Chino Valley Resident Takes KOA’s Side

Editor’s Note: The following Letter to the Editor of the Chino Valley (Ariz.) Review was written by resident Rick Nichols in support of a proposed campground in his community.

In answer to the venomous letter by Conrad Shapiro (in the March 23 issue of the Review), I am also deeply concerned. Shapiro has no knowledge of the RV world and his poison pen drips of his ignorance.

The Kampgrounds of America project will bring more than 100 local jobs during its construction. It will not require a large staff to manage the facility, but almost every business in Chino Valley will benefit from this project.

Campers will be eating at our restaurants, shopping at our stores, buying our gas and hardware, requiring repair services and the list goes on.

I have been an RVer for 31 years and have visited many parks including KOA parks. The KOA brand is one of the most reputable of these parks. The staff is uniformed and professionally trained. In my years of enjoying RVing, my wife and I have never seen any of the “drugs, crime, domestic issues, prostitution or illegal aliens” that Shapiro imagines.

Every conceivable concession was made to the local neighborhood in an effort to facilitate the project with the least impact to the neighborhood. Chino Valley is having a multi-million dollar project handed to them, with Jack Tuls, developer and retired dairyman, paying for all road, utility and sewer improvements and requirements.

Without progress and support from sales taxes and more customers for our existing business, this town will become a ghost town.

We have already lost our town government and schools and library on Fridays. Without support for our businesses, what comes next?

KOA Touts First Workamper Boot Kamp Training

On  March 25, 100 KOA Workampers gathered at the Nashville KOA for the first Workamper Boot Kamp training. Both new and experienced Workampers participated in a full day of KOA training to prepare them to be great campground employees, KOA stated in a news release.

Training topics included: KOA history, Rate Your Stay survey/Net Promoter Score, quality, facilities, Making it Great service initiative and recreation. The day concluded with a Virtual Job Fair, where Workampers learned about work opportunities from campground managers, asked questions and learned how to apply.

Workampers participated in the training from as far away as California and Ontario. Due to the large response to this Boot Kamp, KOA plans to host other regional trainings throughout the year.

Fred and Jenn Stott, managers of the Nashville KOA, hosted the Boot Kamp. Wendy Jensen, manager of the Las Vegas KOA at Circus Circus, and Mo Vandesteene, manager of theMyrtle Beach KOA, helped put on the Virtual Job Fair. Business Development Consultant Russ French provided a session on “Rate Your Stay Survey/Net Promoter Score” and “KampSight Reports to the Workampers.”

To learn how to participate in the next KOA Work Kamper Boot Kamp, or for further information, contact Jenny McCullough at jmccullough@koa.net or (800) 548-7104, ext. 7478.

Workampers Building Ramps for the Disabled

In the Rusk, Texas, Kampgrounds of America (KOA) office, a little sign hangs high on the back wall behind the desk, just over the head of the attendant.

It reads, ““If you are disabled or require assistance, please notify our staff members who will be willing to help you.”

Walter Preble, who owns the 80-site, East Texas KOA, has taken the courteous notice farther than just helping his customers. He, along with a group of Workampers  from around the country built between 25 and 30 platforms of varying sizes to be used in the construction of wheelchair ramps, the Jacksonville Daily Progress reported.

Preble and the campers built the pieces, using their own tools and materials donated by businesses like Harry’s Building Supplies, Lowe’s, Sutherlands and the Home Depot, to help the Texas Ramp Project.

Preble was inspired by a story about a woman who needed a ramp, but because of a backlog of work and a shortage of volunteers, passed away before one could be built.

The KOA is part of a large network of traveling workers who move about the country working in parks and campgrounds in a variety of positions. From entertainment to maintenance, workers turn out to help the facilities run smoothly.

In many cases, Preble said, KOAs will perform service projects with the help of the campers.

“It’s part of standard operating procedures based on skills and time,” he said.

Campers come from many walks of life and are often retired, though there are some who are professionals. Their homes are as far ranging as their talents.

