“I can’t imagine getting this support from anybody else. Rose and Joe at App My Community have a vision, and they can see the future. They anticipate what we need.”

-Dee Antolik, App Administrator for RiverBend Motorcoach Resort in LaBelle, Florida

The Customer:

A Community of Active Motorhome Owners in Florida

RiverBend, a Class A motorcoach resort located on South Florida’s Intercoastal Waterway, boasts an active community of 315 RV lot owners who flock to the Fort Myers area’s famously warm winter climate. Here, seasonal and full-time residents enjoy the surrounding landscape while mingling with other RV owners in the community. There are three clubhouses that host a large array of popular events managed by the resort’s full-time activity director. 

From joining the local pickleball league to setting sail on bright blue waters from the resort’s private marina, RiverBend owners enjoy an abundance of opportunities to have fun in the Florida sun.

The Challenge:

Paper Sign-Up Sheets for Popular Events Proved Hard to Manage

While natural beauty and a wealth of resort amenities are no doubt major draws for RiverBend residents, what truly drives owners to return to the property year after year is the feeling of community. The resort prides itself on fostering a strong sense of togetherness, with on-site staff constantly working to design new experiences to join the lineup of fan-favorite activities.

To help further foster this community spirit, in 2019, RiverBend began working with App My Community to load information on resort happenings onto an app that would serve as a convenient directory for residents. Having easy access to details on everything from bunco tournaments to Taco Tuesday events made the app an instant hit, and lot owners eagerly joined in on the resort’s varied activities. 

However, the overwhelming demand for some events caused frustration among participants, who found themselves racing to secure their spot using activity sign-up sheets posted on bulletin boards in the community. Residents who couldn’t act quickly enough often missed out, especially when it came to high-demand seasonal events like the annual Valentine’s Day dinner.

With the inequitable and chaotic signup process for events proving hard to manage, Dee Antolik, the app administrator for RiverBend, turned to App My Community to find a solution.

The Solution:

A More Organized and Streamlined App-Based Sign-Up Process

To save staff the headache of handling disorganized paper signup sheets, App My Community helped RiverBend move to an online system for event registrations. Switching this process to the app also made it more seamless for residents, who could now easily track their registration status as well as their spot on the waiting list for limited-availability options, like on-site trailer storage.

“Registration on the app is date and time stamped,” explained Dee. “The minute you hit that button to register for a trailer spot it tells me that you came in on April 30th at 2 p.m. And this is where you fall on the waitlist now.”

The time reporting feature has helped RiverBend staff stay organized, and it avoids confusion among residents about their eligibility for in-demand events and amenities at the resort. For Dee, the features provided by App My Community have proved invaluable. “It has been a lifesaver,” she said. “Every event this year ran through the app.”

The Results:

A Seamless and Consistent System That’s Beloved by Residents

Today, RiverBend’s app has replaced nearly all its previously existing systems, offering efficiency, organization, and consistency for residents and staff. Lot owners no longer have to scour through email spam folders to find overlooked messages or race to beat neighbors to posted signup sheets. Instead, the app offers a seamless and streamlined way to push timely communications and ensure that everyone on the property sees them.

The adoption of the app among lot owners has been widespread, with nearly everyone using it to stay up to date on current happenings. Feedback has also been overwhelmingly positive. “I think based on the technology today, the app is a no-brainer for most people,” said Dee. “It doesn’t take any thought. It’s very intuitive.”

This success led Dee to turn to Joe and Rose Duemig, the creators of App My Community, to brainstorm even more helpful features to add to RiverBend’s app, and she found their response time to be unmatched.

“I don’t think those two sleep,” said Dee. “I really don’t. Because they answer all my questions within a few hours.”

The Future:

A Continued Effort to Eliminate Inefficiencies Using App My Community

Looking ahead, Dee is working with Joe and Rose to add an online payment feature to the RiverBend app, which will eliminate the need for staff to manually process event payments on-site. This payment feature also offers reporting capabilities that make it easy to generate a list of everyone who’s paid for an event, further streamlining operational processes.

Finding these app-based efficiencies is a driving force for Dee and RiverBend’s continued relationship with App My Community. Up next is moving the resort’s unwieldy seasonal mail forwarding address list onto the app.

“We lose so much time for inefficiency in the office handling the forwarding process manually,” explained Dee. “But with the app, we’re going to get out of the mess we’re in today.”

Beyond decluttering mail forwarding lists and implementing an online payment system, Dee is looking to App My Community as the solution to many needs voiced by RiverBend lot owners. Residents can even report problems and make requests via the app. But no matter what questions come her way, she’s sure that Joe and Rose will help her find the answer.

“They are super,” Dee said. “I just love their dynamics. I love how they work and how quick they are to help people. Talking to them is always like, ‘That’s a great idea. Let me see if we can figure out how to make that happen.’ It’s very impressive.”

“When I call Joe and Rose at App My Community, they answer. They find answers for me. They push for solutions. They’re open to suggestions and they’re very responsive.”

The Customer:

A Bustling Midwestern Campground Overflowing with Amenities

Located an hour south of Minneapolis, Kamp Dels in Waterville, Minnesota, offers RV, tent, and cabin camping in an idyllic waterfront setting. Boasting an on-site waterpark, mini golf, a petting zoo, boat rentals, playgrounds, and more, this family-friendly campground is packed with amenities that attract excited travelers to an off-the-beaten-path getaway as soon as the winter snow melts each season.

