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2022 Coolest Things Made in the Ozarks: Conversion Vans

Everest Conversions Inc.

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In 2017, Pavel “Paul” Bosovik and wife Nina decided to transfer his construction skills from residential to recreational vehicles and conversion vans. Since launching Everest Conversions Inc., the custom vehicle manufacturer has quadrupled the size of its facilities, added a storefront and e-commerce sites, and has plans to expand into off-road trucks, houseboats and commercial vehicles. As a result, the sales outlook for 2022 is tracking at $15 million.

SBJ: How did you get into conversion vans?
Paul Bosovik: We acquired our first RV and just the struggles we had in doing repairs and maintenance, the lack of support. When we started digging into the RV, seeing the quality and craftsmanship, how low it was, made us go into some online forums. We saw complaint after complaint. We decided to start doing repairs. Our first was an older couple who bought a $300,000 Class A motorhome. We spent three weeks repairing it, from the water tank to wiring. At that point, we thought, why not build our own product? What’s the most durable shell? A van, because it’s metal. It can handle cross-country trips and not have the issues standard RVs have.

SBJ: What has driven your growth?
Bosovik: Definitely COVID. With COVID, a lot of employees are going remote – the salesmen, the traveling nurses, even the Realtors. Realtors are now paying someone local $50 to go show the home and going remote. Our customers are everyone – airline pilots, nurses, doctors, professors – 25 is our youngest to a 73-year-old retired professor. It’s a diverse demographic. That’s what makes our job so enjoyable.

SBJ: What have been the biggest challenges?
Bosovik: Supply chain. Acquiring vans and acquiring parts. We have access to databases coast to coast through a dealership association. The moment a customer cancels their order, I jump on it. We get them from all over the country and we ship them in to Springfield, Missouri.

SBJ: What’s the coolest conversion you’ve ever done?
Bosovik: It was for an elderly couple who bought lumber from a famous bridge that collapsed in the U.S. and they reclaimed the wood. So, the ceilings, the walls, countertops were all from this wood. The couple once walked on that bridge. We found a painting of it and hung it in the van. Seeing their reaction has to be my favorite.

SBJ: You have some big plans for the future. How do you plan to drive that growth?
Bosovik: We started in our garage – in my mom’s garage, actually. Today, we’re at 25 employees and a 10,000-square-foot manufacturing facility. Orders just keep coming in. I don’t see an end. It’s a paradigm shift. People are selling their houses and living in these full time, and they’re loving it.

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