Episodes
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No matter your age, follow your passion. That’s what Toby Lavender has been doing for life. Automotive to hunting, Toby excels at all of it, and he’s not done yet. Be sure to listen on your favorite podcast app.
8:15 – I always preach to everybody that real formal education in the automotive repair industry is critical these days
18:17 – We flew in just so green to life and travel and didn’t know what the heck to expect and made the best of it
24:01 – I remember the first time we did a Million dollars in one year in sales, my accountant said, yeah, but it cost you $999,000 to do it!
29:48 – My first 10+ years in off-road was in desert racing, I learned you better have a lot of money or you better be able to build your own junk.
35:51 – I didn’t set out to do any of this, but I loved it and we just went with it and grew; Lavender Brothers grew into this 99% four-wheel-drive off-road shop
48:40 – One of my big life passions is hunting and everything related to that
54:19 – the paradigm shift was when I realized my employees were relying on me to provide the opportunity that they were showing up for
Special thanks to 4low Magazine and Maxxis Tires for support and sponsorship of this podcast.
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The original hot-rod kid is still playing with V-8s; but now he’s taking them off-road. Tim Ryan, owner of the V8 Swap Shop is revving up as your go-to guy. Be sure to listen on your favorite podcast app.
3;36 – I got knives pulled on me daily because they knew I had a nickel for milk money
12:08 – they organized the high school drags and all the high schools were invited to participate; me and my friends rand the show because we all had hot rods
21:52 – A buddy of mine had a CJ5, it was an eye catcher; we’d meet girls like crazy when in his Jeep, I was the same guy as the one in the old car, but girls liked Jeeps.
28:48 – My wife says she only wanted a guy with a normal nose and a small truck. Maybe God had a reason to make me buy that truck so I could meet her.
38:49 – So, I ended up ultimately back in the automotive world which is where my heart always was.
43:35 – When is it going to be your Independence Day?
51:22 – Each build is difference, we’re not a cookie-cutter shop.
Special thanks to 4low Magazine and Maxxis Tires for support and sponsorship of this podcast.
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From the garage to where it is now, everything happens with hard work and innovation. Aaron Wedeking shares the PRP Origin Story and where they are going now, through the ups and downs and twists and turns. Be sure to listen on your favorite podcast app.
9:58 – I did well in school, but mostly, I was just waiting for the weekends!
16:53 – I’ve never set a goal, I just analyze the situation and think, What’s the smartest thing I can do today?
20:00 – We made six seats, I put them in the back of my Ford Ranger and this guy says, I’ll take them all. That’s how we started.
25:08 – I had two weeks of paternity leave from my CPA job, I ditched my wife at the hospital and picked up all the parts of that business to move it. A pretty crappy dad move and a real crappy husband move.
31:54 – It’s either work hard or be really smart, and I’m not, so I had to work hard
38:23 – it’s weird, when you’re in it, everything is stressful, it really fogs your vision.
43:01 – Nobody has come up with a lab test that can recreate exactly what happens in an off-road vehicle.
53:12 – We’re constantly innovating at PRP, and a lot of it comes from use.
Special thanks to 4low Magazine and Maxxis Tires for support and sponsorship of this podcast.
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We love couples that work together. Paul and Keri Porter have been together since high school, now with the kids grown, they’ve dropped into four-wheel drive with a vengeance. Training trips, shows, and adventures keep them away from home for more than half the year. Be sure to listen on your favorite podcast app.
8:35 – It was definitely a struggle in those days, but we had a lot of fun.
16:49 – I got invited to the Badlands with a girlfriend and came home and told Paul he needed to buy me a Jeep
21:14 – They told us it had a lift on it; it didn’t but we didn’t know what we didn’t know
26:20 – During the club years we met so many who bought this adventure vehicle and didn’t know what to do with it
30:57 – Our business had two parts, we run adventure trips and offer training courses
37:23 – we’ve got big rig trips and beginner trips and not much in between, so we’re trying to fill that gap
46:22 – I love KOH, but I’m thankful we had something to do because we’re not people who just sit around
Special thanks to 4low Magazine and Maxxis Tires for support and sponsorship of this podcast.
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Jeff McKinlay, a man of experiences, from milking cows to construction; building steel buildings and rockcrawlers. Jeff has the work ethic to knock everyone out of the park; he’s the best at all he has done. Be sure to listen on your favorite podcast app.
