When Fleetwood Enterprises needed room to expand its Anaheim factory 46 years ago, its founder looked east, where there was ample land and labor. John Crean, a pioneer in the recreational vehicle industry, didn't want a fancy headquarters, "so Riverside suited them fine," his son, Andrew, said. "It was strictly business." That business thrived, spending more than two decades on the Fortune 500 list of largest U.S. businesses. Fleetwood's presence in Riverside spawned a West Coast hub for other RV and manufactured housing suppliers and builders.
But a failed expansion starting in the 1990s buried the company in debt that it couldn't overcome. Today, a few executives remain to sell off the last vestiges of the RV and housing empire and finalize the company's bankruptcy by October. Factories scattered around the country have been shuttered or sold. The RV and housing divisions have been split and have new owners in different parts of the country. Fleetwood Enterprises, the Riverside-based company founded by John Crean and already all but gone, is about to dissolve completely when its bankruptcy becomes final in the next few months.
The company may not have been the first RV manufacturer in Southern California, "but they overshadowed all that came before," said Allen R. Hesselbart, historian at the RV and Manufactured Housing Hall of Fame in Elkhart, Ind. The milestones were many -- selling $1 billion worth of RVs in 1989 and $1 billion of manufactured homes in 1994. The company broke into the Fortune 500 in 1973 -- 230th at its height -and stayed on the list for nearly three decades. "They filled the shoes as the largest manufacturer for both industries," carrying the RV and manufactured housing businesses for at least 25 years into the 1980s, Hesselbart said. Continued Page 2
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Continued from Page 1 For at least one kid growing up in Riverside, the company was a capitalist inspiration. Jeremy Burkhardt, CEO of Riverside-based Speakercraft, said his company's success is owed in large part to a business deal with the RV maker. A Fleetwood executive walked into the Speakercraft retail store in the early 1980s to buy box speakers, and Speakercraft got a contract to install its hidden in-wall speakers inside Fleetwood's mobile homes. "That was our first milliondollar customer," Burkhardt said. "If it wasn't for Fleetwood wanting to put
our in-wall speakers in their motor home, it wouldn't have led to the Speakercraft brand." Fleetwood earned a reputation as an innovator. Crean designed the first motor home with storage underneath, now an industry standard. Fleetwood also built a vehicle big enough to stand up to dinosaurs, the digital and animatronic stars in "The Lost World: Jurassic Park," and comfortable enough for Pope John Paul II to use before his Mass at Dodger Stadium in 1987. It was a place where someone could start as an assistant and end up on the company's board of directors.
It also had the same challenges most businesses encounter -- an economy outside its control, decisions about growth, power struggles and lawsuits. Inland economist John Husing said Fleetwood's closure is a "big deal" and another hit at a time when the region's economy and unemployment rate can't take much more. "It couldn't happen at a worse time," he said. Every dollar Fleetwood spent on payroll or contracts or supplies was spent at least one other time by the recipients. "When you cut off the gold mine, you end up with a ghost town," he said.
As for Fleetwood's legacy in Riverside, its current CEO likes to think it was just like any other company that called the city home. "We were just another significant employer," said Elden Smith, chief executive officer of Fleetwood Enterprises who started in 1968 as a trainee and eventually led Fleetwood's RV division before retiring. The board of directors tapped him to return in 2005. It employed 21,000 people nationwide at one time, with a few thousand workers at the company's Riverside headquarters and several Inland plants. When it filed for bankruptcy in March, it had 609 Inland workers. Smith experienced the
industry's wild growth in the 1970s and '80s, but also the severe challenges from the oil embargoes of that era that almost brought the RV business to a halt. "It was a real roller coaster ride," Smith said recently. A new Fleetwood RV has emerged in Decatur, Ind., after a New York equity firm bought it in a bankruptcy bid. The manufactured housing division was sold to Phoenixbased Cavco Industries. Those companies have a stake in two Riverside factories; whether they will ever use them is unclear. Now, dealers will get a Fleetwood that's on solid financial footing again, "which they haven't had for quite some time," Smith said. Mike Thompson's RV has been one of Fleetwood's largest dealers, with four Southern California locations, including one in Colton. Frank DeGelas, the dealerships' owner said he's glad a new Fleetwood