The Challenge:

Staying Up to Date with Communicating Ever-Changing Offerings

With so many activities on tap at the campground, Kamp Dels’ staff was frequently facing questions about everything from firewood pricing to the operating schedule for the trams running through the resort. Keeping up with communicating with guests via paper printouts was becoming cumbersome as the ever-changing information on available offerings required frequent re-prints of paper materials that were time-consuming and costly to create.

A family-owned business, Kamp Dels had grown over its more than 60 years in operation, and by 2018 the current owner, Grant Pope, was ready to make a change. He wanted a tech-forward solution that would make it easier for guests to get accurate, up-to-date information, while also streamlining the back-end process of communicating offerings promptly.

“It was important for us to unify the branding aspect of it, and not have five different places for people to be able to go to do things,” Grant explained. “We wanted a hub that unified the brand and we felt that a mobile app could do that for us. It could be that center-point hub that people could use on their phone and get access to all the things they needed.”

The Solution:

A Customized App that was Easy to Use and Easy to Update 

One busy Labor Day weekend, Grant was approached by Rose and Joe Duemig, the founders of App My Community, who offered Kamp Dels a solution to their problems. Together, they talked about the features the campground needed and worked to create a customized app that allowed Grant and his staff to better communicate with guests.

Rose and Joe also helped create a new “time booking” feature for the Kamp Dels app that allowed guests to reserve items such as watercraft in advance, helping to streamline the equipment rental process on-site.

“That was the deciding factor for us, their willingness to tailor toward our needs,” Grant said. “We talked about these items that we really wanted to see, and we didn’t even know what the solution was necessarily … but it was the push for them to say, ‘This is something we got to figure out.’ So, they dove in, and they did all the heavy lifting and figured it out, came back with some possible solutions, and we talked through it, and made some tweaks and changes. And now we still use the same thing today.”

The App My Community mobile app for Kamp Dels is now in its fifth year of operation. It now includes everything from restaurant menus to real-time updates on guest charges and their current balance.

“The biggest benefit is the transparency of information,” said Grant. “It’s key for us. Getting that information in front of our customers that they’re looking for in a timely manner in a way that’s easy for them to find—that’s what this has provided.”

The Results:

90% of Kamp Dels Guests Download and Use the App

When it comes to the effectiveness of the solution provided by App My Community, Grant said, “I think the downloads of the app speak for themselves.”

Today, about 90 percent of the visitors to Kamp Dels download the app, which Grant promotes in pre-arrival emails to guests, as well as via on-site signage.

“It’s giving people the information that they need at their convenience,” he explained. “So, you don’t have to come to the office to get a printout. It’s perfect for when you’re sitting around your fire at night, and you want to read up on tomorrow’s activities. It brings convenience to the customer, and it allows us to get that transparent information across to them so that they are fully aware of what to expect.”

Having access to this information not only helps the customer but also helps Grant’s staff, who can now spend less time fielding questions from guests and instead direct them to an easy-to-access source for this detailed information.

Importantly, Grant also feels that his partnership with App My Community has allowed Kamp Dels to stay competitive in the rapidly growing campground market by offering technology and resources that reflect the modern era.

“We like to lead the industry,” Grant said. “We want to stay at the top and push for things that maybe not everybody has or are as new and relevant. It’s a never-ending quest.”

The Future:

A Continued Partnership That’s Centered Around Problem Solving

When asked why Grant chose App My Community, his answer was simple: “I think the reason that we use At My Community is honestly the people, Rose and Joe. Those guys are the reason that I’m still there.”

He continued, “They’re great to work with. They listen. They answer your support calls. You feel that they care and that they’re committed to doing the things needed to make their customers’ experience good.”

Looking to the future, Grant is eager to keep collaborating with App My Community to continue evolving Kamp Dels’ app and rolling out new features as needed. While he believes the app itself has helped solve many of their communication problems, what he’s truly most grateful for is the hard work that Rose and Joe have put into working with him to craft innovative solutions to his campground’s ever-growing needs. As he said, “The product is great, but it really comes down to the people.”

“I swear [the App My Community team] must live on the computer because anytime you have an issue, they literally answer within minutes. I’ve never had to wait. They’re super, super helpful.”

The Customer: 

A Northern Michigan Campground That Comes Alive Each Summer

Each spring, campers arrive at Northern Michigan’s Starlight Campground to enjoy magnificent sunsets and star-filled night skies at the property’s well-kept facilities. Families gather for themed weekends throughout the summer, celebrating everything from the legend of Bigfoot to Christmas in July. Beyond the carefully planned events, the campground offers fun-filled activities including pickleball, swimming, hiking, volleyball, disc golf, RC car racing, and more.

Boasting easy access to Lake Michigan’s magnificent beaches, as well as charming small towns and lively annual festivals, Starlight Campground is a popular choice for those seeking the ultimate family-friendly getaway.

The Challenge: 

The Campground’s Existing App Lacked Needed Features

With so many activities on tap, Starlight understood the importance of having an app that allows visitors to easily find important information about the campground. However, after using the services provided by an App My Community competitor, Samantha Byrne, Starlight’s owner, was left feeling underwhelmed as the app lacked many of the features she needed.

In 2020, Samantha saw an app designed by App My Community and was immediately impressed. “I liked the overall look of the app better, so I started checking out what [App My Community] had to offer, and they had more of what we were looking for,” she said.

Samantha reached out to Joe and Rose Duemig, owners of App My Community, to learn more about the company.