5:38 – Wrestling was what I was good at; ended up four-time state champion, that’s what taught me a good work ethic is the wrestling and the training
12:58 – I realized it’s really hard to get paid when you’re not the guy in charge of the money
20:45 – Kevin was at his shop and had an old Twisted Customs rear steer buggy, I was like, “what in the world is that?”
26:20 – Anybody that’s crawled with Kevin knows that you don’t spot and you don’t help, you better keep up or you’re just getting left.
34:10 – I remember at my youngest son, Kade’s funeral, people were saying, “you did more with that kid in 17 years than most people do with their kids in their entire life.” That was a compliment I feel really good about.
Special thanks to 4low Magazine and Maxxis Tires for support and sponsorship of this podcast.
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Tuff Country has been through some changes, from the founding 35 years ago to it’s purchase by a private equity firm to being back in the hands of the founder, Kelly Davis. Kelly shares all the details and what’s coming next. We wish him all the best in his reboot! Be sure to listen on your favorite podcast app.
3:07 – I guess we’ve always been off-road entrepreneurs
6:54 – He said, “swim or sink, it’s up to you. You control your own destiny here.”
12:26 – we really engaged with grassroots events all over the country
16:45 – one thing we really tried to do was control our growth
22:06 – we thought, if we can survive 2008 and climb back out of this hole, we’re going to be some tough dudes
33:02 – they buy you because you are a well-earned machine, you’re profitable, you have value, and then they get away from your core values
43:05 – we made an offer, they accepted and the work started, we had to reboot this thing.
51:13 – Quitten’s easy, man, so easy. The harder you work, the luckier you get.
Special thanks to 4low Magazine and Maxxis Tires for support and sponsorship of this podcast.
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Blue Ribbon Coalition Executive Director Ben Burr gives the low-down on what BRC needs right now and shows us how we can be successful in our land use fight. It’s a fascinating take on what is going on in the real world. Be sure to listen on your favorite podcast app.
4:16 – my ancestors settled the Moab area; the Burr Trail is named for them
8:01 – I was always an advisor on these issues, I had pretty deep life experience working on public lands
17:13 – If you would have said I’m going to go from restaurants to politics, I would have been like, how am I going to get there?
25:16 – that’s the operating system running things now, it positioned lawyers to be the key players in this movement, especially on the environmental side
30:19 – and so, it is time to install an operating system that works to the benefit of outdoor recreation users
37:21 – you say exclusionist, I say elitist, it’s a very elitist movement
47:21 – SUWA wants concentrated recreation in just a few areas
53:20 – Call to Action – join BRC, a change in the public land system is going to happen because a bunch of people rise up and demand it
1:01:15 – if everybody who owned an off-road vehicle joined BRC, I’d be bigger than the Sierra club, it’s a $300 million organization – the math maths out on that
Special thanks to 4low Magazine and Maxxis Tires for support and sponsorship of this podcast.
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“I just wanna go fast,” Chris Ridgway. Chris joins us from the road as he’s hauling multi-million-dollar cars all over the US. If it’s got wheels, Chris has raced it, from motorcycles to Porches. Some great stories in here. Be sure to listen on your favorite podcast app.
6:35 – I wasn’t the most popular guy, I wasn’t the least liked guy, I was just one of the guys.
10:38 – I was still getting lapped in the ADCC beginner class. I wasn’t good. I just wanted it.
19:51 – It was a way of me feeling important and feeling like people like me, and the thing is, as you know about racing, that’s all that matters.
25:31 – I turned pro in ’91, and I got hurt. The big injury came in, I think, ‘95
40:34 – He said, “someone needs to put you in a car.” And I said, “who’s going to put me in a car?” And he said, I will.
48:13 – I had my leg all bandaged up, and I remember smacking it on the dash and someone’s wife duct taped it back up!
52:47 – He had so much more to lose, I felt like I didn’t have much to lose, and so I would take chances like that
1:06:50 – I was like, dude, we can do these doubles, he’s like, well, what happens if we come up short?
1:14:55 – and when you go to SEMA with Jesse Combs on your arm as your co-driver, you get sponsorship
Special thanks to 4low Magazine and Maxxis Tires for support and sponsorship of this podcast.
Be sure to listen on your favorite podcast app.
All Automotive with Matt Clawson
Automotive related topics. Anything from owning an repair facility to racing. Anything...Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify
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Helper should be his middle name; always one to give an assist, Bryan Crofts shares life from family Crofts to family Campbell and all the twists in between. Some great stories in here. Be sure to listen on your favorite podcast app.
