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MC Fireside Chats - May 13th, 2026
13th May 2026 • MC Fireside Chats, an Outdoor Hospitality Podcast • Modern Campground LLC
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The May 13th, 2026 episode of MC Fireside Chats, hosted by Brian Searl, focused heavily on the evolution of experiential outdoor hospitality and the unique ways campground owners and resort developers are crafting immersive guest experiences.

The conversation opened with Jeremy Johnson of Kona Hills Campground, who questioned the current state of dynamic pricing in the outdoor hospitality sector. Jeremy pointed out that traditional software relies heavily on basic yield management and often fails to account for the unique characteristics of individual properties or offer dynamic pricing floors based on seasons. He also noted the value of changing seasons in his own life, which naturally force a slower, more deliberate pace.

Zach Stoltenberg from LJA expanded on this pricing discussion, explaining that traditional hotel pricing models rely on clear demand drivers, like concerts or conventions, that are much harder to measure for purely experience-based stays. Zach also highlighted a growing industry trend toward non-RV accommodations like glamping tents and park models, and shared his excitement about a current design project in Utah where accommodation units are being excavated directly out of solid rock.

Special guest Travis Chambers from OutpostX then introduced his concept of building immersive, movie-set micro-resorts designed to completely disconnect guests from the modern world. Having achieved high occupancy at his Utah location, Travis shared his plans for an Avatar-inspired jungle resort in Puerto Rico.

He detailed his successful marketing strategy of utilizing medium-sized travel influencers rather than traditional ads, and discussed the logistical challenges of remote builds, which he solves by using a live-in, mobile construction crew. Finally, special guest Joy de Vos of Foxtrot Dairy Store and Campground shared her highly unique approach to hospitality through her working dairy farm in British Columbia.

Driven by her background as a 4-H leader and a desire to reconnect city dwellers with agriculture, Joy offers educational stays where guests can interact with farm animals, shop at an 1800s-style general store, and even milk cows. She also outlined her long-term vision of securing capital to build a farm-themed glamping village.

Ultimately, the entire panel agreed that the future of outdoor hospitality lies in storytelling and providing highly authentic, non-commoditized experiences, whether that means surviving a cinematic jungle adventure or learning where ice cream comes from on a family farm.

Transcripts

Brian Searl:

With Insider Perks and Modern Campground, excited to be here with you.

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Back from the Florida Keys,

my dog is laying next to me.

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She missed me for 12 days or however

long I was gone, so we have more

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separation anxiety than normal.

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But excited to be back here for

another episode of Fireside Chats.

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We got Zach, recurring guest, Jeremy,

recurring guest, Travis as a special

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guest, and Joy as our special guest today.

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I want to go around the room

and just introduce everybody.

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Zach, you want to start?

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Zach Stoltenberg: Sure.

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My name is Zach Stoltenberg.

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I'm the Associate Principal for

Architecture with LJA Engineering.

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We help people design, build, permit,

and entitle outdoor hospitality.

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So glamping, camping, luxury RV parks,

boutique hotels, and experiential stays.

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Brian Searl: Awesome.

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Welcome back, Zach.

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Appreciate you being here.

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Jeremy?

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Jeremy Johnson: Hey

guys, my name is Jeremy.

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I'm one of the owners of Kona Hills

Campground in Marquette, Michigan.

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Actually on site today, getting

ready to open next weekend.

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We finally got bright sunny weather

above 50 degrees in Northern

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Michigan, so I'm feeling good.

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Brian Searl: It's warm here too.

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Yeah, we got lucked out.

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Although it's supposed to be

cold this weekend, so we'll see

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for the holiday up here anyway.

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Joy?

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Joy de Vos: Hi, my name is Joy de

Vos and I'm from British Columbia.

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We opened up our campground this year

and we're looking at trying to give

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people the experience on a dairy farm.

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Brian Searl: Welcome, Joy.

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Is it going to be cold

over there in BC like us?

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Is it going to be like nine

here for the holiday weekend?

