Jim and Jackie Blurton:
KOA owners since 1993
Contact them!
Have you ever considered owning a business that makes sense for you, your family, your finances and your life? Perhaps a KOA Kampground could be right for you, as it has been for us!
In 1992 while living and working in Phoenix, Arizona we decided to make a
lifestyle change and escape the big city life. My husband, Jim, was an aeronautical engineer and engineering manager for a firm in Tempe and I was a graphic artist. Both were high-pressured careers. We took a decision-making, two-week vacation and with our vehicle packed with camping gear, backpacks, and mountain bikes we headed for northern Arizona, Utah and Colorado.
As we traveled through small towns we looked at the various kinds of businesses wondering what we could do to live in these places.
Outside a small town in southern Utah we saw a KOA Kampground. “We can do that”, Jim said and when we returned home we began investigating KOA as well as other unrelated campgrounds. KOA is highly rated as a franchise. They have great guest services, standards, and support for their franchisees. It was the only organization that gave us the confidence to quit our jobs and risk it all. Three months later, in January 1993, we purchased the Silver City KOA and moved to Silver City, New Mexico.
Owning a campground is a lifestyle. We’ve met wonderful people through the years and have made friends from all over the country and around the world. We’ve only looked back at our former careers to say how glad we are that we made the decision to buy our KOA. We don’t have to go to work because we’re already here. We don’t have to go home because we are. We’ve had the pleasure of working together for 15 years without being separated by different careers for most of the day. We share our day and always have lunch together.
We have our own jobs and responsibilities on the campground. Jim works mostly outdoors maintaining the grounds and facilities. What a welcome change after years behind a desk. He has the opportunity to use all his handyman skills and experience in planning projects and taking care of the campground. He enjoys having some store time too, registering and helping our campers.
The office and store is my domain. I have the pleasure of welcoming our campers and giving them information about our area. It’s fun visiting with people who are on vacation, sharing experiences and finding out what they like to do. I also train our workampers and it’s rewarding to see them become confident as they learn our campground and enjoy being with our campers.
Our store is a big part of our campground. Half the fun is going to shows for retailers once a year where we purchase products for our gift shop. Some products we restock every year but we also purchase new product lines and take the opportunity to recreate our store. The other half of the fun of our store is the compliments we get on our selection and having our campers and local people enjoy shopping with us.
Jim is the RV expert and keeps a well-stocked RV section. Our campers are impressed with our selection and we serve local customers as well.
You can’t have all work and not play. We take 2 days off a week to pursue our favorite past time, which is backpacking in the nearby Gila National Forest. Our capable staff takes care of the business for us and we have totally relaxing days off away from the business.
Over the years we’ve made improvements and additions to our KOA. We’ve made it our very own and put our own stamp on it. The rewards come through the compliments and appreciation of our campers. We’ve found so much more pride and personal satisfaction in our own business than we did working for someone else. Each day when we step out into our campground and look up at the incredibly clear blue sky, and breath in the cleanest air we know how lucky we are to have this place.
We’ve enjoyed our time here but after 15 years of ownership in our “second career”, we’re ready to retire. We put our KOA on the market through KOA, Inc. If you’re interested in this KOA you can go to
www.ownakoa.com. We are campground #148.
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