Meet Kyle Beavers | Owner/Craftsman

We had the good fortune of connecting with Kyle Beavers and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Kyle, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
It’s actually pretty simple. I was very tired of losing sleep over other people’s dreams.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
How Boulder Overlander came to be: I started woodworking around 7 years ago. I had a hammer, some nails, a drill, and the worst circular saw you’ve ever seen. I made a bedframe out of pallets and construction grade lumber (shivers), and though I built it exactly wrong, it still somehow worked and people liked the way it looked. I also loved building it, so… I started down the rabbit hole of woodworking.

Fast forward a few years – Life brought my family and me to Colorado. I worked at Earthroamer as a woodworker and eventually moved on to a furniture design company, and then a van upfitting company. Though I learned a lot from all of these places – there was always something missing. I always felt burdened with other peoples stress/deadlines etc etc. Essentially – my work/life balance was always tilting towards work. I finally told myself, “If you’re going to lose sleep, it doesn’t need to be for someone else’s dream.” That’s when my wife and I decided to start the business. I won’t say it’s been easy, I’m definitely still losing sleep, but at least now it’s over my own dream.

What sets us apart:

There are a lot companies in the overlanding world, a lot of custom van builders, some not so custom storage solutions/drawer companies etc etc, what I didn’t see a lot of were any upfitters that offered to build out any model vehicle/rig, any offerings for the “not so popular” trucks/suv’s out there. Pretty much if you weren’t in a newer model toyota/jeep – the overlanding industry looked you over. On top of that, most of these companies were offering more of “one size fits most” options – which.. well, does work for most, but it doesn’t work for everyone. Thats where we come in. Boulder Overlander is a custom build company – we design our builds based on the clients exact wants/needs. We measure your pre existing components and make them fit where you want them. We also offer a few different trim levels like using hardwood drawer faces/face frames. Why? Because it looks good!!! There’s room in this industry for beauty as well as brawn. I like to say we’re, “Ruggedly elegant.” A lot of people spend a lot of time in their rigs, why wouldn’t you want your build to fit your exact needs, and have the feel of high end furniture? It’s your home away from home! (actually, for some, it is just home!)

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Oooof, I am not the person to answer this question. I love hosting. Which typically means I’m going to be in the backyard with a beer or cocktail in hand with the grill going.

Besides home – My 2 favorite places to eat would be Westy’s Cafe, which is a hole in the wall diner in Westminster that I believe has some of the best green chili out there (get the breakfast burrito – trust me) and Tacos Tequila Whiskey off of 32nd. Great food, atmosphere, and margaritas – can’t go wrong with that combo.

Besides that, we would hit the road and travel out towards Buena Vista for some beautiful views , (weird how they came up with the name, huh?), dispersed camping and camp cooking! (Oh, and a shout out to Adventure Alliance for showing us some great spots to camp out there)
Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My wife, Emily who has never doubted me even for a second and my two children – Cailey (12) and Radley (2). Starting our own business was for them as much as it was “for me”.

Website: www.boulderoverlander.com

Instagram: @boulderoverlander

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BoulderOverlander/

Image Credits
Katie Torres – Your Story Photography Carolyn Powers – Carolyn Powers Designs