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Joy de Vos: I think it's

around 10 and it's cloudy.

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Yeah, this is not my background.

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I would have liked to have had my

farm background, but I'll just go

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with your pre-made avatar here.

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Brian Searl: Travis,

last but not least, sir.

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Travis Chambers: Hey,

Travis Chambers here.

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Company is Outpost X and we build

immersive adventure hotels or micro

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resorts, not sure what to call them.

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But we're here today

in Rincon, Puerto Rico.

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We're building an avatar-inspired

project in our jungle here.

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Brian Searl: Awesome.

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Excited to learn more about that, Travis.

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Thanks for being here.

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I appreciate it.

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So normally how we start the show,

everybody knows, or Jeremy and Zach

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know, we just toss it to you guys.

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Is there anything that you guys have

felt has come across your desk in

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the last few weeks since we've been

together on this specific show that

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you think is worthy of talking about?

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Jeremy Johnson: Man, I don't know if

it's just my feed showing it to me,

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but I feel like everybody seems to

be harping on dynamic pricing lately.

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That seems to be such a big

thing that:

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I don't know if anybody here has

utilized it in their projects yet.

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Brian Searl: So here's a question.

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Are we talking about real dynamic

pricing or are we talking about

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what the campground industry has,

which is basically yield management?

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Jeremy Johnson: I think that's

also the consensus from everybody

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that I'm talking to or everybody

that I'm seeing in my feed.

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Everybody's saying turning on PriceLabs

or turning on dynamic pricing in

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Newbook isn't quite cutting it anymore.

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There's a manual process behind

all of it that most people

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aren't fully exploring, it seems.

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Brian Searl: Where do you think,

Jeremy, as an owner of a campground

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obviously, what do you think is missing?

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What do you think is the biggest

gap between where we need to go?

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Because there are steps, right?

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We're not going to get to Disney

tomorrow or Delta Airlines tomorrow.

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But where's the step the industry

needs to take to get us from where

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we are now to where we should be?

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Jeremy Johnson: On the campground

side, it's hard for me to say because

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we use Parc as our PMS and they just

introduced flexible pricing across

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dates, but they don't have any dynamic

pricing or dynamic pricing integrations.

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I'm also very rustic, as you know, Brian.

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So I don't have a lot of amenities.

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A base price works really easy for me.

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I don't need to go up or down a

whole lot compared to somebody

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with maybe higher demand or more

amenities or different site types.

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So it's hard for me to say, but I

think the one thing that I've noticed

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on my end, whether it's with Airbnb

or even thinking about the campground,

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is there's not a lot of consideration

for my individual properties.

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You can set a base floor, but

you can't set a dynamic floor.

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I would like to be able to set

a dynamic floor based on the

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season, where most software just

lets you set one single floor.

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So I think taking into account more of

the uniqueness of your property and not

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just a single equation would be really

helpful with a lot of these softwares.

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Brian Searl: Zach, anybody

else have anything to add?

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Travis, Joy?

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Zach Stoltenberg: I think some of

that is still coming out of the

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influence of traditional hospitality.

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All those systems and mechanisms,

the booking software, they're

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built for that traditional model.

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Everything about outdoor hospitality

is so unique and different.

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Looking at Travis's property, even

with different seasons, I think

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his demand is always there because

it's such a unique property.

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I think traditional hotels, their

demand drivers are typically events.

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Maybe there's a concert, maybe

there's a convention, a gathering,

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a meetup, something like that, and

they'll of course raise prices because

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they know there's more demand on

those particular event weekends.

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But I think there's not a good way to

measure those demand drivers when it

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comes from that experiential perspective.

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The other thing I think to answer your

first question, Brian, that I noticed,

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we're coming off of back-to-back

conventions with the Texas Association

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of Campground Owners, the TACO event, and

then the Florida and Alabama convention.

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The thing that we heard kind of

harped on repeatedly at both of those

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events was that campground owners

need to be paying attention to non-RV.

