mixture
on the walls.
12
Oxalic Acid Rinse vs. “Virgin” Wall
Owners News
• We now stain the trim around the
doors, windows, porch posts and rails
206 Russet Brown which is also a
semitransparent transoxide stain. This
gives you a darker color on the trim
than the walls (which are a golden
honey yellow.) This combination
produces a gorgeous looking cabin.
More importantly, it has tremendous
life.
• Let the cabin dry a couple of days.
Take the “fuzziness” off the washed
logs with a maroon colored
Scotchbrite® pad.
• Apply the stain - I strongly
recommend the Prairie Kraft 1501
Cedartone Stain - and you will have a
gorgeous cabin. If you have lots of
cabins, apply the stain with a airless
paint sprayer, but, if not, use a brush
and/or paint pad and apply the stain as
heavily as possible. You will need
three to four gallons per one-room
cabin to saturate/thoroughly coat the
log walls.
www.koaowners.org
• Front door – Finish it in Prairie Kraft
Floor Varnish. The Prairie Kraft Floor
Varnish has lots of UV inhibitors and
it holds up well. Remove the door
from the cabin, take it into your shop,
and sand it with a random orbital right
angle sander, 80 or 100 grit disks.
You can sand an entire door in less
than an hour and it looks like a brand
new door after you refinish it. We
refinish it in the shop where we can
control the dust and dirt, then take it
back out and re-hang it on the cabin.
Here’s hoping you have a great
summer without a reduction in
business and… the gas prices drop! As
always, if we can be of any help or
assistance, give myself or Jane a call.
January/February/March 2012
Dry “Fuzzy”
• If you are in an area of very severe
climate (think seacoast) use the Prairie
Kraft 205 Cedar Stain. It is darker
than the 1501 Cedartone, but it has
longer life for these regions.
13
Volume 32, Issue 1
Medical Payments in the General
Liability Policy Explained
Medical Payments to Others (CGL, Coverage C)
Medical Payments to Others is part C of the Commercial General Liability (CGL) policy related to commercial
insurance.
It is a type of no-fault coverage for bodily injury. No-fault insurance is designed to be good will coverage in
which fault doesn’t have to be proven in order to pay for damages resulting from bodily injury claims. It is
designed primarily to protect the insured and insurer against lawsuits for negligence.
Medical payments to others, as the name implies, is not insurance for the policyholder or employees. Employees
are always insured through workers compensation. This coverage part of the CGL extends certain benefits to
a person injured on your premises or as a result of your day-to-day business operations.
These benefits include necessary surgical, medical, and dental services as well as funeral expenses if death
results from the claim.
An example: Imagine a typical day at your campground. Perhaps a camper slips by the pool and falls, causing
a cut and a broken arm, requiring a trip to the emergency room and fifteen stitches.
Your medical payments coverage would pay for all the expenses incurred as a result of the fall. There is no
need to prove you are negligent as the owner; you would simply file a claim and the insurer would pay for the
damages typically up to $5,000 or the limit on the declarations page.
But be sure to note in the example above that the insurance company is not acknowledging responsibility for
the injury when they extend the benefits. This coverage is to keep your clients happy and to keep them from
filing a lawsuit whereby they must prove negligence.
Additionally, the injured party still retains the right to sue you for negligence and collect benefits by settling
out of court or procuring a judgment against you if they choose to. The hope of the insurer (and you) is that
the injured party will be satisfied with simply having their medical bills paid.
If you were sued, the claim would be processed under the liability portion of your CGL. The medical payments
coverage part of the CGL does not deal with liability.
The liability coverage parts are included in premises and operations, products and completed operations, and
personal injury.
Make note as in most insurance coverages there are certain exclusions. Injuries to: any insured, any hired
person, any person that normally occupies the premise, anyone who can benefit from a workers compensation
policy, a person participating in athletic activities, and any injury caused by your “products or completed
operations”. Also, these claims must not be caused by any other exclusion that applies to your standard
liability coverage.
Glenn Sudol is the owner of Outdoor Insurance Group, Endorsed Insurance Agency of the KOA
Owners association. Glenn can be reached at 303-951-5051 or by email gsudol@oigcorp.com.
14
Owners News
MEETINGS DO MATTER
By Jerry Dale
Manchester KOA
From left to
Right. Barbara
and Jimmy Dale.
Jerry and Melody
Duncan. Jerry
Dale. John and
Penny Gorgei.
Karen Dorsett.
This is the
workforce for the
Manchester KOA.
January/February/March 2012
I don’t know how many times I have heard owners say they can’t afford to take off to attend
meetings, convention, etc. This really confuses me because I have never attended any industry function
where I did not walk away with new knowledge and ways to make more money.
Last year at the TN ARVC Conference Comcast Cable came with some bombshells. They said
they were going to make these small individual boxes that we were to give to each camper and have to
get back from them when they leave. This was for the new digital cable. At that meeting, we all explained
that would not work in a campground situation and we would all just have to disconnect the cable and
go to satellite. This year they came back. They told us the plans they had and they made things more
workable. For campgrounds they are bringing in a 39 channel head-in unit free of charge and even asked
us to come up with a channel list for them. Even though this meeting was in Tennessee, this is where it
starts for the whole nation. It always pays to go to these meetings. Sometimes we can actually change
things for the better.
