Mikey Rudman founded Tommy Camper Vans in Phoenix three years ago. Now, it is the one-stop shop for camper vans in the Valley, and Rudman has since only added to his #vanlife empire. Read to see what the new year holds for Rudman and Tommy Camper Vans.
What inspired you to start Tommy Camper Vans? I knew I could build a better van at a better price and better time frame. The greed and overpriced cookie-cutter vans in Arizona needed to stop, so I fixed it. We are the biggest camper van builder in Arizona, and we build more vans a year than all the other van builders combined.
What does your day typically look like?
Wake up at 4:30 a.m.
Online auctions until 5:30 a.m.
6 a.m. in car. Auto pilot in Tesla – talk to dad the whole trip
At the shop at 7 a.m. for meeting
Then individual team meetings and quick check-in
8 a.m.: I head over to paint shop and quick check-in
9 to 11 a.m.: Scheduled meetings
Back online for auctions
Lunch at noon
1 to 2 p.m.: Banker, auctions, accountant check-in
On the floor again from 3 to 5 p.m.
I leave at 5 p.m.
Daddy duty from 5:40 until 8:15 p.m.
8:30 p.m.: Auctions, proxy bids set up for next day and I arrange shipping for all vans
Asleep by 9 p.m. at the latest
Why do you think Tommy Camper Vans has been such a success? Since I don’t have any business partners or debt, I am able to reinvest in my businesses and in my employees. We pay the best for van builders in Arizona, which transfers to better-built camper vans.
Camper van and RV travel have been especially popular during the pandemic. Do you think that form of travel is set to become a long-term preference? Yes, van life is here to stay. Either you are a RV customer or van life.
You donate a portion of proceeds to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Why is that organization important to you? This hits home for me and is personal, but go to St. Jude Children’s Hospital and you will see.
What are your goals for Tommy Camper Van? We will do $8 million in sales in 2022 between my three businesses. We are projected for $12 million to $14 million in sales in 2023. Also, we will purchasing a building that is just under 50,000 square feet in mid-2023 in Phoenix. This is so all of my companies can be under one roof. We are expanding our fab division, so we can retail our roof racks and accessories. And our paint shop will take on and be the only certified Vanlife PaintShop in the world. Meaning if someone with a camper gets into an accident, we can fix the exterior and interior back to original.
To learn more about Tommy Camper Vans, visit www.tommycampervans.com.