Lake Wildwood Association

What Lake Wildwood Association does

Lake Wildwood Association, Inc. is a private, gated recreational lake community established in 1968 and domiciled in Varna, Illinois, between Chicago and Peoria. The Association is a nonprofit, member-owned entity governed by a five-member Board of Directors elected by the membership, with operational support from standing committees covering Finance & Administration, Recreation, Environmental Control, and Community Relations. Its core product is deed-based membership in a 500-acre lake community that encompasses two lakes (Lake Wildwood and Lake Tanglewood), two beaches, a 24/7 staffed entry gate with RFID vehicle access, an Arrowhead Lodge (3,600 sq. ft., ~150-person capacity), a swimming pool facility built in 2016, a campground, a marina with seasonal slip rentals, outdoor storage, and fishing amenities.

The Association generates revenue from six documented streams: annual membership assessments ($1,030 per lot, due March 1 with late fees), marina slip rentals ($1,000 seasonal plus a $135 same-slip retention premium), campground fees (daily $10–$40 and seasonal $350–$1,135), Arrowhead Lodge rentals ($600 full-day or $50/hour with $500 deposit), outdoor storage ($225/year reserved or $125 half-year), and newsletter advertising through the monthly Sunbeam publication reaching 1,300+ members. Members are onboarded via a deed, application, fee, and Rights of First Refusal process. There is no public API, no mobile app, no proprietary technology platform, and no AI/ML capability; distribution is conducted through the Association website, a Facebook page, the Sunbeam newsletter (print and digital archive back to 2010), community events, and member referrals. Recent operational activity includes a 2024 lake dredging project that removed 23,254 cubic yards of sediment, a Board-approved transition of campground and marina allocations from lottery to timestamped waitlist systems, and updates to dog-run covenants.

Name

Lake Wildwood Association

Legal name

Lake Wildwood Association, Inc.

Website

https://lake-wildwood.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1968

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Lake Wildwood Association is a nonprofit, gated recreational lake community in Varna, Illinois, founded in 1968, serving 1,300+ property-owner members with two lakes, beaches, a pool, campground, marina, lodge, and year-round community events funded primarily by annual assessments and amenity rentals.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Residential Community Association

NAICS

RV (Recreational Vehicle) Parks and Campgrounds (721211), Marinas (713930)

SIC

Services-Membership Sports & Recreation Clubs (7997)

akta.pro primary industry

Marina RV & Waterfront Campgrounds (THAMAJAH)

Keywords

• Private lake community
• Gated recreational community
• Property owner membership
• Lake amenity rentals
• Community association services

Headquarters

HQ city

Varna

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues and Assessments: Annual membership assessments of $1,030 charged to property owners, with dues mailed in November and payment deadline of March 1. Late fees apply for unpaid assessments.
2. Camping Fees: Revenue from daily camping ($25 member electric, $10 member primitive, $40 guest electric, $35 guest primitive) and seasonal camping ($750 summer electric, $350 summer primitive, $1,135 same site).
3. Marina Slip Rentals: Seasonal marina slip rental at $1,000 plus $135 same-slip premium for members wanting to retain the same slip annually.
4. Lodge Rental: Arrowhead Lodge available for member rental at $600 full day or $50/hour, plus $500 damage deposit. Revenue from member event hosting.
5. Storage Rentals: Outdoor storage for members at $225/year reserved or $125 half-year non-reserved.
6. Newsletter Advertising: The Sunbeam newsletter reaches 1,300+ members monthly. Advertising rates range from $29/month (business card) to $280/month (half page), plus annual contractor listings at $44/year.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Lake Wildwood Association operates a private, gated recreational lake community in Varna, Illinois, providing property-owner members with access to two lakes (Lake Wildwood and Lake Tanglewood), beaches, a swimming pool, campground, marina slips, Arrowhead Lodge event venue, outdoor storage, fishing, and year-round community events. Membership is granted through property ownership within the development and is sustained through annual assessments and amenity rental fees.

Product overview

Lake Wildwood Association is a private gated lake community offering residential and recreational amenities to its members. The Association operates as a unified community with core amenities including lake access (Lake Wildwood and Lake Tanglewood), Arrowhead Lodge rental facility, swimming pool, campground, marina slips, outdoor storage, and fishing. The community also publishes the Sunbeam newsletter and hosts annual events including Fourth of July celebrations, Garage Sales, Venetian Night, Dive-in Day, and Rock the Dock for St. Jude. This is not a technology product offering but a residential community association providing recreational and social amenities to property members.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Property Membership

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Emerging players

• RHP Properties: Private operator of manufactured home and RV resort communities with extensive amenity offerings including clubhouses, lakes, and pools. Comparable to Lake Wildwood's property-ownership-gated access and amenity-fee revenue stack.
• UMH Properties: Public REIT focused on manufactured home communities with community amenities and recurring site rent analogous to membership assessments. Relevant comparability for the dues-driven, property-ownership-tied revenue model.
• Suntex Marina Investors: Pure-play operator of recreational marinas across the U.S. with seasonal slip rentals, same-slip retention premiums, and waitlist-based allocations. Directly comparable to Lake Wildwood's marina slip rental program ($1,000 seasonal + $135 same-slip premium) and the Board-mandated waitlist conversion of 2024.
• Kampgrounds of America (KOA): Largest system of franchised campgrounds in North America with structured campground operations, RV/electric/primitive site pricing, seasonal stay programs, and amenity monetisation. Comparable to Lake Wildwood's campground on Lake Tanglewood including daily/seasonal rates and amenity tiers.

Others

• Camping World Holdings: Largest U.S. retailer and ecosystem partner for RV and camping customers. Adjacent peer that helps define pricing dynamics for seasonal RV storage, campsite fees, and watercraft parking in Lake Wildwood's storage-lot and campground programs.
• FirstService Residential: Largest North American manager of residential community associations including HOAs and amenitized private communities. Relevant for benchmarking governance, amenity monetization, and capital project execution patterns like Lake Wildwood's dues-funded dredging.

Direct peers

• Equity Lifestyle Properties: Public REIT owning and operating RV resorts and manufactured home communities with marina access, beaches, clubhouses and seasonal recreation—closely mirroring Lake Wildwood's combination of gated community, marina, campground, lodge, and event-driven programming.
• Sun Communities: Public REIT operating manufactured housing and RV communities with resort-style amenities including marinas, pools, clubhouses, and recreational programming across the U.S. Operates on a member/owner-dues-and-fee model structurally similar to Lake Wildwood's recurring membership assessments plus amenity revenue.

Broad incumbents

• Bluegreen Vacations: Operates timeshare and vacation ownership resort communities with on-site lakes, marinas, fishing, clubhouse/lodge rentals, and member-driven events. Mirrors the dues-paying member base, recreational amenities, and shared-infrastructure governance at Lake Wildwood.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat2 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/lakewildwood

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Lake Wildwood Association