At this same ARVC meeting, a representative from Tennessee Tourism gave a presentation and
afterwards another owner approached her and explained how it was very difficult to rent campsites with
an almost 18% bed and hotel tax. The rep went back and asked her lawyers to review the law and see if it
should apply to campgrounds. The lawyer wrote back and said that the Tennessee law was never written
to include campground RV & tent sites. Only Cabins and Deluxe Cabins should be under this law. The
owner took that letter and gave it to her county mayor and he had it repealed for RV and tent sites in that
county.
That is just a couple of recent examples of what can happen when you meet with other owners. If
you say you can’t afford to attend convention, a state OA or other meetings, remember, you can’t afford
not to.
www.koaowners.org
15
Volume 32, Issue 1
Owners Association Associate Members
Call them first!
THE FOLLOWING ARE ASSOCIATE MEMBERS OF THE KOA OWNERS ASSOCIATION. PLEASE REMEMBER THAT THESE
VENDORS PAY DUES TO SUPPORT THE OWNERS ASSOCIATION:
AGS
Brian Schaeffer
910 S Crowley Rd, Suite 9-504
Crowley, TX 76036
(877) 518-1989
FAX: (877) 343-9397
kferguson@affinitygroup.com
http://www.agspub.com
Let AGS grow your business with
unequaled Guest Services Guides and
Internet Marketing
ANDERSON’S BROCHURE
DISTRIBUTION SVC.
JOE TICE
3625 FOX HILL DRIVE
CHAMBERSBURG, PA 17202
(866) 645-1897
brochureservice@comcast.net
Anderson’s distributes campground
and RV resort brochures at 21 RV and
camping shows in the US and Canada
Burco Promotional Printing
Stephanie Dula
1900 Hendersonville Rd #10
Asheville, NC 28803
828-252-4481
800-334-3864
sdula@goburco.com
http://www.goburco.com
BURCO specializes in promotional printing
for the recreation, golf, and hospitality
markets.
Campbell Insurance Agency Inc.
Craig/Kirk Campbell
PO Box 1695
Harrison, AR 72602
(870) 741-5423
Fax (870) 741-4714
craig@campbellinsuranceinc.com
http://www.insuretheoutdoors.com
Campground Insurance including
Property, General Liability,
Automobile,Umbrella, and Worker’s
Compensation. In business since 1916!
CHADWICK MFG. LTD.
ALLEN SMITH
PO BOX 85
CHADWICK, IL 61014
(800) 732-4602
sales@chadwickmfg.com
http://www.chadwickmfg.com
Chadwick Manufacturing Ltd. Has been
serving KOA campgrounds for over 40 years
Conestoga Log Homes
John Brown
246 N Lincoln Ave
Lebanon, PA 17046
(800) 914-4606
Fax (717) 306-4490
16
info@conestogalogcabins.com
http://www.conestogalogcabins.com
Conestoga Log Cabins has provided
cabins, bathhouses, bunkhouses and
commercial buildings for KOA for over 15
years, with over 3,000 cabins sold. Now
offering Timberframe cabins
Darrell Hess & Assocates
Darrell Hess
367 Dellwood Rd
Bldg E, Ste 2
Waynesville, NC 28786
(828) 452-1535
FAX (828) 452-3180
hess@campgroundsforsale.com
http://www.campgroundsforsale.com
Campground sales
Digitalway Services
Don Murry
2208 Springfield Rd
Springfield, TX 76082
(817) 304-3595
Fax (817) 550-0169
don@digitalwayservices.com
http://www.digitalwayservices.com
Digital Services builds and designs cable
systems for future clients. We set up
where the client can pay wholesale rates
instead of retail and where they can own
their own cable system, being able to
customize and pick and choose their own
programming.
Earth Sun Moon Trading
Company
Leo Glenn
111 N. Center Street
Grove City, PA 16127
888-458-1687
FAX (724) 458-4920
lglenn@earthsunmoon.com
http://www.earthsunmoon.com
Premium Nature-inspired Shirts and hats
- Nature T-Shirts, Gardening T Shirts,
Environmental Shirts, Camping & Outdoor
T’s, Birdwatching T Shirts
EVERGREEN USA
LUCAS HARTFORD
10 FALCON ROAD
LEWISTON, ME 04240
(800) 343-7900
FAX (207) 784-6475
lucas@evergreenusa.com
http://www.evergreenusa.com
Evergreen is the insurance company
owned by the camping industry. For
35 years we have been helping
campgrounds, RV Parks & Resorts with
their insurance needs
Gerber Manufacturing
Chuck Gerber
2917 Latham Drive
Madison, WI 53713
(800) 393-9923
Fax (608) 271-1920
chuck@gerbertables.com
picnic tables
INDEPENDENCE BANK
MYM CICHOSZ
PO BOX 2900
HAVRE, MT 59501
(406) 265-1241
mymc@ibyourbank.com
http://www.ibyourbank.com
Independence Bank is a premier lender for
campground purchases, refinances, cabin/
lodges financing and improvement loans
JAX LTD. INC.
