BILLINGS — Diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) was the focus of a summit in Billings where community and business leaders came together to talk about the importance of breaking down barriers and bringing people together.
Hosted by William B. Henry, the April 19 event took the opportunity to introduce Montanans to some of the speakers.
One of the speakers was Kampgrounds of America CEO and President Toby O'Rourke.
With more than 500 campgrounds across the country, KOA has a big footprint in the outdoor industry and in Billings where it is headquartered. At the helm of the organization, O’Rourke is leaning into change and inclusivity as it pertains to outdoor recreation, and making sure everyone feels welcome as they step outside.
"I think it's really important to do, not only for our customers and our campers and making sure they're welcome at KOA, but for our employees. I want employees to know that we're committed to this and that this is a, you know, a something that we, a core belief of ours that we stand by," O'Rourke said.
O'Rourke, a Sheridan, Mont. native, has been with KOA for 12 years, getting her start as the director of digital marketing.
In her four years as CEO, she has weathered storms that most 21st Century companies fear.
“Right after I became CEO in May 2019, we had a big customer service incident that went viral that was racially charged in at a franchise campground in Starkville, Mississippi," O'Rourke said.
A White campground manager pulled a gun on a Black couple, who said they had simply stopped at the campground for a picnic.
That incident put KOA and O'Rourke in a viral spotlight.
“It was picked up by national news outlets and that was the first time all this attention was put negatively towards KOA because of discrimination, because of racism, if you will," O'Rourke said.
KOA fired the manager.
Instead of backing off, O'Rourke leaned into the criticism.
“I was being personally attacked, our customer service team was being personally attacked when they would take those calls. It was a really tough time for a lot of people," O'Rourke said. “But I think that to me, was just this awakening moment of there are so many things happening that I had never really been exposed to before at that sort of level. And we dug in.”
That sparked a bigger discussion about how to build a more inclusive culture in the company's operations and the outdoor industry as a whole.
“We've found through this research that there's a large portion of people that don't feel comfortable in the outdoors. And being a native Montanan, that just rocked my world," O'Rourke said. "I had no idea that people didn't feel comfortable because of the color of their skin or because of their sexual orientation or because of their religion in the outdoors. And they didn't feel welcome in those spaces. We've taken that insight and really transformed everything we do here."
As KOA celebrates 60 years, O'Rourke is now focused on leading a well-known outdoor brand into the future.
“It's like a trail, you know, the trail keeps going. There's never really an end to a trail," O'Rourke said. "So there's always work to do."
