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1 TACO ews Promoting RV Travel & Camping in Texas Summer It s TACO Dues Time! Your paid 2019 dues includes a listing and finder map in the 2019 RV Travel & Camping Guide to Texas which was just re-built. It also gets you listed on the #1 website in Texas plus it includes legal and legislative representation in Austin voted #1 member benefit! Invest in your business and your industry return your dues payment and paperwork TODAY!

2 The Many Benefits of being a TACO Member! V V TexasCampgrounds.com The RV Travel & Camping Guide to Texas TexasCabinRentals.net STATE DIRECTORY The RV Travel & Camping Guide to Texas is the #1 preferred camping guide in Texas according to an independent nationwide survey by Yesawich & Associates. The TACO guide is the most widely distributed directory in the state which is critical since many parks are reporting that 60-70% of their business is coming from within the state. Also found was the fact that RVers are taking shorter trips closer to home (Staycations!) which makes it more critical than ever to have your display ad in the TACO guide. The entire guide is online at the State Website. STATE WEBSITE The #1 camping website in Texas is TexasCampgrounds.com. This site has experienced unprecedented 20% month-overmonth growth. The site presents TACO member parks with complete listings and banner advertisement to help travelers plan their trips and see all the amazing events that the Lone Star state has to offer. For parks that actively use Google analytics to see where their website traffic is being generated, TexasCampgrounds.com always appears in the Top Ten referring sites! The site also features a robust Guest Reviews program that allows members to get direct feedback from their customers. LODGING WEBSITE TexasCabinRentals.net is a rapidly growing site where TACO members can have a full park listing and banner advertisement to promote rental accommodations. SUMMER TACOMEMBERS.COM

3 TACOMembers.com CO-OP MARKETING PROGRAMS The association offers a wide variety of cooperative efforts for parks to target their message. This includes mailing park literature weekly with the TACO Guide fulfillment requests. Handing out park literature at RV shows and listing parks in quarterly e-blasts to consumers. We also provide free social media set up for your website. TACO LEGAL AND LEGISLATION PROGRAM One of the most important features to being a TACO member is being a part of the ongoing battles to protect RV park owners and operators. Not only does TACO have an attorney to advise TACO members on specific issues, but a legislative consultant in Austin who keeps his ear to the ground at all times. This includes introducing key legislation to enumerate parks in the penal code. Such was the case with the Theft of Services bill and the recently passed Trespass bill. These key pieces of legislation allow parks to more effectively run their businesses. TACO efforts were vital in getting a later school start date passed in the Texas legislature. This extended the camping season for many parks that experienced significant increase in their end of summer business. TACO worked directly with the state comptroller to implement a set of forms to allow parks to seek refunds of utility sales tax on usage by monthly guests. Many TACO members have gotten back thousands of dollars with the largest refund check to date being $42,000! One-on-one legal counseling through your membership with TACO. We ve helped dozens of individual campgrounds with specific legal issues that have arisen at their park and guided them towards a positive resolution. STATE SHOWS TACO offers a wide variety of opportunities for members to broaden their industry education and sharpen their park operations. The association hosts the largest industry trade show in the Southwest every spring, the 2018 being the largest ever. In addition to money-saving vendor opportunities, park owners can attend a wide variety of educational classes to gain the latest insight to the industry. In the fall, the association hosts a Parks on Tour that allows park owners to visit other parks and see how their fellow park operators are handling day-to-day operations and what plans they have for the future. TACO maintains a member s only website located at TACOMembers.com where parks can find numerous vendors that specialize in the campground industry. The savings offered by these industry specific companies can more than pay for the cost of membership in the association. On TACOMembers.com there is a password protected area where members can obtain legal forms such as monthly guest applications, monthly guest agreements, typical park rules, etc. This tool and the information it offers can be invaluable in running a campground. KEEPING IN TOUCH WITH MEMBERS The TACO office understands the challenges that face park operators today in delivering a quality experience. When park operators in Texas have a question they can always call the state office and get a response. Over the course of a year the TACO office gets hundreds of calls from members with questions ranging from park rule violations, to non-payment, to workcamper issues, to marketing concerns and all points in between. Texas is known for its greatest export hospitality. Because of constant communication with other park owners and extensive research, the TACO office is able to provide answers to member questions. A great source of communication is TACO News. This quarterly publication features insightful articles, trade member information and spotlight write ups. Industry news is disseminated on a timely basis through this publication and also through monthly member e-blasts. TACO staff is readily available at spring and fall conferences, state RV shows, by and phone calls to the office. ADDITIONAL MARKETING OPPORTUNITIES For a small fee we have additional marketing opportunities such as displaying ads in the RV Travel and Camping Guide to Texas. Banner ads on TexasCampgrounds. com; and TexasCabinRentals.net. Featuring park status on quarterly consumer blasts regarding TexasCampgrounds.com. Various TACO member discounts from TACO trade members, which are located on the TACOMembers.com website. SUMMER TACOMEMBERS.COM