CYNTHIA LEVINE
141 CHESHIRE LANE
MINNEAPOLIS, MN 55441
(763) 449-9699
cindyl@jaxgames.com
http://www.jaxgames.com
“We bring families together!” JAX LTD., the
fun and games people, is recognized for their
exceptional family games, including the long
time favorite Sequence game. JAX games
are designed with the idea of providing
entertainment for friends and family
Kramer Kreations
Murbles
Murray Kramer
9141 Sebring Dr.
Pensacola, FL 32506
(850) 458-5858
akramerkreations@hotmail.com
http://murblegame.com
Plastic Murbles 3” across and played like
bocci ball but they are in bright colors and
very light.
Leavitt Recreation & Hospitality
Insurance
Chris Hipple
1001 Lazell St
Sturgis, SD 57785
866-465-2797
Fax 865-465-2797
lrh@leavitt.com
http://www.lrhinsurance.com
We specialize in resort, campground
and hospitality business throught the
nations. Coverage designed exclusively
for your industry coupled with exceptional
customer service
Owners News
ParknPool
Laura Dudley
40 Park Place
Lexington, VA 24450
(877) 777-3700
FAX (877) 777-3717
laura@parknpool.com
http://www.parknpool.com
We have grown from representing
one manufacturer of commercial pool
furniture to now offering superior
products from over 40 manufacturing
companies.
PHELPS HONEY WAGON
JAYLENE SHANNON
158 WHISKEY SPRING ROAD
DILLSBURG, PA 17019
(800) 463-3707
info@phelpshoneywagon.com
http://www.phelpshoneywagon.com
Since 1970 our product line offers
RV parks and campgrounds the most
efficient and economical method of
providing full hook ups to all your sites
PHILADELPHIA INSURANCE
COMPANIES
SUSAN HORTSMANN
ONE BALA PLAZA, SUITE 100
BALA CYNWYD, PA 19004
(800) 873-4552
phlysales@phlyins.com
http://www.phylins.com
Philadelphia Insurance Companies
designs, markets and underwrites
stand-alone Campground and RV park
operators, incorporating value-added
coverage’s and services. PHLY is rated
A+ by A.M. Best Company
RECREATIONAL BUSINESS
PARTNERS
JOHN HALSTVEDT
1643 24th st WSuite 113
BILLINGS, MT 59102
(406) 294-3860
john@recreationalbusinesspartners.
com
http://www.recreationalbusinesspartners.
com
Dan Singer and John Halstvedt of
Recreational Business Partners
have spent the past 25 years in the
campground business, past vice
presidents of KOA, Inc. and managed
campground sales across the country.
www.koaowners.org
John is also a past KOA owner.
Currently, they help campground
owners improve, value and prepare
their campgrounds for sale
SOUTHEAST PUBLICATIONS USA,
INC.
Wayne Morris
10601 State Street, Suite #1
Tamarac, FL 33321
(954) 583-3900
FAX (954) 583-2803
morris@sepub.com
http://www.sepub.com
Since 1986 we have been providing
the BEST full color and limited color
site maps and area guides, rack cards,
specialty advertising promotional
products. We also offer free listing
service for all our campground clients Rving USA.com
Steradian Technologies
Jenny Richardson
643 Ferry Street
Lafayette, IN 47901
(765) 420-9201
FAX (765) 535-5040
sales@steradiantech.com
http://www.steradiantech.com
Lasertag combines fun with exercise!
We are a family owned/operated
business and we design and
manufacture Steradian outdoor/indoor
lasertag gear. This game is perfect
for all age campers, whether in the
recreation center or a small field. Call
or email
Tengo Internet, Inc.
ERIC STUMBERG
106 E. 6TH STREET
SUITE 900
AUSTIN, TX 78701
(512) 469-7660
Fax (512) 233-1783
marketing@tengointernet.com
http://www.tengointernet.com
TengoInternet is the oldest and largest
wireless service provider to the outdoor
hospitality industry, delivering turnkey
Wi-Fi Solutions for over 900
campgrounds, hotels and marinas in
North America
Texas Meter & Device
Steve Swenke
PO Box 154099
Waco, TX 76715-4099
(800) 247-5116
info@texasmeter.com
http://www.texasmeter.com
UTILITY SUPPLY GROUP
Wade Elliott
26519 Bond Rd NE
Kingston, WA 98346-8476
(360) 881-0375
FAX (360) 881-0742
wade@go-usg.com
http://www.go-usg.com
National provider of RV pedestals
and boxes. Electric meters, wire and
distribution load centers are also
available. USG sells the Xlerator hand
dryer in KOA yellow. The Xlerator not
only dries your hands, but will save you
about 90% over paper towels and up to
85% over hand dryers
WILCOR INTERNATIONAL
MICHELE MEDINA
161 DRIVE IN ROAD
FRANKFORT, NY 13340
(800) 356-2345
michelem@wilcor.net
http://www.wilcor.net
Wilcor International is the #1 supplier
to the vacation industry with the
largest variety from one source. We
proudly research and develop new and
innovative products to help make your
business prosper
Xzeres Wind
Nancy Sage
9025 SW Hillman Ct
Ste 3126
Wilsonville, OR 97070
(503) 703-1362
nsage@xzeres.com
http:www.xzeres.com
XZERES Wind designs, manufactures
and distributes high quality wind
energy systems. We combine wind
energy solutions with industry leading
performance
Yara North America
Nelson Vargas
100 N Tampa St,Ste 3200
Tampa, FL 33602
813-401-0029
nelson.vargas@yara.com
http://www.yara.com
Used worldwide by wastewater
treatment plants, Odorlos Holding
Tank Treatment is scent free and
is formulated to effectively prevent
odor production and accelerate the
breakdown of waste
January/February/March 2012
Pacific Yurts Inc.