emerged even though it's based several states away instead of just around the corner. "If that's what it requires for them to be successful, that's a pill I have to swallow," he said. DeGelas has two photos hanging in his office -- one of his wife and the other a black-and-white picture of John Crean handing him the keys to the very first Bounder that rolled off Fleetwood's Riverside assembly line. Success story The Bounder became one of Fleetwood's most popular RV models. "I knew it was something special, but it was stone ugly," he said of the Bounder. "Fleetwood was a huge part of our success in our earlier years," he said. "A lot of what we did was ride their coattails." Suppliers moved into the neighborhood to surround the RV maker in its heyday, and with more
suppliers, other RV companies arrived to wrestle market-share from the industry's giant. "It was Fleetwood and the rest of us," said Tom Powell, founder of Thor California and now owner of Pacific Coachworks in Riverside. There had been Fleetwood - "they were the 500-pound ape all over the country," Powell said -- and Thor California, Weekend Warrior, National RV, Forest River and Cobra. All of those manufacturers, among others, have since been sold, moved or gone out business. For the RV makers who remain -- Powell included -the cost of supplies has gone up as more vendors have been driven out of business. When Smith came out of retirement, the company already was steeped in debt amassed in the late 1990s. Executives had spent hundreds of millions buying up shops to sell its manufactured homes
directly to the public to fend off competitors. As soon as he returned, Smith started consolidating factories and selling off the housing retail outlets that proved unprofitable, spending the next few years whittling Fleetwood's losses. But the price of fuel was rising, and by the time it stabilized, global financial unrest took hold last year when Wall Street powerhouse Lehman Brothers failed. The ensuing credit crunch and banks' reluctance to lend made it difficult for consumers to buy RVs, and for dealers to stock their showrooms with new models. Fleetwood got the cash it needed to survive the winter, but the stock started to freefall, losing its place on the New York Stock Exchange. "We were doing all the right things, but we were caught in that once-in-a-lifetime recession," he said. A special edition from Kimberly Pierceall at PE.com The Press Enterprise
The Tennessee Campground Conference & Trade Show was held last week at Deer Run RV Resort in Crossville.
Rob Halcrow, President, from Caney Creek RV Resort
Joe Zaborowski, Past President, from Nashville Country RV Park
Linda Profaizer, President and CEO ARVC
Organizer John Westenberger and President, Rob Halcrow ran a small but efficient conference with a variety of speakers headed by ARVC President Linda Profaizer. The event drew 62 members representing 20 campgrounds and 26 vendors for the trade show, according to John Westernberger. The setting at Deer Run RV Resort made for a very relaxed and informal gathering of campground owners and trade exhibitors. Instead of the usual conference where all is under one roof the Tennessee conference held the welcome registrations, conference and trade exhibition at different locations amongst the beautiful trees on the property. Conference speaker Linda Profaizer gave an update on ARVC's current activities which included their ongoing education, administration duties as well as promotional plans. The focus of which are their press releases which go to the national media. "The Go Camping website which is a major tool to reach the consumer is currently being updated to
include many more features" she said. "The recent website survey has given a promising insight to trends facing the industry with 49.6% of those surveyed indicate campers will travel over 200 miles from home, 32% saying they will travel 1-3 times during the year and visitor nights slightly decrease". Other speakers included Jody Lentz, Michael LoFrumento, Nichole Poisson and Joe Zaborowski. Joe held a lively Cracker Barrel discussion amongst owners where a wide variety of grass root topics were discussed. The association handed out Campground of the Year awards in two categories: Campground of the Year, large category (76 or more sites) went to Tremont Outdoor Resort, Townsend, Tenn. Owner Wilson Reynolds has invested $760,000 in the resort since buying it in 2005. Improvements include many new cabins and lodges and a new pavilion.
Campground of the Year (75 or fewer sites) honors went to Fox Inn Campground, Clinton, Tenn. Run for the past nine years by Wayne and Debbie McKinney. Four new board members were elected. They are: Wilson Reynolds, Tremont Outdoor Resort, Townsend. Jerry Dale, Manchester KOA. Debbie McKinney, Fox Inn Campground, Clinton. Donna Williams, Adventure Bound Outdoor Resort, Gatlinburg. During the evening an auction was held where many donated products raised money for the Tennessee Association. One of the major draws was a "GoPET" electric vehicle donated by GoPet Personal Electric Transportation from Florida. Winner was Mike Hobby from Moon Landing RV Park in South Carolina. The trade show, whilst small in camparison to many, was supported by most of the attendees. Exhibitors reported slow but encouraging business with most having an optimistic outlook for 2010. Continued next page.