4 TACO Officers & Directors Regional Directors REGION 1 Lee Kennedy Lubbock RV Park, Lubbock, TX REGION 2 Ken Hinz Traders Village Grand Prairie, TX REGION 3, VICE PRESIDENT Randall Dally Rayburn RV Hideout Brookeland, TX REGION 4, TREASURER & PAST PRESIDENT Doug Shearer Parkview Riverside RV Park Rio Frio, TX REGION 5, & PAST PRESIDENT Gwen Craig Rayford Crossing RV Resort Spring, TX REGION 6 Salome Welliver Oleander Acres Mission, TX REGION 7, PRESIDENT Cheryl McLaughlin Hatch RV Park Corpus Christi, TX Directors At Large DIRECTOR AT LARGE & SECRETARY Susie Prater Forest Retreat Paradise, TX DIRECTOR AT LARGE Doug Jensen Texas Lakeside RV Resort Port Lavaca, TX TRADE REPRESENTATIVE Diana LeBlanc PPL Houston, TX EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR/CEO Brian Schaeffer TACO Office Crowley, TX Legislative Ron Hinkle LEGAL Cobb and Counsel Your TACO Board IN ACTION TEXAS The TACO Board met in April at the Spring Conference in Lake Conroe. The executive committee did a financial review of the accounting practices and data assimilated. They were very satisfied that the collection and distribution of materials by the association CPA met industry standards. Subsequently the entire TACO BOD reviewed the year to date financials and approved them. The TACO Awards committee reviewed their submissions and selections with the board; with their results being handed out at the conference. The board and staff thought it would be a good idea to survey the members in regard to a format change to the Fall Parks on Tour. See related story, this issue. The executive director reported that sales teams calling on member parks and prospective members in regard to the TACO Guide and Marketing programs. The regions featured in the TACO Guide will be consolidating from seven to six regions to reflect consumer feedback and state tourism boundaries. The Associations legal team at Cobb & Counsel is working to update the Legal Handbook. Jenny Lee Smith will be at the spring conference doing a Best Practices seminar relating mostly to extended stay guests. TACO s Government affairs liaison, Ron Hinkle briefed the group on key tourism issues that included the continued assault on the later school start date. TACO is still in favor of school starting no earlier than the fourth Monday of August. A robust discussion was had regarding property tax and it was determined a member survey was in order. See related story, this issue. The Department Of Agriculture is changing how RV parks who sell propane gas will charge their customers. Stay tuned for further feedback on this issue. Finally, there are numerous local and state law enforcement entities that refuse to honor the RV Park specific laws passed by the state legislature and signed by the Governor. One of the reasons for this is the fact there is little to no legal precedent concerning RV Parks. Therefore we have asked the Attorney General for an opinion relating to transient guests and their relationship with park operators. A ruling should be known in the months ahead. CAMPGROUNDS Editor: Michael Moore / Lisa Penny Design: Diana Mask Distribution: TACO Members, TACO Trade Members, TACO Prospective Members Contact: 910 S. Crowley Rd, Ste Crowley, TX SUMMER TACOMEMBERS.COM National ARVC Show Dates are November 6th thru 9th in Oklahoma City. Shortly thereafter the meeting was adjourned. Next Board meeting will be in August. TEXAS CAMPGROUNDS

