Kampgrounds of America
Encyclopedia
Kampgrounds of America (KOA) is a franchise
chain of nearly 470 campgrounds throughout North America
based in Billings, Montana
, USA
. The current CEO of Kampgrounds of America Inc. is James D. Rogers. The President is Pat Hittmeier.
businessman Dave Drum got the idea to start the campgrounds while walking his property along the Yellowstone River
and seeing travellers heading to the Seattle World's Fair. Drum started a lodging business and constructed a campground on his land that offered hot showers, restrooms, a small store and a patch of grass.
The campground was quickly successful. Drum visited the campground nearly every night, talking to campers about their desires. From their conversations, Drum got the idea to expand his concept nationwide.
By the summer of 1963, Drum had two partners and the goal of creating a system of campgrounds throughout North America. The yellow logo was created and Drum and his partners started selling franchises
.
By the end of the 1969 camping season, KOA had 262 campgrounds in operation across the U.S. By 1972—10 years after KOA's creation—KOA had 600 franchise campgrounds.
The Arab oil embargoes of 1973 and 1978 caused the collapse of many travel-oriented businesses. KOA, however, survived the troubles, which they credit to the strength of its system. By 1982, the KOA franchises had increased to nearly 900 campgrounds across North America.
Today, KOA annually inspects each campground with a 600-point inspection, which it claims is the most stringent in the business. In 2010 KOA campgrounds number over 470, according to their corporate website.
In Bob Wood's
1988 best selling Dodger Dogs to Fenway Franks
he wrote of often staying at KOAs during his travels to every Major League Baseball stadium in one summer.
Franchising
Franchising is the practice of using another firm's successful business model. The word 'franchise' is of anglo-French derivation - from franc- meaning free, and is used both as a noun and as a verb....
chain of nearly 470 campgrounds throughout North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
based in Billings, Montana
Billings, Montana
Billings is the largest city in the U.S. state of Montana, and is the principal city of the Billings Metropolitan Area, the largest metropolitan area in over...
, USA
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The current CEO of Kampgrounds of America Inc. is James D. Rogers. The President is Pat Hittmeier.
History
KOA was founded in 1962. Billings, MontanaBillings, Montana
Billings is the largest city in the U.S. state of Montana, and is the principal city of the Billings Metropolitan Area, the largest metropolitan area in over...
businessman Dave Drum got the idea to start the campgrounds while walking his property along the Yellowstone River
Yellowstone River
The Yellowstone River is a tributary of the Missouri River, approximately long, in the western United States. Considered the principal tributary of the upper Missouri, the river and its tributaries drain a wide area stretching from the Rocky Mountains in the vicinity of the Yellowstone National...
and seeing travellers heading to the Seattle World's Fair. Drum started a lodging business and constructed a campground on his land that offered hot showers, restrooms, a small store and a patch of grass.
The campground was quickly successful. Drum visited the campground nearly every night, talking to campers about their desires. From their conversations, Drum got the idea to expand his concept nationwide.
By the summer of 1963, Drum had two partners and the goal of creating a system of campgrounds throughout North America. The yellow logo was created and Drum and his partners started selling franchises
Franchising
Franchising is the practice of using another firm's successful business model. The word 'franchise' is of anglo-French derivation - from franc- meaning free, and is used both as a noun and as a verb....
.
By the end of the 1969 camping season, KOA had 262 campgrounds in operation across the U.S. By 1972—10 years after KOA's creation—KOA had 600 franchise campgrounds.
The Arab oil embargoes of 1973 and 1978 caused the collapse of many travel-oriented businesses. KOA, however, survived the troubles, which they credit to the strength of its system. By 1982, the KOA franchises had increased to nearly 900 campgrounds across North America.
Today, KOA annually inspects each campground with a 600-point inspection, which it claims is the most stringent in the business. In 2010 KOA campgrounds number over 470, according to their corporate website.
Media references
In the 1978 movie Every Which Way But Loose, Philo, Orville, Echo, and Clyde stay at a KOA Kampground in one scene.In Bob Wood's
Bob Wood (author)
Robert Edward "Bob" Wood is an American author, teacher, activist, and potential candidate for Congress. As a 28 year-old high school history teacher from Kalamazoo, Michigan, , he wrote the 1988 best selling book Dodger Dogs to Fenway Franks...
1988 best selling Dodger Dogs to Fenway Franks
Dodger Dogs to Fenway Franks
Dodger Dogs to Fenway Franks: And All the Wieners In Between is a 1988 bestselling book by author Bob Wood. In 1985, the then-28-year-old Wood was a high-school history teacher in Seattle, Washington when he took a trip to all 26 Major League Baseball stadiums in one summer. Wood decided to assign...
he wrote of often staying at KOAs during his travels to every Major League Baseball stadium in one summer.