The June 3, 2026, episode of MC Fireside Chats brought together a diverse panel of industry experts to unpack the current state of the outdoor hospitality market. Host Brian Searl was joined by recurring guests Scott Bahr of Cairn Consulting Group and Simon Neal of CampMap, alongside special guests Paul Bosley of Business Finance Depot and Ed O. Bridgman of EOB Consulting. The conversation quickly dove into the macroeconomic realities facing the sector, highlighting a distinct divergence between the traditional RV market and the rapidly expanding glamping industry. As the first week of the month, the discussion stayed true to its theme of exploring market trends, data, and actionable insights for campground and resort owners.

Scott Bahr opened the core discussion by sharing his main takeaways from the recent RVs Move America week. He noted a palpably serious tone among industry leaders, driven by a significant slowdown in RV shipments and retail sales, which are currently down nearly 18% and 10% year-over-year, respectively. Instead of merely identifying problems, Bahr observed that manufacturers and industry advocates are now actively seeking concrete solutions to stimulate the market. A major concern discussed was the declining participation rate among Generation Z, a demographic that is crucial for the future health of both RV manufacturing and campground occupancy.

Despite the headwinds in the traditional RV space, Paul Bosley highlighted the explosive and resilient growth within the glamping sector. He noted that his finance company is seeing more activity from glamping developers than traditional RV parks, a trend validated by massive institutional moves, such as Marriott launching its own glamping division. Bosley explained that the financial barrier to entry for glamping can be much lower, with projects ranging from a few hundred thousand dollars to develop a couple of acres with tiny homes, making it an attractive secondary income stream for landowners. This influx of creative, alternative accommodations is capturing the attention of the broader hotel and franchise industries.

Ed O. Bridgman provided a contrasting perspective on the sheer scale of modern RV destination development. While small glamping sites are proliferating, Bridgman revealed he is currently consulting on massive projects, including a $150 million RV destination that also integrates a traditional hotel on its 153-acre footprint. He emphasized that despite economic concerns, premium, well-designed outdoor hospitality properties are maintaining strong occupancy rates and are largely shielded from the downturn affecting mid-market, transient RV parks. This points to a "K-shaped" economic reality within the industry, where luxury and highly amenitized resorts continue to thrive while standard mom-and-pop campgrounds face tighter margins.

A surprising driver of new RV park development, according to Bridgman, is the nationwide boom in data center construction, particularly in the Northeast. These massive infrastructure projects require thousands of temporary construction and tech workers who often live full-time in RVs for months at a time. This has created an urgent, localized demand for functional, long-term RV communities rather than transient vacation parks. Bridgman noted that local governments, eager to secure the tax revenue from data centers, are heavily expediting the permitting and development processes for these essential worker RV communities.

Providing an international perspective, Simon Neal shared updates from the European camping market, which is experiencing its own set of macroeconomic uncertainties. Early season bookings in Europe have seen a slight dip, mirroring global economic caution, though Neal anticipates a last-minute surge as summer weather improves. A prominent trend emerging across European sites is the search for "comfort" and a strong return to family-oriented travel. European travelers are increasingly seeking out high-end, resort-style amenities such as private pools and premium cabins, even within otherwise standard campgrounds.

The conversation then shifted to a fascinating comparison of site development costs between Europe and the United States. Neal shared that a well-appointed, natural-style RV pitch in a five-star European resort can be developed for roughly $15,000. In stark contrast, Bridgman and Searl noted that American RV sites routinely cost between $60,000 and $80,000 to develop. This massive discrepancy is largely due to the American reliance on heavy infrastructure, such as poured concrete pads and asphalt roads, whereas European sites often utilize leveled earth, crushed gravel, and natural landscaping to separate spaces.

This cost analysis sparked a debate on whether American developers are over-engineering their parks by blindly copying pandemic-era luxury blueprints. Bosley shared an anecdote about advising a Jellystone Park developer to switch from concrete to crushed gravel, significantly reducing costs without detracting from the guest experience. The panel theorized that by adopting a more European approach to individual site construction, American campground owners could save immense amounts of capital, which could then be redirected into building better communal amenities like pools and entertainment venues.

The panel agreed that diversifying site offerings is crucial for modern campgrounds looking to capture a broader audience. Offering a mix of high-end glamping units, premium concrete pull-throughs, and more natural, affordable gravel sites allows parks to cater to various income levels and travel styles. This diversification not only protects the business from economic shifts but also aligns with the desires of younger generations and solo travelers who prioritize experiences and natural surroundings over massive, sterile concrete infrastructure.

Finally, the discussion turned toward the impending impact of electric vehicles (EVs) on the outdoor hospitality space. Bridgman issued a strong warning to campground owners regarding the arrival of fully electric, 80,000-pound Class A motorcoaches that will draw unprecedented amounts of power. He stressed that many legacy "mom-and-pop" parks currently operate on outdated, daisy-chained electrical grids that will physically not be able to support the 100-amp draws of these future vehicles. The panel concluded that while this technological shift may be intimidating and costly, embracing EV infrastructure will be an unavoidable necessity to attract the next generation of campers.

Welcome everybody to another episode of MC Fireside Chats.

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I am Brian Searl with Insider

Perks and Modern Campground.

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Outside today because my computer crashed.

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There's a woodpecker on the side of my

house, there's a street sweeper, all

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things are going on at the same time.

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But we're gonna have a good show

anyway because we got good guests.

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Excited to welcome back some of our

recurring people, Scott Bahr from

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Cairn Consulting Group, we have Simon

from Campmap, and we have two special

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guests here, Paul Bosley and Ed.

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I will let both of you guys

introduce yourselves shortly.

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But excited to, we're missing a couple

RV people, they're in DC lobbying

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for the industry, talking about

some legislation, stuff like that.

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I think Scott Bahr was there

for a day or two before he…

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obviously too important to

stay for the whole thing.

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Got other things on his agenda already,

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Scott Bahr: they don't want me to be the

public face of the, of any organization

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that's what it's really all about.

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They just sent me home, it's hey, get

out of here now, your usefulness is done,

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Brian Searl: at least you were also the

public face in like the room though.

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They didn't even invite me to that,

cause look at this face, would you want

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that to be the public face of anything?

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Or the private of anything, honestly?

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But welcome everybody, we're

gonna have a good show.

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It's the first week of the month, we're

gonna talk about data all kinds of

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stuff that's going on in the industry.

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Also explore a little bit about, Paul's

business and Ed's business and what

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they're seeing in the consulting world

and finance world and stuff like that.

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Ed, he just walked out on us.

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Did you see that?

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We must have offended him, Scott.

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He just left.

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Ed O. Bridgman:

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I had a camp worker doing

blowing right outside the door.

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Brian Searl: It's a pattern now, the

street sweeper made it down there.

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That's pretty quick.

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Alright, let's go around the

room and introduce ourselves.

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Let's start with our recurring guests.

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Scott, you want to start?

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Scott Bahr: Scott Bahr, Cairn Consulting

Group market research and data analysis.

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Brian Searl: You make it

sound so fascinating, Scott.

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You gotta keep a little

mystery in the board there.

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Alright, Simon.

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Simon Neal: Hey, I'm Simon,

the founder of Campmap.

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We help campgrounds and RV parks improve

marketing and guest experience with

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premium digital and printable maps.

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Brian Searl: Sounds like

you read that, Simon.

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That's his elevator

pitch, he's got it down.

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It sounds good, like I'm

not knocking it, but okay.

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Paul.

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Paul Bosley: Paul Bosley, founder

of Business Finance Depot.

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I've been in the finance business

for about 20 years and in the

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RV park industry for about 10.

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Started getting involved with the

glamping show about five or six years ago.

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So we've been working very diligently

to do, we tend to finance glamping

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projects all over the country.

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Brian Searl: As I understand it,

Paul, and this, and you tell me if I'm

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wrong, as I understand it, there would

be no glamping industry without you.

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Paul Bosley: I don't know about that.

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I think it started long before me.

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My understanding it started in

England actually, and it came here

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during COVID, is that correct?

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Brian Searl: I always say it

only came here because of you.