At the Rusk KOA, the workers have come from places as far away as Illinois, Oregon, Colorado and Minnesota.

The workers are compensated for their jobs at the parks and grounds, but with thousands of facilities participating in the program, compensation varies widely, he said.

For the KOA volunteers, the community is the real benefit.

“It’s one of those things you don’t think about and just do,” said Phil David, a camper from Gilmer, Texas.

“Why would you help an old lady across the street? Because she needs help.”

So when Preble approached the workers about working on the ramps, they were all ears.

Preble told members of the Cherokee County chapter of the ramp project they were ready to help.

“You get us the materials and we’ll do the building,” Preble said to the Cherokee County branch of the organization.

And build they did.

Over the course of about a day-and-a-half, the team of volunteers, sometimes as many as 20, built the platforms in an assembly-line style, Preble said.

With their efforts, the team established a stockpile of ramp modules which can be picked up and sent where needed around the region.

“Walter has saved us a tremendous amount of time and energy on site,” said Cherokee County Rampers Team Leader Sidney Riley. “ When we get there, we basically just have to prep the ground and attach the modules together. We’re more efficient and it’s easier on the homeowners.”

So far, the Cherokee County chapter has built two ramps in the area and the effects of the work are wide.

“You never realize how important a ramp would be until you have a disabled person who is injured or needs to be evacuated out of their home,” he said. “There are second and third level effects from being able to do that.”

Everyone from the home owners and their families to emergency responders benefit from easier access, he said.

Riley said the organization, still relatively new, is hoping to attract more volunteers to keep more work on their schedules.

Preble’s force of volunteers have been an invaluable asset, Riley said, but in the nature of Workampers, they will soon be on their ways to other facilities who can use them.

If the Rampers can attract more interest from area service organizations, they can build two teams, which would allow them to maintain a steady flow of projects, Riley said.

“If we could get two eight-man teams, we could be going at least two weekends a month and doing twice as many (projects) as we’re doing now,” he said. “Whether somebody wants to donate materials, time or if they want to come work with us, it all goes toward helping somebody who’s in need and that’s what it’s all about.”

Organizations and people interested in working with the Texas Ramp Building Project in Cherokee County can contact Riley at (903) 586-1939.

For more information on the Texas Ramp Building Project, visit www.texasramps.org.

City Could Turn to Franchisor to Run Troubled Park

With every step Colusa, Calif., officials take forward to make the Sacramento River a vital economic resource, they face a new hurdle to jump over, the Colusa County Sun Herald reported.

City officials have worked several years toward building a new boat ramp at the Sacramento River State Recreation Area off Main Street, only to face the newest threat that the park will likely close.

The state park system is one of many areas of government facing cuts under Gov. Jerry Brown’s budget proposal, Colusa officials said.

The governor’s proposal includes $11 million in cuts to state parks this fiscal year, and $22 million a year in ongoing reductions.

Colusa City Manager Jan McClintock learned from state officials that the Colusa facility generated only $56,000 in revenue for the state last year, but cost approximately $154,000 to maintain.

The city does not share in the revenue or costs, but counts on sales tax generated by park and river users and fishermen who purchase goods from local stores, gas stations and restaurants, McClintock said.

“It’s very important to our financial health to keep the state park going,” said McClintock at a special meeting on Tuesday.

Although the official park closure list has not been released, the state expects to target underperforming parks across the state, including several in Tehama County.

But state officials are also considering allowing local governments to take over park operations, even temporarily, an idea presented by Assemblyman Jim Nielsen, R-Gerber.

It’s one of two options the city council discussed.

The second option would be to contract with a professional management firm or franchise such as Kampgrounds of America (KOA).

Councilwoman Kay Hosmer said she liked the idea of KOA, as the company extensively advertises its campgrounds on maps and websites, which the state does not do.

“We’re missing a lot of opportunity to grow,” she said.

If the city assumed operation of the park, it was assumed the cost would be far less for the Public Works Department to maintain than what it costs the state.