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With the RV market kind of stabilizing,

softening a little bit, there's a big

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push right now into cabins, park models,

glamping tents, other accommodation

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options for all those people who want

to come and have that camping experience

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but don't necessarily own an RV.

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Brian Searl: How do we, and maybe

we don't want to take this over the

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whole show and go down this direction,

but it's just interesting to me.

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Is it possible to build a dynamic pricing

model for experiences or experiential?

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To measure what the guest is not only

experiencing in the accommodation,

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but what they're feeling, how their

stay goes, what the landscaping is,

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everything that you do, Zach, to

design the resorts, everything that

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Travis does with the accommodations,

everything Jeremy does from operations

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that feed into that experience.

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Or is that unnecessary?

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Zach Stoltenberg: I

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think that's the rub here, right?

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That's the challenge is how do you,

what's the data measurement, the metric

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that you would use to drive that dynamic

pricing when it's experience-based?

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Brian Searl: Anybody have any ideas?

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Travis, you have an idea?

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You build...

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Travis Chambers: Yeah, I'm

not a dynamic pricing expert.

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Brian Searl: No, but you're

an accommodation expert.

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You're an experience guy, right?

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Travis Chambers: Yeah.

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I actually just texted my business

partner to ask him if we do it.

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I don't know if we have a

software running, I'll ask him.

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I know we were doing it manually,

but most of our demand is driven by

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marketing and influencers and stuff.

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So I don't know if dynamic

helps us a little bit less.

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I know Ben Wolff does a ton of it.

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He talks about it all the time.

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So I'm waiting on an answer

from my partner on that.

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Brian Searl: In the meantime, while you

wait on the answer from your partner,

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tell us what you're building, Travis.

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Travis Chambers: Yeah, so we're building

these, basically they're movie set hotels.

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So they're highly experiential.

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We're trying to pull that lever as much

as possible, and experiential hospitality

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is kind of a growing niche right now.

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So

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when you enter the project,

you're entering a movie scene.

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There's a whole story, there's a

podcast that you listen to on the way

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there with dialogue and characters

and plot lines and backstories.

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You get to the project, you

enter this super themed unit.

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We try to remove all of your

connections to the modern world,

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to your life, and you're just in

this 48-hour kind of experience.

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It's almost like the movie version

if you were going to go train with

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samurai or go in the Amazon rainforest

with a tribe or go on a safari.

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We're trying to create that

level of immersive experience.

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So we have art cars that

you can drive around.

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There's an audio tour with historical

signs throughout the property

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of things that are not real,

they're just our fictional world.

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It's a choose your own adventure place.

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There's a cantina with

mocktails that you can make.

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There's an earth lodge that's a Moroccan

interior with mint tea and all these

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random delicacies and snacks that we

made up that are part of our culture.

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But it's cool.

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We're mixing a lot of things together.

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It's like a landscape hotel, it's like

an Airbnb, it's like a resort, but not.

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So it's actually difficult to explain

exactly what it is, but it's like

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a movie set kind of experience.

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And now here in Puerto Rico, we're

doing this avatar-inspired experience.

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And so you arrive at this jungle

trading post, right, that's

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hidden into this jungle here.

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This old kind of colonial

thing that's happening here.

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And then you descend down into

the jungle to ancient times.

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And we're going to have a lighting

design, projection mapping where

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the whole jungle comes alive, and

you have this art walk experience.

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And then there's waterfalls

down at the bottom with lagoons.

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So we're just trying to create

this magic, kind of surreal

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cinematic experience for people.

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Brian Searl: Is it fair to say that then

you're basically putting someone in a

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personalized movie of their own making?

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Travis Chambers: Yeah.

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It's hard to explain.

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I'm still working on the pitch.

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Brian Searl: I like that.

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I like a challenge like that, right?

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Because you're creating your own

thing that hasn't been done before in

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the ways that you've been doing it.

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And I think that innovation is

probably sorely needed in the

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outdoor hospitality industry.

