Refreshing Mountain has doubled revenue over the last decade while maintaining a strong focus on guest relationships and retention. In this episode, Administrative Director Justin Harnish shares the principles that helped the camp grow without losing the culture that built its reputation.

Mark opens with a personal dedication to his mother’s 85th birthday and reflects on the people and experiences that shape camp leaders over time.

Carl’s quick marketing tip explains why camps should stop sending every audience to the same homepage and how dedicated landing pages can improve conversions and lead generation.

Justin then shares his personal camp story and how a formative camp experience shaped both his faith and belief in the long-term power of camp ministry.

The conversation explores the two “Christian marketing principles” guiding Refreshing Mountain’s growth strategy. “Relationships Trump Everything” focuses on intentional guest care and personalized communication. “Return Business Is Worth Investing In” covers stewardship, rebooking strategy, guest retention, and why long-term relationships drive sustainable growth.

Justin also shares lessons around guest feedback, occupancy planning, and how adding meeting room capacity became a major growth driver for year-round bookings.

Keywords

camp marketing, camp retention, rebooking strategy, retreat center growth, guest experience, Christian camp leadership, landing pages for camps

Sound Bites

• “Relationships trump everything.”
• “Return business is a metric of integrity.”
• “The camps growing fastest online make visitors instantly feel: ‘This is exactly for me.’”
• “Happy returning guests are your best marketing.”

Hosts

Mark P. Fisher, Inspiring Growth
Carl Lefever, Improve & Grow

Guest

Justin Harnish, Refreshing Mountain

Chapters

00:05 Welcome & Episode Dedication
02:38 Quick Camp Marketing Tip
08:40 Justin's Camp Story
09:29 The Power of Camp Experiences
11:57 Refreshing Mountain Background
14:51 Balancing Business and Ministry
15:57 Org Challenges During Season of Growth
22:52 Principles of Relationship-Driven Service
24:53 Understanding Rebooking and Customer Feedback
26:42 Enhancing Customer Experience Through Personalization
30:09 The Importance of Rebooking and Customer Relationships
37:13 Investing in Return Business
45:20 The Impact of Meeting Room Capacity on Revenue
45:57 Growth Partnership with Improve & Grow
48:22 Making Way for Innovation at Camp
53:22 Episode Debrief with Mark & Carl
59:42 Closing Message & New Website Features

Resources

Refreshing Mountain Christian Marketing Principles

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