Here’s a glimpse into the office, and mentions of our new members. We’ll keep January on the top, adding each month below it. We’ll also use this page to welcome new members.
JANUARY
Launched the 2022 membership year’s benefits for all members.
Officially welcomed the following new members:
- Derek Mudd and Richard Taylor of Sundance – High Plains RV Park & Cabins. This park is in Lamar, in southeast Colorado.
- Tim Hendon, Sue Behen, and Kristie Bailey of Oasis RV Resorts & Cottages. They are with Oasis RV Resorts & Cottages – Durango and Oasis RV Resorts & Cottages – Gunnison Lakeside. Gunnison has been a longstanding member. Durango is a new member, and all three people are new to our emails.
- The corporate owners of JW Vallecito and JW Durango (also owners of JW – Grand Junction, which has been a long-standing member known as Junction West RV Park).
Recorded the updates on CampColorado.com, based on the dues payment sheets each member filled in, and based on updates that have been recently emailed to me. Please, read your park’s data, and test the email address tab (if you supplied us with an email address for consumers to use). Feel free to notify our office anytime you have an update.
Wrapped up the 2021 Activities page, including finally adding photos I took in Raleigh & Branson.
Continued preparations of year-end bookkeeping and tax filing, and launched the new year’s processes. The Treasurer (Cathy Harbick) reviewed our 2021 books for the upcoming meeting of the Board of Directors.
Launched the 2022 Business-to-Consumer marketing of CampColorado by updating the the member listings and posting links on Facebook, Instragram, Pinterest, and other sites.
Activated the membership benefits of Bison Peak Lodge at Puma Hills to membership. It was a pleasure to welcome them! (Myrna Alfonso is the manager).
Surveyed the members regarding an upcoming in-person networking and round table discussions gathering, and the upcoming 3/1 annual meeting.
Participated in a 2-hour meeting hosted by State Representative Cathy Kipp regarding a 41-page bill that hopes to make it legal for tiny home residential communities to exist. The document was, unfortunately, in conflict with many RVIA-certified tiny homes that sit at RV parks, and it contained a lot of references to RV parks. CCLOA works diligently to preserve the transient identity of RV parks, differentiating us from landlord / lease / rental identities. Some insight is online (click here).
We bid farewell to very active members Billy & Lainey Beyhan, now the former owners of Dolores River Campground. They were very active members of CCLOA. We welcomed the team of R Journey, which has assigned Jim Michael to oversee what’s now Dolores River RV Resort & Cabins. We wish each of them continued success in their new chapter of life.
FEBRUARY
The Board of Directors held their business meeting, authorized the CPA to file our taxes, and evaluated the results of the survey. Participation for an in-person event (described last March, to be held this year) produced little to almost no interest. The business meeting is planned (see 3/1 on our Upcoming Events page).
We bid farewell to Cathy and Joe Harbick, now the former owners of Arrowhead Point Campground & Cabins (Buena Vista). We’ve yet to be introduced to the new owners, but when that information is made public, we’ll address it here. Cathy’s departure from the Board and Executive Committee doesn’t take us out of compliance of our bylaws, and the next election is 3/1, so we’re fine. But we’re going to miss Cathy and Joe! They’ve been heavily involved in CCLOA for most of their nearly 20 years of park ownership.
Passed our books to the CPA for processing of tax returns (they were finalized in early March).
Hosted an online networking and information exchange session between ARVC and members.
Renewed our insurance policy, and entered into a new contract with Mary Arlington’s company, MMCC, Inc., to continue the executive director duties for CCLOA.
MARCH & APRIL
Hosted our annual business meeting, and held our election.
Distributed our CampColorado printed promotional materials. The welcome centers and visitor centers, as well as many attractions and RV dealerships received a supply of the rack card:
As for this image, keep reading ….
As we revamp our marketing plans to better fit our new budget (having gone two years without assistance from matched marketing grants through CTO), members agreed to go with business card size literature for distribution at their parks (remember, welcome centers, attractions, and dealerships get the rack card). These cards promote our CampColorado.com. The backside can be used to jot notes. Examples of use:
- When a guest tells you where they’re heading, and you recommend a particular place to camp, write it on the backside of this card and give it to the guest. They can then easily go online to learn more about that place.
- When a guest asks you where to stay and you aren’t sure, hand them the card so they can easily search the hundreds of campgrounds for themselves.
