Campground manager likes meeting new people
Joe Willard, 56, spent 18½ years as an insurance adjuster until an accident left him jobless. Neither his former career nor an education at Ricks College prepared him for his current position as area manager for the Sam Owen Campground.
Camping in his fifth-wheel trailer backed up to the north end of scenic Lake Pend Oreille from April 15 to mid-October, Willard takes no days off and earns only minimum wage. Duties range from greeting visitors to crawling into and cleaning the camp’s two sewage tanks.
The pluses of the job are his relationships with the campers, the scenery, wildlife and the satisfaction of a job well done.
Willard’s goal when taking over management four years ago of the 81-space facility was to make it a “safe and clean park.” After his first year, more than 100 letters were received praising the improvement in cleanliness. Other accolades include a rating in the top 100 of 1,700 national campgrounds by the Milepost (a travel periodical), praising the park as the “Ritz” of Forest Service campgrounds.
Sam Owen Campground is part of a network of more than 400 facilities nationwide managed by American Land and Leisure (www.americanII.com) in Orem, Utah. The company’s administrative assistant, Becca Bryant, says Willard is “really passionate and one of the people who cares the most about his area.”
Willard takes winters off to recuperate in his Newman Lake home.
What is your job title? “Area manager of the Sam Owen Campground.”
How long have you been doing this? “Four years.”
How did you choose this line of work? “I was involved in auto accident in 2001 and lost my position in the insurance business. My wife is a nurse and suggested a host job, saying they stand there and just wave at people and don’t do much. A friend told me he had seen an ad for Sam Owen Campground. I started as host, then the company offered me the manager job and I now run the whole place.”
Are you paid: (a) well; (b) more than you are worth; (c) slave wages, (d) could be better? “(d). I receive minimum wage for 58 hours, plus a camping space and utilities.”
What is the best thing about your job? “The campers and meeting new people every day. We have a very strong following – same people come back the same time each year. One very frail 91-year-old lady arrives yearly in a four-door Mercedes Benz. She says, ‘Yoo-hoo, will you help me?’ All the nearby men help set up her tent.” Willard adds that he enjoys seeing the plentiful wildlife, listing bear, deer, moose and small animals.
What is the worst thing about your job? “Cleaning the sewage treatment tanks. We have two tanks, each holding 6,012 gallons. We have to draw the tanks down to about two feet, then have to climb down inside and pick up the debris. I’m the only one who will do the cleaning. I also have to fix the aerators on the sewage lift stations.”
Do you plan on doing this job (a) until retirement; (b) until something better comes along? “It’s a year-to-year situation. I have been out of the work force some time.”
Do you have any on-the-job funny stories? “A gentleman with a brand new, expensive motor home parked and set out all three hydraulic slides. When leaving, he tried to retract the sliders, but they wouldn’t work. I have fixed refrigerators, etc., for campers, so I offered to look at it. The owner was shocked when I crawled under the Winnebago and asked him for a hammer, but he reluctantly provided one. I told him to start the motor home and I tapped on the starter for the retractor and it worked. He was the first guy who didn’t say ‘thank you,’ even though he said it would cost him a $1,000 for a service call. Another time, a 92-year-old Roller-blader in ‘full tuck’ came speeding past our trailer, with his great-grandkids blading with him.”
Any bad experiences“Every so often, you have someone with too much to drink. Two years ago I was awakened six or seven times a night to quiet people down. We’ve had diabetic shock, fingers cut off, a Jet Ski collision and an elderly lady fell and broke her ankle and fractured her knee cap.”
If there was a movie made about you and your job, what actor should play you and why? “Bill Murray – funny man, very good actor. He would keep everybody happy.”