Randy Stewart and Andy Davis from Pinnacle Park Homes
The Trade show was well received by attendees
Mike Hobby, Linda Profaizer and Wilson Reynolds
Joe Zaborowski presenting at the Cracker Barrel discussion
The setting for the trade exhibitors
Linda Profaizer ARVC covering future trends
Jerry & Barbara Dale from Manchester KOA
GoPet electric vehicle display was very popular
MILTON - It's mid-august. Parents are getting kids ready to go back to school, pools are closing and summer is drawing to an end according to The Cabell Standard. Vacation season is over, but not for one resort. Nestled between Milton and Huntington, one vacation destination is thriving. Tents and RV's are filling the lots of KOA's (Kampgrounds of America) Foxfire Resort in Milton. It turns out this time of year is perfect for business at the 30-year-old camping destination, said co-owner Brent Andrews. "We're getting a lot of backto-school travelers," the former Tennessee banker said. "people love to come and see the wildlife this time of year." For the past two years, Andrews and his wife Sheila and the KOA staff have put hundreds of hours and thousands of dollars into improving, cleaning and beautifying the several acre camping oasis. Since 2007, Andrew's staff has added a playground, banana bikes, yard games, beanbag toss, horseshoes, tetherball, basketball, movies on the beach and water park features, to name a few. "We're all about family fun here," Andrews said.
The latest feature is cabin rentals. Located next to a picturesque landscape with a tranquil pond, are a set of newly constructed vacation cabins. These have helped drum up business for the eastern Cabell County resort, Andrews said. "We were blown away with how many cabin rentals we had this summer," Andrews said. "July was heavy with rentals, and we have reservations through August." From conservative tentcampers to the most expensive house-on-wheels, lots at the resort stay full year round. "It's a huge pendulum," said Andrews about the economic diversity of campers. "People immediately have something in common though. It's great to see two campers become friends and neighbors. There is such a huge common denominator: camping and RVing."
The Affinity Group, owners of Camping World, Sam's Club and RV-related publications has released their second quarter financials. The following is from information filed with the Securities Exchange Commission. Revenues of $129.9 million for the second quarter of 2009 decreased by $17.8 million, or 12.1%, from the comparable period in 2008. Membership services revenues of approximately $39.2 million for the second quarter of 2009 decreased $3.4 million, or 7.9%, from the comparable period in 2008. This revenue decrease was largely attributable to a $2.3 million reduction in member publication advertising revenue and reduced membership file size for the Coast Club and Golf Card Club, an $0.8 million reduction in revenue from member events, a $0.5 million decrease in other ancillary product revenue, and a $0.4 million decrease in marketing fee income for vehicle insurance products.
These decreases were partially offset by increased extended vehicle warranty program revenue of $0.6 million resulting from continued policy growth and strong renewals. Media revenues of $9.4 million for the second quarter of 2009 decreased $6.1 million, or 39.3%, from the comparable period in 2008. This decrease was primarily attributable to a $2.8 million reduction in revenue in the outdoor power sports magazines related to decreased advertising revenue, a $2.3 million reduction in RV related publications, primarily attributable to decreased advertising revenue, a $0.5 million reduction in consumer show revenue due to reduced exhibitor attendance, and a $0.5 million reduction in advertising revenue related to the campground guides. The full report can be found here: http://www.sec.gov/Archives/e dgar/data/1322646/00011046 5909049887/a0922988_110q.htm
Taken from Rodale’s Book of Practial Formulas, Easy to Make, Easy-to-Use Recipes for Hundreds of Everyday Activities and Tasks, by Paula Dreifus Bakule, Editor. Additional tips gathered from domestic goddesses worldwide! (Adapted for Campground Use by Karen Brucoli Anesi) Before attempting to clean anything, test color fastness of fabrics, or surfaces in a nonconspicuous place. Always wear protective gloves and take safety precautions such as wearing eye goggles and ventilating
your work area. Never mix chlorine bleach and ammonia! The combination can be deadly. Think before you clean. Need an inexpensive allpurpose cleaner to get rid of dirt and spills? Combine the following common ingredients: 2 cups rubbing alcohol, 1 Tbsp. mild dishwashing liquid, 1 Tbsp. ammonia and 2 quarts water. Stir ingredients in a bowl. Fill a spray bottle with the cleaner. Spray cleaner on bathroom fixtures, appliances, kitchen fixtures, countertops, and painted surfaces. Rinse.