5 PARK MODELS: Motor Vehicle Tax or Hotel Occupancy Tax? The Texas Comptroller s Office expects that RV park owners who rent out park models will collect either the Motor Vehicle Tax or the Hotel Occupancy Tax. The question then becomes, for the RV park owner, which tax do you collect? For the most part, the Texas Comptroller s Office will trust your representations about which tax you need to collect. Nevertheless, parks are subject to audits, so it is important to make sure you assess your particular park models and collect the tax that is most appropriate. SUMMARY OF THE TAX MOTOR VEHICLE TAX: The Motor Vehicle Tax is imposed on the gross rental receipts from the rental of a rented motor vehicle. TEX. TAX CODE (a). Rental is defined to include an agreement by the owner of a motor vehicle to give for not longer than 180 days the exclusive use of that vehicle to another for consideration. TEX. TAX CODE (5). And, motor vehicle is defined to include house trailers, defined as a trailer designed for human habitation. TEX. TAX CODE (3); TEX. TRANSP. CODE (9). The Comptroller s Office states on its website that companies that rent motor vehicles, including automobiles, motor homes, motorcycles, trucks, truck tractors, trailers, semi-trailers, travel trailers and park models, must collect motor vehicle gross rental receipts tax from their customers. The percentage of tax charged is based on the length of the rental contract. TEXAS COMPTROLLER, Motor Vehicle Gross Rental Receipts Tax, available at HOTEL OCCUPANCY TAX: The Hotel Occupancy Tax is imposed on a person who, under a lease, concession, permit, right of access, license, contract, or agreement, pays for the use or possession or for the right to the use or possession of a room or space in a hotel costing $15 or more each day. TEX. TAX CODE But, an exception applies for a person who has the right to use or possess a room in a hotel for at least 30 consecutive days, so long as there is no interruption of payment for the period. TEX. TAX CODE DECIDING WHICH TAX APPLIES In deciding which tax applies, the Comptroller will assess the degree of attachment of the park model. That is, under 34 TEX. ADMIN. CODE 3.72, there are rules about when a motor vehicle loses its identity as such (taking it out of the motor vehicle tax). Under these rules, a trailer is presumed to be permanently affixed to realty (and not a motor vehicle) if: (A) it is attached so that it cannot be reasonably reconstructed and made operational for highway use; or (B) it is attached or installed in a manner that meets all governmental standards (if any) for the installation, including zoning regulations, building codes, federal regulations, and other requirements applicable to the land on which it is located; and it is either: (i) installed on land owned by the purchaser, if the purchaser intends to incorporate the trailer as a permanent fixture to the land; or (ii) installed on land leased to the purchaser, if the lease contract provides that improvements to the land become the property of the lessor. 34 TEX. ADMIN. CODE 3.72(b)(1). A trailer, however, remains a motor vehicle (and must be taxed as such) if (A) the owner of the trailer only has permission to use the land but no contractual right to do so; or (B) the owner of the trailer has a contractual right to use the land and also has the right to remove the trailer at any time or upon the termination of the contract. 34 TEX. ADMIN. CODE 3.72(b)(2). Although the Comptroller will assess the individual circumstances of a particular park, if your park models are permanently affixed to land that you own, the motor vehicle tax likely doesn t apply. Instead, the hotel occupancy tax would. If you have questions on your individual park, you can seek a private letter ruling from the Comptroller, and more information about that process is located here: As always, if you have additional questions, please feel free to contact Jenny Lee Smith with Cobb & Counsel, at jenny@cobbxcounsel.com. SUMMER TACOMEMBERS.COM

6 U.S. House of Representatives Passes the ADA Education and Reform Act: Bill Moves to Senate by Justin Bragiel, Texas Hotel & Lodging Association This month, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the H.R. 620, known as the ADA Education and Reform Act. Supported by the Texas Hotel & Lodging Association, the American Hotel & Lodging Association, and AAHOA, this important legislation would make it much harder for plaintiffs to file drive-by lawsuits against businesses such as hotels for alleged violations of the ADA. Thousands of hotels across the country, including hundreds in Texas, have been singled out by attorneys looking for a profit by filing suits or demand letters accusing a property of being out of compliance with the ADA. Many times, these infractions are minor, easily correctable, or nonexistent, yet hotels received letters from attorneys demanding an immediate settlement. Alarmingly, a recent study conducted by Seyfarth Shaw found that ADA lawsuits against places of public accommodation increased by 16 percent in 2017, and 37 percent in In response to our efforts on this issue, Congressman Ted Poe of Texas and Congressman Scott Peters of California introduced H.R. 620, the ADA Education and Reform Act of Similar to a Texas state law passed in 2017 that was supported by the Texas Hotel & Lodging Association, the ADA Education and Reform Act would help put a stop to unfounded and predatory lawsuits. This bipartisan legislation provides a notice and cure provision, which gives businesses a defined period of time to correct a violation to the ADA before a lawsuit can proceed. This would allow businesses to spend resources on correcting a barrier to access, rather than lining the pocket of unscrupulous attorneys seeking to earn a fast settlement. Now that the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 620, the bill moves on to the U.S. Senate. We will continue to bring you updates on the progress of this important legislation, and please watch for calls to action. PROPANE SALES Sell by Cylinder or by Weight? TACO received a call from a park regarding the sale of Propane in Cylinders and needing to start selling by weight not by cylinder. The RRC requires that all propane sold in a cylinder less than 101 pounds is filled by weight. This requires every fill station to have a licensed scale. It does not require a fill station for cylinders to have a meter at all. The Texas Agriculture Department is the agency that licenses the scales and/or meters. In order to sell propane you must have a licensed scale or meter. I doubt that the RRC would allow the Ag Dept. to tread on their territory telling how propane is sold. In the meetings last year about rule changes there was nothing discussed about this concerning cylinders, there was discussion about fork lift cylinders, but does not pertain to us. Most places (including myself and my distributor) sell by the cylinder, but use the weight to distinguish the cylinders, i.e. 20# (BBQ size); 30# (standard RV Bottle); 40# (larger RV Bottle) etc. In doing so, it would meet the above of selling by the pound. There are some places (Tractor Supply comes to mind) that sell by the meter, as a cylinder may not be totally empty, but those places are the exception rather than the rule. I just checked the Dept. of Ag. Website and did a search on propane and found 4 items pertaining to propane, and none of it is anything new. I received today an update from the RRC for March and they say nothing about any change in propane. My thinking is that someone was filling vehicles and/or motorhomes without a meter and guessing at the amount sold. That would be in violation of the Dept. of Ag. Rules. The bottom line is that the statement is not new in any means, but it is correct. Propane can only be sold by weight (pounds) when filling cylinders under 101 pounds, or by gallons for vehicles/motorhomes etc. SUMMER TACOMEMBERS.COM

