Brokers Who Actually Own Parks

Brokers Who Actually Own Parks

A conversation with Dylan from Campfire Capital Group out of Greenville, South Carolina. Dylan runs two sides of the same business: brokering campground deals and buying parks himself. His take is that being an owner makes him a better broker, and being a broker makes him a better owner. We get into where he sees real opportunity right now (the Carolinas and Southeast, not just Texas and Florida), why the portfolio play of buying 10 to 15 parks and selling at a 7 cap is more of a theory than a reality in this market, and what sellers consistently get wrong about how parks are valued. He also shares a story about an appraiser who basically copy-pasted his own report back to him, which says a lot about how that process works. Good conversation for anyone thinking about buying, selling, or building a portfolio in the outdoor hospitality space.

Wagons, Wins, and Why Showers Belong Indoors

A conversation with Jason Olson, founder of Conestoga Wagon Company, at the OHCI conference. Jason started building glamping wagons in 2015 for his own park in Wyoming and has since sold over 700 across the country. We get into why his wagons use a double-canopy air insulation system instead of fabric (mold and smell, mainly), how the design holds up in 100 mph winds, and the high-end shower pods that snap into any wagon setup. We also talk about his modular shower house units, classified as equipment rather than property improvements, which give park owners a way to expand bathroom capacity without a full construction permit headache. Good listen if you're thinking about glamping additions or just want to hear how a small idea turned into a real business.

65 Years of Outdoor Furniture Done Right"

A quick conversation with Justin Jorgensen from Pilot Rock at the OHCI conference. Justin's family has been building site amenities; fire rings, grills, picnic tables, lantern poles, for 65 years out of northwest Iowa, and they haven't cut corners yet. We talked about why powder-coated grills fail in a few seasons while heat-resistant enamel lasts 40 to 50 years, why cheap lumber picnic tables become a liability faster than most owners expect, and why the small touches on a site, a fire pit, a grill, somewhere to hang out on a Sunday, are the details that bring guests back. Simple stuff, but easy to skip when you're focused on the big build.

From OTAs to Direct Bookings: How Camp Quitcherbitchin Built a Destination

Justin McWilliams stops by to talk about what it looks like to build a campground from scratch and actually make it work. In just a couple of months since their grand opening, Camp Quitcherbitchin went from 80% OTA bookings to 80% direct, built a following of 17,000 people, landed sponsorships from Pepsi and Twisted X, and is already seeing guests come back 10 times. We get into influencer strategy, corporate retreat affiliate programs, and why creating a real destination changes everything about your occupancy numbers.

The Rapid Park Rehab Masters with Sammy Chamino and Kyle Weaver

Sammy Chamino and Kyle Weaver join the podcast live from the OHC conference to break down the mechanics of rapid park revitalization, high-end infrastructure upgrades, and large-scale disaster recovery. Drawing from years of field experience, Sammy shares how his team has mastered the science of mobile home rehabilitation, turning distressed "shit show" units into rent-ready assets in as little as 14 days. The conversation dives deep into modern property upgrades, including the power demands of adding Tesla charging stations, while contrasting the "wild west" permitting environment of Texas with the strict bureaucratic hurdles found in Florida. Additionally, they discuss the intense logistics of hurricane disaster relief, the vital importance of high-speed Wi-Fi for remote workers, and how keeping an efficient, self-performing crew moving is the ultimate key to maximizing a park's value.