For ceramic fixtures: Mix 2 Tbsp. baking soda in 1quart of water and apply to fixtures with cloth or sponge. For rust stains: Apply lemon juice to stain. Let stand until stain is gone. Rinse. For water stains on faucets: Clean faucet with the all-purpose cleaner and spray furniture polish on a cloth, then wipe the faucet. Water spots should be gone. Do your windows need a face-lift? Are your glass fixtures no longer shiny? For a sparkling window or glass table, mix ¼ cup white vinegar and 1-quart water in a bowl or spray bottle. If mixed in a bowl, apply with a sponge. Spray windows and wipe clean. Newsprint will keep the windows extra shiny and prevent streaking.
Need a window cleaner that won’t freeze in the cold outdoors? For the solution combine 3 cups rubbing alcohol, 1½ Tbsp. mild dishwashing liquid and ¾ cups water in a 1quart plastic spray bottle and spray on windows. Are showerheads getting clogged? Have they lost their shine? This mixture of 2 cups white vinegar and 2 cups warm water will unclog and shine showerheads. Mix in a 2quart bowl. Remove showerhead and soak in solution 2 hours. After soaking, rinse showerhead and remove leftover gunk with a soft brush. Mildew stains on tile walls? In a 2-gallon bucket dissolve 2 cups table salt in 1-gallon hot water. Wipe down walls with solution. Air dry. Also good for soaking vinyl shower curtains. No rinsing needed. Continued next week
BEDFORD — Despite an outcry from several adjoining property owners, a Bedford County woman’s vision for an environmentalfriendly and ”primitive” campground is a step closer to reality.
making. She said she moved to Bedford County for its beauty and believes there is a high demand and need for camping facilities that give people alternatives to condos and rental properties.
According to the Lynchburg News and Advance the Bedford County Planning Commission voted 4-1 Monday to recommend approval of Camp Karma, which consists of 41 acres on Stone Mountain Road, off of Virginia 122. The land, located in the county’s District 2 area near Moneta, is zoned Agricultural Rural Preserve, which requires a special use permit from county officials to operate a campground.
Mark Jordan of the county’s department of community development said the project would be developed in two phases.
Linda S. Frisbee, the property owner proposing the operation, said it has been a decade in the
The first phase would include 37 campsites for tents and small campers while the second would include 11 tent campsites and eight sites for large motor homes. “We just want a nice place for people to come to enjoy the area,” Frisbee said Monday to commission members. “It’s a beautiful piece of property and we plan on keeping it that way.”
overnight trips U.S. adults intend to take during the next six months increased to 2.8 from 2.6 in July 2008. ORLANDO, FLORIDA -The travel intentions of U.S. adults appear to be on the rise, according to the latest travelhorizons™ survey, the nationally representative survey that is co-authored quarterly by Ypartnership and the U.S. Travel Association. Almost two-thirds (63 percent) of U.S. adults expect to take at least one trip for leisure purposes between August 2009 and January 2010, up from 61 percent who expressed the same intention in July 2008. Assuming Americans act on their stated intention, this will translate into an estimated 142 million U.S.
adults taking at least one overnight trip during the next six months. “Americans’ continued strong interest in travel and positive perceptions of its affordability are positive signs for the industry,” said Roger Dow, president and CEO of the U.S. Travel Association. “The cost of travel remains at historic lows, giving consumers phenomenal options and the opportunity to stretch their dollars farther.” According to the national survey of 2,362 respondents conducted between July 21-28, 2009, the average number of
Travelers remained concerned about having sufficient money for travel; however, the majority of adults who are planning to take a trip are adjusting to more limited leisure travel budgets by indicating that they expect to spend less on travel services compared to last year. They also intend to comparison shop for deals, especially online. The July Traveler Sentiment Index™ (a derivative of six variables measured in the quarterly survey) also reflected consumers’ improved
sentiment. After falling slightly between February and April 2009, the index rose to 92.1 (against a base of 100 in March 2007), and three points above the number recorded in April 2009 (89.1). All six of the index indicators displayed gains from the last calendar quarter with the exception of one: “money available for travel”. “These results reaffirm our belief that downward pressure on the average household budget continues to present the biggest challenge for the industry, not interest in or the desire to travel,” said Peter C. Yesawich, chairman and CEO of Ypartnership. “And that’s precisely why value remains king for U.S. travelers.”