7 TACO FALL PARKS ON TOUR: Changing Our Format At the direction of the TACO Board, the TACO staff conducted a Fall Parks on Tour survey. The number of respondents was significant. Of the respondents, approximate 60% had never attended a Parks on Tour while 40% had. Of those who had attended the Parks on Tour, the majority appreciated what they learned from the parks visited and other park owners in attendance. The question was posed as to whether owners would prefer a hybrid combination of seminars relating to park relations or government affairs matters followed by a less structured open house format at area parks. 90% of previous attendees and 75% of those who had never attended a fall meeting said they would prefer the hybrid educational / open house format. All who responded overwhelming prefer the fall time of the year for this event. Therefore, we are going to change up the program from Tour buses and visiting parks most of the day to having educational meetings for the first half of the day with a working lunch, then releasing attendees to visit a pre-designated group of parks in an open house format. This will allow a great deal of flexibility for attendees and also featured parks within a rather condensed time frame. The Fall Tours were specifically held every other year in odd number years. We will begin the new format in 2019 at a location TBD. Plenty of advance notice will be given for the 2019 meeting, beginning as early as the Spring Conference. RV Park Property and Strategies At the request of the TACO Board, the TACO staff, in conjunction with our government liaison commissioned a property tax survey of TACO Members. We had a very good number of responses and of those respondents, 96% of parks have had their property tax increase over the last five years. 45% of parks saw teir taxes go up 20% or less while 55% of parks saw their taxes increase more than 20%. One quarter of parks responding had their property tax increase 100% or more. Interestingly, 25% of parks were evaluated on the income method (a virtual income tax) while the remaining parks were split between the cost method (how much to rebuild today) and the comparable method (sales of parks). 62% of parks protested their tax bill, with half using a tax mitigation company and rest handling it themselves. The majority parks who protested had their tax increase lowered, ranging from minor allowances to eliminating the increase all together. Respondents indicated they were aware other parks in their area receiving increases similar to what they received. All park respondents were in favor of an annual cap on commercial tax. 10% of the respondents specifically mentioned the residential caps -10% annually. TACO executive, staff and government liaison along with some board members have attended legislative affairs meetings to explain the difficulty in budgeting for large property tax increases. We are pushing for legislation to be introduced that would address the commercial property evaluation inequities. Legislators, the comptroller and appraisal districts often turn the conversation back to the taxation rate applied to evaluations; which is not what is affecting TACO Members. Jacking up property values is what is affecting tax bills. Stay tuned to more information as we get closer to legislative session in SUMMER TACOMEMBERS.COM

8 Looking Back... Texas Association of Campground Owners (TACO) annual Spring Meeting and Trade Show was recently held for a second time at Lake Conroe/Houston North KOA. This was the largest event with over 225 people in attendance for the three day event, which began Sunday, April 22nd. The annual event included industry, legal and legislative updates; educational sessions; a trade show with 45 vendors; TACO s annual awards program and various social events including TACO s annual auction, which raises money for the association s legal and government affairs programs. Sunday started out with a warm welcome from CEO, Brian Schaeffer and introduced Matt Krause, State Representive and Ron Hinkle to give us the Legislative roundtable. We then rounded out the evening with the Opening of the Trade Show & Happy hour with the Vendors and Casino Night, sponsored by Rowley Insurance. Monday started out with a fantastic breakfast followed by our Keynote Speaker, Toby O Rourke with KOA. She covered Camping Trends & Transient Guests. Trade show was a BIG hit starting at 10am and continued till 3:30 pm with vendor raffles throughout the show. The Trade Show ended with the start of our first session with TACO s Legal Counsel, Jenny Lee Smith which covered Best Practices/Monthly Guests. Following up and to get the evening started, a Social Mixer got underway at 5:00 pm and was followed up with the Auction Dinner & Legislative fundraising auction. Tuesday morning once again started out with a big breakfast along with recognition of Pecan Park giving funds to the Disaster Relief Fund. Tuesday s first session was with Larry Brownfield of KOA. His topic Understanding Your Unique Sales proposition. We also had Paul Croteau of Utility Supply Group giving information on the Electrical trends with NEC and giving several maintenance tips. And our final session was put on by Marvin Aga of Leavitt Recreation & Hospitality Ins. This was very informative covering General Campground Risk management with emphasis on the claims hitting the campground industry, which included some Hurricane issues. A Heartfelt Thank You To Our Fabulous Sponsors! We couldn t have done the show without them! PLATINUM Rowley Insurance AGS / TXAD Internet ARK Assurance Parkview Riverside RV Park GOLD Mission Management SILVER Utility Supply Group BRONZE ResNexus Your Electrical Solutions SUMMER TACOMEMBERS.COM