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Travis Chambers: Yeah, so

far it seems to be working.

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We opened Outpost X Utah two years ago.

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We've had 87% occupancy, $441 ADR.

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And so we'll see how it

goes here in Puerto Rico.

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Brian Searl: How do you do marketing

to the consumer who is unfamiliar

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with a product like yours?

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Like obviously you can say all the

things you just told us, right?

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But how do you convince the guest

who's never experienced something like

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yours that it's worth the $441 ADR or

whatever it is to come and do all that?

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Travis Chambers: Yeah, so our project

in Utah is three hours from Vegas and

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an hour and 45 minutes west of Zion.

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So it's absolutely in

the middle of nowhere.

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And we wanted to do this experiment.

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Can we get someone to go

in the middle of nowhere?

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Can we pull that off?

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The thing that's worked has been

medium-sized travel influencers.

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And these are people who just

find experiences and explain

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them to their audience.

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It's done really well.

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I'd say we've spent maybe $30,000 total

in two years on influencers to do about

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250 million views on social media.

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And to our knowledge, we're the most

viewed hospitality product in Utah.

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Brian Searl: Something to

hang your hat on for sure.

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Especially with all the national parks

there and all the amazing geography.

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Zach, you have any questions for Travis?

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Zach Stoltenberg: One, I

love that you're in Rincon.

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I actually spent Christmas a year

ago in Rincon at Crash Boat Beach

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and I love that area of Puerto Rico.

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It's absolutely incredible and the

people there are absolutely wonderful.

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That's pretty exciting.

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I'm anxious to see you focusing on that.

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Talk a little bit about just some of

the challenges of those remote sites.

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Solving some of the problems of

utilities, of infrastructure, of

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getting trades to come out to be able

to actually do work on the property.

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Is it bringing a crew in or

is it sourcing it locally?

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Because I think you're doing

something that is amazing and

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wonderful, but everybody would

be doing it if it was easy.

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And I know that it's not easy.

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I know that you've taken honestly

probably one of the more difficult

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paths in order to get there.

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So maybe just tell us a little bit

about what that journey's been like

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and your approach to it and some of

the things that have worked for you.

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Travis Chambers: Yeah, thanks Zach.

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Yeah, we've tried just about everything.

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Hiring a builder, we've

tried getting local people.

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So where we've landed is we now have

a mobile construction crew, people who

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are willing to travel and live on site.

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Generally that's been the best for us.

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That requires a lot of hands-on

management and a lot of planning.

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It's not maybe the easiest way

to do it, but it's definitely the

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most cost-efficient way to do it.

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And so we've got 25 people living

here on the job site right now.

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And I'll actually show you, we've just

rolled out all this prefab housing,

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basically just air-conditioned units.

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And then we've got these

showers and bathrooms.

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And the advantage of that is a lot

of this infrastructure for the crew,

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we end up reusing for staff to live

on site and for our laundry room

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and back of house, things like that.

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That seems to be going well.

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And in Puerto Rico is

an additional challenge.

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There's not a lot of builders,

there's not a lot of laborers

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in general in Puerto Rico.

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They're really hard to get.

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So just bringing people from

the mainland has been huge.

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We already did the test experiment with

a lot of locals and things and they were

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pretty good, but it was just a little bit

more difficult, not moving quite as quick.

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Brian Searl: Anybody else

have any questions for Travis?

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Joy de Vos: I'm curious, how

did you come up with this idea

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of doing what you're doing?

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Because it sounds really exciting.

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Travis Chambers: I had a

film production company.

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We were making hundreds of commercials a

year for Facebook, Instagram, YouTube ads.

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And one day we were

throwing away a film set.

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It was a $50,000 film set

and it broke my heart.

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And I thought, I would sleep in

this film set, especially if it was

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out in the wilderness somewhere.

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And so I sold that production company and

there were some other macro trends too.

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I used to work at 20th Century Fox

and I saw that the movie industry

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is reducing pretty quickly.