I am Randy Jenkins, owner of the Statesville East/I-40 KOA(formally Midway Campground) in North Carolina. I sat on the board of ARVC for 6 years and I feel I know enough about the inner workings of ARVC to make the comments and suggestions below. ARVC are currently considering changing the membership structure which, if successful would change to direct membership as opposed to membership via the state association. I would like to comment on that as well as make some observation and suggestion. Direct Membership: I think that direct membership is the way to go but I wonder if everyone appreciates the effect that this will have? It seems to me that ARVC is thinking that their services and benefits are of such value to the individual campground that direct membership will allow more non members to afford joining ARVC if they are not burdened with State fees as a prerequisite. Seems to me that this appears to be a reasonably sound premise! However, I have never believed that membership is a matter of affordability – it is a matter of value for money, making an undesirable product cheaper does not change the product from being
undesirable. There are 3000 ARVC member parks and there are 7000 non member parks (round figures). Look at the two groups individually: 3000 ARVC Member Parks: Group 1: There are those from active and progressive states like Wisconsin, Michigan, Florida, California etc. who are ARVC members as a result of wanting to belong to their State Association, they do not see ARVC as providing anything important to them. The result of direct membership will be that ARVC will lose the majority of these existing members, Texas is the indicator here, their new membership deal resulted in a massive loss of membership to ARVC, and there is no reason to believe that the other progressive states will have any different results than what has already been experienced in Texas. (There will be a large loss of ARVC membership from this group) in my opinion. Group 2: There are ARVC members from inactive and mismanaged states who join their state association for no other reason other than that they want to be a member of ARVC. It is fair and reasonable to assume that ARVC will largely hold on to these memberships. (The status quo may remain with this group). I am part of this group and am a member of ARVC solely to take advantage of the propane gas deal which is available to ARVC members.
Group 3: 7000 Non Member Parks This is the group that I believe ARVC thinks it will secure membership from based on a desire to access the membership benefits. Analogy of this groups reaction to direct membership is purely a matter of opinion however it is fair to say that these Campgrounds are not passionate about joining (otherwise they would already be members), a percentage will join if they can see a benefit, a percentage will never join. Begs the question; does ARVC have enough benefits to persuade these Campgrounds to join? With the impact on Group 1 being a known quantity and if ARVC cannot provide benefits to Group 3 then you are looking at a drop in membership of around 50 – 60%. Can ARVC sustain this level of income loss? Benefits offered by ARVC 1. Local, State and Federal issues – action, support and help with Campground Owners problems relating to statutory body regulations. Comments: Largely this is not a perceived tangible benefit to the average campground because local and state regulations are the mandate of State Associations (or at least should be), there is a feeling of apathy toward these issues until the individual campground is directly affected. The franchises and corporate owners are most likely to appreciate the value and necessity of these services. It is my opinion that this ARVC benefit will have little or no impact on a membership drive. The money ARVC spends on lobbying at the national level is a waste as it has never provided benefit to our industry.
2. Education – ARVC offers a Campground Owners and Managers course and accreditation. Comment: While this program is successful and profitable, to the average campground owner it is a secondary benefit (to a percentage it is no benefit to them at all) and offers no significant impact on a membership drive. 3. Insites – The annual trade show and conference. Comments: This is a tangible benefit however it is not an ‘impact item’ to those who are not already members, however, in my opinion it could become an impact item should the organization and running of the event be better than history shows. It is not all bad; it is just ‘good’, not marvelous. The amalgamation with Leisure Industries in 2009 is a positive step. My personal experience is that not a lot of new people go to Insites each year and the attendance number compared to membership is extremely low. This is not good for the suppliers whom without, there would be no Insites. 4. Gocampingamerica.com – Philosophically this is a piece of ‘Gold’ however it only represents a small percentage of Campgrounds, comparatively it attracts little business and it is not as comprehensive nor is it as profitable as it could be. If you are a Campground there are better websites to belong to in order to attract business.