“After I talked to Rose, it was a done deal,” Samantha said. “She’s just amazing. We made the conversion [to App My Community] partly because she was so great and so helpful. Rose and Joe are such great people, and as soon as I met them, I could see that they had so many things in place for the future.”

The Solution: 

A Digital Option for On-Site Ordering, Event Reservations, and Mobile Checkout

By switching to App My Community, Starlight Campground was able to better serve the needs of its guests. Campers can now use the app to order firewood and ice during store hours and have it delivered directly to their campsite. Best of all, Starlight can turn off ordering capabilities once the store is closed for the day, a feature the previous app didn’t offer. This prevents campers from placing a late-night order that can’t be fulfilled promptly, and automating orders through the app frees up time for the front desk staff.

The app also automates other camp processes, such as signups for events, and billing for on-site purchases is seamlessly added to campers’ online accounts. Starlight guests are also able to easily check out via the app at the end of their stay, further cutting down on lines and foot traffic through the campground’s office.

These features benefit both Starlight staff and campers, who are encouraged to download the app via pre-arrival emails and signage at the check-in desk.

“I really push the fact that if there’s an emergency or information we need to get to campers, it’s going to pop right up on the app, so it’s a really good idea to have it,” said Samantha. “And once people stay here and see all our activities they want the app because they can see activity schedules and sign up.”

The Results: 

Promoting Themed Weekends in the App Caused Bookings to Soar 

According to Samantha, the reaction to the app has been overwhelmingly positive. “I’d say 90 percent of the people here use it,” she said. “People love it, they find it super helpful.”

Beyond offering efficiencies for staff and higher guest satisfaction, the app also helps drive increased interest in Starlight’s numerous themed weekends. As a campground owner, Samantha believes this benefit offsets the cost of having an app, making it a must-have feature for her property.

“There are times when I’m trying to budget for the season, and the app is one thing that I always keep,” she said. “Even though it’s not something that makes us money, it’s the one expense that we wouldn’t take away because the value is in bringing guests back and keeping them engaged.” 

Samantha says that guests start checking Starlight’s app in January every year just to see what the upcoming summer’s themed weekends will be. “It’s probably part of the reason our themed weekends have gotten as big as they are today, because everybody can see what’s going on in the app for the whole season,” she said. “And now we actually have people that book specifically for a particular theme weekend, and I’m sure the app has played a big part in that.”

The Future: 

Off-Season Engagement Activities That Help Drive Return Visitation

Thanks to the success of promoting themed weekends well in advance, Samantha spends her time during the off-season, when the campground is closed, updating the app to reflect events and activities coming in the year ahead. However, because the campground is a seasonal business, the App My Community team recently suggested that Starlight add new features that can be used by guests during the gloomy winter months.

“One of the things we started doing during the off-season is trivia, as well as offer gifts or discounts if they complete activities on the app,” said Samantha. “This keeps them engaged with the campground, even when we’re closed.”

Innovative ideas like this, which help keep Starlight guests dreaming about their next camping trip, are just one of the reasons why Samantha loves working with the team at App My Community. Moving forward, she knows that Joe and Rose will always be there to offer a solution for any need her campground may have.

“Usually anything I think of that I want for the app, it’s something they already offer,” she said. “I just have to ask and they respond, ‘Oh yeah, we can do that.’”

“[App My Community] has definitely helped our business and I would totally recommend them to anybody else that has a campground with this sort of customer base.”

The Customer: 

A Family-Owned Lakefront Campground with Loyal Seasonal Residents

Nestled on the shores of Ontario’s Wollaston Lake, Red Eagle Family Campground promotes a family-friendly atmosphere for its seasonal residents. Boasting a picture-perfect sandy beach, swimming raft, water trampoline, and water slide, this summertime retreat offers endless hours of recreational fun, including themed activities like beach volleyball, horseshoe tournaments, relay races, and more.

Home to community hiking and biking trails and located just a short drive from scenic waterfalls and epic ATVing, this family-owned campground attracts vacationers of all ages. 

The Challenge: 

Managing Paper-Based Forms was an Overwhelming Chore

Loyal seasonal residents return to Red Eagle Family Campground each year, and they are required to sign a new seasonal agreement prior to the camping season. Previously, campers completed physical forms for a variety of campsite services, including repairs and RV winterization requests. Each of these needs required filling out a printed contract or form, which was then managed by front desk staff, who served as middlemen for everything from work orders to propane purchases.

Keeping track of these forms and routing requests to the correct staff members for resolution was a cumbersome task. “If a customer wanted some work done at their campsite, they’d have to go down to our store and fill out a form,” said Brittany Plue, Red Eagle co-owner. “Then it would come back to the office, and we’d have to direct it to the staff to complete that task. Sometimes it felt like there’d be a little bit of ‘broken telephone’ with things not getting communicated.” 

The Solution: 

An App-Based Request Process that Eliminated the Middleman

In early 2020, the campground’s owners met Rose Duemig, co-owner of App My Community, at a local conference. The Red Eagle team immediately saw the potential to streamline their process by making their forms available via an app, saving the campground staff a lot of wasted time and frustration. 

“Now, we get [campers] to fill out the work order form right on the app,” said Brittany. “We have it set up so it goes directly to our maintenance [team], so they get it right to their phone. There’s no middleman anymore. It’s really helped cut out having misplaced papers, and now we can just quickly pull it up through the app and see if a task is done.”

Brittany said the onboarding process for managing the app was seamless, thanks to the team at App My Community.

“Rose had a bunch of great learning opportunities,” she said. “Different tools, question and answer sessions, and videos on how to start things up. She’s been great if we have any oddball questions here and there, and she gets back to us right away with how to troubleshoot and fix any issues we might be having.”