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There was glamping in the African

tents along the river, like I

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don't know, 300 years ago, right?

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Paul Bosley: I don't think that's the

case at all, but it's a nice thought.

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Brian Searl: if we say it enough

times though, people will believe it.

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And Scott, I don't know if you're

aware of this over the last few

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weeks on MC Fireside Chats, I've been

reminding people that KOA got started

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because of the Cuban Missile Crisis.

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Scott Bahr: Oh, that's right.

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That's right.

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Brian Searl: I don't know if

you were aware of that, but…

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Paul Bosley: I didn't know that.

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Scott Bahr: Yeah.

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Brian Searl: It actually didn't, it got

started during the World's Fair, but

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if we say it enough times on the show,

then I think people will believe it.

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Paul Bosley: you had

me believing you there.

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Scott Bahr: They started

because of the World's Fair.

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Brian Searl: Maybe.

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Maybe.

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Scott Bahr: Rumor has it,

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Brian Searl: but rumour has it… Ed.

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Ed O. Bridgman:

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Hi everybody, my name is Ed Bridgman.

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My middle initial is O, I go by Ed O.

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Bridgman.

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I started a TV show here a while

back and they introduced me as Ed O.

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Bridgman, and I said, no, I'm not

Irish, it's my middle initial.

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I'm the owner of the largest outdoor

hospitality consulting company.

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If I say it often enough, people

will start believing I'm the owner

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of the largest outdoor hospitality…

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Scott Bahr: Alright, do it.

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Ed O. Bridgman:

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I also own Homestead RV Community,

the world's most technologically

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advanced RV destination in the world.

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And I do a lot of effort to make

certain that Homestead RV Community

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is the most technologically advanced.

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Last couple weeks ago, we just

updated our fiber optic through

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every site to one gigabyte speeds.

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I'm testing cameras right now on two

different systems right now side by side.

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I do a lot of beta testing at Homestead

RV Community for the outdoor hospitality

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industry so that I can not only advise

my clients how to spend their money, but

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I can show them how I spent my money.

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Brian Searl: Ed, you gotta catch

up a little bit on the technology.

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The one gigabit thing I don't know,

you are in America, that's fair.

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Canada up here, I have three

gigs running to my house.

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Ed O. Bridgman:

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I have a dedicated fiber optic

line running to every site for

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but we don't have any demand for

anything higher than one gigabyte.

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Brian Searl: Because I

haven't stayed with you yet.

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I need 15 gigabytes.

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I'll come down there

and change the picture.

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Alright, so what do we got?

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So normally we start off with this show,

we ask our recurring guests, Scott and

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Simon, just is there anything that has

come across your desk in the last month

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since we've been together on the show.

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I think maybe I missed the last month,

so maybe two months, but just that has

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changed or you think we should be talking

about from the industry perspective.

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Scott Bahr: Yeah, for me, the the

biggest thing that's come across really

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is the going to the RVs Move America

week this week and just interacting

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and having a lot of real detailed

conversations with people from the

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industry to see and see where that's at.

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And see what everybody's state of mind

is at this point, as we enter into the

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summer season and where we're heading.

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It's I like the event because

people talk about the industry.

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They're not, actually not allowed

to talk about their individual

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companies because of antitrust.

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You have a lot of competitors

in the same rooms.

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And it's all, very much at a higher level.

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It's a little bit more serious and

usually some real solid conversations.

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I have a lot of takeaways from it,

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Brian Searl: what was the

biggest secret that someone

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told you that you can't repeat?

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Scott Bahr: that that Ed has the

best consulting company in the world.

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Brian Searl: That's not a secret.

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Not anymore.

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Alright, what did you learn?

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What did you have in the

good conversations there?

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Scott Bahr: It was really it had a

much more serious tone this year.

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A lot of a lot more questioning

going on about, instead of, the

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industry tends to, and it isn't just

the RV industry it's our industry

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overall, tends to talk a lot about

the problems, problem identification.

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But not a lot of solutions

are flying around out there.

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And I…

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Brian Searl: What kind of problems

are you talking about, Scott?

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Scott Bahr: Oh, right now within

the RV industry it's slow.

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Sales are slow.

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And and they're projected…

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Brian Searl: Really slow.

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Let's clarify those numbers for

people who haven't heard them.

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What's the latest numbers, Scott?

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Scott Bahr: the last month the

shipments were down what, almost

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18 percent year over year.

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Year to date, I think they're

down almost 10 percent.

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Brian Searl: And retail's worse, right?

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Scott Bahr: And retail's worse.

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Yeah, the so the market itself,

the RV industry is slow right now.

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It's slow.

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And according to the economists

it's projected to stay fairly slow.

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With some obvious, differences out

there, certain types of RVs are

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selling better than others and so on.

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But overall as an industry, we're,

and it has to do with a lot of

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things that are going on right now.

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And there's a very open

acknowledgment of that.

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So yeah, that that's the big, really the

biggest takeaway that you know, and people

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started to talk about what do we do?

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For example, one of the problems I've,

just in my work with in doing the camping

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and outdoor hospitality report is the

decline in participation among Gen Z.

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Having attrition amongst a

group that should be increasing.

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And that's part of, that generalizes

to all sectors of the industry,

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including the RV industry.

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So it's now the next, part of the

conversations are, what do we do?

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And it felt like there was a lot of

openness to having those conversations

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that in the past were pretty general.

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Now people are interested

in a lot more specifics.

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Consultants, Ed,

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there's a lot of room for consultants

in the industry right now, I feel like.

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People that just, being results oriented.

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I know that sounds cliché,

but it's really true.

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And that's where things are at.

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A little bit more of an

open dialogue it felt like.

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Brian Searl: let's play this

out for briefly for a second.

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I don't want the whole show to

take over the RV industry and

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the negative aspect of it, right?

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But let's play this out for a second.

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Let's say that for whatever reason

there's, I don't know, economic

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headwinds, like maybe a war starts

somewhere or something like that.

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Let's just pretend, right?

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And the retail sales and shipments

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I don't know what happened to 2027.

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What does the RV industry do?

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Are there talks of plans or preparations

or anything like that about how we adjust

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or is it still in the early stages?

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Scott Bahr: It's still in the early stages

and each brand, each organization has

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their own approach to, to, to things.

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The overall organization

within RVIA, Go RVing is the

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marketing arm of the industry.

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And they're doing a lot more trying

to get, some promotions out there,

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talking more about the RV lifestyle

and getting people to see them.

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They're doing like some influencer

tours this year going around all

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throughout the US to some different

locations and have holding events

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and doing some on the ground stuff.

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So that, for the industry

overall, that's what's happening.

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I wasn't able to talk to a lot of

individual brands about specifics

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that they're working on, other

than trying to resolve some of the

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issues, some of the barriers to

entry right now in terms of RVing.

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Because it does impact camping,

fewer RVers means fewer

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guests at the campgrounds.

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And it's a big part of

the outdoor economy.

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Ed O. Bridgman:

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I personally, I don't pay that

much attention to how many RVs were

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shipped out of Elkhart, Indiana.

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I pay a lot more attention to how many

RVs were sold in the United States.

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That's more important to me because

they can over manufacture and then

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they can have a correction and

sales can continue to be strong.

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I understand that sales have dipped some.

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I know for me personally, I'm waiting

for interest rates to come back down

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before I make a big major purchase.

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I believe the war and the price of oil

is having a significant impact on that.

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And I doubt if I'm the only person who's

waiting to make decent sized purchases.

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But Paul could probably

speak to that better.

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Brian Searl: Paul got all the money.

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He's flush with cash over

there, what's happening, Paul?

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How come you're not lending

more money to everybody, man?

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What's going on?

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Paul Bosley: we're busy.

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We're at 189 million

in approvals right now.

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So we're, with about 160 people.

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And I'd say half of that's in

the RV or the glamping industry.

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So we're very busy.

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We're probably busier from

the glamping industry than we

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are from the RV park industry.

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So that might echo in some

of that what Scott's saying.

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Brian Searl: Yeah, that makes sense.

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We are seeing like a strength, I don't

know if you would call it a strength, what

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you got, but definitely not a weakness in

glamping like we are in the RV industry.