Appraisal: Should the association move to direct membership without addressing the ‘benefits’ on offer then the move is likely to create a more negative than positive result, this result may well be catastrophic and impossible to recover from. Action: I would like to suggest what benefits ARVC could offer and in fact should have always been offering, that would create a ‘must join’ and a ‘feel good’ attitude among ALL Campground Owners. There are many things that we would all like to do and contribute to (e.g. joining ARVC), sometimes we feel that way because it is philosophically desirable and sometimes it just makes practical sense. To a Campground Owner there is one motivation that overpowers ALL others and that is the ability of the ‘thing’ we would like to do that will impact on the number of campers coming through our gate. No matter what category a Campground may fall under (independent, franchise, corporate owned, Ma & Pa operation), there is a strong realization that without business through the gate there is no business! There are three ‘Pieces of Gold’ to the Campground Owner and if you control any one or all of them, then you have an automatic
profit center and you create an automatic desire for EVERY Campground to belong to the provider of that piece of gold. Directory – Internet Bookings – After Hours Call Center. National Directory It is fitting that the National Association should control the national Campground & RV Park Directory, this would of course create a major income stream and at the same time put the control of promoting the industry through this medium in the hands of its rightful owners (ARVC not private companies), at present there are approximately 35 different state directories and national privately owned directories. It is inconceivable that the ‘National Directory’ is privately owned, in any case it is a free country but ARVC must forge a directory plan with total disregard to any private entity. Control the National Directory and you automatically create an almost 100% desire to have a ‘member level presence’ in it. A compelling reason to be a member of ARVC. Internet Information and referrals. An Internet representation of the National Directory offering direct access to member sites, the ability to book online and a showcase for state and regional tourism. The National Directory and the Internet site go hand in hand and further offer a compelling reason to join ARVC. At present the association
owns and operates gocampingamerica.com. This site is nowhere near being a true representation of the NATIONAL INTERNET SITE for the Camping and R’ving Industry in the USA, (it simply does not have enough listings). Should it become that, then it will offer another compelling reason to join ARVC. National After Hours Call Center It is painful (especially for the independent owner) to have to constantly be answering the phone after hours, yet it is a necessity because it is known by the public that if you don’t answer then the Campground down the road will. Reservations cannot be lost! ARVC is positioned to offer the entire industry an afterhours answering and reservation service. Another major income stream for ARVC and a service that would be appreciated by the Independents as well as providing the third compelling reason to join ARVC. I would challenge anyone to take a look at the positive impact this would have on ARVC and the Industry! The above does not involve reinventing the wheel, it is how the wheel should have been in the first place. Collectively, some would say these projects are impossible. Collectively, some would say these projects would upset the existing private companies who benefit from them and we shouldn’t go there. Collectively, some would say
these projects are too much for ARVC Collectively, some would say ‘that’s not the way things work’ forget it! On the other hand some would embrace the challenge and be excited at the prospect of success. To those who would challenge with cries of ‘What about the private companies whose business would be affected?, I would simply reply with: What about ARVC? ARVC appears to me to be a ‘cap in hand’ organization and this attitude has evolved because it is the other entities that control the industry – e.g. who gave private companies permission to make many dollars each year performing a core function of ARVC? If the private company fails then what position does that leave us in? ARVC can be strong – I HAVE ALWAYS Felt that but changes would have to be made and thinking would have to change. I challenge all campground owners, managers to let ARVC know what you think about these ideas through this publication and also let your regional board representatives know your thoughts directly. Randy Jenkins, CPO Statesville East/I-40 KOA stay@midwaycampground.com
Letters to the Editor: admin@industryenews.com
It seems to me that after having this column rant on about the Processing Card Industry compliance security regulations, you might have only one question. Why should I care? First of all, I’m a small business and those breaches we hear about are from enormous businesses and from credit card processors. My data won’t get breached, I’ll never be hacked. This whole security situation doesn’t concern me. Secondly, what could a hacker steal – I have little information available. You couldn’t be more wrong.