- Place them your laundry room and other areas for guests to freely take.
FYI: The QR code allows folks to access the site right away, so the same single card could actually be used and left back in place for the next person.
Members agreed to the shift in priorities, always still working every branch of our benefits but shifting the primary focus from the marketing, education and networking to the legislative affairs branch and membership growth.
This particular part of the shift saves a lot of money, and it never expires. No need to recycle leftovers at the end of the year. When you run low, holler for more.
Welcomed Jesse and Jodi Taubert as the new owners of Red Mountain RV Park in Kremmling. Sara and Jeff Miller continue to own and operate Muddy Creek Cabins.
Hosted our new Board’s first meeting, which includes an orientation. The new Board agreed to the direction the previous Board was guiding us. Our budget is tight, and we want to do more than we can, so we’ll be creating some fund raising projects to enable the dream list to come to fruition: some version of at Tour of Colorado blended with the Autumn Listening Tour, and participation in several autumn industry events.
Renewed our partnership with the Care For Colorado Coalition, and updated our .com and .org websites with the new badge:
Encouraged our members to consider getting involved with the Care For Colorado program since they’re frontline workers with many who use Colorado’s trails, parks, and nature areas.
Uploaded the recordings of this year’s online sessions, and emailed the links to our members. Click here to see our benefits presentation.
Continued with our online social media posts about camping in Colorado, especially focused on camping at our member properties.
Began assisting a member who requested our assistance with a local issue over unfair competition.
We bid farewell to Donald & Rebecca Dean (left) and congratulated Greg & Peri Ann Query on the transfer of ownership of Elk Creek Campground in Grand Lake. The Query’s also own Estes Park KOA. We wish them all great success! (No, that isn’t the same dog in the two pics.)
MAY & JUNE
In mid-May I was chosen to represent the state associations during RVs Move America (scheduled meetings with legislators in Washington DC).
The entire group of RV-industry people was divided into many sub-groups. My group started as a large one of mostly ARVC staff, but quickly dissolved down to just me and an RVIA lobbyist. By spreading out we could cover more ground.
RVIA had several topics we were to discuss, and ARVC had two topics.
Here’s part of my report to ARVC and the other state executives, followed by some pics I snapped along the way (not all made it to our member’s only Facebook group during the trip, or to our public Facebook page … click on those to catch up on other content!):
It was a pleasure and an honor to be chosen to be a part of the Advocacy trip to Washington DC. Thank you, ARVC, for allowing a state exec to participate, and thank you, CAMP, for choosing me.
My last experience representing the industry in Washington DC happened under Linda Profaizer. Being under the RVIA umbrella made it very different. Still, my meetings seemed to go very well.
The first meeting was with a legislative assistant to Rep. Jason Crow (CO), in which Paul (Bambei, ARVC CEO) handled the content.
With Rep. Dusty Johnson’s (SD) legislative director, I presented my views of the issues. Susan (Motley, ARVC) and the RVIA guide contributed as well. I feel the meeting went well.
On to the Senate side, the group was down to the RVIA lobbyist/guide and myself. We met with staff of Senator Rounds (Pierre SD) and then staff of Senator Thune (SD).
Each time, I addressed the RVIA issues, with the RVIA lobbyist (guide) filling in some of the details, and I spoke on both ARVC issues:
- ADA compliant website guidelines being needed and the 90-day window being needed,
- plus the need for assistance for EV charging stations.
I had also called a special meeting with … Senator Moran (KS). Since RVIA had earlier visited with his staff … I focused on our former days and told him I had two campground concerns. … I later bumped into Sen. Moran at the very end of the day, as the ARVC group was heading out to dinner.
For each meeting, I would say the ADA compliant website issue drew the most “ah ha!”. While the EV issue perhaps provided a perspective they hadn’t yet considered, the ADA website issue was mostly completely new news to them.
My sixth and last meeting included many more people from our RVIA / ARVC group. It was with Sen. Bennet (CO), and RVIA and ARVC did the talking for the group.
My report would be incomplete without mentioning the RVIA connections. I wanted to make sure I mingled with some of them, even though that meant I wasn’t always at the ARVC table. Paths had previously crossed with a few of them, and now more paths have intersected.
As for the DC trip, that ends my report (oh, did I omit the “interesting” hotel room and the 18-hour delayed luggage?). Well, I’ve learned that every trip has its interesting situations!
