Rising Trend: Park Owners Look to Invest in Amenities

In the March 2021 issue of Woodall’s Campground Management magazine, Ben Quiggle spoke with recreation suppliers about the tremendous amount of traffic that the campground industry expects in 2021. This increased demand is putting pressure on suppliers as parks owners are looking to better compete by adding new amenities. Quiggle interviewed our president, Ron Romens, for his views.

“Right now we are working on an unprecedented number of orders from 2020 that are due to be shipped in 2021,” noted Ron Romens, founder and president of Verona, Wis.-based Commercial Recreation Specialists, (CRS), a company that offers a wide variety of recreation products from mini-golf courses to water-based inflatables, playgrounds and more.

“Park owners are taking their success in 2020 and they are committed to providing a better experience and they are calling to make sure they get their orders placed,” Romens added.

Known for its eye-catching inflatable aquatic products, CRS also offers a slew of other land-based products including playground equipment, miniature golf courses, Prime Karts and more. The company just recently signed a distribution agreement with INNOVA® Disc Golf to carry discs and other disc golf equipment.

“INNOVA is the largest producer of Frisbee golf and accessories and they have a new product called Aceplace™, which is a short disc golf course that fits into a smaller footprint,” Romens said. He continues to tout the need for owners to look and their parks and create recreation zones that incorporate both water-and land-based activities.

“We have both in-house landscape architects to help design these products and we are seeing more growth on that side of the business than ever,” he explained. “We are seeing a strong pipeline of design projects due to more new developments and expansion projects. It’s really inspiring to see all of these new projects going in.”

He said new developments that offer tons of amenities are raising the bar and putting pressure on other campground owners to add amenities.

“Many of them are looking at their park and realizing they have a campground, but they also have an opportunity to operate a day-use business, where people can come and play to utilize the amenities but not necessarily camp at the park,” Romens explained. Romens said delivery times depend on the product ordered, noting that the company has had supply issues with some products.

“It is best not to wait any longer to order products if you intend to use them this camping season,” he explained.

Read the full article at Woodall’s Campground Management.