App My Community has made maintaining the app so simple that Brittany has been able to easily train her staff on the process, freeing up time for her to focus on other aspects of managing Red Eagle. She explained, “They put out a lot of helpful information and training tools, so if I have a different staff member working on the app, it’s easy for me to get them up and running on how to use it.”

The Results: 

Gained Efficiencies Improved Operations and Communication

In addition to providing a more streamlined process for submitting and managing Red Eagle’s many forms, the app has provided a myriad of communications solutions for the campground.

“It’s helped with notifications,” said Brittany. “If we’ve had an unexpected water leak and we need to quickly shut the water off to the campground, we can send out a notification right away. Before we didn’t really have a great way of communicating to the entire park. So, it’s helped with better communication to all of our customers.” 

She added, “It’s also given them a resource that if they see something, like a tree falling down or a bathroom needing toilet paper, they can report it as an issue. This also goes directly to our maintenance team, and we know about it within seconds. There’s a lot of efficiencies.”

The app has been extremely effective, with user engagement growing each year. Brittany said that paper forms remain available; however, they are now rarely used, as residents prefer the app-based system, which has become essential to the business. “It’s increased the efficiency of how information gets to us and gets to our customers so much that I think there would be a major disconnect if we no longer used the app,” Brittany said.

The Future: 

An Easy Way to Source User-Generated Marketing Content

In addition to using the app as a digital solution for campground forms and widespread communications, Red Eagle recently began utilizing it as a marketing tool.

“Being able to submit photos through the app is a newer feature that our customers really seem to like, and we find efficient too,” Brittany said. “We’re mostly using it for marketing content. We have a photo contest through the app that people can submit photos for us to use on social media because some of our customers get way better photos than we can get ourselves.”

Whether Red Eagle is looking for a solution to an existing problem, or seeking new ideas to help them grow, Brittany said she can count on the team at App My Community to serve as a critical thought partner that is always there to dream up new app functionalities that meet the campground’s needs.

“They’ve been great,” she said. “If we ask a question, they’re pretty quick to get back to us. Sometimes there’s already a functionality that we haven’t been taking advantage of that could meet our needs, and they’ve always got something that’s in the works. App My Community has been great at keeping that open communication and being willing to work with us on what our needs are.”

“People, businesses, and the users love [the app]. I like how you can make it your own and customize it how you want it.”

The Customer: 

An Active Chamber of Commerce in Small-Town South Dakota

Madison, South Dakota, is a small town surrounded by natural beauty. Here, visitors can find shopping, lodging, dining, and outdoor recreation, while residents enjoy a bevy of community events organized by the Greater Madison Area Chamber of Commerce. The chamber works to provide fun activities and engaging opportunities for community members to come together, while also supporting local businesses. 

From planning networking events to organizing vibrant festivals promoting the arts and local culinary scene, the members of Madison’s Chamber of Commerce are constantly looking for new ways to give back to the community.

The Challenge: 

Skyrocketing Printing Costs Meant Visitor Guides Were Often Out of Date 

One of the chamber’s responsibilities was creating and printing a visitor guide for travelers. Assembling the guide was a lengthy process, and keeping it up to date was a never-ending challenge.

“Traditionally, we had been printing a visitor guide, and we found that the cost of printing was skyrocketing,” said Eric Hortness, Executive Director for the Greater Madison Area Chamber of Commerce. “Less and less of those visitor guides were getting picked up, dispersed, and requested. It took a lot of time for our office to put that together every year, and as soon as it was printed, it was out of date.”

Eric knew the chamber needed to find a better way to manage its time and money, so in 2021 he began searching for digital resources that could help streamline their process. That’s when he found App My Community.

“I figured that there’s got to be a better option,” he said. “So, we did some investigating and came up with a few different companies to look at. After seeing the demos, [App My Community] is the one that we settled on that met our needs.”

The Solution: 

An Easy-to-Update Digital Replacement with High Engagement Possibilities

The Madison Chamber quickly began discussions with Rose and Joe Duemig, owners of App My Community, about launching an app to replace the town’s printed visitor guide.

“We liked the flexibility, and the ability to make the app our own,” Eric said. “Talking with Rose and Joe was great. If we had suggestions, they were willing to take a look and see if it’s something they could incorporate into our app.”

The chamber placed a QR code to download the app where the visitor guide used to sit. Soon the app completely replaced the need for a printed guide as tourists began using the new technology to find the community map and other helpful information.

The chamber also encourages residents to download the app and engage with it in unique ways. App My Community created a voting feature for the app that the town uses for its annual Burger Brawl event, which pits local eateries against each other in a battle for the best hamburger.

“All the voting is done through the app,” said Eric. “So, people have to have the app downloaded to be able to vote. And we always see an increase in app downloads in the month of May because of that.”

The town also uses App My Community’s scavenger hunt feature for its six-week summer concert series. “We had about 20 different things that people could find each week, take a picture, and then upload it into the app,” Eric said. “There were different prizes for people who completed these activities. So, we really try to push everything that we do to the app.”

The Results: 

Ad Revenue Generated From the App Made It a Winning Proposition

Eric says the app has been a huge hit: “The people and businesses that use it love it.”

Because downloads for the app have been so strong, businesses in the area have embraced using it as a marketing tool. Many local establishments pay for enhanced listings, banner ads, and splash screens on the Madison app, allowing the chamber to benefit financially from their partnership with App My Community.

