This week on MC Fireside Chats, brought to you by Modern Campground, our expert panel tackles the core challenges of modern outdoor hospitality. We are cutting through the noise to bring campground operators actionable strategies for eliminating tech bottlenecks, unlocking new revenue streams, and maximizing profitability.
Hosted by Brian Searl, founder and CEO of Insider Perks and Modern Campground, the upcoming broadcast will feature our esteemed recurring panel of industry experts, including Cara Csizmadia, President of CCRVA; Matt Whitermore, Director of Market Expansion at Climb Capital; and Mychele Bisson, CEO of Bison Peak Ventures.
We are also thrilled to announce and welcome a brand-new member to our recurring panel, Ravi Parikh, Founder of RoverPass.
This episode features two special guests bringing fresh insights to the table. Caleb Cook, Marketing and Creative Team Lead at CampLife, will break down how to use smart tech integrations to crush bottlenecks and run your campground more efficiently. Alongside him, Nick Purslow, Co-Founder of Posh Outdoors, will share real-world strategies to help you tap into fresh revenue streams and boost your bottom line.
August 19th, 2026 Episode Recap
The recent episode of MC Fireside Chats, hosted by Brian Searl from the scenic backdrop of Lake Shuswap in British Columbia, brought together industry experts to discuss the complex financial and operational realities facing the outdoor hospitality sector. Searl welcomed recurring guest Jeff Hoffman of Camp Strategy, new recurring guest John McMahon of Camp Door County, and special guest Landan Dory of North Star Brokerage and Advisory. The overarching conversation centered on how macroeconomic shifts are profoundly impacting campground valuations, financing methodologies, and daily operational strategies as the industry navigates a post-pandemic landscape.
Jeff Hoffman opened the core discussion by explaining campground valuations from the perspective of a buyer and investor. He stressed that buyers evaluate properties based on strict financial metrics, primarily Net Operating Income and capitalization rates, rather than aesthetic improvements that do not directly generate revenue. Hoffman issued a stark warning to owners who underreport their income to save on yearly taxes, explaining that failing to properly document revenue effectively erases substantial exit value because buyers and conventional banks cannot underwrite unverified cash flow.
Landan Dory complemented this by sharing his perspective as a broker advising prospective sellers, noting that a property’s true market value is ultimately dictated by what a bank is willing to finance. He explained that lenders rely on strict debt service coverage ratios and loan-to-value requirements, meaning that an owner’s emotional attachment or heavy capital expenditures on basic infrastructure do not necessarily translate to a higher asking price. If the operational cash flow cannot comfortably cover the required debt service, the transaction simply will not pass the bank’s rigorous underwriting process.
A major concern highlighted by Dory is the looming refinancing crisis facing operators who purchased properties during the peak of the COVID-19 camping boom between 2020 and 2022. During this period of highly accessible, low-interest capital, many buyers paid premium prices based on aggressive revenue projections that assumed travel trends would never slow down. Now, as those initial loans approach maturity, owners are being forced to refinance at significantly higher interest rates while simultaneously grappling with squeezed profit margins, creating a highly precarious financial situation for over-leveraged investors.
This financial strain is being exacerbated by massive regional overdevelopment and the sudden unraveling of risky financial structures. Dory pointed to Texas as a prime example, noting a massive surge in operational RV parks that has intensely saturated the market and driven up competition. Furthermore, Hoffman and Searl agreed with Dory that many properties acquired using predatory creative financing or heavy seller-financing structures are now beginning to collapse under economic pressure, with some distressed investors opting to walk away and return the properties to the banks when the path to profitability completely disappears.
To survive and thrive in this tightening market, the panel agreed that operators must shift their focus entirely to running exceptionally tight daily operations rather than just waiting for a profitable exit. Dory advised owners to stop relying on broader market momentum and instead get deeply intentional about their infrastructure choices, marketing budgets, and team management. By optimizing the business for present-day profitability and carefully managing expenses, owners naturally position themselves for a much stronger valuation whenever they eventually decide to sell.
John McMahon provided a real-world masterclass in this type of intentional operation, detailing the unique strategy behind his highly successful resort in Wisconsin. Having learned from the historical overexpansion of the craft brewery industry, McMahon deliberately avoided building a massive, generic parking lot for RVs just to chase maximum occupancy. Instead, he mapped out a sustainable, niche resort designed to attract a very specific demographic, ranging from luxury tent campers to remote-working Sprinter van owners, ensuring his business model was fundamentally rooted in high margins rather than just high volume.
A critical component of McMahon’s success is his unwavering commitment to his Ideal Customer Profile, a concept Dory strongly endorsed for all park owners. McMahon shared an anecdote about happily turning away a potential guest who complained that the park’s seasonal rates were too expensive, recognizing that altering his pricing or lowering his standards to accommodate everyone would ultimately ruin the experience for his true target audience. By hiring management strictly to maintain three pillars of excellence—customer service, cleanliness, and premium landscaping—McMahon ensures his property consistently delivers the luxury experience his specific demographic demands.
This highly targeted operational approach is becoming increasingly necessary due to the current K-shaped economic environment discussed in-depth by Searl, Hoffman, and Dory. Searl noted that inflation and rising daily costs are severely impacting middle-to-lower-income families, causing a noticeable drop in standard transient camping demand as these travelers are forced to pull back on discretionary spending. However, the upper end of the economic spectrum continues to spend robustly on premium experiences, meaning that highly curated parks like McMahon’s remain insulated and highly profitable, while generic, under-amenitized parks find themselves struggling to fill sites.
As the broadcast concluded, the experts offered a unified piece of advice to all campground operators navigating these turbulent economic times: do not isolate yourself. Dory urged owners to actively seek out networking opportunities and build relationships with peers to share solutions to common operational struggles. Hoffman echoed this sentiment, highly recommending involvement in state associations and peer advisory groups, reminding viewers that proactive community engagement and seeking professional advice early on is the best defense against impending financial or operational distress.
About MC Fireside Chats
MC Fireside Chats is a live podcast experience dedicated to the outdoor hospitality and outdoor recreation industries. Hosted by Brian Searl, founder and CEO of Insider Perks and Modern Campground, the show offers engaging discussions with industry leaders, innovators, and experts shaping the future of camping, RVing, glamping, and outdoor recreation.
Airing every Wednesday at 2 p.m. (ET), the show follows a structured weekly theme to deliver deep dives into the most relevant topics:
- Week 1: Industry Trends & Insights
- Week 2: Enhancing Guest Experience
- Week 3: Business Operations & Management
- Week 4: Marketing, AI and Technology
Each episode features a panel of recurring guests, complemented by 1–2 rotating special guests, including industry analysts, campground owners, technology providers, sustainability advocates, and more. Whether exploring the latest market trends or innovative guest experience strategies, MC Fireside Chats delivers thought-provoking insights for professionals and enthusiasts across the outdoor recreation spectrum.
To explore previous episodes of MC Fireside Chats, visit: moderncampground.com/mc-fireside-chats.