Business View Magazine - July 2023

110 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE VOLUME 10, ISSUE 7 KAMPGROUNDS OF AMERICA We recently spoke with Darin Uselman, the KOA’s chief operations officer, and Larry Brownfield, assistant vice president of franchise development. They told us more about why you should choose the KOA for camping trips this summer. “In 1962, along the banks of the Yellowstone River, our founder, Dave Drum, had a campground idea that became Kampgrounds of America,” said Uselman. “Two years later, the KOA’s first franchise opened just 100 miles away in Cody, Wy., which still operates as a KOA campground today.” Growth was quick after the company signed its first franchise to continue the expansion. Drum recruited Billings’s chamber of commerce director, Darrell Booth, to serve as KOA’s first president. Booth, who knew operations inside and out, propelled franchise expansion forward at breakneck speed over the next decade. Today, the KOA system covers more than 500 campgrounds across America and Canada. “The KOA campgrounds you’ll visit across North America are largely run by our franchise partners,” Uselman said. “Our brand has really become synonymous with camping. You know, the logo is iconic. It’s really a beacon along the road, within the great outdoors. In 2012, we introduced the KOA Family of Brands to help our customers understand the services and amenities of the individual locations. Today, we have KOA Holiday, KOA Journey and KOA Resort campgrounds. This diversification really resonates with campers and helps our owners maximize their campgrounds’ potential. “By asking our franchisees to take on this initiative of adopting one of these brand positions––KOA Journey, KOA Holiday or KOA Resort, we saw a massive shift in the modernization of the KOA system,” he added. “And our net promoter score, because of that, went higher, which is really exciting. Prospective owners should feel assured that designation brings understanding to the camper, as well as revenue to the owner.” Uselman also spoke of the importance of branding. “We believe a brand has meaning,” he said. “It helps ensure each guest’s satisfaction. Whenever Larry and I are in an airport, and we happen to have a piece of KOA logo apparel on, inevitably someone will stop us and say, Larry Brownfiend Darin Uselman