9 NEW TACO MEMBERS REGION 1 SUDAN RV PARK E Hwy 84, Sudan, TX REGION 2 BATL RANCH RV RESORT FM 339, Mount Calm, TX FLAT CREEK FARMS RESORT Greig Dr, Robinson, TX I-35 RV PARK N IH-35, Elm Mott, TX LAKE WACO MARINA RV CAMPGROUND Overflow Rd, Waco, TX TEXAS RANCH RV RESORT US 6, Alvarado, TX REGION 3 ANTIQUE CAPITAL RV PARK S Loop 485, Gladewater, TX LIONS RV PARK & CABINS FM 16 W, Tyler, TX MONTGOMERY TRAILS RV RESORT FM 149, Montgomery, TX RAINBOW S END Escapees Dr, Livingston, TX TEXAS STATE RAILROAD RV PARK Park Rd 76, Rusk, TX WILDERNESS TRAILS RV PARK FM 3459, Onalaska, TX REGION 4 BIG OAKS RV PARK W Whitestone Blvd, Cedar Parks, TX BROOKS MILL RV PARK Brooks Mill Rd, Bertram, TX BUBBA CAN T CAMP River Rd, New Braunfels, TX CAMP RIVERVIEW CR 350, Concan, TX CICADA SPRINGS RV PARK Shady Dr, Killeen, TX GARFIELD RV CAMPGROUND E Hwy 71, Del Valle, TX POMAROSA RV PARK STATE Hwy 16 South, Bandera, TX RETREAT AT 971 RV PARK FM 971, Granger, TX SUNNY HILL RV PARK W. Hwy 29 Lot 5, Liberty Hill, TX SUNNY OAKS RV PARK Cedar Hills Dr, Elgin, TX TEXAS STATION RV PARK S Hwy 36, Gatesville, TX THE VINEYARDS OF FREDERICKSBURG RV PARK N US Hwy 87, Fredericksburg, TX VALLEY VIEW RV PARK N I35, Jarrell, TX REGION 5 BAHIA VISTA RV PARK Loop 1781, Rockport, TX GOOD SHEPHERD RV PARK...78 Fox Ln, Gunter, TX LEGENDS RV RESORT McCleskey Rd, New Caney, TX PALADIN RENTALS Hwy 361, Ingleside, TX PORT LAVACA / MATAGORDA BAY KOA CR 302, Port Lavaca, TX SUMMER TACOMEMBERS.COM

