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MC Fireside Chats, an Outdoor Hospitality PodcastOutdoor Hospitality News/Commentary for Campground, RV park, and Glamping business owners Author: Modern Campground LLC
Join Brian Searl as we discuss important topics and recent news from the outdoor hospitality industry. Our weekly episodes will feature guests ranging from campground owners to companies that provide products/services, and much more. Language: en Genres: Business, Places & Travel, Society & Culture Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it |
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MC Fireside Chats - November 19th, 2025
Wednesday, 19 November, 2025
The special episode of the MC Fireside Chats podcast, hosted by Brian Searl, Founder & CEO of Insider Perks and Modern Campground, took place live from the KOA Convention in Raleigh, North Carolina, on November 19th, 2025. The discussion featured six guests who shared their insights and experiences within the KOA ecosystem and the broader outdoor hospitality industry: Matt Stovold from KOA's Franchise Development in Canada, Gwyn Wathen, Director of Marketing for Recreational Ventures Company, Ryan McPeek and Camille McPeek, owners of the Coshocton, Ohio, KOA, Samantha Chipperfield, General Manager of the Townsend / Great Smokies KOA, and Mike Harrison, Chief Operating Officer of CRR Hospitality . Brian Searl kicked off the discussion by asking each guest about the most impactful thing they had seen or learned at the conference.Mike Harrison, a veteran of the podcast but a newcomer to the KOA franchise system with CRR Hospitality, shared his initial positive impressions after joining KOA just six weeks prior. Coming from the traditional hospitality franchise world (Marriott, Hyatt, Hilton), he was very excited to see the expected level of franchise support in marketing, operations, and revenue management. Mike viewed the partnership with KOA as a way to "fuel and inject" a particular property and was optimistic about leveraging the brand for "inordinate growth," concluding that the convention "doesn't disappoint".Samantha Chipperfield, a long-time member of the KOA family who has attended 19 conventions, expressed appreciation for the sense of community and support provided by the KOA leadership team, noting that they consistently have "your back". Brian Searl posed a unique follow-up question to Samantha, asking about the difference between attending the convention as an owner, which she once was, versus her current role as a manager after selling the property to KOA. Samantha responded that there is "way more support" now, contrasting it with the earlier days when decisions and money were solely managed by her family.Camille McPeek and Ryan McPeek, owners of the Coshocton, Ohio, KOA, highlighted key technological and communal benefits of the conference. Camille was particularly excited and appreciative of the home office's ongoing work to revamp koa.com and develop a better Content Management System (CMS), which she believes will be a "game changer for all franchisees". She also found the session honoring long-time owners, including one family from New Mexico operating their park for 40 years, to be "very inspiring" and felt proud to be part of the "KOA family".Ryan, in turn, highly valued the networking opportunity, particularly connecting with multi-park owners. As an operator of a smaller park, he appreciated seeing how large-scale operations tackle common challenges like building and growing a strong team. He explained that this insight reinforced his current priority of developing their loyal team members, getting them to take on leadership challenges, and establishing systems to enable future business growth.Gwyn Wathen echoed the importance of networking, calling it "probably the biggest advantage of KOA convention". He admitted that while the educational sessions are valuable, networking is more important for his multi-property company. Gwyn shared a crucial business insight, stating that networking at the convention is how his company has achieved some of their acquisitions, as it's often the place to start the initial conversations with owners thinking about selling.Matt Stovold focused on the Canadian market and the general sense of community. He noted that while he has experienced the convention as both a franchisee and a home office employee, the spirit remains the same: it's a "family" where people openly share ideas, talk about business, and build personal connections. Regarding the Canadian market, Matt noted that there has been "really good growth" over the...