“Our printed guide was a revenue generator for us,” Eric stated. “But when you factored in the amount of time and other costs, it was a losing proposition… Now with the app, it’s a revenue generator. We make money on it; it’s profitable.”

The Future: 

Potential AI Enhancements Help Provide Even More Possibilities

Now, the chamber is looking into new ways the app can make money for the town of Madison, like digital coupon books and gift cards for local businesses. As the chamber considers the future, it knows it can count on the team at App My Community to serve as thought partners who are always there to help.

“It’s a quick turnaround time,” Eric said. “If we need something, then it’s done. It gets taken care of pretty quickly.”

Eric said that Rose and Joe from App My Community are also proactive in coming up with new ideas to help the app grow. Recently the team began using AI images to help promote events, such as the annual Burger Brawl, which has opened up even more possibilities for the years ahead.

“Joe created some AI pictures to put inside the app that we used,” said Eric. “It’s great because we always said we’ll try anything, and I feel like they’re really responsive to our needs.”

“The analytics are fantastic. I can see quantifiable numbers and know how many people are being driven to our information on the app.”

The Customer:

A Canadian Chamber of Commerce Working to Support Economic Development

In Alberta, Canada, situated between the towns of Calgary and Edmonton, is the riverfront town of Rocky Mountain House. Here, the local chamber of commerce, Rocky Chamber, is made up of businesspeople and merchants working together to promote business and continued growth in the community. 

Boasting more than 250 members, Rocky Chamber acts as a representative for changes to legislation that affects local business and focuses on initiatives that encourage economic development.

From working to support small-town grocery stores and toy shops to family-owned restaurants and clothing boutiques, the dedicated members of Rocky Chamber strive to help this charming region thrive.

The Challenge:

Local Businesses Struggled to Maintain Awareness During the Pandemic

Like many tourism destinations, the businesses supported by Rocky Chamber were significantly impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic.

“In 2020, when restrictions were imposed, we witnessed highway businesses, grocery stores, fast food restaurants, gas stations, and liquor and cannabis stores prosper while our local downtown shops struggled to keep their doors open,” Michelle Meatheringham, executive director of Rocky Chamber said. “We worked to share business info, and pick-up and delivery options with potential customers, but it wasn’t enough.”

With so much uncertainty surrounding safety precautions, and tourism throughout the world stalling, people traveling through the area weren’t venturing off the highway and into town. Furthermore, locals were unsure about which businesses were operating during this time. The printed guides that Rocky Chamber normally gave out to residents quickly became out of date, and with the tourism office closed there was no way to easily share this information with travelers.

The impact on the region was profound, and as the pandemic wore on, businesses struggled to stay afloat. 

“The Chamber prints an annual directory with residential and business listings,” Michelle said. “It was recognized that a digital option would be needed in the near future. App My Community presented this opportunity.”

The Solution:

A Digital Resource That Served Town Merchants and Visitors Alike

In February 2021, with the area still reeling from a downturn in business, Rocky Chamber was introduced to Joe and Rose Duemig, creators of App My Community. Seeing the potential that could come from App My Community’s digital solutions, a community organization brought a proposal before Rocky Chamber with a request to review and move ahead with the app creation project.

“As a nonprofit governed by a board of directors, it can be tough to make exciting changes quickly,” said Michelle. “Deciding to sign on with App My Community was the exception. Within a week the Rocky Chamber board of directors decided to move forward with App My Community.”

The primary focus of the app is to be a resource for community members and tourists. “The app is an incredible asset for our area because it encompasses all of the different attractions and commerce to people who live in our community, or are visiting, to easily find everything our region has to offer,” said Michelle.

The Rocky Chamber app allows local businesses to have an easy-to-access tool for self-promotion. As Michelle said, “The goal is for businesses and citizens to use this tool to become ambassadors for our beautiful backyard. We work to provide our neighbors and visitors the best experience they can have in our beautiful region.”

The Results:

Strong App Downloads Combined with Advertising Opportunities Helped Business Bounced Back

The Rocky Mountain app was an instant hit. “The downloads were incredible,” said Michelle.

App My Community’s analytics helped Rocky Chamber to see the venture’s success in real time. With stats showing that locals and visitors were quickly turning to the app for information, the Chamber met with businesses in the area and encouraged them to purchase an advertising package that allowed for increased visibility in the app.

“Our advertising packages are at an extremely reasonable rate,” said Michelle. “We take it to a business and say, ‘Do you want an advertising package on this? Because the analytics behind it are fantastic.’ I can tell them in quantifiable numbers, here’s how many people are being driven to your information if you promote on the app. And those are strong numbers to give them.”

One merchant in particular, a thrift store called Little House of Hopes, said they’ve received an influx of patrons who learned about the business via the app. Other app elements, such as the “Events” and “Play” sections, have also performed well, helping to increase engagement and awareness of community events.

“We are so grateful to Joe and Rose,” said Michelle. “When we first started, we could see the potential opportunity building, and it was just very, very exciting. We could not have been more impressed with their product and customer service. Rose, Joe, and their team have been incredible to work with, very responsive to questions, and always help to make an initiative work.”

The Future:

Pre-Planned Weekend Itineraries Help Extend Visitation to the Area

Now that the region’s commerce has stabilized and tourism has rebounded, Rocky Mountain is hoping to use the app to extend visitors’ stays.

“Our tourism committee has created itineraries for travelers to our area,” Michelle said. “One of the things that I want to do this year is get these up on the app. So, for example, if you’re coming for the Fat Tire Festival, why don’t you start with the pancake breakfast and then head out to this? My idea is to make an agenda for the day. I believe in collaboration and encouraging visitors to spread their dollars throughout the area.”