Again, I’m grateful for having been chosen for the trip. Thank you!
Respectfully, Mary
Actually, Rep. Johnson had just had his primary election the day before, back in SD. I expected to be in his home state for that event.
JULY
This month is focused mostly on administrative things: bookkeeping, documenting for upcoming meetings, and strategizing.
July is always when we finalize what the next year is going to look like, benefit-wise. In mid-July, we launch our industry supplier membership drive, so that’s now underway.In early August, we’ll launch our 2023 outdoor hospitality (the parks) membership drive, so July is always filled with strategic planning.
July is also when we were finally able to review SDCOA’s ROI on their Tour of South Dakota and to learn all we could from them as we evaluated mega-morphing our Autumn Listening Tour into a Tour of Colorado. As of 7/27, that project has yet to be lassoed into control to know whether we can make it happen, but rest assured that most my July has been spent on doing all I could to make it happen.
We also pick up the pace on social media again, encouraging travel in the later part of summer and on into autumn.
AUGUST
We’re recalculating how to accomplish a Tour of Colorado / Autumn Listening Tour. At first it looked impossible, but a few days after the deadline for sponsorships, the support mushroomed! Now it’s blossoming at lightning speed!
Rebranded Ramsey Campin’ Ram, our own CampColorado’s mascot. We rebranded CampColorado several years ago, but Ramsey’s been hibernating since those days. He’s eager to put 7,000 or 10,000 miles beneath his curved horns and split hooves.
Designed and orders some CCLOA swag for our upcoming Tour of Colorado.
Launched our 2023 membership drive for those who serve the outdoor hospitality sector (campground owners).
We welcomed Dean & Tami Mezzuca, owners of Glen Echo Resort, to our association, and Steve Beckley (owner) and Shane Beckley (manager) of Elk Creek Campground in New Castle.
The CO database had 358 campgrounds. I maintain it fairly regularly, and it gets a full online review each autumn. I let the members tell me their data, but CCLOA has to hunt and peck for the non-member data.
In preparation of the Tour of Colorado, the data was intensely scrutinized this month. Of the 358 parks, data was updated on 105 of them. Then, 44 more parks were added! That doesn’t count the large number of updates made earlier this year (either via news stories, member emails, social media posts I spot online, etc.). AND, there are more members in line to join, each sending me their data ~~ so I skipped those parks in the review.
Added the Public Affairs Resources page to this site, with plans of adding more content in the coming days and months. Stay tuned!
In July, a member sought our assistance with a local development plan of concern to them. We stepped in to assist. On 8/31, we learned that the application was unanimously denied by the county commissioners. The member said, “Thank you for the help and willingness to participate in the zoom call. I think all of the participation and interest added up and the commissioners were able to be comfortable making the decision to vote against [it].”
SEPTEMBER & OCTOBER
WOW, what a fabulous Tour of Colorado we’re still on! Thousands of miles. Thousands of new photos for our library! Hundreds of wonderful people we’ve had the pleasure of seeing … in person, none the less, after the past few years of Zoom meetings!
While in Trinidad, our mascot, Ramsey Campin’Ram brought in his yet-to-be-named so, wearing his own Colorado bandana:
2023 membership dues are being collected. Those whose payments arrived by 9/15 gained additional perks for 2023.
We held the CCLOA Reunion that our members requested we create, yet only a handful of members benefited (one must show up to benefit!). Several other members stopped by the booth later during the glamping event. Some of our members drove 2 to 3 hours just for the CCLOA Reunion aspect of this event. If you have other ideas that would bring us together to make it much more worthwhile for all attendees, please speak up!
We also hosted a booth at The Glamping Show USA! It will take a few months to ascertain the overall return on our investment, but we are certainly gaining some brand familiarity while we inspire people in the glamping side of the outdoor hospitality industry to join us.
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After settling back into our home office, having spent 7 weeks on our special assignment called the Tour of Colorado, I asked members to be patient while I dig through the backlog. It will take until Thanksgiving for things to get back on even keel.
I attended a meeting where Senator John Thune spoke. He’s the Minority Whip of the US Senate. He took questions from the floor, including mine relating to electric vehicles (EVs) and the infrastructure at campgrounds and other private sector businesses.
I’m hearing from some of you so I thought I’d put this here. Those who saw this statistic (minus my “WHAT???”) in an email from ARVC, please know that it’s merely evidence that statistics aren’t always worth the paper they’re written on (or the space on your computer screen).