Pete Dolan
77456 Highway 99 S
Cottage Grove, OR 97424
800-944-0240
FAX 541-942-0508
info@yurts.com
http://www.yurts.com
Pacific Yurts sets the highest standard
for quality, service, and proven product
performance. As the original designer
and manufacturer of the modern yurt,
we have built a 34 year track record of
success and innovation
17
Volume 32, Issue 1
Raising the Quality Bar in 2012
At out February OA board meeting the board asked KOA, Inc to provide a brief update on changes
in the Quality Review process. Our thanks to Fred Prichard who has provided the following
update.
A few key changes were made to the 2012 Quality Review.
1. The minimum score to pass the Quality Review has been raised from 350 to 400 points.
2. A new core item is introduced: “Campgrounds must exceed the bottom 5% ranking of the
Net Promoter Scores
determined by KOA’s Rate
Your Stay Survey.”
The yearly Quality Review visit
is a snapshot of one day in a
campgrounds
season.
KOA
believes it is important that
campgrounds operate at the
level of quality that our campers
expect every day during their
season. The NPS survey gives
us a much broader look at how
the campground is performing to
meet those guest expectations.
Campgrounds with exceedingly
low NPS scores will not pass their
Quality Reviews, will not be eligible
for awards, and will be expected
to work through a plan with their
assigned Business Development
Consultant (BDC) in order to raise
their guest satisfaction scores
or they will be removed from the
KOA system.
The OA board will be updated on
further developments on the QR
program at each of our upcoming
board meetings. Please let us know
if you have any thoughts, comments
or suggestions by contacting us at
info@koaowners.org
18
Owners News
Funnies
Driving through town in his BMW, a successful
young lawyer spotted two men on the side of the
road eating grass out of somebody’s yard. Moved
by how desperate the men had become, he pulls
over to have a word with them,
Advice
From Dad
“Hey fellas, what is going on? Why are you eating
grass?” asks the lawyer.
A young boy and his dad went out
fishing one fine morning. After a few
quiet hours out in the boat, the boy
became curious about the world around
him. He looked up at his dad and asked
“How do fish breathe under water?”
“We’re down on our luck, have no jobs and are
very poor!”, they both respond.
His dad thought about it for a moment,
then replied, “I really don’t know, son.”
“Well then, come with me” the lawyer insists. “I’ll
do what I can to help, after all - it’s clear you’re
desperate and you’re clearly willing to do what it
takes to get by.”
The boy sat quietly from another
moment, then turned back to his dad
and asked, “How does our boat float on
the water?”
After a fifteen minute drive, the two poor men
arrive at a beautiful estate on five acres of land
right on the 18th hole of a prestigious golf course.
They became excited at the chance to finally get
some work.
“Sir, we can’t thank you enough! Thank you so
much for this opportunity. We will make you
happy!” they exclaimed with joy!
“Ah, it’s no problem. I’m just happy to help.” replied
the compassionate lawyer. You can eat all the
grass you want, it’s got to be at least a foot tall by
now!”
www.koaowners.org
Once again his dad replied, “Don’t
know, son.”
Pondering his thoughts again, a short
while later, the boy asks “Why is the sky
blue?”
Again, his dad replied. “Don’t know,
son.”
The inquisitive boy, worried he was
annoying his father, asks this time “Dad,
do you mind that I’m asking you all of
these questions?”
“Of course not son.” replied his dad,
“How else are you ever going to learn
anything?”
January/February/March 2012
The Compassionate
Lawyer
19
Volume 32, Issue 1
“WORKAMPER’S KORNER”
We are planning to continue this section of the OA news. If you would like to submit an
article on this subject please send your article to us at info@koaowners.org We have a new committee
that will be working on providing ideas, suggestions or other comments this year. The committee consists
of the following:
Workkamper Committee
Kim Carranza, Chair
Diane King
Jim Brown
Sarah Martin
Please feel free to contact any of these committee members with any suggestions you have on how we
can gain more insights into effectively working with our workampers.
Workamper of the Year Award
With the 2012 season getting underway we wanted to remind you of the annual Workamper Of The Year
award. This will be the fourth year we will be presenting this award. We are pleased to announce the
KOA Work Kamper of the Year Award will be presented at the KOA convention in Orlando in November,
2012. While the criteria for this year has not been finalized we wanted to remind you to be thinking about
the award and whether you will be submitting one of your workamper individuals or couples this year.
The general criteria for evaluating nominees for 2011 were:
Criteria
1. The Work Kamper nominee must have an active membership in the KOA Work Kamper Program.
Their resume may be inactive only if currently working at a KOA Kampground. Also must allow for
work kampers that are not full-timers, but work only in the summer months.