9:39 – when I was a young kid, I always wanted to be a garbage man; they make good money.
15:51 – I had a buddy I went to school with, him and I would go out to Mt Shasta and do fireroads and mud wheeling, it got me interested in doing more
22:53 – I worked for the Sheriffs Department in San Francisco, mostly in the jails. I saw things that I probably wish I hadn’t, it definitely changed my outlook on life
31:17 – “Hey, Jody’s looking to get out of the Stock Mod rig if you’re interested,” and I jumped on it
35:11 – my brother goes, “Hey Bro, why aren’t you racing?”
47:14 – That’s what sparked the interest, it was way cheaper to build two cars at once
53:17 – one of the coolest things that we do, we’re all racing against each other, but we’re all racing with each other, too.
1:01:18 – I was chasing him down and I didn’t see those two rollers, and I hit one and nosed into the second one, and lights out! It knocked me out!
1:12:29 – I’ve got people calling me after the race that that was the one spot they were worried about, as soon as they say me and Bailey there, all their worries went away
Special thanks to 4low Magazine and Maxxis Tires for support and sponsorship of this podcast.
Be sure to listen on your favorite podcast app.
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Automotive related topics. Anything from owning an repair facility to racing. Anything...Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify
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If International Harvester made it, Jeff Ismail knows about it. From printed manuals to Scouts and Travelalls, Jeff has his finger on it. A self-made man, Jeff understands that happy is a choice, join us for a conversation on episode 237. Be sure to listen on your favorite podcast app.
3:29 – my friends were playing and swimming, but not me and my brothers, we were with Dad – raking leaves and edging lawns, doing what we had to do to earn a living
8:50 –some grew up in Ford, some Chevy, some Dodge – we grew up in IHs
17:17– You don’t forget people who race in Scouts; we won a couple of seasons, and it was always by attrition. It looked like the Turtle and the Hare
28:28 – my dad came to me and said, I want to take you back to the home country to get married; I’m like, I’m not ready to get married!
36:36 – my dad goes, “why don’t you just fix up that pole barn out there and start working on Internationals again?” If I got Dad’s blessing, why not?
43:27 – we’ve always had this thing, “If the job makes sense, we’ll take it!”
49:38 – people don’t know me, but they know my truck.
57:23 – Some people are like, Oh, I can’t wait for the future. I know good times, I’m living in good times.
Special thanks to 4low Magazine and Maxxis Tires for support and sponsorship of this podcast.
Be sure to listen on your favorite podcast app.
All Automotive with Matt Clawson
Automotive related topics. Anything from owning an repair facility to racing. Anything...Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify
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Matt Rowland from Indiana is a bit of an anomaly. A communications major in criminal justice, attends XJ conventions without an XJ, and a builder of fabulous bonfires! Join us for some Midwest history on Episode 236. Be sure to listen on your favorite podcast app.
4:35 – …that might be part of the reason I’ve always had affection for Jeeps
13:50 –my freshman year, we lost to the big high school in Fort Wayne by over 100 points
18:49 – everything auto mechanic-wise, I learned from working on the junk we were driving
31:59 – Tony bought a ’99 TJ and started taking it to the Badlands, in Attica, Indiana
39:24 – In 2005, I got on the police department in Fort Wayne, and I’ll have 20 years next May
44:31 – I had to borrow $1500 from my parents to pay off the loan on the XJ because they said Modified Cherokees were worthless
51:02 – I had a buddy who said, “Hey, are you ever going to settle down and get married?” and I’m like, I guess, maybe.
1:03:45 – The LJ became the family truckster for wheeling, and we changed the bylaws when I was NAXJA President
Special thanks to 4low Magazine and Maxxis Tires for support and sponsorship of this podcast.
Be sure to listen on your favorite podcast app.
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Automotive related topics. Anything from owning an repair facility to racing. Anything...Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify
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Two-for-one this week, George and Lora Leyner are bumbling along the rockcrawling trail. With challenges and trials getting them to the support and friendship they didn’t even know they needed. Join us for a fun conversation with a great couple. Be sure to listen on your favorite podcast app.
8:48 – Gone in 60 seconds
11:45 –I had two instructors who really cared about their students, they made an impact on me.
