Stephanie Schmidt had her first campground job at the age of five, getting paid in rolls of quarters and candy at the park her parents owned, ARVC member-park Elizabethtown/Hershey KOA in Elizabethtown, Penn. She has stayed busy in the hospitality industry since, working at major hotel brands before coming back to her roots. She is one of the most passionate and involved members in our industry, always jumping at the chance to volunteer.

Learn more about Stephanie and her role as co-chair of the ARVC Young Professionals Group, her involvement with the Pennsylvania Campground Owners Association (PCOA), ARVC's Education Committee and more (we told you she was busy!).

Susan Brenton, a trade association management professional who has represented Manufactured Housing Communities of Arizona since 2003, has been selected by the Arizona ARVC board of directors to become the association’s next executive director. Brenton will replace Jo Anne Mickelson and David Schenck, who have jointly held the position since 2018 (Mickelson has managed the association for the past decade).

Brenton will officially take over management of Arizona ARVC on Jan. 1, 2022, following Mickelson and Schenck’s retirement at the end of the year. Learn more about the transition and Arizona ARVC’s annual convention below.

This week's featured topic on the "Campfire Voices" Facebook group was a great discussion of what items an owner/operator needs to make sure are in stock at the camp store. There were a number of great recommendations for items and vendors. Other popular discussion topics were minimum nights for cabin rentals, fire pits/rings, third party management and more.

To join the group, click the button below to answer three basic questions about your connection to the industry and agree to the rules of the group. We look forward to you having your voice around the campfire!

The US Consumer Product Safety Commission has announced recalls for three different products for dangers related to fires and/or electrical shock.

The recalled products are: Kidde TruSense Smoke Alarms and Combination Smoke/Carbon Monoxide Alarms, WAYNE WaterBUG GLOW Multi-Use Submersible Water Removal Pumps and StaRite and Mastertemp pool heaters.

View more information about these and other current recalls at arvc.org/recalls.

If you are one of the many parks looking to build new spaces, glamping accommodations or expand your services in 2021, Business Finance Depot is offering guidance on two financing opportunities that will allow your park to prepare for and afford expansion.

Learn more about how your park can access USDA and SBA 7(a) loans to refinance all business debt by taking advantage of historically low interest rates or learn about equipment financing to install cabins, internet, amenities and more in this blog.