2. Demonstrate loyalty to the KOA Organization by choice of campgrounds to work at.
3. Demonstrate outstanding customer skills per the “Making It Great” Program. The Work Kamper
nominee is an employee who goes above and beyond on the campground, is a team player and
gets along well with peers. Demonstrates positive energy and attitude proving to be an asset to the
campground atmosphere.
POINTS TO CONSIDER: Competence, friendliness and high customer satisfaction. Willingness to take
on projects and implementing them to their solutions. Positive comments from customers about the extra
effort and treatment they receive from the Work Kamper.
4. Implements the KOA Work Kamper Code of Conduct as developed at the Work Kamper University.
The announcement of the nominating procedures and criteria will be published in September, 2012. Be
on the lookout for the announcement near the end of the summer season.
20
Owners News
KOA OWNER SPOTLIGHT
BURCO Promotional Printing: Your Partner for Success
At BURCO, we specialize in promotional printing for recreation – and especially for campgrounds.
Our purpose in establishing the company in the early 1970s was to meet a local need for printing golf
score cards. Following that first success, we expanded to other businesses and industries that requested
our expertise in bulk printing. In the years since, we have found great satisfaction in printing for the leisure
market and have worked diligently not only to enhance the public presence of our customers but to find ways
for them to increase their promotional reach and market share.
It’s precisely that sort of growth that we hope to bring to KOA owners and managers as we announce Max
Gunther as BURCO’s dedicated liaison. An experienced professional, Max will work with you one-on-one to
determine the best strategies for your location and your individual needs. He knows the campground market
and is well prepared to collaborate with you to boost your sales and traffic.
Max can also guide you in choosing particular BURCO products to optimize your campground’s print
presence, from rack cards and postcards to business cards and site maps. He can also share with you the
advantages of our business-boosting ad program, which allows you to provide campground site maps to
your customers completely FREE of charge to you and to them. The ad program markets you and other
select businesses to visitors, increasing exposure for everyone and providing terrific local information for
your campers. The best part is that BURCO takes care of all the legwork. The only thing required of you is
final approval of our choices.
January/February/March 2012
To learn more about the benefits of our FREE ad sponsorship program for your KOA campground, contact
Max Gunther directly at 866-439-4334.
www.koaowners.org
21
Volume 32, Issue 1
SE Publications Ad
22
Owners News
Welcome to the latest edition of
“Your Partnership with Southeast Publications”
Every month we send out this In-Site to our valued customers. Whether you are an establishment in which
we are providing site maps or area guides for, or a business that supports your local establishment by
placing ads for your company or services on the maps and guides, we want you to know what we are doing
to help promote you.
These monthly updates are intended to keep all of our customers up to date on Southeast Publications and
all of our efforts to better serve you.
This is just another reason why Southeast Publications is THE BEST in the industry.
Thank you and we appreciate your business.
In this edition, we want to introduce our new
mobile app “MobileRVing”. This is a free
app that is designed to assist travelers to
find your RV Park, Campground, Marina, etc.
while they are on the road looking for places to
stay, or planning their next trip. It allows them
to search by Name, State, Zip Code, or even
by searching parks that are near their current
location. This is a free service and we are
providing listings for all of our current customers.
The MobileRVing app not only directs travelers to the parks and campgrounds, but the Site Maps and
Mobile Guides that Southeast Publications has produced are also accessible to the travelers. They will be
able to access all of the park’s information as well as the local businesses that advertise on the site maps
and guides.
For the establishments, this will help promote your park to people all over the world and provide direct
navigation to your park. We want travelers to know about the parks and establishments we work with and
how much we value them. Users will be able to connect to your park with a touch of a button, either by
clicking the link to your website or using the “direct connect” feature which will allow them to call you directly
from the within he app, to ask questions and make reservations.
We are confident that this latest addition to our services will not only help promote all of the great
establishments and businesses that we work with, but will also prove to help increase traffic and revenue
for them as well.
Thank you again, and we look forward to seeing you all soon!
800-832-3292 ~ “Your Partnership with Southeast Publications”
Your Ideas Count...
Southeast Publications offers a variety of services in addition to providing site maps and area guides. We also offer a
full range of promotional printing materials like rack cards, business cards, brochures, window hangers and more. If
there is something you need or would like to help promote your park, let us know. We also provide solutions for website
design and development. But, if there is something you need or something you would like Southeast Publications to
consider offering, let us know your ideas!
Comments or Suggestions?
Let us know how we are doing. We are asking that you share your stories with us. We want to post what people are
thinking so everyone can see what our valued customers think about the products we provide to them.
www.koaowners.org
January/February/March 2012
For the local businesses, it will let the travelers know where to go while they are in the area and what local
businesses the establishments recommend. By having the ability to access the Mobile Guides, travelers
will see YOUR ad. This will help them become more familiar with your services, logo, location, website, and
contact information. More exposure for your ad means more business for you.