Rocky Chamber’s shift from focusing merely on keeping businesses aloft during a trying time to brainstorming ways to help further guest spending in the region is a true testament to how far the Rocky Mountain House area has come since 2020. For local merchants, this turnaround has been critical, and Michelle is thankful for the role that Joe and Rose of App My Community have played in the Chamber’s success.

“Nobody ever says anything but glowing things about Joe and Rose,” Michelle said. “So, I know they’re helping a lot of people keep their business afloat. For us, I know we would’ve made it through. I really do believe that. But this helped us. We wouldn’t have made it through as well as we did without the app.”

“The [App My Community team] has a lot of clarity and creativity. They speak very clearly and they’re able to communicate how the app really works best for people. They really understand their customer.”

The Customer: 

A Thriving, Dynamic Business Association in Sun-Soaked Arizona

Visitors are drawn to Fountain Hills, an Arizona town located northeast of Phoenix, to enjoy the region’s sunny climate, premiere hiking and biking trails, and impressive fountain, which was once the tallest in the world. The Fountain Hills Chamber of Commerce serves as the voice of community businesses, working to maintain and improve the town’s economic environment.

From launching compelling marketing campaigns to playing host to popular annual festivals, chamber members are always looking for innovative ways to support the success of town merchants.

The Challenge: 

A Years-Long Search for a Digital Tool that Was Easy to Maintain

The Fountain Hills Chamber of Commerce prides itself on the breadth of community activities available to residents and visitors. Managing this ever-growing list of events in the area was a never-ending task, and chamber members used an association management software called Chambermaster to stay organized.

But, while Chambermaster helped with many aspects of event planning, chamber members yearned for an app that would allow them to better promote these activities to those in the region. This presented a problem: Building a new app would mean they’d need to manually copy the event information in Chambermaster over, creating a time-consuming and frustrating duplication of work.

For years, the chamber searched for a more seamless option, before finally discovering App My Community in early 2023.

“Our CEO had been looking for an app for about five years, but we were never satisfied with what we saw,” said Tammy Bell, vice president of the Fountain Hills Chamber of Commerce. “Then, one of us happened upon somebody using App My Community and we were impressed. So, we just started looking into it and as soon as we met [the App My Community team], we were hooked. This is what we’ve been looking for.” 

The Solution: 

An App that Seamlessly Integrated with Existing Systems

Fountain Hills worked with App My Community to build an app for the town that effortlessly synced with the event information they stored in Chambermaster, saving the chamber countless hours of extra work. Throughout the development process, Tammy said that working with Rose and Joe Duemig, owners of App My Community, was a breeze.

“Rose and Joe are super easy to work with,” said Tammy. “You know they’re going to be there and help you through it and manage it. They explained everything so well. They’re responsive, and the financial commitment was reasonable for us.”

To launch the app, the chamber sponsored a public art feature in Fountain Park, where they placed a QR code that directed people to the app. Meanwhile, local restaurants promoted it by placing QR codes on their tables. As Tammy said, “Everyone’s pretty proud of it.”

Today, the app is used for everything from voting for winners of local awards to providing parents with up-to-date public-school calendars.

“It’s been so, so helpful for a lot of people,” said Tammy. “Just having that convenience for people, and the accuracy of it, to be able to find just what they’re looking for. We try to incorporate everything that’s going on in the community, and people get really excited because the information is right at their fingertips.”

The Results: 

Widespread Exposure Has Put Fountain Hills Businesses on the Map

Beyond offering strong community engagement, the Fountain Hills Chamber considers the app to be an essential marketing tool for tourism. Downloads of the app soar during the town’s twice-annual art festival, where a digital guide has replaced a cumbersome and costly system of printed binders the chamber used previously. The town’s visitor center also encourages travelers to use the app for wayfinding.

“The best part is when we’re engaging with people,” Tammy said. “People come in for trail maps and we direct them to the app. It’s great to see how excited people get. They’re like, ‘Oh my gosh, that is so convenient. I want that.’”

Importantly, the success of the app has helped generate interest in local businesses, which are now easier than ever to locate, with some establishments gaining even more app exposure via banner ads and splash pages.

“Our members benefit,” Tammy said. “It’s the first community app that we’ve had in Fountain Hills, and we utilize it to put us on the map. We have thousands of people who come to our festivals from out of state, and so it gets our businesses’ names out there and recognized by a lot of people. We’re happy with that.”

The Future: 

A Creative Mindset that Breeds an Endless Array of Possibilities

When it comes to the future, Tammy said the Fountain Hills Chamber is always working with Rose and Joe at App My Community to find even more ways to utilize the app for the betterment of the community.

“We’ve been using [the app] for a year or so, but we’re still adding different things,” she said. “We had our gala a couple of weeks ago. I called Joe and he showed me how to do an online seating chart, and it was a huge success. Typically, we have five staff members at check-in for the gala, but the app saved us so much time that we were able to enjoy just greeting people instead of frantically trying to help them find their tables.”

She added, “It seems like every time we have another event, we’re calling Joe to see how we can use the app for it. And he comes up with the next best thing. It’s great.”

Next, the chamber is looking into ways to use the app for donations and additional engagement activities, like scavenger hunts. Tammy also attends regular training sessions hosted by the App My Community team, where she continues to get new ideas for how best to utilize their digital tools.