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Paul Bosley: I, one of the things,

there was two things that woke me

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up about the glamping industry.

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One is Marriott has announced

that they have started a glamping

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division of their company.

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So when you have the second biggest

hotel chain in the world announcing

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that they're going to get into the

glamping industry that, that doesn't

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wake you up, I don't know what will.

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They obviously did a lot of market

research and decided that glamping

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is definitely in the hotel space,

which is something that I've come

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to conclusions with over the last,

oh, I'd say a year or two years.

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At first I thought glamping was really

just part of the RV industry until I

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really started to understand it more

and it's really a separate industry.

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And then the second thing that was

a wake up call is we, our first 10

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years we were in the franchise space.

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We do a lot of franchise financing.

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And then all of a sudden I'm at the

glamping show last year and there's

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the first franchise exhibiting.

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So the franchise industry is

starting to come into glamping.

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So that's a, another wake up call

about this industry that's really a

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new industry, but it's definitely got

a lot of people's attention, including

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the franchise space and Marriott.

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So it's a, and a lot of our business comes

from glamping, from the manufacturers

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that are selling the glamping equipment.

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They know us and they send us people

that they're trying to get financing for.

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Scott Bahr: The glamping space tends

to one of the reasons you're seeing

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the hotels in the space too is because

glamping has a little bit stronger

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appeal to the typical hotel guest.

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And the hotels were recognizing the

threat that glamping posed to them.

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And that kind of came on the heels of the

pandemic originally, but they've also seen

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that once a lot of those leisure travelers

that normally weren't campers or RVers

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were being attracted to these facilities,

they decided to jump in into the game.

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Yeah, I think you're going to see even

more of it in the next couple of years.

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Brian Searl: What are you seeing in

the changing, sorry, continue Paul,

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please, if you had an answer to that.

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Paul Bosley: No, I just agree.

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I, my, my analysis is the glamping

industry is very creative.

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The RV park industry, I'm an Airstreamer,

so they, I've certainly been in a

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lot of RV parks all over the country

and they're either pull through

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sites, back in sites, or campsites.

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And then all of a sudden glamping comes

along and you start seeing a lot of

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companies like Ed's company put in,

IT equipment and they start to put

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in tiny homes and stuff like that.

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But realistically, glamping is

people own land all over the country

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and they're trying to figure out

a way to get a second income.

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I think, I just think the glamping

industry has just got a lot more upside.

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The average deal is smaller.

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The glamping industry deals are anywhere

from, let's just say, 400,000 to maybe

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a million five or something like that.

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I got one today that we're working on

a USDA that's 13 million, but that's

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right near Cooperstown, and they're

going to build a nice resort near the

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Baseball Hall of Fame type of thing.

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But most of them are smaller deals, and

the RV park industry has bigger deals.

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They're larger deals anywhere from, let's

just say, 3 million up to 25 million.

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So the average glamping

deal is a smaller deal.

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Ed O. Bridgman:

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I'm working on an RV destination

right now that's 150 million.

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Paul Bosley: Holy moly.

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150 million.

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Ed O. Bridgman:

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Yeah, so we have to make certain

that we don't throw a blanket

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over the entire industry.

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There are pockets in this

industry that are booming.

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All right, I am, I'm

busier than I've ever been.

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I'm working on nine different projects at

the same time all over the United States.

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And some of the biggest ones are

150 million down to three or four

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million, something like that.

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But what I think what's interesting, and

Scott can talk to this some more, and I'm

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sure Simon can talk to this some more, but

it used to be that the Southeast was the

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hot spot a few years ago for development.

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And now I'm building as fast

as possible in the Northeast.

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And what that's being driven

by is these data centers.

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Whatever your political, I'm not, I

don't want to talk political but our

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current president wants to lead the

world in AI technology and data centers.

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And data centers are popping up

wherever there's water and electricity.

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And they're being developed by people

who live in RVs full time for three to

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six months while they're at that job

before they transfer to the next job.

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And we cannot build, we cannot

develop enough RV sites fast enough

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to accommodate these workers.

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Brian Searl: Yeah, I don't think there's

a negative, Scott, and I've studied this

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and talked about this many times before.

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I don't think there's a downside

to where long term is headed.

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Generally speaking, whether it's data

centers or just a lot of parts of

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the Northeast and Southeast too, and

probably other areas of the country are

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swapping to long term in some cases.

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So I think long term is a stronger part

of the market other than maybe Texas

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that got overbuilt for some reason.

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I think it's a transient

that we're worried about.

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Is that fair, Ed?

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Simon?

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Ed O. Bridgman:

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I think, I was in Texas last week.

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I landed in Amarillo.

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I had a client, I had

two clients in Amarillo.

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I had one in New Mexico, and then I

went to Shamrock, Texas, about 90 miles

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east, and then I stayed on I-40 and went

and saw a client in Shawnee, Oklahoma.

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All in one week.

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These places are coming up and

these happen to be right along I-40.

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They have an equestrian theme.

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Matter of fact, the one, one

of them in Amarillo is going to

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build rodeo grounds inside the RV

destination with a big covered rodeo

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barn and a cafe and a dance floor.

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And it's going to be open, partially

open to the public and partially open to

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RVers who are traveling with their horses

and they're going to have a place to

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put their horse right next to their RV.

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And it also has a glamping, probably

60, 70 percent of every RV destination

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that I design has probably higher

than that, a glamping component.

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They also, higher, definitely

higher than that, they have a

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boat and RV storage component.

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Brian Searl: Simon, what

are you seeing in Europe?

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Because we talked to, I don't want to

call out his name on the show, but we

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talked to a mutual friend that we both

had at Croatia, at the Croatian Camping

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Congress that I met down in France.

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Talked to him yesterday and he said

there's some concern in some areas of

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Europe that perhaps June and August

are a little bit lighter than usual.

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Are you seeing that?

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Simon Neal: Yeah, I saw some

statistics recently that, the

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results from April were down a bit.

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But that's also a bit due to the timing

of the Easter holidays because whether

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that lands in March or April, when people

are off, when people are traveling,

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because of course most of Europe is

heavily dependent on the German market.

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And the south is people moving, traveling

during the holidays to have stays.

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But definitely, yeah,

there is uncertainty.

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And I think, you can always get

that last minute surge and I

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think that will probably happen.

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But certainly actually the weather

in Europe has been pretty good

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so far, which also plays into it.

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But yeah, uncertainties around, people

are holding off and our customers

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are definitely seeing that as well.

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Brian Searl: Is it the same

reasons that we're hearing?

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I don't know what, interest

rates are obviously, I don't

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know if they're high in Europe.

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Generally speaking, we have the

same macroeconomic issues, right?

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Fuel, diesel, sightseeing,

stuff like that.

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Simon Neal: Yeah.

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Yeah, it's the same.

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I think it's a global issue

now, so everybody's feeling it.

373

Brian Searl: How is the, is there

anything else you want to add from the

374

industry or anything else you've observed?

375

Simon Neal: yeah, actually I was reading

some stuff there's a nice report came out

376

in Italy, which is quite telling actually.

377

And this year the kind of

big search word is comfort.

378

And also searching for things

like, entertainment, pet friendly,

379

swimming pools, beach restaurants.

380

So this is really building in the

mind of the consumer more and more,

381

which is the experience focus.

382

And it's also record

high for family searches.

383

The family market is

back at its strongest.

384

I think we had during COVID

there was a bit more of a swing

385

away from family and kind of new

people stepping in to the market.

386

But now it's really coming

back to family strength.

387

And yeah, I think up to 77 percent

searches on family and then split the rest

388

between kind of younger groups of friends,

18 percent, and solo travelers, 5 percent.

389

Brian Searl: That's definitely a

theme is comfort, good amenities and

390

family experience is coming back.

391

Are you seeing that over here too, Scott?

392

Scott Bahr: Yeah, definitely.

393

The family factor is going to

be pretty big again this year.

394

As it's fairly typical.

395

That a little bit more in the

glamping sector though too, which

396

I think is, really interesting.

