b'business marketing coach. not have a music licensing program, at his familys campground. rona Premier, Modelo Especial, ModeloCONY also commissioned an eco- park operators can get it through the I do a little bit of everything, he Negra and Pacifico, while high-qualitynomic impact study in 2016, which the NortheastCampgroundAssociation said, from lawn mowing to trimming premium wine and spirits brands in-association uses to support its govern- (NCA), of which CONY is an affiliate. trees. I take care of the accounting, but clude the Robert Mondavi family.ment outreach and marketing efforts. AllCONYmembersautomatically I try to stay out of the office and the day- The Finger Lakes Region has also cap-Theassociationalsonowoffersa become members of NCA, which has to-day office work to have a change of italized on its beer and wine industrieslegal hotline though Christine Taylor, a 974 campground members from nine pace. I like to be the ambassador for the with special annual events that bring inlawyer with Towne, Ryan & Partners, Northeastern states. NCAs size enables park. I like to talk to guests, find out why lots of tourists such as the Finger LakesP.C. in Albany, N.Y. Members receive a it to obtain product and service dis- they chose us and why they came, what Wine Festival, which is normally heldhalf-hour of free legal advice each year counts and maximize the economies of they would like to see improved. I also every July, and the Finger Lakes Beer Fes- and can pay for more if they need it. scale for tradeshows and other events feel when I speak to the campers I can tival, which is held every October.CONY offers its members discounts that small state associations would have get the heartbeat of what we do. Im theon propane and other products, includ- difficulty doing on their own. pancake chef at times. Its a nice changeing Sherwin Williams paints and cell- WhileBennettspendsMonday of pace from the CONY office, which isphone service provided by ATT, Sprint through Friday working for CONY, he sometimes desk-oriented.and Verizon. While the association does typically spends his weekends working ConesusLakeCampgroundcur-rently has 143 campsites and six rentalunits, including two primitive cabinsand four park models. About 65% of theparks campsites are allocated for sea-sonal camping, with the remainder forovernight use.Bennett said he fell in the love with thecampground business at an early age. Don Bennett, Jr. with son, WinstonI guess, growing up in it, I just en-joyed seeing where people are coming Interestingly, while wine events havefrom. You get to meet people from all helped further stimulate tourism intoover the world in your little part of the theFingerLakesRegion,thecamp-world, he said. ground business in Upstate New York isCampersgenerallyareinagood still invariably seasonal in nature be-mood when they arrive at his familys cause of the northern winter.park, which adds further enjoyment to But Bennett has found a unique waytheexperienceofhostingthem. to keep some of his key campgroundTheyre pretty happy people when they staffmembersemployedonayear-comeintoacampground,hesaid. round basis. Three years ago, he and hisThey are getting ready to have a vaca- wife,Lisa,acquiredAndersonstion or to stay at a seasonal campsite. Brochure Distribution Service, whichWhile the Finger Lakes Region has al- distributes state campground directo-ways been a popular tourist destination ries to over two million consumers eachin New York, Bennett said the area is even year at 26 consumer RV, camping andmore popular now because of the exten- travel shows across the country, mostlysive development of wineries in the area. from January to March.We have over 400 wineries now. Its There is a tremendous amount oflike Napa on the East Coast, Bennett workassociatedwithAndersonssays with a laugh, noting that the Finger Brochure Distribution Service, BennettLakes region is the corporate headquar- said, adding that he stores each statesters of Constellation Brands Inc., a lead- printedcampgrounddirectoryatainginternationalproducerand warehouse in Pittsford, N.Y.marketer of beer, wine and spirits with Well take 6,000 to 7,000 pounds ofoperationsintheU.S.,Mexico,New printed material to a single show, heZealand and Italy. Its imported brands added.include Corona Extra, Corona Light, Co- For now, however, Bennetts top pri-ority is COVID-19.Withsomeofthenon-memberphone calls that I have taken through thispandemic Ive been able to see how thoseguys are very ill-informed compared to atypical CONY member, he explained.The good news, he said, is that camp-ground operators who have not previ-ously been members of CONY are nowrecognizing the value of joining the as-sociation.We are seeing a resurgence in mem-bership, he said.Weve picked up fiveorsixnewmemberssincethepan-demic started. I think they are seeingthat a trade association is valuable forwhat the membership dues are. As Ioften like to say, CONY doesnt cost to bea member, it pays.On a personal note, Bennett and hiswife, Lisa, a high school science teacher,live in Pittsford, N.Y. Their sons are ac-tive in the camping business working atthe campground and representing theindustry by distributing directories andbrochures for Andersons Brochure Dis-tribution Service at outdoor and camp-ing/RV shows throughout the U.S. andCanada. Their oldest son, Winston, arisingsenior,isaDivision1soccergoalie and finance major at Siena Col-lege in Albany, N.Y. Their youngest son,Mason, is a rising senior at PittsfordMendon High School, an offensive line-man for the Pittsford Panthers and anavid woodworker. WCM26 -September 2020 Woodalls Campground Management'