This week on Built in the Bayou, we’re stepping away from the shop and heading to Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, for the Great Smoky Mountain Jeep Invasion!

For the first time ever, the Skyjacker team brought together a group of ambassadors for an unforgettable night of fellowship, stories, and celebrating the people who make this community so special. From show Jeeps and custom trucks to hardcore rock crawlers, our ambassadors represent all sides of the off-road and Jeep lifestyle.

Join us as we sit down with several members of the Skyjacker ambassador family to hear about their builds, what got them into the industry, their favorite experiences, and what makes the Jeep community unlike any other. We’ll also talk about the growth of the ambassador program, the importance of family and community, and what’s in store for the future.

It’s an episode full of great stories, unique builds, and the people behind the rigs. You won’t want to miss this special ambassador meetup from the Great Smoky Mountain Jeep Invasion!

This week Evan and Malerie open up about what their day-to-day roles really look like, how the company has grown into giving the next generation more ownership, and how trust gets built over time with longtime employees. And in the back half, Malerie shares her path — from college softball to owning her own store to joining the family business — while Evan shares the hardest chapter of his life: his and his wife's journey with their son Everett, and how that experience led them to start the Everett Light Foundation to support other families walking through similar hospital stays.

It's a longer one, but it's real — event season, family business growing pains, and the stuff that shapes who you are.

First-ever off-grid episode! We traded the home studio for tiny homes in Leadville, CO during summer camp week — and brought on off-road legend Colt Builds It to talk shop.

From his first disastrous engine swap to flipping Cherokees to fund the family's off-road habit, raising kids in a $4k trailer with no propane, working the oil field, and building one of the most trusted names in off-road content. This one's real talk about failure, family, and staying authentic when everyone wants to pay you to sell out.

🔧 Builds, trail advocacy, hard lessons, and the story behind Colt Builds It.

This week on Built in the Bayou, we sit down with Michael Graves, Skyjacker's Purchasing and Production Manager, to pull back the curtain on a job most people never think about — but that touches nearly everything the company makes. From sourcing raw materials and managing costs on the laser, welding, and coating lines, to navigating volatile steel and petroleum markets and outsmarting ever-changing shipping fees, Mike breaks down what it really takes to keep production running smoothly.

Our Design Engineer Josh Cooper steps out from behind the scenes this week. He's been in the off-road game a long time! From his dad's body shop, welding at a steel fab shop, running his own shop through the 2008 crash, engineering at Super Lift and RealTruck, wrenching at King of the Hammers.

His real talk for anyone building their first rig: hit the trail before you build, and build for what you'll actually do — not what's trending on Instagram.

In our very first episode, we're pulling back the curtain on what it really takes to build a brand that lasts. Skyjacker's Evan and Malerie sit down with Jeff Worley, Skyjacker's controller of 25 years, to talk about the people, the culture, and the behind-the-scenes moments that don't make it into the highlight reel.

From a grandfather stuck in Louisiana mud who just wanted bigger tires on his Bronco, to six employees hitting 20+ year milestones this year alone, this episode is a celebration of legacy, loyalty, and what makes a family business unlike anything else. Jeff also shares what 13 years in corporate taught him, why he came to Skyjacker, and the best advice his parents ever gave him about people.

Whether you're a lifelong Skyjacker fan or just finding us for the first time, this is where the story starts.