EXPERIENCE 4 | Mike Labate with Rocky Mountain Westy, Mr. Mechanic, and Van Cafe
Mike Labate and his twin brother Greg started Rocky Mountain Westy in their garage in Fort Collins in 2002, and purchased their first commercial property just before the Great Recession. A "top-3 most likely headed for bankruptcy" business acquaintance at that time has grown into a cherished friendship, and it was Mike who said something along the lines of "Bear - you should start a think tank" in 2014. An original member of LoCo Think Tank, Mike and his brother have grown their business into a market dominant and vertically integrated service, manufacturing, and distribution enterprise focused on the iconic Volkswagon camper van - especially the Westfalia (aka Westy).
Rocky Mountain Westy got it's start by creating a kit to put Subaru engines into the V W camper vans, and they now manufacture over 250 different parts and accessories. Mr. Mechanic is a service enterprise, and the brothers acquired a competitor in the niche industry, and moved Van Cafe (vancafe.com) from Santa Cruz, CA to Fort Collins, CO in 2018.
This episode with Mike tells a tale of constant opportunity-finding, and adapting the business to best deliver value to their clients and create a great place to work for their employees. In this episode, you'll learn a lot about van life, chasing a dream, and enjoying the journey along the way!
Episode Sponsor: InMotion, providing next-day delivery for local businesses. Contact InMotion at inmotionnoco@gmail.com
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