10 V V TACOMEMBERS.COM BANKING / FINANCE FIDELITY BANK BRUCE HURTA bruce.hurta@lionbank.com Houston, TX SBA Lending lionbank.com/bruce-hurta CABLE TV & SATELLITE SYSTEMS CELLCANYON-TRIUMPH MIKE ARLITT mike.arlitt@trimphus.com Houston, TX Cell services cellcanyon.com DIGITALWAY SERVICES, LLC TIM MURRY tim@digitalwayservices.com Springtown, TX Wi-Fi and cable systems for RV Parks digitalwayservices.com GLOBAL SATELLITE SOLUTIONS RODGER ODEM roger76017@gmail.com DirecTV/Cable systems & Wi-Fi for RV Parks globalsatsolutions.net IT S ALL ABOUT SATELLITES BARRY CONLEY barry@itsallaboutsatellites.com DirecTV and satellite internet solutions for RV Parks itsallaboutsatellites.com MARATECH CHRIS MARACLE sales@maratechwifi.com Shannonville, Ontario Canada America s fastest growing Wi-Fi provider for RV parks and campgrounds maratechwifi.com CAMPGROUND EQUIPMENT / LIGHTING / STORE GOODS ACTIVE WATER SOLUTIONS, LLC ADAM BURKE / TERRY L. WILSON info@activewatersolutions.com Manufacturer of portable packaged waste water systems activewatersolutions.com CAMCO GREG McCOOL info@camco.net Greensboro, NC Campground store display & merchandise camco.net EMERALD FX CHUCK DECARO chuck@emeraldfx.com Norwalk, OH Creative Water Park Fun emeraldfx.com EZ INFLATABLES, INC EDDIE ABRAAMYAN eddie@ezinflatables.com Baldwin Park, CA Inflatables, Obstacle Courses, Interactive Games ezinflatables.com GERBER TABLES - HOME OF GERBER PRODUCTS TOM REED tom@gerbertables.com Madison, WI Picnic tables, benches, grills, fire rings, etc. gerbertables.com JAMESTOWN ADVANCED PRODUCTS SHARI HALLENBECK shallenbeck@jamestownadvanced.com Jamestown, NY Commercial Site amenities for campgrounds, parks, and rec areas jamestownadvanced.com KRAFTSMAN COMMERCIAL PLAYGROUNDS & WATER PARKS KRIS SODERBERG info@kppe.com Spring, TX Playgrounds, water parks, splash pads & exercise equipment kppe.com ROCKY TOP FURNITURE JOHNNY STRANGE johnny@rockytoplogfurniture.com Lancaster, KY Indoor & Outdoor Rustic Furniture, railing, custom furniture rockytopfurniture.com SMART INDUSTRY PRODUCTS JEFF LAZARUS jeff@smartindustryproducts.com Northbrook, IL Pet waste stations, store products, mattresses, trash cans smartindustryproducts.com WERTZ WERKZ MFG. HILDA WERTZ wertzwerkz@yahoo.com Bryan, TX Games/Outdoor activities, recreation wertzwerkz.net WILCOR INTERNATIONAL SUSAN CORRIGAN susanc@wilcor.net Frankfurt, NY Camping goods - outdoor wholesale supplier wilcor.net CONSULTING GORIN+COHEN CONSULTING GROUP JAYNE COHEN Meredith, NH Campground consulting gorincohenconsulting.com MERSMANN CONSULTING GROUP AMIE MERSMANN amie@mersmannconsulting.com Victor, ID Plan, design, build, pre-opening, marketing and start-up operations. A comprehensive fully integrated outdoor hospitality, park, recreational and resort firm. mersmannconsulting.com MOORE S CAMPGROUND CONSULTING JOE MOORE moorescampgroundconsulting@gmail.com Mineola, TX Professional Campground Assessment moorescampgroundconsulting.com CREDIT CARD SERVICES CLEARENT LLC RICHARD KLEIN rklein@clearent.com Card Payment Processing, Strategic Funding clearent.com ELECTRICAL B & B ELECTRICAL MATT LINNELL sales@bbelec.com Keego Harbor, MI RV pedestals and distribution equipment bbelec.com TEXEN POWER COMPANY TOM STUBBLEFIELD tstubblefield@texenpower.com Georgetown, TX Aggregator Agent for electric power / commercial electricity, save you up to 35% texenpower.com UTILITY SUPPLY GROUP WADE ELLIOT wade@go-usg.com Kingston, WA RV park utility products Go-USG.com YOUR ELECTRICAL SOLUTIONS MAGGIE LINNELL sales@yourelectricalsolutions.net Lake Orion, MI Electrical supplies for MH and RV parks yourelectricalsolutions.net FRANCHISE SERVICES KOA CHRIS FAIRLEE cfairlee@koa.net Billings, MT Franchising ownakoa.com LEISURE SYSTEMS JIM WESTOVER jwestover@leisure-systems.com Milford, OH Yogi Bear Jellystone Park Camp-Resorts jellystonefranchise.com FRONT OFFICE / ONLINE RESERVATION PROVIDER CAMPSPOT JOSH TRAXLER josh.traxler@campspot.com Grand Rapids, MI Front office / online reservations campspot.com SUMMER TACOMEMBERS.COM