“They’re so creative,” she said. “They come up with all these ideas on how to use the app, and I’m sure they’ll continue to think of all different ways to use it in the future. They’re just so fantastic. So responsive. So kind. So easy to work with and helpful.”

“Rose and Joe are very easy to work with. They’re extremely professional and extremely knowledgeable.”

The Customer:

A Colorado Chamber of Commerce Focused on Building the Local Economy

Evergreen, Colorado, is an idyllic mountain community, located just west of Denver, at an elevation of 7,200 feet. Tourists are drawn to the area’s parks, art galleries, restaurants, entertainment, and outdoor activities all year long.

The Evergreen Area Chamber of Commerce has worked for 50 years to provide local business recommendations and community information. Chamber members are driven by a mission to grow the local economy by building business and relationships, promoting the community, and representing local concerns with county government.

The Challenge:

A Lack of Funding Meant the Chamber Was Often Closed During Tourist Seasons

Evergreen is an unincorporated area and, as such, the community’s chamber of commerce doesn’t receive any county funding. Despite working with limited resources, the chamber boasts an impressive list of accomplishments, including hosting numerous popular annual events that help local businesses to thrive. The chamber’s physical office features printed guides promoting local merchants and tour operators; however, this office operates with short daytime hours and is closed on weekends, limiting its ability to interact with visitors during peak travel periods.

In 2022, Nancy Judge, president and CEO of Evergreen Area Chamber of Commerce, attended a conference where she met a representative from App My Community, and she immediately saw the opportunities the app could provide. As she said, it “spurred the idea that this would be a great way to help our visitors who come into the community when we, the chamber, aren’t in the office. We saw App My Community as a great way to meet a need that we had, and I also saw the value in it for just our community as a whole.”

The Solution:

An Easy-to-Access App That Provides Community Information 24/7

Nancy worked with App My Community to build an app for Evergreen that would allow visitors to easily access information about local businesses. However, she quickly realized that the app could serve additional purposes.

“What spoke to me initially was the ability to address the needs of tourists, but it also served the needs of the people who live in our community,” she said. “Not every business is tourist oriented, and not everyone who uses [the app] is a tourist. But we could meet both ends of the spectrum through this one tool.”

The app now includes everything from voting for local business awards and community-centric scavenger hunts to relaying important information to visitors coming to the area for special events.

“We’ve expanded, and we’ve run some events through [the app],” Nancy said. “We run voting for our annual Taste of Evergreen event, and we’ve also expanded to all sorts of community events.” One example is the town’s Father’s Day weekend rodeo, where parking can be a challenge. “There are a lot of people who come up for the rodeo that don’t live in our community,” said Nancy, “so they text everyone who purchased tickets to let them know that parking information is available on the app.”

The Results:

A Steady Uptick in Usage of the App Makes it a Cost-Effective Marketing Tool

Having an easy way to effectively communicate with locals as well as those less familiar with the area has made Evergreen’s app a hit with this small community. The app currently has 4,000 users and the chamber continues to see a steady increase in app downloads.

“When we have an event, we definitely see a bump in the downloads,” said Nancy. “But we also have a pretty consistent bump almost every day. I know that comes from people coming into the community and wanting to learn more.”

With a growing group of active, engaged users on the app, community businesses have been inspired to work with Evergreen’s Chamber of Commerce to promote the app and expand its offerings.

“The [businesses] that are using [the app] have said that they love it,” said Nancy. “They promote it in their business. One of the businesses downtown has a really big window cling that’s going up before summer tourism hits. They’re all onboard and they’re willing to help me grow it even more.”

The Future:

A Continued Revenue Source That Doesn’t Rely on Member Dues

The app has already begun to provide the Evergreen Area Chamber of Commerce with a new source of income that isn’t reliant on membership dues. Moving forward, Nancy sees a lot of opportunities to further increase the revenue coming from the app.

“We’re not yet to the point where we’re making money on it, but I do believe there’s that possibility,” she said. “We’ve got splash screens that [local businesses] can purchase for a month at a time, banner ads, and upgraded listings where businesses can add pictures, a video, or other buttons.”

Nancy said she’s in the process of hiring another staff member to help work with local businesses to showcase all of the features that the Evergreen app can offer and how an upgraded listing can help increase traffic. She hopes this will make the app an even better resource while also bringing in additional revenue.

“The businesses that have been using [the app] as a marketing tool have been very happy with it and have an upgraded listing as a result,” Nancy said. “And we’re starting to do some additional tourism marketing, so we’re going to use the app as the tool that people can download for information.”

Nancy said she also attends quarterly calls hosted by App My Community about best practices from the other communities it supports. She sees a lot of growth potential in Evergreen’s future. She knows that no matter what features she hopes to add to the app in the years ahead, the App My Community team will be there to help her achieve her goals. “I think the customer service is top notch,” she said. “I appreciate all that they offer and the support that they give.”

“If you have a concern, the App My Community team handles it quickly. And if they don’t have a fix for it, they’ll keep you updated on their process of how they’re going to fix it. That’s been really reassuring.”

The Customer:

A Sizable Oceanfront Campground Situated in a Vacation Hotspot

Sandy beaches and award-winning golf courses lure visitors to sunny Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Lakewood Family Camping is a massive, family-friendly resort offering a half mile of beach, a sizable water park, two pools, a mini-golf course, sports venues, pedal boats, kayaks, and more. 

The campground’s location offers easy access to popular local attractions, but with nearly 300 acres of property to explore, including 1,043 campsites, RV and vacation home rentals, and numerous on-site dining options, Lakewood vacationers don’t need to leave this oasis to enjoy the ultimate family getaway.