I’ve attached a web address. This leads you to a list of data breaches in chronological order. Highlight the website and copy and paste it into your browser. At the bottom of the website you’ll see hundreds of businesses which have had their data stolen and an explanation, in many cases, of how the breach occurred. It also informs you of the amount of accounts that were violated. http://www.privacyrights.org /ar/ChronDataBreaches.htm You can peruse these breaches. Some of them are scary, some are informative, some are even funny but all of them caused the facility that was breached lots of money to
fix, not to mention the fines that might have been levied by the PCI DSS. These fines generally start at $50,000 per occurrence. But take notice, many of these security breaches happened at places where people congregate like: colleges, hospitals and hotels. Even several federal facilities and police stations had security breaches although credit or debit card information was not the object of the theft. Campgrounds are places where people congregate. At campgrounds, data that is exposed, besides the actual transactions are the hard signed copies of the receipts for the credit cards. This is the easiest to protect, since these receipts can and should be under lock and key. It is the transmitted data, whether by phone line, the internet or by airspace over a cell phone, that is more difficult to defend against theft. By the time you read this, our first Webinar on PCI Data Security will have been run on Tuesday. August 18th. Registration for that webinar set records for our company and, as I write this article, over 30 Campgrounds were registered. We urge you to take time out of your busy schedule to attend our second webinar on the subject which will be held next Wednesday, August 26th at 2:00 PM Eastern Daylight
Art Lieberman Time. All you need do is click on the link below and send us a request for the invitation. rvcreditcards@yahoo.com I remind you that the webinar can be viewed on your computer (we will send you the link) and you can hear it on your phone by making a toll-free call. The webinar is interactive so you can ask questions. There is absolutely no cost to the webinar and is a service of Merchants’ Choice Payment Solutions, Campground and RV Park E-News and MCCS for Campgrounds. The webinar will last about an hour and, perhaps, save you lots of aggravation in the future. (Art Lieberman is President of MCCS for Campgrounds, a credit card processor sponsored by Woodforest Bank NA. Art has been in the Credit Card industry for nearly 12 years. Art has been conducting webinars online and seminars on credit cards in many State and Regional Association Conventions. He can be contacted at art@mccsforcampgrounds.com
Don Sifers never forgot his first trip to a latrine at Boy Scout camp when he was 12. Reported in the Kansas city Star: “I had never been around anything that smelled like that,” the Fairway man remembers. Someone should do something about this, he thought. And now, more than 50 years later, he has. Sifers has installed his Mountain Air Processors at some locations, and he hopes that last Thursday was a step toward selling a lot more of them to fix a problem every camper knows well but probably doesn’t talk about much. A U.S. Forest Service official arrived to take a look — and a smell — and decide whether to recommend using the invention at its campsites. Brenda Land, a sanitary engineer at the Forest Service, traveled from San Dimas, Calif., to see Sifers’ processor deodorize a smelly latrine at the Boy Scouts of America’s Camp Geiger near St. Joseph. Land’s reaction: “If you have a big enough problem, this unit can deal with it.” She said she is prepared to recommend it for campgrounds that want to solve their odor problem. Sifers, 76, is wary about describing exactly how his system works to pull the fecal and urine odors out of vault latrines and release them odor-free. After all, the
patent is still pending on the propane-powered unit, a metal box that’s elevated, drawing air from the latrine and deodorizing it. But he said: “No one’s ever been able to do what we do.” Of course, other ways to keep the smell away are to completely clean out the latrines or install flush toilets. But the Forest Service doesn’t have the money to replace all of its latrines with flush toilets, nor does it want to, Land said. Campers come to their campsites expecting to get away from things like that. “We tend to be more on the rustic side to begin with,” she said. Camp Geiger installed one of Sifers’ systems a year ago. John Clawson, the ranger at Camp Geiger, said there’s always a mention of the odor of vault latrines on their campsite evaluations, especially among less seasoned campers. “It’s more common that the younger kids and the younger parents mention it,” he said. But with Sifers’ processor, he hasn’t had anyone notice the smell.
By Larry On the night of August 3 this year a series of thunderstorms hit the Louisville, Kentucky area and continued on into the early morning hours. The storms were so slow moving that in effect there was one large storm sitting over the metropolitan area for many hours. At times it rained at the rate of three inches per hour, creating flooding unlike anything seen in Louisville before, including high water over much of Derby Downs. What struck this writer most about the reported weather event was the amount of lightning. During one hour at the height of the storm there were more than TEN THOUSAND LIGHTING STRIKES ON LOUISVILLE! For those who might have watched
the Sunday evening twopart television movie “The Storm” that ended the day before, this weather event might have seemed just like the movie. In effect, Louisville experienced a hurricane. The August 5 edition of this publication carried a feature about hurricane preparedness, noting that some one hundred million people, about one third of our nation’s people, live in areas vulnerable to hurricanes. What the Louisville event demonstrates is that nearly everyone lives in areas that could be hit by thunderstorms. Therefore, in case you did not jot it down, here is the helpful hurricane preparedness site again. It is www.ready.gov.
Remember: lighting can strike from as far away as five miles. A few years ago lighting struck and killed a golfer in Florida who was hitting shots on a golf range five miles away from the thunderstorm under a blue sunny sky! At times I have waxed eloquent about the beauties and joys of getting closer to nature and appreciating the beautiful environments your customers come to experience. But at other times I point out that this same environment can kill us. Mother Nature can be loving or vicious. It is important to read the signs, be alert and plan ahead. Perhaps the single most important thing to do for
the safety and protection of your patrons would be to have a good warning system for approaching storms. That could be a siren, a phone alert system, an organized word-of-mouth system wherein neighbors warn neighbors, or some combination. Remember: it’s not true that lightning never strikes the same place twice. And even more importantly, simply because you or your premises might never have been struck by lightning before in no way means you will not be struck in the future. Get or develop that warning system, test it periodically, and hope that you never need to use it.
