KOA Celebrates 60 Years in ’22; Best Financial Year Ever
KOA’s President and CEO Toby O’Rourke is photographed at KOA’s headquarters in downtown Billings, Mont. Credit: Amy Nelson/Billings Gazette
In 1962, David Drum was walking on his property along the Yellowstone River when he noticed a stream of campers, RVs and motorhomes on the nearby highway heading to the World’s Fair in Seattle, according to the Billings Gazette.
Maybe those travelers would stop and spend the night if they had a nice place to camp, he thought.
And, just like that the revolutionary idea for Kampgrounds of America was born, a chain of franchise campgrounds that would tie the nation together.
KOA celebrates its 60th anniversary this year, an accomplishment most companies never achieve. KOA has survived because it has a smart business model that embraces what human beings have done since the dawn of time — make new friends around a campfire. You can’t do that locked up alone in your hotel room.
Like most companies, KOA struggled during the COVID pandemic. Lockdowns kept travelers at home, and job furloughs and pay cuts shrank their fun money. To keep their mostly empty campgrounds viable, KOA distributed more than $5 million to its franchise owners.
Source: https://rvbusiness.com/koa-celebrates-60-years-in-22-best-financial-year-ever/