397

You see a lot of I, I know people who put

up glamping parks and they were surprised

398

at the volume of families they got.

399

They, originally thought

it would be mostly couples.

400

But the idea of comfort is one that

we've been, tracking for a while

401

and looking at, how much does that

really influence people's decisions.

402

And it used to be that it was just, it

was one of many, but now it's, but it's

403

both physical and mental comfort too.

404

That not to get, too deep out there

on it, but people really do seek a

405

place that, that has, mental comfort.

406

It's like they want to be more relaxed,

they want to be a little bit more I

407

don't want to call it sedate necessarily,

but less stimulation in some respects.

408

And to build on what you were saying too,

Ed, though, there's a lot, also a lot

409

of folks, especially in the RV industry,

that are looking for those events.

410

They are looking for those things to,

that are attractions, whether it's music

411

festivals, the horse people, I have

horse people in my family, so I know

412

exactly what you're talking about there

with that park that you're mentioning.

413

But in general, people are

pretty stressed out overall.

414

What we've seen is a change over, we

ask people about a lot of, economic

415

factors and how much does that impact

them and how much does it impact them,

416

in terms of not just their wallet,

but their, kind of emotional state.

417

And we ask them how sensitive

they are to these things.

418

And we've seen a definite uptick

into the percentage who say

419

they're very sensitive right now.

420

So that tells me that we've had this

uptick in people who are a little bit

421

more stressed out, they're looking

for a little bit of relief in some

422

respect, some way, and I think any

place that can, put in place anything

423

that appeals to that idea that it's

gonna, you're gonna de-stress here.

424

And everybody has their

own way of doing that.

425

It could be going to a rodeo,

or it could be just going and

426

sitting on a rock by the river.

427

As long as we, we see that a lot.

428

Brian Searl: Do you think they're

being a little bit more selective

429

about what they define and

consider as an experience though?

430

Or a way to, not even an

experience, but a way to de-stress?

431

Because if it was just de-stressing,

you would feel like the occupancy rates

432

might not be appear to be down as far

as they are as early in the season.

433

Like we pulled July 4th numbers you were

talking about last week on Outwired, it's

434

62 percent macro occupancy for July 4th

weekend, which is America's 250, which

435

feels like it should be higher than that.

436

Now granted there are some states like

Maryland who are at 93 percent and so

437

it's disproportionate where you go, but

it feels like that should be higher if

438

they were just looking to de-stress and

get outside to wherever they could go.

439

Scott Bahr: Sure.

440

And people will look for ideas.

441

And if you're, if you have ideas,

you should be putting them out there.

442

But yeah, there, some people may

not think of these things first.

443

Is it, it's less stressful maybe to

stay at a campground or, someplace out

444

in the woods than it is to stay with

a bunch of your friends in an Airbnb.

445

That could really stress you out.

446

And we know with Gen Z, they do get

stressed out in groups a little bit more.

447

There's that, that the opportunity

I think to maybe just be able to

448

separate yourself from your travel

companions is de-stressing for people.

449

or having your own space.

450

We see that, we don't

see it jumping a lot.

451

I know that, just Simon just mentioned

solo travel, we see the interest

452

in solo travel increasing as well.

453

We don't see a real corresponding

increase in participation in solo

454

travel, but people, the idea of it

appeals to a lot of people and I think

455

that's an opportunity too, honestly.

456

Oh, do we just lose Ed?

457

Oh, he's back.

458

So yeah, but it's, each person has their

own definition of how to de-stress.

459

And there's the good thing now

is the options, there's so many

460

options for people right now.

461

Different types of environments

and atmospheres and types of

462

accommodations and, whatever amenities.

463

It's it's out there for them.

464

I think right now we, we have a good

supply of those types of options.

465

We just need to make sure people

know about them when they're

466

ready to make that decision.

467

Brian Searl: What are you seeing Paul

from is there any difference that

468

you're seeing Paul in the lending and

the types of projects that are being

469

approved or wanting to be developed

over the last near year and a half as

470

some of this economic stuff has changed?

471

Paul Bosley: I think that what I first

started in just the RV park industry,

472

we were actually how I got into the

industry was by reading what I was

473

speaking at a franchise show out west.

474

And I met the person in charge of

franchise financing for Yogi Bear

475

Jellystone Parks is what it was

called back then before it was bought.

476

And their average deals were

always in the many millions.

477

I've got one closing probably next month

for about 13 million on a USDA loan.

478

And

479

there were always larger projects, even on

the resales for KOA or new people coming

480

in, there were always larger projects.

481

And to now, I with glamping coming

into it, the range is all over the map.

482

Like I said earlier, we have people

come to us, maybe somebody just

483

owns a couple acres of land and

they want to put a couple tiny homes

484

on it for a second form of income.

485

It could be something as simple as

that, which is, anywhere from 400,000,

486

let's just say, to 6 or 700,000 to

develop the land and, put the tiny

487

homes and give them working capital.

488

So what I've seen is just

the two industries have

489

broadened the dollar amounts.

490

And then when Ed just said 150 million

or whatever the heck he just said,

491

where my teeth almost fell out.

492

The, I think what the office market drying

up because you see in the Wall Street

493

Journal all the time that people can't

really invest in the office market anymore

494

because the occupancy rates are real low.

495

There's been a lot of defaults.

496

A lot of this big money's coming into the

RV park industry, which is, you can think

497

about it, I mean it's the same thing, I

mean from a standpoint of an investor.

498

So I think you're seeing a lot of

big money coming in and then at the

499

same time you're seeing these people

that just own a couple acres of land.

500

So the industry's just, the two industries

I should say have just broadened the

501

scope of finance, where you could be

doing anything from, in my case it

502

would be the USDA goes up to 25 million.

503

So anywhere up from 400,000 to maybe 30,

30 million is the range for me anyhow,

504

Brian Searl: and is it, have you

noticed any difference in the ability

505

to get these approved or is it

pretty standard for the government?

506

Paul Bosley: It's really a,

it's based on the lender.

507

Each lender is different, they

all have their own appetites.

508

Some lenders like we've been working

with a 504 lender, they go up to

509

10 million and they were one of the

biggest 504 lenders and all of a sudden

510

they're starting to back away from the

startups, but that's just an appetite

511

change for that lender and in the

meantime I've got other 504 lenders.

512

We're under contract with about

30 lenders so it's just a matter

513

of picking who I send stuff to.

514

Brian Searl: Yeah, I think that's what

I'm more asking is more the appetite.

515

Like for sure there's not going

to be a complete cessation,

516

we're not going through that bad

of an economy right now, right?

517

So I'm just curious if there's

been any change in the audience

518

that you're considering projects

for the loan during anything.

519

Paul Bosley: No, this month

I've got already this month,

520

it's only a couple days old.

521

I've got a deal came in from

Oaktree, O2 Treehouse for 4.7

522

million.

523

Ood houses for

524

somebody owns some land for 650, and the

glamping show came in with one for 6.8

525

million.

526

That's the first three days of this month.

527

Brian Searl: Nice.

528

Okay.

529

Good.

530

Glad to hear it.

531

And the Glamping industry

532

then out there with the world's

largest consulting agency.

533

Ed O.

534

Bridgman: What was the question?

535

I, you broke up a minute.

536

Just generally what are you seeing

out there with the appetite for

537

what people are looking to develop.

538

I know you touched on it briefly.

539

Ed O. Bridgman:

540

Oh, like I said, I'm working on nine

right now and got several more in the

541

pipeline that's right now, and they

range from 150 million down to 1 million.

542

But Paul was talking about the glamping

industry being more and more diverse.

543

I finished one last year in Utah

just an hour north of Zion park and

544

that was at elevation 7,500 feet.

545

The gentleman had 600 acres and

you couldn't get an RV up there,

546

you couldn't get an RV up there.

547

He was helicoptering his guests

to his glamping and it was all

548

glamping and so we designed that

for him, got that going for him.

549

But it's a kind of unique I guess,

but we are seeing diversification.

550

I think that was 76 million I think

to develop that one, but it had two

551

helicopter landing pads on it and horse

trails and it had his own zip line

552

and he had his own private ski slope.