23
Volume 32, Issue 1
2012 KOA Care Camps Board
Mike Kuper-Chairman
Thunderbay KOA
162 Spruce River Rd
Thunder Bay, ON P7B 5E4
Phone: 807-683-6221
Fax: 807-683-6222
tbaykoa@tbaytel.net
Hope Perkins-Secretary
Elkhart/Middlebury KOA
52867 State Rd 13
Middlebury, IN 46540
Phone: 574-825-5932
Fax: 574-825-1080
kamp@middleburykoa.com
Daniel Parent
Cardinal KOA
609 Pittson Rd RR 1
Cardinal, ON K0E 1E0
Phone: 613-657-4536
Fax: 613-657-8926
Daniel@cardinalkoa.com
John Downing
Rock Island KOA
2311 78th Ave W.
Rock Island, IL 61201
Phone: 309-787-0665
Fax: 309-787-1320
john@riqckoa.com
Jim Rogers
KOA Inc.
PO Box 30558
Billings, MT 59114
Phone: 800-548-7104
Fax: 406-248-7414
jrogers@koa.net
Jerry Dale-V. Chairman
Kim Carranza-Treasurer
Manchester TN KOA
Twin Falls KOA
586 Kampground Rd
5431 US Hwy 93
Manchester, TN 37355
Jerome, ID 83338
Phone: 931-728-9750
Phone: 208-324-4169
Fax: 931-728-9777
Fax: 208-324-4376
jddale@earthlink.net
camp@twinfallskoa.com
Kathy Gross
Wade Elliott
Oregon Dunes KOA
Utility Supply Group
68632 Hwy 101
PO Box 267
North Bend, OR 97459
Preston, WA 98050
Phone: 541-756-4851
Phone: 800-800-2811
Fax: 541-756-8838
Fax: 425-222-7845
Kathy@oregonduneskoa.com wade@go-usg.com
Diane King (2010)
Owners Association Office
Springfield/Rte 66 KOA
Administrator: Bill Ranieri
5775 W. Farm Rd 140
3416 Primm Lane
Springfield, MO 65802
Birmingham, AL 35216
Phone: 417-831-3645
Phone: 800-678-9976;
Fax: 417-863-0295
888-461-2062
threekingsmo@yahoo.com
Fax: 208-324-4376
info@koaowners.org
Mike Groseclose
KOA Inc. Representative
Buckeye Lake KOA
Mike Gast
4460 Walnut Rd
PO Box 30558
Buckeye Lake, OH 43008
Billings, MT 59114
Phone: 740-928-0706
Phone: 800-548-7104
Fax: 740-928-0462
Fax: 406-248-7414
mikeandshirleyg@mac.com
mgast@koa.net
Wayne Morris
SE Publication
4360 Peters Rd
Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33317
Phone: 954-294-8040
Fax: 945-583-4109
morris@sepub.com
The healing nature of camping
24
Owners News
A Million Smiles
Hey KOA do you want to be part of a million smiles??? That’s right a million smiles!!! We
currently support 47 Care camps and have sent numerous children off to camp. KOA care Camps as you
know allows children stricken with cancer to attend camp for a safe week of fun and to associate with
other kids that have the same disease. We are celebrating KOA”s 50th birthday this year and we want to set a
goal!!! We want to support 50 Care Camps and produce a million smiles!!!!
This seems like a lot but let’s put some numbers together. Stay with me now. Let’s say an average of 100 children
attend one of our 50 KOA Care camps, some would actually have less attend where some would have considerably
more. Take these 500 children smiling an average of 25 times an hour while some never stop smiling and others
try to smile even through their pain. This is the “healing Nature Of Camping” You add this all up and within the
week at Care Camps we would see at least a million smiles!!!!!!!! Now doesn’t that make you feel warm & fuzzie
inside???
Last year we challenged all of you to raise $1000. By the middle of October we had 33 Kampgrounds out of 400
plus that met that goal. We need your participation to create a Million Smiles... Many of you have signed up for
“Big Weekend”(CK&CWUW), consider continuing your fundraising efforts throughout your season!!
•
This year we are asking you all to step it up a notch. Gather your KOA staff, volunteers, family & friends and
together raise funds for the KOA Cancer Camps for Kids!!!
Here are three easy ways to help you out with fundraising...1. “Roundup” which is asking the customer to donate
their change to Care Camps, you can find out how to do this on ekamp. 2. You can setup your kampsight to donate
a dollar to Care Camps upon registration. 3. We have provided you with a convenient coin box to locate at your
registration desk. These 3 fundraisers are at no cost to you!!
If you want to really get involved then it”s time to think outside the box and try a fundraising event such as a
simple 50/50 draw, or a weekend ice cream social or how about a bingo. All three of these fundraiser events are
at a minimal cost to you.
Yes you can do this, fill out the PLEDGE , let’s all be part of a million smiles....Just imagine......
“ A Million Smiles”.......What a wonderful incentive
Thank You KOA Franchisee’s
Sincerely,
A Million Smiles Pledge for 2012
Please return this pledge
form by:
We pledge $__________ a day to create a million smiles at KOA Care Camps
We pledge $__________ a week to create a million smiles at KOA Care Camps
We pledge $__________ for our season to create a million smiles at KOA Care
Camps
Kampground name_______________________________________________
Email:
info@koaowners.org
Fax:
205-823-2760
Mail:
KOA Owners Assoc.