16:24 – when we met we both said, I’m not looking for anything serious
21:10 – I had never been rockcrawling before, it’s so much fun, I rarely get out of the passenger seat
24:43 – my buddies pitched in and bought me a chassis to build as a divorce present
29:06 – The buggy did a lot better than I was expecting since I am not a professional buggy builder
33:25 – we decided it was time to live our lives and follow dreams and just enjoy life
39:10 – We take extra care of making sure I can see where she’s at; it was a freak accident
Special thanks to 4low Magazine and Maxxis Tires for support and sponsorship of this podcast.
Be sure to listen on your favorite podcast app.
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Meet Michael Brassanini, the newly crowned WE Rock Unlimited Champion; all-in family man, keeper of dreams, and seeker of goals. Michael fulfills his kid's dreams, too. Be sure to listen on your favorite podcast app.
4:07 – As a kid there didn’t seem like there was a lot to do, looking back, the world was our oyster.
11:11 – It was hard as a kid being taken away from your family, but looking back, it definitely saved me
17:28 – I got hurt a lot, but girls like cowboys, and I like girls!
23:17 – A lot of cold, lonely nights, but I had a drive and a focus and had goals.
28:84 – Motors, big tires, and being outside, wheeling with my friends attracted me to rockcrawling
35:18 – we have a great community of guys and gals that get out, almost on a daily basis there are drivers headed out
41:59 – there are moments in life when you have this epiphany, I had one in Boulder Canyon near Montrose
48:38 – And once you do that stuff in competition, you go out on the trail, and you’re like, oh, hey, maybe this drop isn’t as bad as I thought it was
Special thanks to 4low Magazine and Maxxis Tires for support and sponsorship of this podcast.
All Automotive with Matt Clawson
Automotive related topics. Anything from owning an repair facility to racing. Anything...Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify
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There are just too many stories to write notes about; Andy Myers is one of the believers, a man who knows what it’s like to try, to build, to succeed, and to try again. Much respect for a man who walks the walk. Join this self-proclaimed introvert for a wild ride around the world. Thanks, Andy. Be sure to listen on your favorite podcast app.
12:56 – I’ve never had a job and I’ve never worked.
22:16 – I dropped out of college after a beef with a marketing professor who gave me an F for a product I’d already sold and was receiving royalty checks on
27:22 – We got into design and opened a factory in Mexico and started making clothes for some pretty big companies, REI, Columbia…
32:09 – I showed the product to Nora’s family and told them, this is what we’re going to make – they’re like, “you should probably go back to bed” it was pretty cute
34:46 – this is the coolest motorcycle story of my life
37:22 – all my life, it’s all I’ve done – offroad and motorcycles and travel and design
44:33 – Wow, I don’t want to go back to living in a truck, I better pull back the reins a little and make some hard business decisions
Special thanks to 4low Magazine and Maxxis Tires for support and sponsorship of this podcast.
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Mitch Guthrie Sr. was raised a cowboy and became a Champion UTV Racer. He shares life in the fast lane with us on this episode of Conversations of Big Rich. Be sure to listen on your favorite podcast app.
3:27 – We were always riding horses, I was constantly getting pulled out of school.
8:34 – I heard about Azusa Canyon, back then, it was a wide-open four-wheel drive place
16:23 – It was a passion. It was all I thought about.
28:50 – Back then it was a little tougher without GPS, I remember going the wrong way around the wrong side of the mountain
42:44 – my favorite is the week of KOH when Mitchie is going to race, we drive the sh*t out of those trails
45:40 – Any advice? Yes, pay attention to those who are winning, listen, and be humble
Special thanks to 4low Magazine and Maxxis Tires for support and sponsorship of this podcast.
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All Automotive with Matt Clawson
Automotive related topics. Anything from owning an repair facility to racing. Anything...Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify
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To keep up with Tracy Valenta, you’re going to need to step up. At 84, Tracy is still the ultimate salesman. On Episode 231, Tracy shares highlights covering the racing years with the Party Ice team. Tracy was inducted in the Off Road Motorsports Hall of Fame in 2016. Tracy is why we say; legends live at ORMHOF.org. Be sure to tune in on your favorite podcast app.
4:20 – I bought a ’32 Ford for 50 bucks and was able to rebuild it in Auto Shop
12:34 – I went to Scott McKenzie and said, “ If I could get Rick Mears to drive for me, would you put together a car for me?”
17:01 – There are so many fish in the little bay right at the Bay of LA, I’ve never seen so many fish in my life
20:26 – I bought 1000 seats altogether and sold them at cost just to help Mickey get people interested
29:33 – I felt like I had made it at the Coliseum, Phoenix was big!
