b'dont have a tow vehicle but like to use therevenuestreamenablesBigtheir travel trailer or fifth-wheel like Meadow to keep its campground em-their own private getaway cabin in the ployees year-round.Smoky Mountains. Of course, having owned and oper-Wehaveawaitinglistofpeople ated a campground for 25 years, andwanting to put their vehicle in storage, won two of ARVCs national Park ofJohnson said, adding that she encour- the Year awards, the Johnsons are alsoages other park operators to consider willing to share a few tips with currentstarting their own RV storage business or aspiring campground operators.if they have land available to do so.People are begging for RV storage,she said.The Johnsons park the RVs them-selves and keep them in a secure partofthecampground,awayfromthecamping section of the park.No one is allowed into the storagearea, Malcolm Johnson said. Whensomeone wants their unit, I bring it tothe customer.RV owners like this approach be-cause it improves accountability andlessensthechanceofanotherRV Three generations of the Johnson familyowner scratching or otherwise damag- now work at the park.ing someone elses rig as they retrievetheir unit from storage. TheytoldWoodallsCampgroundThe Johnsons also offer other serv- Management theirsuccessintheices for their RV storage customers. campgroundbusinessreflectstheirTheseincludesettingupthecus- willingness to do the following:tomersrigonacampsiteatBig GocampingandseewhatideasMeadowFamilyCampgroundorat othercampgroundshaveimple-other campgrounds in the Townsend mented that could make your camp-area. They offer RV washing, interior groundbetter: Ahugekeytoourcleaning, and winterizing services and success is that the three of us camp,can also make arrangements for vehi- Greg Johnson said. We constantly gocles to be repaired. to other campgrounds (on our own) tosee what they have. We dont just stayin our little world. We bring ideas backand discuss them. It feels like thats ahuge part of our success.IdeastheJohnsonshavegleanedfrom visiting other parks include secu-rity gates, concrete pads and patios,new lighting and marque signage, aswell as RV storage.Talk to your guests and listen toBig Meadows staff takes time to listen what they have to say: Our successto the needs of its campers. reflects the fact that we listen to ourcustomers,BarbaraJohnsonsaid.All of these services bring in addi- We dont formally survey them, buttional revenue. We will winterize 150 we talk to them a lot, so we know whatunits at $100 a pop, Barbara Johnson they want. We treat our customers thesaid. way we would want to be treated.Somecampersalsowillretrieve Someofthethingscamperssaytheir RVs in the wintertime, and use they want are covered storage, a largerthem to camp in the snow, Greg John- campstore and better Wi-Fi. One thingson said. We do have people that call campers didnt want was firepits. Somethat want to camp in the snow. We complainedofsmokecomingintodont do a huge amount of business, their rigs.but there is some. Thank your campers and keep inThe Johnsons said the revenue from touch with them: Every camper getsthe RV storage business has been a a thank you note by email, Barbaracritical component of their success, Johnson said. If they dont have email,particularlyduringtheslowwinter we send them a thank you card. Wemonths. send out cards for birthdays and an-Its constant income when youre niversaries. We say its our job to putdead, Greg Johnson said, adding that smiles on peoples faces.Well kept facilities, with an eye on small details, give campers a home away from home feeling.30 -April 2020Woodalls Campground Management'