3516 Primm Lane
Birmingham, AL 35216
The healing nature of camping
January/February/March 2012
Michael Kuper, Chairman KOA Care Camps
Franchisee #____________________________________________________
www.koaowners.org
25
Volume 32, Issue 1
CARE CAMPS BIG WEEKEND IDEAS
By Hope Perkins
Hello all! Hope here, from the Elkhart CO/Middlebury KOA & I have a great new ‘column’ for you that
is generated from you! I have compiled the answers from our survey questions and you may recognize some of
the comments in the column. I am happy to assist you in your fundraising challenges by using the very ideas from
many of the KOAs out there that have had much success with this BIG weekend’s fundraising. Using the answers
as to why fundraising is not a success from the survey, I have matched them with the answers to what fundraising
is a success. No matter how big a KOA or how few people attend the event, there is always a way to raise funds
for KOA Care Camps.
1. ‘Only a handful of campers come’ – ‘50/50 raffle’ no matter how many people come to the campground,
everyone loves to win money! A simple 50/50 raffle where the money is divided between winner and Care
Camps can generate a decent amount of money for the fundraiser. Also works for the campground that sees
‘low income guests’, and the people that are ‘sick of giving out handouts’. This type of fundraising has no
advance schedule involved, and no extra staff or money involved in the planning either!
2. ‘Winter like weather’, or in Florida ‘too hot for activities’. I had no comments to pair with these items, but
here are a few ideas from me – use the weather to create a simple event – Cold out – have a mini-marshmallow
roast inside your event hall using unscented candles, tooth picks, and mini marshmallows. This is a minimal
investment and you can ‘charge’ for the marshmallows
to roast – stating a marshmallow
inside
will1
Chadwick_AD_122810:Layout
1 12/28/10 roasting
12:41 PM
Page
generate curiosity and may get your guests in
the door. Hot out – water balloon wars or squirt
gun wars are always a laugh and can cool one
down, ‘charge’ for the balloons or rentals of the
squirt guns. Each of these ‘charges’ could be as
little as $.25 and could earn some nice change
for Care Camps.
Heavy Duty American Made
Campground Equipment
I hope these simple ideas will help you generate
funds for Care Camps Weekend and future
fundraising all season long!
Picnic table frames,
fire rings & grills at
competitive prices.
P.O. Box 85 • Chadwick, IL 61014
Sales@Chadwickmfg.com
The healing nature
26
Call toll free or
visit our website
to receive a
free catalog.
800.732.4602 • www.Chadwickmfg.com
Owners News
KOA CARE CAMPS
KOA Care Camps received a donation for $206.00 from the Northeast Campground
Association. During the Northeast Campground Association’s 48th Annual Conference on camping
and event was held in Sturbridge, Massachusetts on March 22 – 24, 2012, to benefit KOA Care Camps. Larry
Brownfield of KOA, Inc. was present to represent the KOA Care Camps. The new KOA Care Camps vest and pins
were highlighted during the event.
David R. Tetrault, Executive Director of the Northeast Campground Association sent the donation to KOA Care
Camps citing our wonderful work with children’s camps across the country especially those located in the
Northeast from Maine to Maryland. He stated their 1100 plus members truly understood the “Healing Nature of
Camping” and were thrilled to support
our endeavors!
Announcement
of Cancer
Camps Grants
We have several owners who have
volunteered to present the Care
Camps grant check in person at one
of the cancer camps in their area.
If you would like to present a check
in person to one of the camps we
support please contact us at info@
koaowners.org and let us know if
you are interested. We are sorry
that we can’t publish the locations
of the camps at this time since we
don’t know which ones will submit an
application. We will keep you offer
to volunteer on file and if we sponsor
a camp in your area we will let you
know. The checks normally go out
the first week or two in June.
Please let us know if you would like to
participate.
www.koaowners.org
Are the year
to year
fluctuations
in your
insurance
rates making
your stomach
do flip-flops?
Some insurance companies’ rates
vary wildly from year to year.
If so, it’s time to get off the insurance rate roller coaster
and call Evergreen USA. We’re owned and operated by
the camping industry, so we understand your business.
And because we base our rates on a long-term, stable
approach, you won’t have to fasten your seatbelt every
time your policy renews.
Discover the Evergreen difference—friendly, knowledgeable
service, flexible payment plans, and a 20% discount as an
industry association member.
Call Evergreen today for a free quote:
1-800-343-7900
Official Campground Insurance Provider
‘Secure’ rating from A.M. Best Company
Evergreen USA RRG, Inc. • 10 Falcon Road, Lewiston, ME 04240
1-800-343-7900 • www.evergreenusa.com
January/February/March 2012
This year we have invited 50 Cancer
Camps to submit applications for
receiving a Care Camps grant from
us. This is the largest number of
cancer camps to date that have been
invited to submit an application.
27
Volume 32, Issue 1
A MISSIONARY VISIT BY SOME OF OUR
KOA OWNERS
From left to right
Angela (MCF beneficiary) Jeff & Cathy (Toronto North Cookstown KOA) Esther & Dr Charles Mulli (MCF founders)
John & Vikki (team leaders) Kristie & Michael (Thunder Bay KOA) Gwen (team participant) Brian (team participant)
The team spent 10 days at MCF where we explored both Yatta and Ndalani which are the two MCF sites.