11 REMEMBER TO CALL A TACO MEMBER FIRST FOR SUPPORT & SERVICES! MISSION MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEMS INC. PETER KEARNS peterk@campgroundmanager.com Software, online reservations campgroundmanager.com RESERVE AMERICA SKIP WAISNER skip.waisner@activenetwork.com Superior reservations and management software reserveamerica.com RESNEXUS LIZZIE FROISLAND Lfroisland@resnexus.com Salem, UT Management software resnexus.com RMS THE HOSPITALITY CLOUD VANESSA WALKER vw@rmsnorthamerica.com San Diego, CA Reservations systems, advertising/promotions, website services rmsnorthamerica.com INSURANCE ARK ASSURANCE CRISS SUDDUTH info@arkassurance.com Tyler, TX RV Park Insurance arkassurance.com LEAVITT RECREATION & HOSPITALITY INSURANCE MARVIN AGA , ext marvin-aga@leavitt.com Sturgis, SD Specialized Insurance for RV Parks, Campgrounds, & Resorts. #1 in the industry for over 30 years! leavitt.com/lrh/ PHILADELPHIA INSURANCE LANCE GOFF lance.goff@phly.com Addison, TX RV Park Insurance phly.com ROWLEY INSURANCE KEN ROWLEY ken@rowleyinsurance.com Austin, TX RV Park Insurance rowleyinsurance.com INTERNET MARKETING PELLAND ADVERTISING PETER PELLAND plpelland@pelland.com Haydenville, MA Website design & hosting, 4-color brochures, rack cards, ad-free site maps pelland.com TXAD INTERNET SERVICES BRADEN WALKER info@txadinternet.com Crowley, TX Website design, hosting, & marketing txadinternet.com LAUNDRY BELLS LAUNDRIES LLC STEVE BELL sbell@bellslaundries.com Laundry services. Supply equipment & service bellslaundries.com BEST WASH INC. JAMES WEST sales@bestwashinc.com Commercial Laundry Equipment, Sales, Service, Designs and more bestwashinc.com CSC SERVICE WORKS SAM SOLES ssoles@cscsw.com Corpus Christi, TX Laundry equipment for RV parks cscsw.com TEXAS LAUNDRY SERVICE COMPANY LINDA MOORE lmoore73153@yahoo.com Pasadena, TX Sales / service / parts for coin & card operated laundry equipment telscoequipment.com MANAGEMENT NEWPORT PACIFIC CAPITAL COMPANY, INC. KARRI SEEDS karri.seeds@newportpacific.com League City, TX Management and Development newportpacific.com PARK MODEL MANUFACTURER ATHENS PARK HOMES / CHAMPION HOME BUILDER DEANN AMES dames@championhomes.com Mansfield, TX Manufacturer of Park Models and RVs athensparkhomes.com PINNACLE PARK HOMES TERRI STEWART terri@pinnacleparkhomes.com Ochlocknee, GA Park model homes & cabins pinnacleparkhomes.com PLATINUM COTTAGES PENNI FEIL pfeil@platinumparkhomes.com Malakoff, TX Park model manufacturer platinumparkhomes.com SKYLINE CORPORATION TOMMY ANDES tandes@skylinehomes.com Arkansas City, KS Park model manufacturer skylinepm.com PRINTING & PUBLISHING AGS PUBLISHING MICHAEL MOORE michael@texasadvertising.net Crowley, TX Guest guides, site maps and marketing agspub.com SOUTHEAST PUBLICATIONS BRIAN MCGUINN brian@southeastpublications.com Plantation, FL Guest guides, printing & marketing southeastpublications.com PROMOTION GOOD SAM RV TRAVEL & SAVINGS GUIDE CHRISTINE DISTL cdistl@goodsam.com Oxnard, CA National Campground Directory goodsam.com ROVERPASS RAVI PARIKH ravi@roverpass.com Austin, TX Reservations systems, advertising / promotions, website services roverpass.com REAL ESTATE BAEHRE REAL ESTATE RUSSELL BAEHRE info@rvparksforsale.com Kerrville, TX RV park real estate rvparksforsale.com HORIZON RV RESORTS RANDY HENDRICKSON randy@1horizon.com Westlake Village, CA Property management, acquisitions HorizonRVResorts.com MHRE MANUFACTURED HOUSING GROUP THAO NGUYEN thao@mhreinc.com Dallas, TX mhreinc.com RV DEALER, REPAIR & SERVICE LAND N SEA DISTRIBUTION SHAUNNA BATTLES shaunna.battles@landnsea.com Houston, TX RV parts distributor landnsea.net PPL MOTOR HOMES DIANA LEBLANC diana.l@pplmotorhomes.com Houston, TX RV consignment dealer pplmotorhomes.com WIRELESS INTERNET PROVIDER TENGO INTERNET KIMBERLY CHUNG sales@tengointernet.com Austin, TX Wireless internet provider tengointernet.com BEING A TACO MEMBER HAS GREAT BENEFITS! SUMMER TACOMEMBERS.COM

12 ? Paul Croteau Utility Supply Group If you did not attend the TACO convention last April, you missed an important seminar by Utility Supply Group regarding electrical systems. It covered some of the current NEC codes, NFPA 1194 and maintenance program suggestions. Here are some excerpts from the presentation. NEC: Grounding rods shall not be required, but are allowed. All sites must have a 20 amp GFI, for new sites with a 50 amp receptacle you must also have a 30 amp receptacle. Power shall be supplied by only 1 cord. The neutral conductor on feeder wires shall not be reduced. There is a debate for 2020 code requiring 50 & 30 amp GFI circuit protection and the use of 100 amp connections. We do not see these becoming a reality. The NFPA 1194 is a guide for RV park owners covering many topics. It covers site design, electrical, water, sewer, fire suppression and many other useful topics. Industry advocates at the national & state levels continue to provide valuable information to make this a go-to resource. The booklet is available for ARVC or other online sources. If you don t have an electrical maintenance program, it would be wise to start one. Simple measures can help your system be more reliable and safe. At least once a year, inspect all electrical equipment, clean out all debris & critters, re-torque all electrical connections, repair or replace any suspect equipment immediately. Use safe practices such turning off power & tagging out while inspecting. Make sure all your panels are locked from unauthorized use. If you are uncomfortable with working around electrical, hire a licensed professional. H U WE VE GOT YOU COVERED. Jacob Poterbin & Ravi Parikh Rover Pass Courtesy of your TACO Trade Members Ask one question to improve your campground Making something better like your business can be overwhelming. You can spend all the time in the world thinking about things, building them up in your head to having one big list of to-do s. Where to start? Instead of thinking about all the things you can do, starting asking. Your Two-Minute Action Item Today: Pick out a customer who recently checked out and send them an with this Hi Bob - Thank you for staying at our campground. We like to ask our guests to provide feedback. How can we make our campground better? Thank you. Didn t get a reply? Pick another customer and copy and paste. Do that again and again. Do it a lot this week. Getting responses? Now ACT on those suggestions. You ll be surprised where just one question will take you. If you don t ask for address, start by asking this question first: What s your ? Going a step further: Depending on your service provider, you can add anywhere from people on an . Copy and paste a big list of customers in the BCC part to batch your s. Time saver! Getting a lot of responses? Create a Google Form to store the answers. If you don t know what that is.google it! Then add a few more questions to get better feedback on things you want to know more about. To keeping it simple, The RoverPass Team H SUMMER TACOMEMBERS.COM

