b'park operators look for ways to improvestates are still required to pay taxes on their revenue streams. If inflation is 10%,those items if they use them at their parks you have to make at least 10% more moneyin Wisconsinand they are required to re-to be at zero, he said.port and pay these taxes in the reporting pe-Forparkownerswhopurchaserentalriods in which these items are purchased. units,StyerrecommendsspendingtheIf you report zero use tax, that can be a money on decent mattresses. If people dontflag (for an audit), Hoffman said. Be very sleep well, they wont come back, he said. careful on your purchases. He also has bathtubs installed in all of hisOne park operator asked who would be rental units, not because people want tosubject to a penalty if a park purchases an take baths, but to ensure that the showeritem from a vendor and the vendor later re-curtain stays inside the tub. Otherwise, healizes he forgot to charge the park sales tax said, the overflowing water will destroy theon the item sold?floors.The answer is whoever gets audited is Remove Unruly Guestswhogetscharged,shesaid,adding, Portage County Sheriff Mike Lukas saidThere is never a time when the purchaser campground owners have the right to en- is relieved of liability for purchases. You force no firearms poli- should be double-checking all of your pur-cies at their parks. Suchchases. policieshavetobe posted, however.Take Time AwayYou(also)needtofrom Your Campground contactlocallawen- While most WACO convention speakers forcement in advance, sotalked about ways to improve a parks busi-we are aware of it whenness, some speakers also encouraged park wecomeoutthere,operators to take time away from their busi-Mike Lukas Lukas said. nesses for their own physical and mental Lukas also talked about handling guestshealth. who violate park rules. He said its the re- You need to take it for your physical sponsibility of campground operators tohealth, said Stephanie Klett, the president warn guests of the consequences if they vi- and CEO of VISIT Lake olate park rules. Warning unruly guests isGeneva, adding, People the job of the campground, he said. Dontwho take more vacations call police just to give warnings.aremorephysicallyfit Lukas encouraged park operators to beand more balanced. on the lookout for people who may be en- Creativityalsosoars gaged in sex trafficking or labor trafficking.whenonetakestime A lot of times, he said, the people whoaway from work and en-are being trafficked dont talk because theyjoys nature, she said.have no place else to go.Stephanie Klett In our industry, we do Drug activity is also on the rise in Wis- not take enough time for ourselves at all, consin campgrounds, Lukas said. If yousaidEileenVaughn,ofMountainVista see drug paraphernalia, he said, contact po- Campground, adding that it is also impor-lice and they will forward that informationtant for family members who run a camp-to a drug enforcement office.ground to have time away from each other. Lukas also said there is an increasedWeexpectmorefromfamilyinthe chance that park operators could encounterworkplace, she said. But its also helpful individuals who collapse in their parks dueforfamilymemberstohavesometime to a drug overdose. away from each other.You have to learn Lukas said there is a product called Nar- to take time away from the business and can that can help revive them. But he cau- from each other, she said.tioned park operators on what to expect if they use this product. When you bringUse Local Celebritiessomebody back from an overdose, they canin Your Marketing be very aggressive, he said. They wontIn her remarks to park operators, Klett, the know whats going on.formerWisconsinsecretaryoftourism,WACOs Attorney Mark Hazelbaker, oftalked about how Wisconsin used celebrities the Kasieta Legal Group in Madison, saidto raise the states profile.its up to park operatorsI had to use celebrities because we had to be vigilant and to en- such a small marketing budget, she said. sure that they have rulesButthestrategyworked,sincemany and structure in place tocelebrities were willing to support efforts to createasafeenviron- promote Wisconsin as a tourism destination. ment for their guests.Klett commended Green Bay Packer leg-Police cannot restoreends Gilbert Brown and Santana Dotson for order if there is no ordertheir promotional work on behalf of Wiscon-torestore,Hazelbakersin campgrounds. Brown, Dotson and their Mark Hazelbaker said, adding, You havePacker colleagues frequently hold fundraising to hold your ground. Every year you shouldevents at Wisconsin campgrounds that raise be getting rid of campers who do not con- money for the Gilbert Brown Foundation, tributetothekindofcampgroundyouwhich supports over 163 childrens charities. want.These events generate media attention and help raise public awareness of the camp-Improve Your Compliance grounds that host the events, while increas-with Tax Lawsingsupportforthemanylife-changing Holly Hoffman, owner of the Sales Taxcharities supported by the foundation. Advisory Network in Amherst, Wis., led aWhat you have here with the Gilbert seminar titled What youBrownFoundationisunbelievable,Klett needtoknowduringasaid. I hope you never take it for granted. sales tax audit. She saidThese guys represent the very best of the businesses often confusevery best. thedifferencebetweenIn addition to hosting fundraising events sales and use taxes. for the Gilbert Brown Foundation, Klett en-Shealsonotedthatcouraged park operators to tap their local parks that purchase bedscelebrities.Useyourlocalcranberry andotherlargedollarqueen, she said, citing the availability of Holly Hoffman itemstax-freeinotherConferencescontinued on page32WOODALLSCM.comMay 2022 31'