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And I thought the digital age maybe

has reached its peak and maybe we're

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going to go back to the physical in

real life experiences or alternate

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reality even, you could call it,

like slightly augmented reality.

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So I got really interested in that and

thought maybe that's where things are

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going to go with AI and AI robotics.

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People are not going to be working

on their computers as much.

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There's hopefully going to be a

lot of abundance, hopefully a lot

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of mobility, personal aircraft.

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So I imagine people are going to want

to spend their time in really beautiful

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places with unique experiences.

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So I'm just really bullish

on hospitality in general.

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That's why I just pivoted this direction.

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And it was really interesting too.

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Marc Andreessen, he's one of the most

prolific venture capitalists of all

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time, he tweeted actually last week.

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He said, "I co-sign."

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And the tweet was, "As abundant things

become more abundant, the things that

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are going to be in demand are things that

are difficult to have an abundance of."

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Hotels, experiences, community.

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And so I feel like that's

what we're all a part of.

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And I just feel like this

niche is going to grow.

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So I just wanted to do my own

little type of thing with it.

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Zach Stoltenberg: Yeah, we've talked

about that on the show before.

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Like how I think outdoor hospitality,

and I think many people agree with me,

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that outdoor hospitality is perfectly

positioned for what's going to come.

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Because you only have so many

rivers and so many forests and

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so many trees to sit next to.

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And you can't duplicate that in

any kind of AI virtual whatever.

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People want to touch, they want

to feel, they want to smell.

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People have been disconnected from that

stuff I think over the last 15 plus

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years as we've had phones in our hands.

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And I was telling my girlfriend

when we were out and down in the

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Keys, like there's just not an

opportunity to be bored anymore.

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And so you don't notice the waves, you

don't notice the ocean, you don't notice

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the osprey, you don't notice the, right?

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But that is going to be I think extremely

coveted in the future we're headed toward.

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And I think all of us are perfectly

positioned to take advantage of it.

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Brian Searl: So are you...

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if let's say I have a question,

I have one more question for you.

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If somebody were to drop a billion

dollars into your hands tomorrow,

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would you build Westworld?

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Travis Chambers: Probably.

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It feels like you're taking baby

steps maybe towards that future

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based on what you just said.

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Yeah, right now I like the

40 to 60 unit projects.

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I think projects can get too big where

you could risk losing the whole project.

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So I feel like there's a certain

level of intimacy that you can't

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really accomplish at scale.

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You'll probably seen people

go from 50 units to 100 units

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and start to have problems.

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That's what I've noticed with some

of my friends that own projects

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outside of Zion National Park.

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But yeah, I think that the even

bigger vision, Brian, when you talk

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about Westworld, is converting this

at some point into long-term living.

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And we see that Disney is now doing

long-term living developments.

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And you just think about how do

our communities change when people

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aren't working on a laptop all day?

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What do they do with their time?

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And old European cities and even Puerto

Rican towns seem much more equipped for

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that future than American towns that

are built around cars and very isolated.

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And you spend a lot of time alone

and there's no mixed zoning, so

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no one can have a business in your

neighborhood, which is really weird.

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So I feel like you talk about

this Westworld thing, I wonder

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if a Westworldification is

going to happen everywhere.

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I wonder if this experientialization

and this hospitality element that

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we're involved in is going to

just be everything, everywhere

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is going to be like that.

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Community driven, agricultural,

agrarian driven as well.

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Brian Searl: I would sign up for that.

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And I'm the biggest AI geek probably in

outdoor hospitality that exists, right?

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But I still like to disconnect.

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I still like to be immersed.

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I still like to...

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and I would love to get to a

place where I know everybody in my

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community for a couple blocks, right?

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I don't know...

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I guess I could theoretically do

that now, but it'd be weird to

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just walk up to people's doors and

knock and be like, "Hey, I'm your

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neighbor from two streets over."

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It feels weird, even though

it shouldn't be weird.

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So if you can do some part to build almost

like a neighborhood that's what you're

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saying is almost themed the same way.