553

But yeah, you couldn't get

an RV up there, that was all

554

glamping.

555

Brian Searl: Was he ski resort first and

added glamping or was he glamping and…

556

Ed O. Bridgman:

557

No, his glamping first by far.

558

Glamping was his primary objective.

559

His amenity to get people to pay to

have a helicopter take him up there and

560

stay for a week was to provide these

amenities like a private ski slope.

561

So there are some people, I don't know,

he might be listening so I, I got to

562

be careful but his belief is that there

are people who don't want, they're

563

embarrassed to say they don't know

how to ride a horse or they don't know

564

how to snow ski, something like that.

565

So they will pay…

566

Brian Searl: I don’t know how to snow ski.

567

Ed O. Bridgman:

568

Hey, you don't know how to snow ski?

569

Brian Searl: No, I grew up

in Ohio, it was flat man.

570

Ed O. Bridgman:

571

Anyway so he's believing that people

will come up there just so that they can

572

be private and take private lessons and

learn how to do these things privately.

573

And so he built a very secure

plateau on top of a mountain

574

that's 7,500 feet above sea level.

575

Brian Searl: Yeah, I think those

places, and Scott you've done research

576

on this too, and Simon I'd love

to hear your thoughts if there's a

577

difference on this in Europe too,

but this is what we've referred

578

to as the K-shaped economy, right?

579

I don't, I'm not worried at

all about these luxury high-end

580

glamping resorts being built.

581

Are you Scott?

582

Scott Bahr: No.

583

Not a bit.

584

Not a bit.

585

Brian Searl: I think most people are

going to be perfectly fine, maybe 100

586

percent occupancy or really close to it.

587

It's the middle ground people, the,

let's call it just for the sake of

588

clarity so people understand maybe a

little bit more, let's call it the KOA

589

Holiday or below that I'm worried about.

590

The middle of the road mom and pop,

like I have a playground, I have a

591

swimming pool, I, regular camping as a

private campground would be viewed at.

592

That's what I'm worried about this summer

and into next with the RV industry.

593

You have any, Scott you have data on that,

and Simon I want to hear your thoughts

594

on Europe if there's a difference between

that, that you're seeing in Europe.

595

But Ed, what do you think on

that before we move on from you?

596

Ed O. Bridgman:

597

Oh if you provide a better than

average location at a better, and

598

it can be higher than average price.

599

I have so many people contact

me at Homestead RV community

600

that don't ask about price.

601

They're just interested in how nice it

is, and if you build something nice we are

602

not seeing a reduction in our occupancy

rate month over month from last year.

603

So you know, if you build something

nice, I haven't seen a problem.

604

Scott Bahr: That was one of the

things I heard too this week.

605

One of the RV manufacturers mentioned

that they were absolutely amazed at

606

how many of the the class As in the

300,000 plus range they were selling.

607

Like they can't keep them.

608

There's, they're, they just sell as

many as they can get out the door.

609

It's the, again, it's that middle range

and that lower end towables that aren't.

610

So very similar, it looks, the

economy is having the same impact

611

on each sector it looks like.

612

Brian Searl: is there something similar

that you're seeing over there Simon

613

out of the type of parks that are

being more successful in really in

614

the summer or do we not know yet or…

615

Simon Neal: No, I think there's definitely

a trend where, glamping is an add-on.

616

So I, in fact we were visiting a

customer last week who is, on an island

617

on a peninsula, has an amazing beach,

has guests who've been coming for 25

618

years in RVs who are always coming.

619

And they're really pushing, the

cabins, the mobile home, and they've

620

invested heavily in that just to

diversify what they're selling.

621

I think that's a key point.

622

So they build up some cash and

that's where they're putting it

623

and they're getting bookings.

624

So there's definitely, if you are small

and you're mid-range, if there's an option

625

there to, give that high-end experience

even a small part of your campground,

626

that's going to add this, separate market

where you can attract people who otherwise

627

wouldn't be coming to your campground.

628

And yeah, like Ed said, you got to make

sure the experience is good, but you

629

have to diversify what you're selling.

630

Brian Searl: Is it fair to say that

like along that, and I can't remember

631

if I heard a stat on this when we

were in Croatia at the Croatian

632

camping conference from Pin Camp or

whoever was getting that presentation.

633

But they were talking about how

the Germans who are either retired

634

or close to retirement that are

heavily unionized have a nice large

635

salary are the ones that typically

636

come down into the coast of Croatia

and are willing to spend the money on

637

those larger luxurious accommodations

here up in the, 500 plus euro range.

638

Is that something similar that like

it's the K-shaped kind of or no?

639

Simon Neal: Yeah, I'd say so.

640

There's going to be, that wealthy

retired couples coming and staying

641

for, four or five weeks and they

do that probably in their own RV.

642

Or just the kind of, upper middle

class families who are going to come

643

and they can afford to pay, this

four or five hundred dollars a night

644

for this super nice private pool

cabins like we have in some places.

645

But in the same resort you have,

the forty dollars a night RV pitch,

646

tent pitch with the shared amenities

and they're generally pretty good.

647

Yeah, one thing we had a discussion

about was, the cost of developing and

648

I think from what I hear of, site costs

of sixty to eighty thousand dollars

649

is just really crazy compared to what

it costs to develop here in Europe.

650

I think, I don't know if

that's completely regulation or

651

it's just the style with the concrete

pads and everything, but in Europe

652

it's much more kind of adapt to

what nature has given you and just

653

draw some lines over it essentially.

654

So I think it's way cheaper to develop.

655

And then you have spare cash to put in

the extra amenities, so even if you're a

656

kind of mid-level campground you generally

have pretty good amenities on the side.

657

Brian Searl: Do you have a

sense of what that number is

658

to develop a site in Europe?

659

I know it's way all over the

place but 60, 50, 60, 80 is

660

what we're hearing over here.

661

Simon Neal: Yeah, I did

662

a bit of research and I got

fifteen thousand dollars so I can

663

back that up with huge amounts.

664

Brian Searl: Yeah.

665

That's a pretty significant gap.

666

We could, Scott you need to dive

into that and do some research on

667

that, figure out why that's the case.

668

That'd be really interesting

to study wouldn't it?

669

Scott Bahr: It would.

670

I mean because that is significant,

that is  especially if it's an

671

apples to apples comparison.

672

And maybe

673

Simon Neal: I have a picture

if you want to share it.

674

Brian Searl: Yeah please, if you want to.

675

Simon Neal: I shared this today

on a LinkedIn post, but it's this

676

kind of what made me think of it.

677

Brian Searl: I'm just gonna

walk in the back because I

678

gotta share it on my laptop.

679

I gotta approve adding it

to the stream or whatever.

680

Simon Neal: Let me see if I can share now.

681

Ed O. Bridgman:

682

Scott, while we got a little

dead air I would think it'd be

683

interesting to note the average site

development cost in, by location.

684

For example, I just finished one in

Arkansas and they were paying fifty

685

dollars a yard for concrete, and

I'm working on one in Indiana and

686

they're paying three hundred and

fifty dollars a yard for concrete.

687

That makes a big difference if you're,

it would, it'd be difficult to compare

688

apples to apples, make sure they're

using, if they're using asphalt roads

689

and concrete sites and what size

their sites are, stuff like that.

690

But I would be interested in your

take on what the construction cost

691

can be across the country because

we're really growing a lot in the

692

northeast and it's very expensive.

693

Scott Bahr: Yep.

694

That's where I'm located right now,

I'm in Maine yeah, and especially

695

compared to the southeast, yeah, the

costs are dramatically different.

696

We, that's something that we

should work on and get that, put

697

that out there because I agree.

698

You think of that difference that

you gave right there just is,

699

Brian Searl: yeah, I mean talk us through

this Simon because it's interesting.

700

Like I'm sure there are differences

in the way the sites are being built

701

to save that much money, but the

question is maybe there's a market for

702

a cheaper site if you could buy one or

if you could build one in the United

703

States that maybe Europe is doing.

704

I don't know, talk us through it Simon.

