One of the founding members of OHI’s Young Professionals Committee is 32-year-old Hannah Butturini, who started working as a slide attendant at Evergreen Campsites & Resort in Wild Rose, Wis., at the tender age of 14.
“My older sister, Cassie, was already working at the park. I got a job here because she was my ride back and forth,” said Hannah, who has been working as general manager of the 480-site park since 2008, effectively serving as park owner Jim Button’s chief deputy.
Button’s parents acquired Evergreen in 1980, with Jim taking over park operations in 1995. But while Evergreen remains a family-owned campground, with Jim and his wife, Dawn, and their four children each helping with the business, Jim has continually given Hannah opportunities to expand her knowledge and experience in campground operations.
Hannah has worked in almost every position, from housekeeping to supervising the camp store and the front desk, the latter being a job that required her to overcome her shyness with people. The only job she hasn’t done is managing Evergreen’s honey wagon, which is something park owner Button likes to do.
“That’s his thing!” Hannah says with a laugh.
When Hannah graduated from Wild Rose High School in 2012, she started college and initially considered becoming a math teacher. But she eventually changed her mind and obtained an associate of arts degree from Fox Valley Technical School in restaurant and hotel management, seeing hospitality education as a good fit with her campground experience.
Button then gave Hannah an opportunity to work at the park full time, but continued her education at the George O’Leary School of RV Park and Campground Management with Button’s support.
It was at the national school where Hannah developed friendships with Button’s daughter, Emily; Heather Blankenship, of Bear Cove Village in Pigeon Forge, Tenn.; and Jaron Starner, of Cedar Lake Family Campground in Dover, Pa. Together, they co-founded the original Young Professionals group.
“The YP group was formed from our national class,” Hannah said, adding that her fellow students gave her the opportunity to present the Young Professionals’ bylaws to OHI’s board of directors.
“It was intimidating, but rewarding,” Hannah said, adding that the intimidation came from speaking before some of the biggest names in the campground and RV park business.
But with support from OHI, the Young Professionals has continued to evolve and gain industry recognition.
Hannah no longer has a leadership position on the Young Professionals Committee as she keeps plenty busy working as general manager of Evergreen Campsites and raising her two children, Myles, 2, and Piper, 7, though she remains active with the Young Professionals group.
“I had to make some choices and ensure I didn’t overwhelm my plate,” she said, adding, “I’m a proud mom to two small humans and very involved in our local community, being a Booster Club president for our local school, taking on a JV coaching position for our basketball and overseeing our used basketball program.”
Woodall’s Campground Magazine’s Jeff Crider recently spoke with Hannah to capture her perspectives on campground management, the industry and how she sees her future.
Following are highlights of their conversation.
WCM: You’ve had experience handling just about every job at a campground. How does that help you as general manager?
We very much like to cross-train. So, if we have to adjust because someone doesn’t show up or someone’s sick, we can go where we need to go (and do what we need to do) without our customers noticing. I’ll clean with our cleaning group when I need to. I find it helps staff morale.
WCM: What’s the hardest part of your job?
The hardest thing is thinking on your feet and not taking everything personally. You have to learn from customer feedback but also take things with a grain of salt. We’re not going to make every customer happy. Sometimes other things are going on.
You have people driving from two hours away. You don’t know how the kids behaved in the car. You don’t know if the wife gave bad (parking) directions and the husband dinged a sign. I feel like you have to think on your feet. I coach basketball and we’re always telling our players, let’s learn from our mistakes, but focus on the next play. We’re not going to make everybody happy, but it is what we do next that matters.
WCM: Is there anything in particular you hope to accomplish this year?
I had the opportunity to go back to the National School and be an instructor. On a personal note, that’s a big opportunity to give back to the school that built me and shaped me. We also had Gabe and Lisa Courtney teaching at the National School. The YP group wants to continue to grow. We have four YPs on the OHI board. We bring that leadership to our state associations, too.
WCM: Can you provide any examples of things you’ve learned at these Young Professionals meetings that you have been able to apply to your job or share with other staff members at your campground?
I think the biggest thing is the networking and knowing that we might have things that happen at our park that have happened at other parks, too. Just knowing that we’re not the outlier helps. Sometimes customers will beat you down a little bit. It’s the reassurance and the networking that helps, knowing how another park handled the same situation.
You can grow from (knowledge of those situations), and if something happens, you might know how someone handled something so you can make better decisions.
WCM: How can younger campground professionals better communicate with owners and operators who have many years of experience in this industry?
Sometimes (younger people) have a go-getter mentality and sometimes we need to take a pause and know that we can learn and grow from those who came before us. We need to appreciate our mentors and take time to appreciate the work that was put in ahead of us to build the industry.
In my case, I might come in and have a fresh set of eyes, but I need to recognize that Jim laid the groundwork. Sometimes we’re so eager to make changes, we don’t take time to understand the processes. Respect the work that was done before you.
WCM: Do you see yourself staying in the campground business forever?
This is my 18th season. I love the industry. I love what I do. I am very fortunate to work for a family business that treats me like family. I don’t see myself going anywhere.
I do run a small business of my own. We have a laser engraver. We do a lot of custom design work for Evergreen and other Wisconsin Association of Campground Owners (WACO) members. I think right now I’m in a good situation. I don’t see myself going anywhere anytime soon.
WCM: Are other young campground industry professionals welcome to join the Young Professionals group or its discussions at any time?
Anyone who is looking to get involved should definitely reach out to us. We have a YP Facebook group. The more people we get in the group, the better. We want more people. The door is always open.