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:

Does that make...

353

:

and that's too maybe loose of a

word, but that brings the same

354

:

type of people together who want to

experience the same thing and thus

355

:

the community interaction is easier?

356

:

Am I going down the right path?

357

:

Zach Stoltenberg: Yeah, I think

we're starting to see some of that.

358

:

Travis mentioned kind of the

Disney communities and stuff.

359

:

Not my focus with our company, but other

divisions within LJA do a lot of these

360

:

master plan communities where developers

coming in to build 800, 2,000 home lots.

361

:

And at a $100,000 lot price, you've

got to sell more than just ground.

362

:

You're selling a lifestyle,

they're selling a brand.

363

:

And so we can call it theming, we

can call it immersion, we can call

364

:

it branding, whatever you want.

365

:

But we're seeing those master plan

communities with resort-style swimming

366

:

pools and top-tier amenities and

clubs that would rival a Four Seasons.

367

:

And I think when you look especially

amongst younger generations, I'll

368

:

say Gen Z especially, they're really

putting a huge emphasis on lifestyle.

369

:

You figure most of your life

is spent at work or at home.

370

:

And when you're at home,

wouldn't it be great if it

371

:

felt like you were on vacation?

372

:

So I think we're starting

to see that trend already.

373

:

And I also think that that's probably

one of the things that is pushing that

374

:

ratcheting up of guest expectations

when it does come to outdoor

375

:

hospitality and resort development.

376

:

What people have at home

is getting nicer and nicer.

377

:

So we've really got to up the ante when

it comes to creating a unique experience.

378

:

And I think Travis, to your credit,

you're probably one of the best in the

379

:

business at having accomplished that.

380

:

Brian Searl: If living at home

feels like vacation, does vacation

381

:

exist in the future or do you

just swap homes with someone else?

382

:

Jeremy Johnson: I think it's not so

much does vacation exist, but it's

383

:

wanting a different experience.

384

:

I think Travis, I remember you

talking about this on the podcast

385

:

with Alex and Matt, where it's

like you can be anywhere in 24 to

386

:

48 hours.

387

:

So your life might feel like vacation.

388

:

Like I live in Marquette, Michigan.

389

:

I'm on the shores of Lake Superior.

390

:

To me, every day is vacation.

391

:

I get to look out, I live on the biggest

freshwater lake in North America.

392

:

I love my life.

393

:

But that doesn't mean that I don't

want a completely different experience.

394

:

I might want to go to Utah

and be in the desert or go to

395

:

Santa Fe and be in the desert.

396

:

I want that different perspective.

397

:

And I think that's where that

perspective, being able to give

398

:

somebody a new perspective, that's

where there's a lot of value, I think.

399

:

Travis Chambers: Yeah, I agree with that.

400

:

I think that we as a species, we're

really obsessed with storytelling.

401

:

And the storytellers

generally run society.

402

:

The Aristotles, the

403

:

Shakespeares.

404

:

Or if our life is playing infinite

games, then who's the game maker?

405

:

Whose games are we playing?

406

:

And you see how big the video

game industry is exploding.

407

:

It's multiples and multiples

of the film industry now.

408

:

And I think what happens is when

a species gets more wealthy, they

409

:

start living more like aristocrats.

410

:

So it almost becomes post-monetary

where your exchange of value is your

411

:

style and your personality and your

experiences and your perspectives,

412

:

just like Jeremy said, and your art.

413

:

And so if we do survive this AI thing

and it does bring a lot of abundance

414

:

and prosperity, then it seems like

that exchange will possibly become

415

:

one of the most valuable currencies.

416

:

It will be, right?

417

:

It will be Jeremy walking out and

looking at this lake because he

418

:

doesn't have to live in Milwaukee

anymore to make a living.

419

:

He can live anywhere he wants.

420

:

And because of that, he's this

really interesting character and

421

:

it just seems like that is possibly

going to be where things go.

422

:

It'll be interesting to see.

