Conversations with Big Rich

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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

Be sure to listen on your favorite podcast app.

Listen on: Apple Podcasts   Spotify

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