b'INDUSTRY NEWSElectric RVs on Horizon, but NEWS IN BRIEFis Hospitality Industry Ready? Sun Communities Inc. Posts Strong First-Quarter ResultsSun Communities Inc., a real estate investment trust that owns and operates manufactured hous-ing communities, RV resorts and marinas, saw revenues increase $131.7 million during the firstCamping World Holding Inc.srecent quarter of 2021, which ended on March 31.announcement that it plans to create a Total revenues increased $131.7 million, or 42.4%, to approximately $442 million compared tonational electric vehicle (EV) service and $310.3 million for the same period in 2020.WCMcollision network for Lordstown Motorsis a major development that paves the Forest Rivers Jason Hershberger Joins Care Camps Board of Directorsway for the two companies to develop Jason Hershberger, Forest Rivers general manager of its Sierra and Sandpiper brands, hasthe first, all-electric, high-volume pro- joined the Care Camps Board of Directors.duction RV. As Care Camps grows, it is important that our board and leadership reflect the industries andThe future is now and the realization businesses that make our mission to help the kids possible, said Wade Elliott, chairman of theof electrifying RVs and the outdoor com- Care Camps board. We are grateful that several major companies in the RV industry have be-munity is within our grasp and will only come passionate advocates for this cause and Forest River has been a champion in helping ourgrow from here, Camping World Chair- kids get outdoors.manandCEOMarcusLemonis said Forest River made a groundbreaking commitment to financially support Care Camps with everyduring a joint press conference in De- unit it sells and its leadership and employees have enthusiastically embraced this chance to givecemberwithLordstown Motors CEO back as well, added Elliott. We are excited to welcome Jason to our team. We hope he is the firstSteve Burns. of several industry leaders to join our board and advisory council to actively support children withInthemeantime,byleveraging cancer getting the opportunity to find their smiles again.Camping Worlds growing footprint of Hershberger joined the Forest River team over 20 years ago and has been actively supportingover 170 service and collision centers Care Camps since Forest River began discussions about supporting the charity. WCMacross the U.S., Lordstown Motors cus- Charging stations like this will become more tomers are expected to enjoy one of the common as electric vehicle technology advances. Equity Lifestyle Properties, American Forests to Plant 100,000 Treesmost comprehensive RV support sys- The Equity Lifestyle Properties(ELS) family of brands, which includes Encore RV Resortsandtemseverdesigned.CampingWorld overnight. Thousand Trails campgrounds, has entered into a multi-year agreement with American Forests, ac-techniciansareundergoingextensive Imskepticalaboutseeingcross- cording to ELS officials.training with the goal of being able to country electric vehicle usage, he said. ELS resort and campground locations pledge to plant 100,000 trees as part of American Forestsservice the Lordstown Endurance, the I just dont think the battery technology American ReLeaf program.worlds first full-size, all-electric pickup is there yet. The teams have identified key locations where the 100,000 trees will be planted, with multipletruck, by summer. The limited range of electric vehicles forests including the Lower Rio Grande Valley National Wildlife Refuges in Texas.Other innovations involving Camping has long prevented people from using There are also plans for a variety of educational and marketing opportunities across ELSWorld and Lordstown are expected to be them on long-distance drives, simply brands, highlighting progress toward hitting the 100,000 tree goal and the overall impact of theannounced in the coming months. But because of the inconvenience of having commitment, ensuring awareness and engagement among Encore and Thousand Trails cus-how prepared is the campground indus- to stop frequently to recharge batteries. tomers and employees. WCMtry to handle electric vehicles? And how But while it may be some time yet be-many electric vehicles is the industry fore private park operators see electric Holiday Island Holdings Inc. Purchasing Lakeside RV Park in Texasseeing right now? RVs, Elliott believes park operators will Holiday Island Holdings Inc., which operates in the recreational and remote living real estateWadeElliott,generalmanagerof increasingly see RVers towing electric ve- market in the geographic markets of Texas, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Missouri and Louisiana, hasKingston,Wash.-basedUtilitySupply hicles. announced that the company has signed a purchase contract to acquire a partially developedGroup, said existing 20-amp pedestals Thats going to be a problem for RV lakeside RV park in Jackson County, Texas, according to a press release.that his company provides for camp- parks, he said. Theyre going to come The acquisition price is $500,000 with a development cost of $600,000 for a total cost ofgrounds and RV parks can be used to in with an electric vehicle as a tow be- $1.1 million.WCMcharge electric vehicles, but he doesnt hindandtheywillplugitintothenecessarily see a dramatic movement pedestal at the campsite and charge it Astra Unveils New Astra Concierge Add-On to Softwaretowardelectricvehiclestakingplace Electric RVscontinued on page30 Astra, a reservation and campground management software provider serving private and localcampgrounds, has announced the launch of a new value-add, a revenue-generating service calledAstra Concierge, according to a press release. With Astra Concierge, campground guests can order add-on products at the same time asthey book a reservation online and get those items delivered to their site on the day of arrival.While guests enjoy the delivery service, campgrounds capture additional revenue by generatingincremental sales online, in advance of the guests arrival. To learn more about Astra campground management software and the new Astra Conciergeservice, book a demo at AstraParks.com, email AstraParks@AspiraConnect.com or call the Astrateam at 518-218-5095. WCMCampspot, Factor4 Integrate Gift Card CapabilitiesFactor4 LLC, a provider of gift card and loyalty solutions, has announced a deal with Campspotthat will integrate its gift card capabilities with the campground reservation software platform, ac-cording to a press release.Campspot serves over 1,200 businesses across North America and TripSavvyrecently awardedCampspot as the Best Campground Management Software because of its intuitive design andfeatures that maximize campground owners revenue, noted the release. Factor4s gift card pro-grams enable campground owners to attract new customers and add a new source of revenue.Interested campground owners should contact Campspot at sales@campspot.com or 616-226-5500 to learn more about its reservation system. To learn more about Factor4s services, con-tact sales@factor4gift.com or 484-471-3963. WCMInsider Perks is Named Endorsement Partner by CCRVCInsider Perks, a marketing agency focused on the outdoor hospitality industry, has announcedthat it has been named as the newest Endorsement Partner of the Canadian Camping & RV Council(CCRVC.)Being an Endorsement Partner means that CCRVC has reviewed the products or services andhas found them to be of exceptional value and recommends their use to its membership at large. In-sider Perks is currently one of only two companies that have been accepted into this program.The program was created to facilitate connecting Premium Suppliers who have demonstrated asignificant commitment to the outdoor hospitality industry and provide exemplary service to theCCRVC membership base.Insider Perks will have enhanced visibility on the CCRVC website, a full-page presence in theMember Benefits Guide, elevated placement in the Members Area of the CCRVC website and will beproviding an exclusive ongoing discount to all CCRVC members. WCM6 June 2021 Woodalls Campground Magazine'