423

:

Jeremy Johnson: I'm curious,

Joy, we haven't talked about your

424

:

property too much yet, but I'm

guessing you're on a dairy farm.

425

:

Is that an experience in British Columbia

that people are seeking because they

426

:

want to get out of the city or what was

the idea and inspiration behind that?

427

:

Joy de Vos: I guess my inspiration

comes from being a 4-H leader.

428

:

I've been a 4-H leader for 20 years

and in this time I've mentored over 200

429

:

children to learn more about dairy, learn

more about agriculture, being able to be

430

:

public speakers and leaders for tomorrow.

431

:

And along the way, I've encountered

people that couldn't tell that a

432

:

bull calf was actually not a goat.

433

:

Brian Searl: That would be me.

434

:

Joy de Vos: Yeah, and when I had

21-year-olds making that kind of comment

435

:

when I did a petting zoo, I thought,

oh my goodness, we're so out of touch.

436

:

And so I decided with my

husband that we would do an

437

:

educational experience for people.

438

:

It first started off with just doing

dairy tours and working on how we

439

:

farm it with the riparian area.

440

:

We are a working dairy farm, third

generation, and we're hoping that

441

:

it'll go on to the fourth generation.

442

:

So along our discussions, we

decided, let's do a campground.

443

:

That sounds like fun.

444

:

And then we talked about doing a store.

445

:

We'll have a little store

to service the campground.

446

:

And then it became my husband moving

his stuff out of his shop and me turning

447

:

it into a cute little general store.

448

:

So you feel like you've come back in

time because it looks like the late

449

:

1800s and you can see the cows from

inside the store and get a coffee.

450

:

You can go feed the chickens, you

can camp on the farm, you can do

451

:

an actual dairy tour or you can do

a milking dairy tour where you get

452

:

to go in there and milk the cows.

453

:

And if you're lucky,

maybe you get shit on.

454

:

An experience!

455

:

And there's so many people out of

touch with agriculture and in our

456

:

area, we're starting to see more

and more people wanting to get

457

:

back in touch with their roots.

458

:

And we would like to offer

that opportunity to people

459

:

who live in the city.

460

:

Maybe they don't have a

backyard, they can't do a garden.

461

:

Come and check out our

462

:

property.

463

:

Travis Chambers: Zach, have

you guys seen that Netflix show

464

:

called "This is a Gardening Show"?

465

:

Zach Stoltenberg: No, I haven't.

466

:

Travis Chambers: Oh, it's pretty cool.

467

:

He makes like the whole point that

the future of everything is agrarian.

468

:

In that the more abundant we are, the

more we will all go back to an agrarian

469

:

society where we're farming and that will

be our identity and how we spend our time.

470

:

Jeremy Johnson: I can't help but

think of, I don't know if anybody's

471

:

familiar, but there's a very luxury

high-end development, I think it's

472

:

called CERES in Chattahoochee Hills,

Georgia, just outside of Atlanta.

473

:

And it is completely agricultural

based and very food focused.

474

:

They're growing food, but then

also cooking on site, and we're

475

:

talking million-dollar lots.

476

:

It's exactly, Travis, what you're talking

about, Joy, what you're talking about.

477

:

These people have everything they could

ever want, but yet they're going back

478

:

to this from-the-earth movement, and

there's this massive price tag on it

479

:

because they're just outside of Atlanta.

480

:

Zach Stoltenberg: I think another thing

that we've been seeing here recently

481

:

with this growth, this focus on health

and wellness, especially amongst people

482

:

that have got more money than they will

probably spend in their lifetime, or

483

:

even that their children can spend.

484

:

Their focus shifts from material

things into living the best life of

485

:

the years that they have remaining.

486

:

Feeling good, feeling you can do

whatever you want, and that recentral

487

:

focus on health, longevity, wellness,

and a huge part of that is diet.

488

:

So I think all of these experiences that

we're trying to create to attract that

489

:

type of a customer base, it's not just the

theming and the immersion and all of that.