705

Simon Neal: Yeah, this was a great example

because it is a typical kind of fifth

706

wheel American RV in a European site,

and they generally are much smaller,

707

generally more restricted access, but

this, this is a five star campground

708

so it's maybe a bit of an exception.

709

But you can see the typical site

is, ground's been leveled, you have

710

an access road which here is not

concrete, it's not asphalt, it's just…

711

Sorry, I lost you for a second.

712

Yeah, it's just a, the natural

earth with some gravel on top.

713

You've got these bushes planted in

between, so really there's not that

714

much, construction work to be done.

715

There's not that much material,

it's not expensive material.

716

Each site will have water, electricity,

sewer is a lot rarer but it's just,

717

it's a different approach to it.

718

I know I've been in American RV sites,

I know it's very systematic, there's

719

concrete pads, much more infrastructure.

720

So is there a balance there?

721

Because this cost saving,

is pretty significant.

722

Ed O.

723

Bridgman: what's the size of these sites?

724

Width and length?

725

Simon Neal: Yeah.

726

So this one, i'm gonna have

to quickly convert to meters.

727

It's probably 30 feet by

728

20 at least.

729

So it's not pull through,

it's not back in.

730

You gotta do better work to get

your RV in there, but it's possible.

731

And this is a pretty big sort of

medium, large size site as an example.

732

Ed O. Bridgman:

733

And this

734

Simon Neal: is, and the engineer,

735

Ed O. Bridgman:

736

did I understand you correctly,

that this is 30 feet wide

737

long, 30 feet is the length.

738

Simon Neal: You're gonna have

to let me measure it 'cause

739

I'm just pulling out my head.

740

Brian Searl: Okay.

741

He's going from meters to feet.

742

But yeah, he said he, what he did say he

said was 30 foot long by 20 feet wide.

743

Keep in mind, they don't have

as large of rigs in Europe.

744

Ed O. Bridgman:

745

I was gonna say an average fifth wheel in

America is 42 feet long, that's average

746

and we see them up to 45 feet long.

747

Brian Searl: But either way, if you look

at, if you look at the way he's, they're

748

building the sites right, even if you

were to extend that to 45, 50 feet using

749

the same materials with no concrete

pads and no gravel and asphalt, I think

750

you still have a pretty cheap site.

751

Maybe it's 20,000 instead of 15, right?

752

Ed O. Bridgman:

753

if you double it in size you could double

the 15,000, say it's a 30,000 dollar site.

754

Brian Searl: Okay, so we're still

like, we're still like at least 50

755

percent cheaper than the 60 to 80

range right, maybe 75 percent cheaper.

756

So the question is I think is not

whether this product is better or

757

worse, it's what if that this product

is different and is there a market

758

for this in the United States.

759

Ed O. Bridgman:

760

I would say that there's certainly a

market in the work camps that we're

761

developing around these data centers.

762

There are people who are working in

these data centers, they work 13 days in

763

a row and they get one day off and then

they work about 10 to 12 hours a day.

764

And they don't care if you have a

pool or a playground or something

765

like that, they don't care, okay.

766

And they don't give a hoot about

I don't know if I can say hoot on

767

this show, but asphalt roads and

gravel sites and stuff like that.

768

They're just wanting a quiet place

to sleep when they're not working.

769

Brian Searl: but here, like here

Simon, the typical clientele at

770

these resorts who are filling

these sites are families or what?

771

Simon Neal: Yeah, I mean it's heavily

family orientated, that kind of, 70

772

percent range and the rest young couples

and solo or older retired couples.

773

But yeah, these sites are also mixed use.

774

You can put tents on these sites,

you can put small RVs and big RVs,

775

so we don't distinguish between

a tent site and an RV site.

776

It's only basically size, you have a

small one or a big one, and small ones

777

not going to fit some RVs, that's it.

778

Brian Searl: But then the benefit of

them taking these safe construction

779

costs on the individual sites and just

inferring here so push back against me

780

if I'm wrong but the benefit of these

inferred construction sites is not only

781

that they're cheaper but then you can

spend the money like you're talking

782

about on other amenities which then

allow people to gather outside their

783

site more in community areas like pools

or restaurants or whatever else which

784

negate the need for a huge luxury pad that

costs so much money at the site right?

785

Simon Neal: Yeah I think

that's a great argument.

786

I mean if you have a you know really

luxurious RV do you need to go outside of

787

it sort of thing or outside of your site

but I think definitely that community

788

aspect and the family angle is huge.

789

And then yeah make the site more

basic spend more elsewhere and it

790

would also be good for your guests.

791

Scott Bahr: Yeah I like the idea,  excuse

me, of these kinds of sites definitely

792

in the mix because one of the things that

especially now that you see is people

793

wanting to make maybe some trade-offs

instead of you know paying the you know a

794

hundred dollars or more for you know the

full hookup patio site that maybe they

795

would opt for you know just a very nice

well manicured gravel site and spend a lot

796

less you know probably the same price that

someone would for putting their tent on.

797

That would have an appeal and for a

campground owner I would think that

798

might be appealing too because you

have a larger diversity of site types.

799

You know you have a lot of mixed sites you

know you still have your big pull-throughs

800

with your patios and everything but

then mix in you know some of this these

801

types of sites and it gives you a little

bit more option to bring maybe bring

802

in a few more guests and you know fill

up some of those spots that for people

803

that are you know don't want to pay a

hundred dollars for their an RV site.

804

Brian Searl: Yeah to be clear like my

argument is not that the European model

805

replaces the US model my argument is

there a place for the European model

806

alongside the current US model to expand

the ability of some of our consumers who

807

either can't afford 300,000 plus class

A whatever right or don't necessarily

808

want to pay for all that because they

don't need all that because their rig

809

is either smaller or they don't want

to hang out in their RV all day because

810

it's I don't want to say not as nice

but not as big as not as convenient as

811

whatever right not as much like home.

812

Scott Bahr: I feel like the campground

owners would like no people watching

813

people try to park their RV in one

of those back their RV into that.

814

No kidding.

815

Brian Searl: So is there do they

have any hidden buildings and stuff

816

Simon in Europe or are they…

817

Is it because they drive on the different

no they don't drive on the different

818

side of the road never mind that's UK.

819

Simon Neal: No the rigs are

generally much smaller right so

820

this picture here is a bit of an

exception seeing something that size.

821

So it's much smaller it's easier access

that could also be a trend growing in

822

North America that people are buying

smaller vehicles more economic cheaper

823

if the market is changing a bit.

824

So you never know it could could

start to drift down a bit in size.

825

Paul Bosley: Yeah over the last couple

of years when I'm tra I spend another

826

I'd say two months three months

on the road with the Airstream you

827

know traveling all over the country.

828

And I recently I talked to my client

that's building the Jellystone Park he

829

was trying to cut back and he was going

to have concrete pads everywhere and I

830

told him more than half of the places

that we go to are just crushed gravel

831

and you know there's I told him you don't

really need that and then you can cut

832

back on a lot of the landscaping until

later on and so I mean I've seen crushed

833

gravel in most of the places that whether

they're KOAs or any of them that we stay

834

at because you know when I'm planning

our trips you know it's just a matter

835

of getting from point A to point B.

836

And even some of the state parks

that we stay in are just crushed

837

gravel they're not concrete.

838

So you know I just advised him if you

want to cut back and that's what he did

839

he moved a lot of his concrete costs to

crush gravel and he just cut back on some

840

of his landscaping to bring it in at the

cost he was trying to bring it in at.

841

And I'm not a consultant I'm just a an

Airstreamer that just told him what I see.

842

Brian Searl: It has the largest financial

empire in the glamping industry.

843

No sorry okay.

844

So Scott though you and I were talking

about this like we were talking about on

845

the show last week about how there's been

a lot of over the last couple decades

846

and maybe sped up after COVID a lot

of people are coming into the industry

847

who are let's say copying the existing

blueprint right and this is how we get

848

a lot of parking lot RV parks right?

849

Is there maybe a sense of like the

people who are coming into this

850

industry are seeing what the newer

developments have done during COVID or

851

whatever else and seeing the concrete

pads seeing everything else and felt

852

like this is the only way to do it?

853

Scott Bahr: Yeah.