13 Congratulations TACO Scholarship Recipient, Greg Brown II Greg recently retired from the military! He and his wife Anise have finally made it to Texas and are working very hard with opening a NEW RV Park in Mount Calm. Greg has also started a position with the Wounded Warriors along with starting up the new park. Remember to give Greg and Anise a warm welcome and congratulate Greg on his retirement & servicing our country as well as congrats on the Scholarship. PRESS RELEASE Pompano Beach, FL, April 16, 2018 Land N Sea Distributing is pleased to announce their RV & Marine Dealer Trade Show to be held October 18 19, 2018 at the South Point Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas, NV. Land N Sea Distributing, Inc., the premier wholesale distributor of marine, RV, power sports and recreational parts and accessories, is expanding their Las Vegas marine dealer show to include RV products and customers. This is the only one of their 4 marine shows that will have a RV presence. The 2017 show in Las Vegas was a test for a combined marine and RV show that was a huge success so they are further expanding RV into the Las Vegas Land N Sea Distributing takes RV Dealer Trade Show to Las Vegas show with even more RV vendors and dealers from across the country. The show will host over 300 vendor booths in over 80,000 square feet of exhibit space. This is a great opportunity for the dealers to see new products, interact with factory personnel, take advantage of the best pricing, cash spiffs and chances to win an expense paid vacation in This isn t just a trade show, it s an industry event. The cross platform of RV and marine products together allows for so many more buying opportunities for the dealer to grow their sales not only in RV but to enter in to new products categories in recreation. Coming together at a great facility with networking functions and the best pricing of the year will prove to be the dealer s best business decision and use of their time, said Tom Schuessler, President, Land N Sea Distributing. Land N Sea Distributing is based in Pompano Beach, FL with 18 Distribution Centers across the US and Canada. Dealers should contact their sales representatives for further information on the Land N Sea Dealer show. Regards, Debbie Bellantoni Events Operations & Planning Manager x2160 SUMMER TACOMEMBERS.COM

14 Guest H Guides In... Y P E R Digital Marketing, Proofing, Printing HD Social Media HD Blogging HD Podcast HD E-Newsletter HD Responsive Web Design HD National Site Listing HD SEO / Analytics HD Pay-Per-Click HD Call now to upgrade your Guest Guide to HD! D I G I T A L a division of TexasAdvertising AGSPub.com

15 The 2018 TACO Spring Meeting & Trade Show was the largest ever! 2018 Award Winners Large Park of the Year Jellystone Park Guadalupe River - Kerrville, TX Medium Park of the Year Beacon 44 RV Park - Port O Connor, TX Small Park of the Year Westgate RV Park - Poolville, TX Large Park Accommodations of the Year Jellystone Park Hill Country - Canyon Lake, TX Small Park Accommodations of the Year Katy Lake RV Resort - Katy, TX Best Marketing Materials Katy Lake RV Resort - Katy, TX Supplier of the Year Utility Supply Group - Kingston, WA Service Award Lake Conroe/Houston North KOA - Montgomery, TX Katy Lake RV Resort Small Park Accommodations of the Year & Best Marketing Materials of the Year Beacon 44 RV Park Medium Park of the Year Utility Supply Group Supplier of the Year SUMMER TACOMEMBERS.COM

16 RV Park Insurance Specialists Since TACO Vendor of the Year Rowley Insurance s long-standing commitment to be the best means that we go above and beyond the usual standards when it comes to providing competitive rates and exceptional service to our clients. Our stability means that you can rest easy when it comes to dealing with the details. There is No Substitute for Experience How long has your current insurance agent been writing RV Parks? Rowley Insurance has been writing RV Parks since 1968, longer than most other agents in the country. How many RV Parks does your agent write? Rowley Insurance writes more RV Parks in Texas than any other agent. The Independent Advantage We are an independent agent, which gives us access to more than one company, representing most of the RV Park insurance companies. As an independent agent, we can customize your insurance coverage to provide the best package to meet your needs. Major Underwriter of many TACO Events! Our professionals will be happy to provide you with a quote for your insurance coverage (with no obligation to you!) (800) (512)