The Challenge:

Printed Communications Were Costly and Quickly Outdated

With thousands of travelers staying at the campground at any given time, Lakewood employees spent much of their time communicating with guests. When checking into the property, visitors received a printed guide, called “Lakewood Life,” containing activity sheets detailing current happenings. This guide needed to be frequently updated and reprinted, leading to a large amount of waste when outdated guides were thrown out, as well as a hefty printing bill.

Even more complicated was communicating unexpected issues, such as water or cable outages, which often resulted in a flood of calls to the front desk asking for updates. Due to the large size of Lakewood, reaching guests directly was a challenge. Equally challenging was promptly communicating guest needs, such as bathrooms requiring service.

In 2021, the campground was ready for a change. After meeting the App My Community team at a conference, Lakewood was sold on finding an app-based solution to their communication concerns.

The Solution:

An Affordable App That Opened the Lines of Communication

Lakewood worked with App My Community to build an affordable campground app that included current activities, the ability to push timely messages to campers, and allowed for real-time feedback from guests. For Executive Administrative Assistant Jessica Stevens, who manages the app, having the ability to connect directly with campers was an immediate benefit.

“You want to always communicate with your guests,” Jessica said. “Communication is a huge part of what we do. It’s cut down on a lot of people having to come up to the front desk or call the front desk for common questions like, ‘What time does the pool open?’ or ‘What time is the information center open?’ And it’s helped keep everything in one cohesive place.”

The Lakewood app now also serves as an easily accessible tool for internal communication. Campground employees are added to a team portal on the app, which includes helpful information such as the employee handbook, HR documents, operational checklists, and more. Jessica said that having the app as a portable resource has ensured employees always have readily available information to assist guests.

“It’s just so quick,” said Jessica. “With the push of a button, you can send off a message to everybody in the park at once. Also, we have the ability to send push alerts just to people who are on our team. So, if we have some sort of event happening that we want our staff to be involved in, we can just send a push alert to them. The app really bridged gaps in communication, and it’s been very helpful.”

The Results:

A Winning Combo of Money Savings and Ad Revenue

Messaging on the app has not only helped solve Lakewood’s initial communication needs, but it’s also saving the campground big on printing costs. Having a timely digital communication tool has eliminated the need for regularly printed “Lakewood Life” guides and cut down on smaller print jobs, like miniature golf score sheets, which are now available exclusively in the app.

“[App My Community] made a digital scorecard that we use now,” said Jessica. “It’s completely eliminated using pencil and paper. So, we don’t have to purchase those anymore. Kids used to use the pencils to draw all over our putt-putt course. We’ve eliminated that problem by just using the app.”

In addition, Jessica stated that while the services provided by App My Community are already reasonably priced, the app “pays for itself because we sell ads on our app for local attractions.”

The Future:

Monetized Wristbands Offer Even More Money-Making Opportunities

Given the financial success they’ve seen with the app thus far, Lakewood staff is working on even more ways to drive revenue using App My Community. Soon, they’ll launch the ability for guests to load money onto their campground wristband via the app, making it even easier for vacationers to spend on extras throughout the property.

“Our wristband is like a wallet, so people don’t have to worry about carrying their actual wallet,” said Jessica. “Right now, they have to come up to the front desk or go to the information center to put money on [their wristband]. Having the ability to add money via the app will just make it completely seamless for them to do from their camper, from the pool, or from the beach. Wherever they are, they can just load money onto the wristband themselves. So, that’s something that we’re looking forward to.”

Moving forward, Jessica said she’s continuing to work with Rose and Joe Duemig, creators of App My Community, to further increase the usability of Lakewood’s app. She explained that they’ve been crucial as thought partners, often offering advice on how to better organize their app’s content, and they’re always happy to jump in and help when she needs assistance.

“Rose and Joe are very nice people, and they’re easy to work with,” she said. “If I ever have an issue, I email Joe and he responds within 30 minutes, if not 10 minutes, that he’s working on it, or it’s already fixed. They’re very responsive.”

The App My Community mobile application brings utility usage and billing to the tips of the guests fingers. This partnership gives campground owners and guests the ability to check their energy usage in real time and notifies property owners and management teams of any issues which may impact the overall guest experience. 

The goal however, is to not only make the life of the guest easier, but to increase staff efficiency as well. The functionality has grown from a platform that disseminated information to one that can serve additional needs. In app store, customizable forms (waivers, check in forms), scavenger hunts, and in- app amenity booking capabilities (water equipment, clubhouse facility rentals, event sign ups) allow for a more engaging user experience.

 “This is just the beginning. We will continue to work with the App My Community team in new ways to improve the guest experience, raise awareness of energy consumption and conservation, and increase the value of our services to the property owners.” says Mike Sorensen, Founder and CEO of Wild Energy.

“A priority for 2023 is to forge new partnerships that will elevate the guest experience. As the industry standards and customer expectations continue to raise, we are very excited to work with Wild Energy. Wild Energy’s metering product allows guests to only pay for what they use, and verifies that a campground is not subsidizing other activities. This integration will allow guests to easily get access to the information they need to evaluate their bill at the end of each stay/payment and regulate their energy use throughout their stay.” says Rose Duemig, Co- Founder of App My Community.

Contact Details:
www.wildenergyco.com
Mike Sorensen
Phone: 833-563-6300

www.appmycommunity.com
Joe & Rose Duemig
Phone: 636-236-1469