Editor’s Note: This column was written by Dr. John Shim, who practices medicine in Florida while operating the Association Island KOA as its CEO. The necessity of remotely managing the family business required drastic changes in every part of operations. The resulting changes, such as developing the AI Camping app, led to doubling the island park’s revenue.
Jefferson County, N.Y., has a total year-round population of about 110,000 and the largest city is Watertown, N.Y., with a population of 26,000. It is also the home of the U.S. Army’s 10th Mountain Division.
Association Island Kampgrounds of America (KOA) is located in the Town of Henderson, with a total year-round population of about 1,500. This is rural New York, a completely different setting than New York City.
When my Father, Nak Shim, first started exploring the purchase of Association Island and the accompanying Hovey’s Island in the 1980s, it was a much different time.
Back then, it was not uncommon to get that curiosity stare. An Asian person in rural Northern New York was an anomaly. I will be polite and say people did not know how to reconcile with the concept of a Korean immigrant purchasing two islands in their town.
“You’re not from these parts, are you” had real meaning.
Over the years, the population has changed, and we are fortunate to have developed great relationships with many local leaders.
As I was tasked to manage Association Island, I reached out to all the community leaders from our town highway supervisor to New York State Senators and Representatives. To my surprise, most returned my calls, and we had encouraging discussions about how to work to improve Henderson, Jefferson County, and the New York Tourism industry.
New to the position, and calling from my home base in Tampa, Fla., I had no idea that the economic impact of Association Island KOA would open communications.
One of the first challenges was obtaining higher speed internet to Association Island. The copper wire DSL line was not enough to power our own office demands, let alone the future demands of a Wi-Fi dependent population.
Unfortunately, broadband access to rural New York was not a given. We also had the challenge of having a 4,500 feet causeway from the property line to the main business office at the park. Estimates of just laying a cable from the property line to the office were in excess of $140,000.
With input from our community leaders, I was able to express our concerns to several broadband providers. New York State was in the process of helping the Mohawk Indian Nation develop a broadband program and helped facilitate dialogue with their telecommunications team.
Through the various discussions, one of the broadband providers agreed to bring access to the property line, which was a great victory. Then, we hired another company to microwave the broadband signal to the main office on the island. It was not perfect, but a significant upgrade to our prior system.
Without the help of community leaders, the various interests would never have gathered to provide a solution. As in all things, most know there is a problem, but it sometimes takes community leadership to drive meetings to solve an issue.
Because of this team effort, Association Island KOA continues to increase its economic impact on Jefferson County. During our peak season, we have more than 850 people on the Island looking for fun, shopping, food and entertainment. Those guests support the local businesses. The community leaders understand this.
From my perspective, community leaders want to hear from all the local businesses. These forward-thinking men and women know any improvement for one business will spill over and benefit the whole community. I am very thankful to the community leaders in Henderson, Jefferson County, Northern New York, and for the support of the Thousand Islands International Tourism Council.
For anyone considering buying or creating an RV campground, please reach out to your community leaders. They can be a great resource, and in my experience, are generally happy to talk to you.
Even though I manage our park remotely, amazingly, I was able to develop relationships from my office in Florida. My once a month trip to the park always includes a meet and greet with someone.
For my fellow RV park and campground owners/managers, it is important to not forget that community leaders are willing to help those who will help the community. In times of crisis, like we are in now, those relationships can only lead to positive things when times get tough.