854

Yeah I mean I think it's smart.

855

I mean to look at that.

856

You you you know what kind of price are

you going to demand and what yeah what

857

kind of park do you want to be too.

858

But I think you know being able to

especially now you know to be able to

859

you know for the average person out

there to look at some of these the

860

different options is very wise to do.

861

And I think that you know the more

the newer people who come in I would

862

say and maybe Ed you prob might

know be able to answer this better

863

than me but it seemed like a lot

864

of the

865

people who are looking to develop

the parks that I that have come to

866

me for advice and have all wanted the

sites to be much bigger and much more

867

have more space be more like wooded

more natural type of landscaping.

868

And it just seemed like that's

been happening a lot more.

869

That people have wanted that kind of

a when they're building their park

870

that they're seeking that because

I think that's what you know that

871

people want in general but you know

again that's part of a little bit more

872

of the premium market I think too.

873

Brian Searl: we're gonna need to do a

study we need to do a study on this right?

874

We see because are we do?

875

Because like I was down in Florida and I

know you had to leave early Scott but in

876

my presentation I did a summary of people

Florida's websites and I think it was

877

like a very large percentage of Florida

websites emphasize the word community.

878

But in the five star reviews

that people leave almost

879

nobody uses the word community.

880

Which shows a gap between or

appears to show a gap between what

881

park owners think that people want

and what people actually want.

882

So I think we need to figure out

whether RVers actually want gigantic

883

sites with concrete pads or would

they trade that for a smaller site and

884

more amenities or do they would they

just trade a period without asking

885

anything in return for a cheaper site?

886

Ed O. Bridgman:

887

unfortunately there are still a

large number of people in the outdoor

888

hospitality industry that don't

realize that there are different

889

types of RV destinations and parks are

just one of several different types.

890

There's at least five different types.

891

Community is one of the

five different types.

892

Resorts is another campgrounds is

another parks and then there's the hybrid

893

where something was built to be a park

but it's being used as a community.

894

So it'd be very easy to do that

research in the fact that there is

895

nobody building a park today and

that's because parks are the only

896

one of the different RV destination

types that is actually losing money.

897

So parks are being converted

over to communities.

898

There's no communities being converted

to parks that's that doesn't happen.

899

So there's short-term destinations being

converted to long-term destinations and

900

that shows you right there that the trend

is going towards more long-term use.

901

Brian Searl: Alright let's spend the last

few minutes asking each other questions.

902

We only have three minutes but

we'll see how many we can get to.

903

So for Paul and Ed this is what we

typically do at the end of the show.

904

Paul just is there a question you

have for either Simon or Scott

905

or Ed that you'd like to ask?

906

Paul Bosley: I

907

can't think of one off the top of my head.

908

Brian Searl: Alright Paul you're

supposed to participate here man.

909

I'm trying to give you the floor.

910

Ed O. Bridgman:

911

I don't want to hog the show

but Thor is coming out with a

912

class A motor coach that's 80,000

pounds and it's all electric.

913

They we got an announcement the other

day I can't remember who's building

914

it but there's a class C motor coach

coming out it's out now that's all

915

electric it's not as heavy it's only

37,000 pounds something like that.

916

But this thing's only 30 feet

long and it's all electric.

917

Is that scaring our mom and pops who

have daisy chain pedestals who are on

918

a 200 amp service with six pedestals

connected to the same breaker is anybody

919

worried about the fact that these RVs

are going to draw 100 amp service by

920

themselves is anybody talking about this?

921

Brian Searl: that's a huge nuance right?

922

Is it scaring them or

should it scare them?

923

Because is it scaring them is probably

like a few years away just like they're

924

still not scared of electric cars.

925

But is it scaring them

is a different question.

926

Ed O. Bridgman:

927

they better catch they better start

that lag up because they're coming.

928

Brian Searl: I agree yeah.

929

That's what I said is versus

should but continue sorry.

930

Ed O. Bridgman:

931

I'm sorry.

932

We have Teslas we have electric cars

at Homestead RV community constantly.

933

So charging electric vehicles that's

been going on for a couple years now.

934

Brian Searl: Yeah.

935

Alright Ed let's try you.

936

Do you have a question for

Scott or Simon or Paul?

937

Ed O. Bridgman:

938

Yeah I was just asking is anybody

worried about the changes to the

939

industry with the RVs being all

electric or demanding more electricity.

940

Scott Bahr: It doesn't I mean from

my perspective it doesn't really

941

worry me I feel like it's the future

and it's like climb on board or get

942

out of the way honestly because it's

going to happen more and the younger

943

generation is going to demand it.

944

If you want to get that

generation into RVs you're going

945

to have to provide this stuff.

946

It's like I'm sorry

it's just the way it is.

947

The campground owners are going

to have a tough time with the

948

conversion and bringing the

infrastructure along but I also feel

949

like it's going to drive innovation.

950

I truly feel like that it's what

we need this kind of thing to

951

really push innovation out there.

952

Ed O. Bridgman:

953

Homestead was the first to be able to

meter electricity at every site for every

954

guest even overnight guests automatically.

955

And and all my clients want that.

956

Brian Searl: Interesting yeah.

957

Cool.

958

That's great.

959

Scott do you have a question for anybody?

960

Scott Bahr: I was going to ask

Paul briefly it's based on you know

961

what you do what do you think our

outlook for the rest of the year

962

is?

963

Paul Bosley: So far I've been very busy

you know of course we're diversified

964

between the two industries and we a

lot of our referrals come from the

965

manufacturers the people that are

making the yurts and the glamping

966

structures and the tiny homes.

967

So from my perspective we've been busy and

from the lender side you know we've got

968

very active lenders that when we exhibit

at the shows they come and work at the

969

shows with us so they're we have good

lenders and we have a lot of companies

970

that are submitting deals to our company.

971

As you know there's very few other

lenders that really exhibit at these shows

972

and one of the bigger ones I think it

taken a couple pretty big hits on their

973

portfolio so they started to back away.

974

You know so I think we're from our

company in particular I think we're in

975

really good shape for going forward.

976

And you know I don't know if you've heard

but people like Bruce Hurta joined us

977

and different people in the industry that

have been in the finance space we've got

978

some very good bankers that are working

in our group so you know there's a lot of

979

expertise that we offer to help people.

980

So I feel good about it personally.

981

Scott Bahr: good.

982

Yeah by the way I attended the

finance committee meeting at

983

the RVIA meetings this week.

984

So it's just a it's a really

interesting part of the industry

985

that I'm very fascinated with.

986

Brian Searl: Alright Simon do you

have any questions before we go?

987

Simon Neal: A quick one for Ed.

988

Is there any all these nine projects

you have running now is there like

989

one incredibly unique aspect to one

of them I don't know accommodation

990

type something new that nobody's

done before that you'd like to share.

991

Ed O. Bridgman:

992

A very good question.

993

We touched briefly that the hotel industry

is branching out into glamping and RVs.

994

That 150 million dollar project it does

include in addition to the 150 million

995

is for RVs but they're also on the same

they have 153 acres and they're going to

996

have a hotel on the people who are putting

up the money they actually own several

997

hotels and they're putting one of their

hotels right next door to the RV industry.

998

So that's a little bit unique.

999

And then I already touched base on

the fact that we're seeing a lot of

00:58:22,667 --> 00:58:28,557

equestrian background this one guy's

putting in a rodeo right there at the

00:58:28,757 --> 00:58:33,827

RV destination and people can get their

horse out of their horse trailer that

00:58:33,827 --> 00:58:37,637

they live in the front half and the horse

lives in the back half but they can get

00:58:37,637 --> 00:58:42,757

him out right there at that location

and have that horse right next to them.

00:58:43,357 --> 00:58:45,727

So and then the

00:58:48,417 --> 00:58:50,847

data centers are anywhere a data

center is popping up we're building

00:58:51,027 --> 00:58:52,867

RV destinations as fast as possible.

00:58:53,937 --> 00:58:55,177

Scott Bahr: How quickly can you do that?

00:58:55,177 --> 00:58:57,597

Let's say a data center gets

approved how quickly can you build

00:58:57,597 --> 00:58:59,767

an RV destination for the workers?