For examples, if you drive around most campgrounds in the Black Hills of South Dakota, you’ll see license plates from virtually every state, ~~ considerably farther than 179 miles!
When I had my overnight RV park, I surveyed my guests. At that time, my “average” response showed that my guests had traveled closer to 400 miles that day (!!), and many had traveled over 1,000 on their entire trip. Granted, that was many years ago, yet it was based on the business model under which I chose to operate.
In 2021, ARVC shared a stat that the average campground had 185 campsites. In reviewing my member database, CCLOA’s average at that time was 83.
IF YOU WANT MARY’S OPINION, please don’t compare your campground to national stats, and don’t compare them to industry specs (size, revenue, etc.). Compare them to your goals and to your previous years. If you want to compare them to others, choose like-minded ones (ones who are of a similar industry business model).
NOVEMBER
Reached an agreement on a way to reduce registration fees for those who attend IAAPA Expo (geared for the amusement world) in November. Since this is public page, you’ll need to ask us for the link that gives you the savings (or you could go to our private Facebook page to see the link, if you’ve actually requested access to that page).
Began posting about industry suppliers on our association’s Facebook page. It’s my hope our supplier members will see LIKES and some comments so they feel the appreciation for their support. One day (when the dust settles in my office), I plan to calculate how much more park dues would have to be to cover all that we’d lose if we didn’t have the support of our suppliers!
Scrambling to catch up so the Board Packets for the upcoming Meeting of the Board of Directors will have all that’s needed to set the 2023 budget.
In South Dakota there is a law which protects the rights of SD’s campground owners from unfair competition by municipalities, and it was challenged twice by bills this past legislative session. Neither bill survived! 
This type of effort is what can be achieved when we have effective associations. Effective associations are achieved when we have participating members.
This is what makes the legislative affairs membership benefit our most powerful of the 8 areas of benefits offered by each: CCLOA, KPOA, and SDCOA.
I know of no other organization in my three states that work harder at protecting the state rights of campground owners.
THIS is why every member should be asking all campgrounds in their area to join! It’s also why every member should always renew each year.
Distributed the industry supplier information to each outdoor hospitality member.
Encouraged members to do two industry surveys, one by WCM and one by ARVC.
The CCLOA Board of Directors held a meeting. The focus: bringing everyone up to speed after an intensely packed months since our last meeting. We also had an overview as we prepare for our 2023 budget and 2023 legislative session, which will be finalized at the next meeting (it’s normally done now but Mary hasn’t had time to check in with each non-renewing member to see if their inactivity was oversight or intentional).
An additional item was added to our focus: the project we’ve seen labeled as “national ARVC Standards.” The Board created its official position statement about the standards project and emailed it, along with additional insight, to all members on 11/21. If you didn’t receive it, please notify us via info@CampColorado.com.
Prepared to attend and to host a booth at the Campground Owners Expo in Branson. We’ll have a booth, so there were supplies and new-member forms that were needed for this trip! We were also hosting a cracker barrel session.
Mary’s office accumulated piles and stacks like never before, given that she moved twice in 6 months and spent 4+ months of 2022 primarily in a mobile office. Sorting through those piles led her to realize we should be posting the summarized updates that Woodall’s Campground Magazine publishes in their print edition. Click on each to see a small sampling from this year (I’ll try to post these each month from here on out):
DECEMBER
Attended the Campground Owners Expo (COE) in Branson MO. It was a pleasure to visit with some of perspective members and with many owners from other states. The education and exhibits were fabulous. The only complaint I heard about the 1-hour cracker barrel session we hosted was that it was way too short! They wished it had gone on for at least another hour. The event organizers agreed, and I offered to host it again next year if they keep it on the program.
We’re now collecting more data on each member. If you haven’t yet submitted it, here’s another chance.
- Every member needs to re-submit their park’s contact information (page 1 of this PDF).
- Also, review the park listing by comparing it to pages 2 – 4 of the worksheet (click here). For pages 2 – 4, please pass back only that which needs to be updated.
Added a new online networking event for 1/5/2023. It’ called “Connecting Influencers & Outdoor Hospitality Providers.”
By the week before Christmas (when I’m typing this), it’s all about wrapping up 2022 benefits and preparing to launch benefits for our 2023 members!
Colorado Campground & Lodging Owners Association (CCLOA) 
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