b'INDUSTRY NEWSFormer Park Owner George OLeary Releases Autobiography, Donates to St. Jude & Shriners George OLeary has cemented hisazine contributor and publicist, who legacy in the private park business notmade two trips with OLeary to Ireland only with his recent $1 million dona- to gather additional historical informa-tion to the National Association of RVtion and photos for the book.Campspot Drives ParksandCampgrounds(NationalOLeary sold his two Rincon Country ARVC) George OLeary National SchoolRV Resorts to Summit Real Estate inRecord Reservation of Outdoor Hospitalitywhich was2022 but continues to consult to the re-named after OLeary due to the dona- sorts as needed.Numbers in 22; tionbut with the publication of hisOLeary said he plans to donate pro- Announces Annual business biography and family history.ceeds from the book to the Community OLeary plans to discuss his self-pub- Food Bank of Southern Arizona, a char- Park Awardslished book, The OLearys of Beechwood,ity he has supported since 1997, the duringArizonaARVCsConference150th anniversary of the Irish Famine.GRAND RAPIDS, Mich.Campspot and Tradeshow, June 7-9 at WeKoPa Last month, OLeary also made siz- drove record reservations in 2022, sur-Resort in Ft. McDowell.able donations to St. Jude Childrenspassingmorethanthreemilliongross The 226-page book is both a busi- Advanced Research Center in Mem- campsite reservations made across the ness biography and a family history. InGeorge OLeary phis, Tenn., and to Shiners Hospitalsplatform, according to a press release. additiontoprovidingdetailsofforChildreninPasadena,Calif.,inWith camping demand continuing to OLearys early years in Ireland, his de- to the Beechwood area of County Tip- honor of his first son, Sen, who died ofgrow in the face of rising travel costs and cision to immigrate to the U.S. and hisperary, near Nenagh, where memberscancer at the age of 5 in June 1964.inflationarypressures,Campspotalso subsequentsuccessintheRVparkof the OLeary family resided for nearlyIts been nearly 60 years since myadded over 700 campgrounds to its own business, the book carefully documents300years.OLearystillmaintainsasons passing, but I still think about himmarketplace in 2022, which now offers the key roles that several of OLearyshome there on land that has been in hisandstillfeelthepainoflosinghimmore than 205,000 campsites for con-ancestors have played in the history offamilys possession since the 1760s.when his life was just beginning, saidsumers to book directly via its website or Ireland.OLeary spent more than five yearsOLeary, who celebrated his 92nd birth- app, the release stated. The book traces OLearys family his- writing the book, which was edited byday on March 4.The Campspot team has worked in-tory to the Battle of Kinsale in 1601,Dr.ConorReidy,anIrishhistorianTheOLearysofBeechwoodcancredibly hard to reach these milestone whenthefirstknownOLearysmi- basedinNenagh,andJeff Crider,abeorderedbyemailingGeorgeatachievements, said Michael Scheinman, grated from Millstreet in County Corklongtime Woodalls Campground Mag- george@rinconcountry.com.WCM CEO of Campspot. We never lost sight of the fact that all the growth in the world isnt RVIA Projects 324,000 to 344,000 RV Unit Shipments in 2023meaningfulifwerenotalsodelivering against a bigger objective. Our goal from RV wholesale shipments are expected344,000 units next year with a mid-pointboth indicating that consumer interestday one has been to provide a more mod-to retreat in 2023 in the face of challeng- of 334,100 units, a 32% decline from thein RV travel and camping has not dimin- ern, unparalleled camping booking experi-ing economic conditions, according to493,300 wholesale shipments in 2022.ished,saidRVIAPresidentandCEOence, and weve made incredible strides in the Spring 2023 issue of RV RoadSigns,ITR Economics forecast reflects cur- CraigKirby.Whileweexpectship- 2022 to solidify our position as the plat-the quarterly forecast prepared by ITRrent market conditionsan uncertainments to move lower through the firstform of choice for campers and camp-Economics for the RV Industry Associ- economy, high inflation and rising inter- half of 2023 compared to 2022, we seegrounds. ation (RVIA).est rates. This is offset by encouraging re- the pace of that decline easing and be- Campspot successfully launched more The new forecast projects 2023 RVports of strong attendance at retail RVginning to recover in the latter part ofthan20newsoftwarefeaturesforits shipmentstorangefrom324,300toshows and traffic on RV dealer lots the year. WCM campground customers in 2022, focused on increasing revenue and driving effi-ciencyacrossday-to-daycampground management operations. These include re-Jellystone Jumps Againcent integrations with some of the most visited travel websites in the world, a pro-on Franchise 500 Listprietary online booking API that enables Yogi Bears Jellystone Park Camp- groups to aggregate their properties onto Resorts was recognized as one of thetheir own websites, a highly requested in-nations top franchises in Entrepreneurtegration with email leader Mailchimp, and magazines Franchise 500 for the sev- a suite of improved visual growth and per-formance dashboards. enth consecutive year, according to aSinceourfounding,theplatform press release.Campspot has built has been hyper-fo-The brand was honored as the topcused on the user, said Megan Winfield franchise in its category for the sixth year.who was named Campspots new CTO in Entrepreneurs Franchise 500 is theDecember.Wecontinuouslyprioritize worlds first and most comprehensivefeedback from our customers to make our franchiseranking,statedtherelease.software better, to drive revenue for our The Jellystone Park 2023 ranking of No.partners, and to build new features. Were 274 is an improvement of 74 slots com- also keeping a close eye on where the overall travel and hospitality industry is pared to last year and an increase of moreheading to determine whats resonating than 150 places compared to 2021, withwith travelers and bring that to Campspot. Jellystone Parks higher ranking based onCampspot Names Best Parks itsconsistentunitgrowth,financialCampspot revealed the winners of its strength and stability, and brand power.second annual Campspot Awards to rec-Were thrilled to once again be rec- ognize the best campgrounds across the ognized by both Entrepreneur and Fran- U.S. and Canada. Ranging across 12 trav-chiseBusinessReview,saidTrenteler-driven categories, these award-win-Hershenson, Jellystone Parks vice pres- ning destinations offer something for every kind of outdoor enthusiast, including RV re-ident of marketing. These honors aresorts,familycampgrounds,tentsites, the result of the constant hard work ofcabins, glamping options and more, ac-our innovative franchisees and the con- cording to a press release. tinualgrowthoftheJellystoneParkTo identify its winners, Campspot first brand. WCM Campspotcontinued on page 444 April 2023 Woodalls Campground Magazine'