The city also has staff experienced with running a campground and golf course, McClintock said.

Pat Kittle, who operates the only sporting goods store in Colusa, said with the momentum the city and Colusa Landing has made in creating new boat launching facilities, it would be a shame to lose the state park.

“It’s a nice infrastructure for this area, not just for fisherman, but for boaters, jet skiers and people who use the river during the hot days,” Kittle said.

Although state officials had anticipated releasing the park closure list earlier this month, it has been delayed until a budget deal has been worked out.

State legislators made some headway on the budget this week, primarily cutting health care programs, but have not resolved the most contentious aspects of Brown’s proposal, including a special election to extend taxes another five years and eliminating local redevelopment agencies.

The City Council said it would take no official action until it knows for certain the state intends to close the park.

Pro RV Park Group Forms in Chino Valley, Ariz

A citizen group that favors the decision by the town of Chino Valley, Ariz., to rezone land the proposed Kampgrounds of America (KOA) recreational vehicle park has formed a Political Action Committee (PAC) Feb. 23, calling itself “Chino First in Support of Proposition 401,” Chino Valley Town Clerk Jami Lewis said.

Lewis said Susan Tobey and Wendy McManigal head the PAC that urges a “yes” vote on Proposition 401, the Chino Valley Review reported.

Voter approval May 17 would uphold the Town Council decision of this past July 22 to rezone 17 acres to accommodate the proposed KOA on the south side of East Road 3-1/2 North about 400 feet east of Highway 89.

Click here to read the entire story.

KOA Puts 33 Campgrounds on Woodall’s List

Woodall Publications Corp has included 39 Kampgrounds of America Inc. (KOA) parks in North America on its annual list of top-rated campgrounds and RV parks, according to a KOA news release.

That total is more than any other camping company in the U.S. or Canada placed on the list, according to officials at Woodall’s.

The 5W/5W top rating from Woodall’s allows recreational vehicle owners and campers to search and find the top-rated RV parks and campgrounds that meet their travel needs, according to Joe Daquino, senior vice president and publisher for Affinity Group Inc.’s (AGI) Affinity Media Division, the parent company for Woodall Publications.

“Privately owned campgrounds and RV parks covet the 5W Woodall’s rating,” Daquino said. “It’s valued as the industry’s longest running standard, and most respected rating system.”

A total of 333 campgrounds in North America received the 5W/5W rating for 2011 and are listed in the 2011 Woodall’s North American Campground Directory.

“It’s gratifying to have an outside authority such as Woodall’s Publications verify what our campers already know,” said Pat Hittmeier, KOA president. “We pride ourselves on the fact that our KOA owners know what their campers want because we tirelessly survey our campers and ask that very question. Our KOA owners have become experts in analyzing the camping data we provide, and working hard to ensure that they deliver just the sort of experience our campers want and expect.”

In order to rate campgrounds across North America, Woodall’s field teams conduct their own on-site inspections of every park. The final ratings are a composite of several different areas of interest, including a campground’s physical grounds, restrooms, site and road developments, surrounding recreation and the superior maintenance of its facilities.

The KOA campgrounds receiving a 5W/5W Woodall’s rating for 2011 are:

• Hot Springs National Park KOA located in Hot Springs, Ark.
• San Diego Metro KOA located in Chula Vista, Calif.
• San Francisco N/Petaluma KOA located in Petaluma, Calif.
• Pueblo South/Colorado City KOA located in Pueblo, Colo.
• Grand Junction KOA located in Grand Junction, Colo.
• Starke/Gainesville NE KOA located in Starke, Fla.
• Lafayette KOA located in Scott, La.
• Port Huron KOA located in Kimball, Mich.
• Petoskey KOA located in Petoskey, Mich.
• Branson KOA located in Branson Mo.
• Polson/Flathead Lake KOA located in Polson, Mont.
• Chocorua KOA located in Chocorua, N.H.
• Carlsbad KOA located in Carlsbad, N.M.
• Newburgh/New York City North KOA located in Plattekill, N.Y.
• Watkins Glen/Corning KOA located in Watkins Glen, N.Y.
• Chautauqua Lake KOA located in Dewittville, N.Y.
• Buckeye Lake/Columbus East KOA located in Buckeye Lake, Ohio.
• Dayton KOA located in Brookville, Ohio.
• Shelby/Mansfield KOA located in Shelby, Ohio.
• Sandusky/Bayshore KOA located in Sandusky, Ohio.
• Checotah/Lake Eufaula West KOA located in Checotah, Okla.
• Allentown KOA located in New Tripoli, Pa.
• Erie KOA located in McKean, Pa.
• Gettysburg/Battlefield KOA located in Gettysburg, Pa.
• Bellefonte/State College KOA located in Bellefonte, Pa.
• Pine Grove/Twin Grove Park KOA located in Pine Grove, Pa.
• Rapid City KOA located in Rapid City, S.D.
• Badlands/White River KOA located in Interior, S.D.
• Mount Rushmore KOA located in Hill City, S.D.
• Manchester KOA located in Manchester, Tenn.
• Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg KOA located in Pigeon Forge, Tenn.
• Rusk KOA located in Rusk, Texas.
• South Padre Island KOA located in South Padre Island Texas.
• Lake Conroe/Houston North KOA located in Montgomery, Texas
• Williamsburg KOA located in Williamsburg, Va.
• Harpers Ferry/Civil War Battlefield KOA located in Harpers Ferry, W.Va.
• Barrie KOA located in Barrie, Ontario.
• Thunder Bay KOA located in Thunder Bay, Ontario.
• Toronto North/Cookstown KOA located in Cookstown, Ontario.

Meet Lorne Armer: KOA’s VP of Marketing

In his 10 years at Billings, Mont.-based Kampgrounds of America Inc. (KOA), Lorne Armer has worn lots of hats. And he has consistently taken on more responsibilities, the Billings Gazette reported.

When he was hired, he helped introduce a new management system to benefit KOA’s broad network of franchisees.

“I spent my first couple of years teaching over 200 of our franchisees how to utilize the system for day-to-day operations, accounting and analysis,” he said.

He was promoted to assistant vice president of franchise operations, a job that took him to more than 100 KOA campgrounds.

“I really wanted to know the business from the ground up. So I cleaned toilets, I took people to sites, I sat with people at their picnic tables and listened to them,” Armer said.

He was promoted to assistant vice president of finance, developing tools to help KOA franchisees operate smarter and more efficiently.

In his newest position, vice president of marketing for KOA, Armer has a wide range of responsibilities. He coordinates international, national state and local marketing efforts, manages public relations and travel shows. He also oversees www.KOA.com, the world’s largest camping website.

What’s the toughest challenge in your business? KOA is a franchise organization. Each franchisee is an independent owner and operator. It is their business. Though this is the case, many tools are provided to help franchisees get the most of their business. The challenge is getting owners to participate and buy off on programs and tools that can be used in a variety of ways across 475 locations. Again follow through and consistency is a great challenge.

What did you learn from that challenge: I learned that involving franchisees from inception through implementation relieved many of the consistency issues. Two times a year we bring in 10 franchisees from across North America as an advisory group for all marketing related subjects. We propose ideas and strategies to the operators for feedback. I can quickly identify areas that may be a struggle.

If you could make one positive change in Billings, what would it be? I have lived in the Heights for 24 of my 30 years in Billings. I would love to see more economic development in the Heights.

Which living person do you most admire? My father.

What do you consider your greatest achievement? My “work in progress,” my children. I am fortunate enough to work for an organization that shares my “Family First” philosophy.

I‘m happiest when I’m: Spending time with my family.

About Lorne Armer

Age: 38

Family: Married, six children.

First job: Bagging groceries at Buttrey’s

Favorite book: “The DaVinci Code”

Liked this movie: “Inception”

Uses this website a lot: Google

Here’s how I relax: Mountain biking.