00:59:00,277 --> 00:59:02,777

Brian Searl: Especially in an area

like New England which is a little

00:59:02,777 --> 00:59:04,907

bit less permissive than Texas.

00:59:05,617 --> 00:59:05,618

Ed O. Bridgman:

00:59:05,618 --> 00:59:08,367

Yeah I'm actually building two in Texas.

00:59:08,697 --> 00:59:14,607

But there are certain areas of

the country that are more open

00:59:14,757 --> 00:59:17,817

friendly to RVs than others.

00:59:18,167 --> 00:59:23,947

But what is unique what is interesting

is that when you have a data center come

00:59:23,947 --> 00:59:30,077

in and purchase 1,700 acres and they

are going to be bringing in thousands

00:59:30,077 --> 00:59:34,517

of workers and they're going to be

paying hundreds of millions of dollars

00:59:34,517 --> 00:59:39,407

worth of taxes over the next few years

you have a lot more pull with that

00:59:39,407 --> 00:59:44,607

governing official to say hey where do

you want these people to live dude okay?

00:59:44,907 --> 00:59:49,157

They've got to go someplace and we have

been we have seen that we've been able to

00:59:49,157 --> 00:59:56,707

push through permits much easier now when

the governing official has got somebody

00:59:56,717 --> 01:00:04,047

standing on his throat saying you know you

better assist this data center because the

01:00:04,047 --> 01:00:11,837

restaurant owner the gas fuel pump owner

the retail stores the grocery stores they

01:00:11,837 --> 01:00:15,577

all want this here so get out of the way.

01:00:17,717 --> 01:00:19,937

Alright so I don't think

I answered your question.

01:00:20,747 --> 01:00:25,007

Permitting is what takes permitting

engineering stuff like that can take

01:00:25,037 --> 01:00:29,947

months but yeah if you can get that

steamrolled down the time you put a

01:00:29,947 --> 01:00:35,067

shovel in the ground till your grand

opening can be six months to a year.

01:00:36,037 --> 01:00:40,437

Scott Bahr: Okay so still a not a

significant amount of time but some time.

01:00:41,307 --> 01:00:43,327

Brian Searl: Okay we're a couple minutes

over we're gonna let everybody go be

01:00:43,327 --> 01:00:46,507

cognizant of everybody's time but let's

just do go around and do final thoughts.

01:00:46,567 --> 01:00:49,557

Ed any final thoughts and where

can they find out more about you?

01:00:49,767 --> 01:00:49,768

Ed O. Bridgman:

01:00:49,768 --> 01:00:53,657

thank you thank you thank you for

allowing me to be on the show.

01:00:53,657 --> 01:00:57,387

I am I'm excited to help I'm

passionate about the industry.

01:00:57,477 --> 01:01:01,727

Call EOB Consulting and I'll

help you out any way I can.

01:01:01,797 --> 01:01:06,137

I'll look at your property for

free and give you my thoughts.

01:01:07,447 --> 01:01:08,667

Brian Searl: Thank you Ed

appreciate you being here.

01:01:08,707 --> 01:01:11,107

Paul where can they learn more

about what you offer and then is

01:01:11,107 --> 01:01:11,917

there any final thoughts you have?

01:01:13,427 --> 01:01:14,827

Paul Bosley: I thoroughly enjoyed this.

01:01:14,827 --> 01:01:19,737

I mean I found it interesting everyone's

perspective about you know the

01:01:19,737 --> 01:01:23,737

development side of it because I'm not

really normally that involved with the

01:01:23,737 --> 01:01:28,427

development part of it you know I'm

more toward the end of the process when

01:01:28,427 --> 01:01:31,507

they figured out what they're trying

to do and how much it's going to cost

01:01:31,507 --> 01:01:33,107

that's when people get in touch with me.

01:01:33,107 --> 01:01:39,347

So really why I didn't have any questions

so I appreciate being part of this group

01:01:39,347 --> 01:01:43,927

and learning from your expertise because

in principle that just makes me a better

01:01:43,927 --> 01:01:48,457

person to serve them because in principle

that's our job you know I'm a SCORE

01:01:48,457 --> 01:01:54,157

counselor and have been for 17 years for

the SBA and a volunteer for SCORE so the

01:01:54,157 --> 01:01:59,857

more I learn about this the better I am

which is really why I started Airstreaming

01:01:59,917 --> 01:02:03,717

because I wanted to learn the industry

instead of flying around and renting cars.

01:02:03,727 --> 01:02:08,697

So I enjoy the group I and if you I can

ever help you in the future just invite

01:02:08,697 --> 01:02:10,297

me and I'll join if I'm available.

01:02:10,307 --> 01:02:10,947

Happy to do it.

01:02:11,917 --> 01:02:12,397

Brian Searl: Thanks Paul.

01:02:12,397 --> 01:02:13,357

Appreciate you being here.

01:02:13,407 --> 01:02:15,527

Simon, final thoughts and where

can they learn more about Campmap?

01:02:17,117 --> 01:02:19,127

Simon Neal: I just really

enjoyed hearing about the horse

01:02:19,667 --> 01:02:21,257

development on the campground.

01:02:21,257 --> 01:02:22,897

I think that's a great idea.

01:02:23,727 --> 01:02:25,377

Something that they might really pick up.

01:02:25,947 --> 01:02:28,617

And yeah, to find out

about Campmap, campmap.com.

01:02:28,637 --> 01:02:34,147

You can easily reach out, book a meeting

there, see demos, or on LinkedIn you

01:02:34,147 --> 01:02:36,027

can find me and reach out directly.

01:02:37,167 --> 01:02:37,557

Brian Searl: Thanks Simon.

01:02:37,557 --> 01:02:38,227

Appreciate you being here.

01:02:38,227 --> 01:02:39,147

Last but not least, Scott Bahr.

01:02:42,087 --> 01:02:42,597

Scott Bahr: CairnConsultingGroup.com

01:02:42,917 --> 01:02:44,067

is you can go there.

01:02:44,067 --> 01:02:47,197

There's a resource library that

we try to keep fairly up to date.

01:02:47,587 --> 01:02:50,807

A lot of research that we've done, a lot

of some research I've done with Brian.

01:02:51,227 --> 01:02:54,247

And if not, just reach out directly to me.

01:02:54,247 --> 01:02:56,477

I love talking about this

stuff and as Brian knows, I

01:02:56,477 --> 01:02:57,797

can talk about it all day long.

01:02:58,167 --> 01:02:59,367

I'm easily sidetracked.

01:02:59,657 --> 01:03:01,017

So be patient.

01:03:01,057 --> 01:03:02,387

But yeah, no, it's great.

01:03:02,387 --> 01:03:04,487

It was great talking to everyone today.

01:03:04,487 --> 01:03:06,067

It was it was enlightening.

01:03:06,067 --> 01:03:06,737

It was good stuff.

01:03:07,867 --> 01:03:08,047

Brian Searl: Cool.

01:03:08,087 --> 01:03:10,207

Thank you for joining us for another

episode of MC Fireside Chats.

01:03:10,217 --> 01:03:12,637

If you are not sick and tired

of hearing from me and Scott, we

01:03:12,637 --> 01:03:14,027

will be live in 51 minutes and

17, 16, 15 seconds on Outwired…

01:03:17,867 --> 01:03:20,957

but we're going to talk about more

data, AI news, stuff like that.

01:03:21,437 --> 01:03:22,137

So join us there.

01:03:22,167 --> 01:03:24,397

Otherwise we'll see you next

week on MC Fireside Chats.

01:03:24,477 --> 01:03:24,887

Thanks guys.

01:03:25,097 --> 01:03:25,337

Appreciate it.

01:03:25,447 --> 01:03:25,827

Scott Bahr: Bye everybody.

01:03:25,917 --> 01:03:26,307

Paul Bosley: Thank you.

01:03:26,687 --> 01:03:26,688

Ed O. Bridgman:

01:03:26,688 --> 01:03:26,967

Bye bye.

01:03:26,977 --> 01:03:26,997

Simon Neal: Bye.