b'INDUSTRY NEWSNat. ARVC Announces New Chair, Business Forum AppointmentTheNationalAssociationofRVtional ARVC President and CEO Paulnext50to100yearsofRVcamp-Parks and Campgrounds (NationalBambei. This group is a collective ofgrounds. ARVC) recently announced a new ap- some of the best business minds inBouse will represent the Business pointment to its Business Forum andour industry and we all benefit fromForum as a member of the National the election of a new Business Forumthe discussions had when the Busi- ARVC Board of Directors for a term of chair, a position that holds a represen- ness Forum convenes.three years ending in November 2025. tative seat on the organizations BoardThe Business Forum is a group ofIt is an honor to have been se-of Directors.industry leaders who meet twice alected as chair for a group that repre-At its fall meeting, which took placechair of the Business Forum.year to discuss industry trends andsentsthecuttingedgeofour at the Outdoor Hospitality Confer- Bouse replaces Mike Beckelhymer,possible solutions to challenges. Theindustry, Bouse said. Filling Mikes ence & Expo 2022 in Orlando, Fla., thewhose term as Business Forum chairinsights shared around the table areshoes is not obtainable; however, I National ARVC Business Forum wel- had expired, according to a release.invaluable to the growth of the indus- will attempt to keep the bar he has set comed Rafael Correa, CFO of BlueThe Business Forum appreciatestry, Bambei explained.at the same high level. I look forward WaterDevelopmentGroup,andMikes years of service as chair and isIm excited to join the ARVC Busi- to working with our group as well as electedexistingmemberRoberthonored to have Rafael and his busi- ness Forum, said Correa. I am look- the National ARVC board to continue Bouse, vice president of resort opera- ness acumen join an already robusting forward to collaborating with theto grow the industry and take it to the tions for Travel Resorts of America, asgroup of industry leaders, said Na- brilliant minds who are defining thenext level.WCMSpacious Skies Holds 1st Company RetreatFrom Camper Care training to discus- trickle down to our onsite team mem-sions on future campgrounds, reviewingbersand,moreimportantly,toour employee policies to a deep dive into thecamping guests. software they rely on, there was an am- Topics included advanced training on bitious syllabus for the attendees of Spa- thecompanysreservationssystem cious Skies Campgrounds first-annualCampspotas well as Camper Care, the Spacious Skies University (SSU) earlierSpaciousSkiescategoryofcustomer this month, according to a press release.Spacious Skies Campgrounds managersservice and guest communications. The Staged at Spacious Skies Belle Ridgeand team members gathered in Tennessee. group also discussed company perform- Construction in Monterey, Tenn., the companys 10thance in 2022 and new locations in the campground acquisition, a group of 31months, the company has expanded topipeline in 2023 and beyond. SSU pro-campground managers and headquar- 13 parks located in a variety of states invided the forum for in-person human re- Underway at ters team members participated in thethe east.sourcestrainingaswell,andthe multi-day retreat. The participants cameSpaciousSkiesUniversitywasaopportunity to announce the pending from as far away as Maine, where themeasureofhowfarwevecometolaunch of a new website and loyalty pro- Tigers Trail company has two campgrounds. Severalachieve what we refer to as the intangi- gram in early 2023. participantsstayedintheirownRVs,blethe magic that must cure throughOutside the conference room, partic- RV Resort while others stayed in the campgroundsmonths and months of dedication to theipants also toured Spacious Skies Belle cabins and glamping accommodations,shared goal, the spirit that simply cannotRidge, hiked the on-site trails to Bridal as well as the Bluff House, a multi-bed- be manufactured, said Ali Rasmussen,FallsandparticipatedinahighwayConstruction is underway on a new room rental house.CEO and creative director of Spaciouscleanup project as part of the Keep Put- propertyinBatonRouge,La.,called The group embraced the opportunitySkies Campgrounds. It was a display ofnam County Beautiful Clean Commis- Tigers Trail RV Resort, which is ex-to learn, connect with their peers andour efforts to build something specialsion,anaffiliateofKeepAmericapected to open by summer. havesomefunaftermanyintensewithin the community of our organiza- Beautiful. Evenings were spent gatheredWe hope to be open by July with 220 monthsofgrowth.Overthepast20tion at the leadership level, which shouldaround campfires.WCM sites and 10 cabins, said Tommy Ramelli, apartnerwhoisdevelopingthepark, which will also feature a dog park, a swim-ming pool, a lazy river and a fishing pond. We wont have a splashground, but we have room for other amenities. They are still under discussion, Ramelli said. Other amenities include golf cart rentals, Wi-Fi and trash pickup service. Were also going to plant a lot of trees. The park will eventually have 28 rental units. Ramelli said he and his business part-ners anticipate strong demand for Tigers Trail RV Resort because the Baton Rouge market is very underserved and does nothaveanRVparkclosetothe Louisiana State University campus. There is really nothing in the Baton Rouge area that is so close to the LSU campus,Ramellisaid,addingthat Tigers Trail RV Resort will also be close to LAuberge Casino. We feel the park is a good fit for the Baton Rouge area, Ramelli said, noting that the park will be able to accommo-dateavarietyoftravelers,including snowbirds. Ramelli himself has been an avid RVer for more than 30 years, but this is his first time developing an RV park. He works in the hospitality industry, however, and has a company that provides a variety of serv-ices to hotels, including cleaning services and trash pickup. Jeff Crider WCM4 February 2023Woodalls Campground Magazine'