This novel pop-up teardrop trailer may have been built of plywood. Note the door - it does not fold, but the rear wall does. Source: Popular Mechanics, December 1939 Old Woodies collection
Slim, aerodynamic design feature
By Tracey Markowich www.campersview.com I stumbled across a blog written by Tom Ziglar, son of motivational speaker Zig Ziglar The Recession Attitude by Tom Ziglar states in part, “…In this tough economy does any company have to employ somebody with a lousy attitude? I think not! As customers we should be getting the best service of our lives right now. Don’t settle for adequate competence and a bad attitude.” “So many people have caught the Recession Attitude of PLOM (Poor Little Old Me) Disease that you can really separate yourself by having the attitude of gratitude!” Like Dad says, “The bad thing about pity parties is that very few people attend and those who do don’t bring presents!” – Zig Ziglar full article can be found at http://tomziglar.com/2009/0 8/14/recession-attitudeziglar/
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As business owners we need to take note. There is a recession and people are spending less, but they are spending and they want value. On this same note, as entrepreneurs, it is time to
reach out, time to put our innovation and spirit in touch with our communities, time to make our own future and create resources. Time to move forward, to proceed. Philip Koch of Santa Claus, IN and owner of the award winning Lake Rudolph Campground and RV Resort is doing just that. With a name like Santa Claus, this small Indiana town has an opportunity to offer more in the winter season. This opportunity has been seized and is about to make history and create a future for many. Currently Santa Claus, IN has a Christmas in Santa Claus Festival and a Festival of Lights both held the second weekend of December. All of that is about to change, Koch is extending these festivities and adding many more to five full weekends, Nov. 20Dec. 20. Many activities are planned for “Friday Fun”, “Saturday Surprises”, and “Seasonal Sundays”. Nonprofit organizations, schools and churches are
Philip Koch
encouraged to help with booths. “We want to help everyone in town,” Koch noted. “Churches, schools, charities, businesses and individuals. We want families to come here and create wonderful memories, to make people happy, raise money for charities and businesses and grow the town of Santa Claus.” Lake Rudolph Campground and RV Resort closes for the winter, but this year it becomes the home of Santa Claus Land of Lights. Lining the roads of the Campground will be 1.2 miles of light displays, mostly animated, and custom built. The company building the displays has done work at one Super Bowl and is currently working on displays for the winter Olympics. The first year’s theme is the Story of Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer of course. Entrance fees will be shared by two charities.
Koch is also presenting a gift to his hometown, a 23foot high Nativity measuring 150 feet in length crafted of LED lights. The summers are good for the Santa Claus, IN economy. Holiday World & Splashin’ Safari, a theme park next door to the Lake Rudolph Campground and RV Resort brings people in from all over. The campground, hotels, and local businesses thrive. Now there is more than just the name, Santa Claus, to bring people to this charming town for the holiday season. “For years I’ve heard, ‘Why doesn’t our town have more at Christmas?’ or ‘Someone ought to…” I decided maybe I ought to,” Koch says with a grin. To read more see the article by editor Kathy Tretter of the Spencer County Leader can be seen here: www.CampersView.com/Ko ch.pdf
•Call 911 immediately or your local emergency services. •Look before you touch. The person may still be connected to the current. Touching them can pass the current through your body. •If the person is still connected to the electrical source remove them from the current using a piece of nonconducting material such as wood, cardboard or plastic. •Check vital signs. Look for signs of breathing and a pulse. •If the patient is not breathing begin CPR immediately.
•Stay away from high voltage wires that are still live. Especially if they are jumping around on the ground sparking. Call 911 immediately or your local emergency services if you see any of these signs. •Signs of cardiac arrest.
•Prevent shock. Have the patient lie down and elevate their legs higher than their head.
•The person develops heart palpitations or heart arrhythmias (an irregular heart beat).
•While waiting for help to arrive you can treat any burns.
•They have muscle contractions or pain. •Respiratory failure.
•DO NOT touch the person with your bare hands if they are still connected to the current. •DO NOT move the injured person unless absolutely necessary.
•Unconsciousness. •They have a seizure. •They experience numbness or tingling.
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