It’s nearly 11 P.M, and the park is quiet. Most campers are tucked in for the night.
A few sit outside, enjoying the cool night air while watching their campfires slowly burn down.
In the tent section, a lanky 17-year-old crawls out of a small pup tent. He stretches, then walks towards the maintenance shed. Jeff Hoffman’s next shift is starting soon.
It’s Jeff’s 3rd season working at Bayshore Campground and TT Park. The little 34-site park opened in 1968 on undeveloped land at his family’s mobile home park.
The land is adjacent to the historic Cedar Point Amusement Park in Sandusky, Ohio. Even though the amusement park had its own campground, Robert Hoffman, Jeff’s father, saw a need for more campsites in the area. And his little park met that need.
Many of their early guests camped in tents. The Recreational Vehicles (RV) that stayed there were much smaller back then and only needed 20 amps.
As the years went by and RVs progressed from 20 to 30 amps, the campground grew and adapted. By the time they added 50 amps, the RV park had grown to 500 sites.
Jeff worked a lot of different jobs in those early years. When the park opened, 14-year-old Jeff filled the ice machines and cleaned the restrooms. By age 20, he was working as an acting park manager.
After graduating college with a BS in accounting and finance, Jeff planned to work as a CPA at a large firm.
Life had other plans.
Due to a family emergency, Jeff put his job on hold to work at Mobile Home Development Corporation (MHD), his family’s company.
He only planned to be there for six months. That six months became a 40-year career.
A Front Row Seat to the RV Evolution
Jeff Hoffman has spent much of his life working in outdoor hospitality.
Seeing the success of their first RV park, MHD began purchasing and developing more RV parks across the country. In addition to campgrounds, they also developed manufactured housing parks and handled the retail sales for the parks.
Starting in the early 1980s, Jeff spent the next two decades on the road, coaching and training the managers of these parks. He also had a front-row seat to the evolution of RVs and the changes RV parks made to accommodate them.
According to Jeff, a campground is never finished. “As long as RVs continue to change, there will always be changes needed,” he said.
During his 20 years managing the family’s original campground, he converted tent sites into deluxe patio RV sites, expanded RV sites, and added cabins and park models.
Jeff was always looking for ways to improve and make the experience memorable for the guests. “We want to create good memories that bring them back and that they share with friends and family,” Jeff said.
Semi-Retired and Not Slowing Down
Over the last few years, Jeff sold all the RV and Mobile Home Parks owned by MHD.
Except one.
The park his family built on undeveloped land near the pond. The park he grew up at, working and learning the ins and outs of the RV park world — the current Sandusky/Bayshore KOA.
Jeff recently stepped down as President of MHD Corporation to start a new chapter.
Because he “can’t imagine retiring and sitting home and not working.”
Based on his years of experience coaching and training the managers of the parks owned by MHD, Jeff knows there is a need for management training in this field.
He recently started a new company, JH Consulting Solutions, to help new RV park owners with no RV management experience. “There are a lot of parks that need instructions on how to get profitable,” he said.
Jeff wants to specialize in the ‘Mom and Pop’ parks to teach them how to build, run, and manage an RV park effectively. “The people I talk to are working way too many hours, can’t afford to hire people, and have the stress of not knowing how to save up to cover their future bills,” Jeff said.
Jeff has been the board president of the Ohio Campground Owners Association for the last two years. He is also on the Board of Directors for the National Association of RV Parks and Campgrounds, where he pushes for more education in the RV field.
Jeff is also working on an education program for campground management.
First-time RV Owner
When Jeff was traveling for work, he often put in 18-hour days, seven days a week. Depending on the distance, he drove his car or traveled by plane.
When he wasn’t traveling to the parks he oversaw, he worked at the park in Sandusky. He had never ‘gone camping.’
Until now.
After retiring, Jeff bought his first camper—a Class C. He will use it to travel to RV parks for his consulting business. And he’ll be taking it on camping trips.
When asked what places he wanted to visit, he said, “All the National Parks I haven’t seen yet.”
“I have stayed at hotels in almost every major city, but I haven’t seen anything of the city,” Jeff related. “In a camper, I can see the country and experience it. That’s the advantage of camping.”
Jeff is looking forward to traveling the country, helping campground owners, and sharing his 40-plus years of boots-on-the-ground experience.