We held the wee ones in the nursery and we visited classrooms and learned what the children dream
to be in their future. We were overwhelmed with the gardens, cattle and chickens Dr. Mulli has on site
with hopes of having MCF self sustained in the near future. We visited Vipingo one of the 3 communities
where Dr. Charles has engaged children in education and a feeding program. Here we also planted
trees and helped feed the children.
Forever in our memory is the sound of the children singing as we fell asleep and the sweet singing
of happy children in the morning! Every day is a Gift from God, and these days were wrapped with
harmony… We learned to appreciate every moment, we learned how to pray.
The Mully Children’s Family Charitable Foundation (MCFCF) is a Christian humanitarian organization
committed to transforming the lives of orphaned, abandoned and abused children in Kenya.
In 1989, former street child Ev. Dr. Charles M. Mulli founded the Mully Children’s Family (MCF) with his
wife Esther and ever since they’ve been rescuing vulnerable children, giving them a place to call home,
with access to education, training, medical care, counseling and parental love.
Over the past 20 years MCF has rehabilitated over 6,000 children and currently cares for over 2,000.
MCF is the largest home for orphaned children in Kenya, and the only one with a strong emphasis on
the rehabilitation of girls. MCF also operates three community day centers which provide food and basic
primary education to children who have been orphaned but remain in the care of a relative.
www.mcfcf.org | http://www.facebook.com/MCFCF
28
Owners News
A N D S U P P L I E R S T O R V PA R K S & C A M P G R O U N D S
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January/February/March 2012
NATIONWIDE DISTRIBUTORS
29
Volume 32, Issue 1
@
REQUEST FOR EMAIL ADDRESSES
Dear KOA Owners:
During recent meetings of the Board of Directors of your Kampground Owner’s Association, concern
has been raised about the most effective means to disperse current information to all owners. As an
Association we have a list of e-mail addresses some of which are valid and some have been changed.
KOA Inc. has a list of e-mail addresses which include some off season addresses that we don’t have but
in order to respect the privacy requests of all owners they are unable to share those addresses. Finally
we all have e-mail addresses for our campground reservations listed on Kampsight. In order to allow us
to better serve you we are sending this out to every known mailing list for KOA Owners. We apologize
in advance for sending you multiple messages.
Sincerely,
Vicki Cole, President
Pease indicate below what e-mail address you would like us to use in the future and send it to:
info@koaowners.org
Your Name _________________________________________________________________________
KOA Name__________________________________________________________________________
City and State
How Important Do You Rate WiFi?
______________________________
WiFi is no longer a luxury... it’s a necessity
Five years ago, a traveler was likely to have one laptop.
Now a family of travelers may have multiple computers,
smart phones, tablets and a gaming console—all
needing to connect with WiFi. Are you rating the
importance of WiFi as high as your guests?
______________________________
Year around e-mail
______________________________
At TengoInternet, we believe that reliable equipment, coupled with awardwinning service and support are critical for success. Let us help you design,
deploy and support a network that will make your guests happy and take
away your WiFi headaches.
OR
90-Day Money Back Guarantee
Summer e-mail
We are so confident in our WiFi Solutions that we offer a 90-day money
back guarantee with every network purchase. If the network fails to perform
as represented, TengoInternet will refund 100% of your purchase price
______________________________
2010/2011
Winter e-mail
______________________________
30
Supplier
of the Year
512.469.7660
|
sales@tengointernet.com
|
www.tengointernet.com
Owners News
@
TO EMAIL OR NOT EMAIL
Well folks, it was only a matter of time and that time has come for the Owners Newsletter. Everyone
these days has a choice to receive newsletters and announcements by email or through the Post Office (snail
mail). Please let us know how you would like to receive future copies of the OA Newsletter. You can
email OR mail your preference into the OA Office; but please include your campground name and address for
tracking purposes. If you don’t want to make a change from hardcopy you don’t need to respond to this survey.
I WOULD PREFER TO RECEIVE MY COPY OF THE OA NEWSLETTER BY:
E-MAIL:______________________________________________________________________________
REGULAR MAIL:______________________________________________________________________
EMAIL & MAIL:_______________________________________________________________________
Campground Name: ____________________________________________________________________
Campground Address:___________________________________________________________________
Campground City:__________________________________State:____________Zip:________________
Contact Name:_________________________________________________________________________
Email to: info@koaowners.org
Mailing Address:
KOA Owners Association
3416 Primm Ln
Birmingham, AL 35216
Or
Email response to info@koaowners.org
REMEMBER IF YOU DON’T WANT TO CHANGE FROM HARDCOPY
YOU DON’T NEED TO RESPOND
Volume 32, Issue 1
KOA Owners Association
3416 Primm Lane
Birmingham, AL 35216
KOA Owners Association Owners News
3416 Primm Lane
Birmingham, AL 35216
To submit articles or request advertising
information, write to the above address or
use the following contact information:
c/o Jim Ranieri
Telephone: 800-678-9976 or
205-824-0022
Fax: 205-823-2760
Email:info@koaowners.org
Publication: Owners News is published
four times per year by the KOA Owners
Association.
Printing services are donated by
Southeast Publications USA, Inc.
Telephone: 800-832-3292
32
Owners News