Special thanks to ORMHOF.org for support and sponsorship of this podcast.
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All Automotive with Matt Clawson
Automotive related topics. Anything from owning an repair facility to racing. Anything...Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify
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Phil Rawlings has his hands in a lot of things, he has embedded himself in off-road, like many of us. You’ll find him at Salt Lake Off-Road Expo, At Your Leisure, and many other places where voices matter. Be sure to listen on your favorite podcast app.
6:38 – I’m generally a very mellow and chill dude, but I definitely have an adrenaline addiction side
11:52– I got busted for a fix-it ticket, but they’d been after me for a while
21:13 – I have a photographic memory that doesn’t have any film now
36:02 – I found a job that was my favorite ever, I got to design and play with the coolest stuff
49:26 – people said, “you’re from Utah – I didn’t know they had off-road companies in Utah” that bothered me, we’re like the mecca for off-roading!
55:53 – our guiding pillars – promote Utah off-road businesses, promote Utah, and unite the off-road community
Special thanks to 4low Magazine and Maxxis Tires for support and sponsorship of this podcast.
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All Automotive with Matt Clawson
Automotive related topics. Anything from owning an repair facility to racing. Anything...Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify
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Mark Jensen, founder and engineer of Off-Road Innovations is on Episode 229. Without a background in off-road, Mark got launched into it accidentally. It’s been a heck of a ride. Be sure to listen on your favorite podcast app.
4:32 – I lived in the mountains with redwood trees, coming to Toelle was like being dropped in the middle of the desert, left for dead
11:56– I built an outside-the-box sandrail that was four-wheel drive – essentially the first side-by-side
20:29 – “You know this would be more suited for the rock crawling world.” I said, “The what? What’s rockcrawling?”
26:45 – every time this rock crawling thing would evolve into something more violent, it meant more failures for me
38:00 – Those two words, perfect perseverance and dedication to what you are doing, you will overcome!
51:33 – We’re learning a lot from the car, it adds credibility to actually finish races and be successful
Special thanks to 4low Magazine and Maxxis Tires for support and sponsorship of this podcast.
Be sure to listen on your favorite podcast app.
All Automotive with Matt Clawson
Automotive related topics. Anything from owning an repair facility to racing. Anything...Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify
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Bill Sanders on Episode 228, a legendary journalist who excelled in elevating off-road racing to worldwide recognition. At 92 years old, history was made and retold in this interview. We talk about all the racing, writing and sport that Bill has been a part of. Bill was inducted in the Off Road Motorsports Hall of Fame in 2014. Bill is why we say; legends live at ORMHOF.org. Be sure to tune in on your favorite podcast app.
4:26 – my first true love was a 1936 Ford three-window coupe flathead
20:21 – I went to Europe by myself and traveled around for about 11 months on $5 a day.
29:04 – “Where’s the rest of the slides?” And I said, I’m not the photographer, I’m the editor.
37:55 – any questions? “Do the service stations in Baja take credit cards?”
49:15 – these guys from Mexico would bring $50,000 cash in a paper bag to California and buy a truck
1:06:42 – about halfway through the race, the suspension broke, but Jean Calvin had her thermos full of coffee that she always took with her
Special thanks to ORMHOF.org for support and sponsorship of this podcast.
Be sure to listen on your favorite podcast app.
All Automotive with Matt Clawson
Automotive related topics. Anything from owning an repair facility to racing. Anything...Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify
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Whitewater to Off-road, the background of our guests is always fascinating. Join Rich and Chris Walker from Overland Training Canada for more adventure on Episode 227. Be sure to listen on your favorite podcast app.
4:51 – very quickly, I found my passion was the outdoors – mountaineering, kayaking, flying, diving, caving and what have you
12:34– Gosh, I hurt myself a lot, nearly died a couple of times
17:37 – I’m not doing what I’m doing without their grit and determination to kick me into shape to be a good off-road driving instructor
25:14 – just jump out right here, grab your stuff, someone will come get you – I’m literally in the middle of nowhere, there’s no one in sight, I have no cell service and no idea where I am
37:36 – that’s a really hard question, I’ve never found a concise answer…
55:01 – I’ve been doing a lot with a big expedition called the Transglobal Car Expedition
Special thanks to 4low Magazine and Maxxis Tires for support and sponsorship of this podcast.
Be sure to listen on your favorite podcast app.
All Automotive with Matt Clawson
Automotive related topics. Anything from owning an repair facility to racing. Anything...Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify
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