Community Responds to RV Park Plan

Arguments for and against the rezoning of land to accommodate a proposed Kampgrounds of America (KOA) recreational vehicle park in Chino Valley, Ariz., have been strong on both sides, the Chino Valley Review reported.

Town Clerk Jami Lewis said this a referendum against the rezoning request for this project is tentatively scheduled to be on the ballot for Chino Valley voters to cast their votes on May 17. Referendum supporters say they aren’t against the KOA as a business, only the rezoning request in the area where developers have proposed the park, 17 acres on the south side of east Road 3-1/2 North about 400 free east of Highway 89.

The following are a few opinions of some Chino Valley residents.

Frank Rose

“I’m on the fence regarding this and looking at both perspectives,” Frank said.

“This is a growing community. We can stay in the past but they just had to make changes, and although it will ruffle feathers and change lives, progress is going to come no matter what anybody says about it.”

Vickie Stephen

“I think the KOA is a good idea” said Vickie.

“Not only is it good for business, but also for our friends and families who come to visit from out of town in their RVs will have a place to stay.”

Joe Bassi

“I think the KOA is a great idea. Those people will be spending money in Chino Valley and helping our economy,” Joe said.

Daryl Peebles

“I think a KOA is a bad idea and that we’re asking for trouble, because I’ve heard of other KOAs where there was drug problems,” said Daryl.

Desiree Vinson

“I wish they would let it go through,” said Desiree. “Everyone complains that we don’t have new industry and jobs, and with countless businesses closing down along the highway. You would think the town government and residents would want new business.”

KOA Names Bartels Workampers of the Year

The Kampgrounds of America Owners Association named Rob Althoff and Marianne Bartels the KOA Work Kampers of the Year for 2010 during KOA’s annual International Convention in Savannah, Ga.

The couple was nominated for the award by Kathy and Stuart Marshall, the owners of the Montpelier Creek, Idaho, KOA Kampground, according to a news release.

“We, as owners, could not imagine our campground without them,” the Marshalls said in their nominating letter. “Without a doubt, the reason we have been so successful the last two seasons is directly relate to their customer service, loyalty and dedication to us and our campers. We were blessed when they answered our posting on the Work At KOA website” the Marshalls said. “We know, as owners, that customer service is No. 1, and they share that belief.”

The award was presented by KOA Owners Association President Tina Haith, who is also the owner of the Oklahoma City East KOA Kampground.

The award ceremony was part of the KOA Work Kamper University and Job Fair, held in conjunction with the KOA International Convention.

The convention concluded Wednesday.

KOA Reaches out to Scouting Program

Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts and Girl Guides across North America now have a great way to experience the outdoors, work on merit badges and have a fun time with Kampgrounds of America (KOA).

Participating KOA Campgrounds are offering Scouts and their leaders special discount rates, as well as free use of group pavilions and other facilities, according to a news release. KOA Scout Program discount rates include:

• A $5 per Scout/Troop leader rate on camping fees, as well as free use of group pavilion facilities. The $5 rate applies to RV or tent sites with a minimum of five Scouts and one Troop leader.
• A 10% discounted fee will apply to all Scout usage of KOA Kabin, Kottage and Lodge accommodations.
• The Scout rate is available only when reservations are made directly through the campground. The rate is not valid with internet reservations or with Hot Deals.

“Our campgrounds’ safe, clean atmospheres provide the ideal venue for hosting Scouting events, earning merit badges and fulfilling service opportunities,” KOA stated. “With so many locations across North America, there is always a great place to camp nearby. From rustic mountain locations to country and even urban locations, there are many different ways to enjoy camping at KOA.”

KOA’s connection to Scouting runs deep.

KOA CEO Jim Rogers is one of 10 Eagle Scouts in his family. He considers himself a “lifelong Scout” and currently serves as president of the Western Region of the Boy Scouts of America and is a recipient of the Boy Scouts of America Distinguished Eagle Award.

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