When John Croce led a group of investors to purchase Yosemite Pines RV Resort
in Groveland, Calif., from a bankruptcy court seven years ago, they had
their work cut out for them. “It was a disaster when we first showed
up,” Croce said. “When we first started to look at this park, it was in
foreclosure, receivership and bankruptcy all at the same time.”
To make matters worse, the campground’s previous owner had not only
failed to maintain the property and stripped it of its physical assets,
but he had double- and triple-booked campsites and cabins to people from
across the country and overseas, while pocketing the cash from these
bogus reservations.
Croce found out about the previous owner’s misdeeds when he took
over the property mid-2003. “We had people showing up with confirmed
reservations for cabins that didn’t exist,” Croce said, adding that he
spent $15,000 to $16,000 booking campsites and hotel rooms in other
facilities nearby so that visitors would not have to suffer the
consequences of the previous owner’s misdeeds.
“I remember we had one lady who came from England. She had already
paid for a cabin, which didn’t exist. We put her up in a bed and
breakfast hotel,” Croce said.
But the problems didn’t stop there. The previous owner also left
town owing just about every vendor and utility company money. “The trash
people almost threw me out of their office when I first showed up,”
Croce said. “The same thing happened with the propane company. They had
all been burned by this guy. It took a lot of convincing to explain that
we were different.”
But in time, Croce succeeded in doing just that.
They joined the chamber of commerce, sponsored the local parade and
other community events and informed everyone in the business community
that they had no connection with the previous owner. Croce and his team
also set about making more than $2 million in improvements to the park,
which included upgrading the electrical and sewer services, renovating
the clubhouse, general store and bathhouses, and purchasing 28 park
model cabins and eight yurts, which the park uses as rental
accommodations for people who don’t have a tent or RV.
As a result of their efforts, Yosemite Pines has re-established
positive working relationships with the businesses and service providers
in Groveland and surrounding communities, and developed a successful
business base that now includes more than 40 tour groups.
“We do a lot of business with the Dutch and the Germans. There are
tour groups from Europe that love our park and send groups there all the
time. We just had another group come in from India. They were all
doctors and attorneys and they rented all of our park models for about a
week.”
The park is generating so much business, in fact, that it now generates more online reservations than any other campground in California, according to the California Association of RV Parks and Campgrounds.
“Newport Dunes RV Resort in Newport Beach, Calif.,
beats us in terms of actual revenue generation, but we have the highest
actual number of reservations,” Croce said, adding, “On a typical
summer day, we probably have 1,000 people at Yosemite Pines.”
The park’s profitability has also increased, with revenue growing
more than fivefold from $250,000 during its first year to $1.3 million
or more, Croce said.
“We told members of the Chamber of Commerce that we could bring
more people to the Groveland area than any other business in town, which
we successfully did,” Croce said, adding that guests at his park
patronize local businesses, providing a significant economic multiplier
effect for the community as well as tens of thousands of dollars in tax
revenue.
“We’re real pleased with the success John Croce has had in
transforming Yosemite Pines into a true vacation destination,” said
Debbie Sipe, executive director of the California Association of RV
Parks & Campgrounds.
Sipe added that the private campground industry is attracting
growing numbers of investors who are purchasing parks and transforming
them into attractive weekend retreats or vacation destinations
California residents as well as visitors from outside the state.
“Entrepreneurs and investors are increasingly realizing that the
campground business is a viable and growing niche within the travel and
tourism industry,” Sipe said, adding that the campground industry has
been the most resilient segment of the tourism business during the
recession.
For more information about Yosemite Pines RV Resort, contact John Croce at (714) 756-2483 or visit the website at www.yosemitepinesrv.com.
