Meet Andrew Rapp | Owner of Rex Overland, a custom campervan builder

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

Hi Andrew, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
I had spent a good amount of time working for others, in the food industry, in college, and in my career. I always knew I prefered being able to truly be in control of my creative process as well as the timing on when I am working, so when I started this business it just made the most sense. I had taken a bit off time off to travel, and had a good conversation with a friend of mine who encouraged me to take the risk and gave me hope for creating my own success.

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?
Rex Overland is a custom van outfitter, so we take empty vans and build out the interior to luxury campers. We also do everything else vans, from electrical system upgrades to suspension upgrades and lift kits, heater and AC installations, window installations, and much more.

One thing that sets Rex Overland apart is our wide variety of skills and ability to take on any challenge. A lot of clients have given feedback that they really appreciate that we can do most things, so when they have issues or upgrades, they know they can come to our shop and get everything on their list taken care of. A lot of manufacturers don’t even do upgrades on their own vans, so it has been greatly beneficial to be able to take on any project.

I had worked in the van industry for a little while before starting my own business, so that helped a lot with any challenges. I already knew my way around a van, and I also had a lot of connections to dealers and other shops in the industry. This greatly helped getting in on “find installer” searches on websites, as well as partnerships for discounts on parts. My biggest challenges have been managing a business, and a lot of the bureaucratic things that come with it. I enjoy designing and crafting and building, so keeping up with my books, ordering, and invoicing has been the biggest struggle for me.

What I would love for the world to know about my brand and story is that I am truly so passionate and grateful for getting to do what I love every day. I really enjoy getting to experience the full design-build process, and getting to be a part of every step along the way. So know if you work with me, I truly love this work and will do my best to deliver the best experience and get you into the van of your dreams!

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.
This is a tough question for sure. There’s so many cool places to see. I think based off of my type of friends and the adventures I love, a lot of the trip would be showing off the mountain biking and climbing scene, up clear creak and all the biking in Morrison and Golden, such as Lair O’ the Bear, Maryland Mountain, and Floyd Hill. As for food, Senor Bear has been top of the list for me for a while. Such amazing flavors and vibes, everyone that works there really makes it such an amazing dining experience. I live in Arvada so I always recommend Olde Town, there’s so much good food and drink. My go to bar has been Marmalade, a little “underground” bar that has really amazing drinks, and again the people there make the experience so much better as well.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Well for starters, my great friend Stas was the one to push me to start my business in the first place. He was the one to really dive in and talk about what could be, and how much better my life could be if I was running my own job. I also owe tons to my family, who supported my over my first van build that got my work really going. Then to the Boulder Small Business Development Center, who provided tons of resources and helped me set up my LLC, introduced me to others that were in similar positions, and helped me make sure my business was complient from the start.

Website: https://rexoverland.com

Instagram: Rex.Overland

Image Credits
Stephen Cardinale