490

:

In order to hit that authenticity

feel that is driving outdoor,

491

:

it's got to be holistic.

492

:

It's got to be the food, learning

about it, tending it, meeting

493

:

the staff that are cooking it and

growing it, and it's got to come full

494

:

circle with all those components.

495

:

Brian Searl: Yeah, I agree with that.

496

:

I'm always one of those people who's

trying to learn as much as they can.

497

:

So when we were down in Key West,

I was going to the farmers markets,

498

:

learning about the pink shrimp and

the lobsters and the stone crab and

499

:

all the things they have down there.

500

:

Then trying to figure out where

can I get it from the markets and

501

:

how can I cook it in my glamping

accommodation that I was in.

502

:

So I think that for sure, it's not

farming, but it's the same from the sea.

503

:

It's figuring out how that all connects

to each other, to the experience.

504

:

We

505

:

stayed at a couple glamping

accommodations, I would call them

506

:

glamping, that were basically

cottages that this guy built on

507

:

top of catamarans in Key West.

508

:

They rent for something like $500 a night.

509

:

I think they're called Outpost 1 and 2

from a company called Mellow Ventures.

510

:

There's a couple competitors

down there, but it's very rare.

511

:

He's basically built these custom

cottages that float on catamarans.

512

:

They're anchored in the middle

of the harbor in Key West in

513

:

four-foot crystal clear water.

514

:

You go out there and there's no air

conditioning, you're just out there in

515

:

this cabin in the middle of the water.

516

:

We stayed there for three nights

and it was one of the most

517

:

relaxing things I think I've done.

518

:

Just being disconnected and being able

to cook my fresh food from the market,

519

:

learning about the shrimp and the fish and

the types of stuff that's swimming by me.

520

:

I'm a buyer, I'm a believer in that.

521

:

Maybe that's your next idea, Travis.

522

:

We go from Westworld to Waterworld.

523

:

Travis Chambers: It's funny, we...

524

:

Brian Searl: But it's got to

be better than Waterworld, man.

525

:

That's a very low bar for a movie to set.

526

:

Travis Chambers: It's funny, we have been

looking at barges and catamarans here in

527

:

Puerto Rico to do that kind of experience.

528

:

Brian Searl: Yeah, it's one

of the most unique things

529

:

that I've ever seen and done.

530

:

And he built it really well.

531

:

Travis Chambers: It's so funny,

we were literally talking last

532

:

week about doing a catamaran.

533

:

I'm thinking, why don't we

just buy a barge and build a

534

:

little village on the barge?

535

:

This is cool, this is really inspiring.

536

:

Jeremy Johnson: There's a project,

I think it's just outside of Toledo.

537

:

I'd have to look on the map, but

it's in the middle of nowhere

538

:

Ohio and it's on Lake Erie.

539

:

This younger guy bought a commercial

marina with 14 slips, and I think he gets

540

:

an average of four or $500 a night because

he turned it into this little micro

541

:

resort where everything's on the water.

542

:

He's got little food trucks that pull up

to his marina, and it's just this whole

543

:

experience that you typically wouldn't

get in this post-industrial area that was

544

:

nothing but iron ore shipping in the past.

545

:

It's cool that he was

able to turn that around.

546

:

I think we all talk about how land

is becoming more and more a scarce

547

:

commodity, but water even more

so, especially nice fresh water

548

:

or even nice sea water as well.

549

:

Brian Searl: Joy, where do

you see Foxtrot Dairy going?

550

:

You said it was new, the

campground side of it?

551

:

Joy de Vos: Yeah, it took us a while

to get the campground up and running

552

:

because it's my husband and I that

are trying to forge ahead with it.

553

:

We have limited capital to

getting it started up, but I

554

:

think we've done really well.

555

:

We're held at a capacity of 10 campsites

because we're on the agricultural land

556

:

reserve, and so that means that we have to

preserve it for farming as a main economy.

557

:

The campground itself is really

just there for the educational

558

:

aspect of dairy farming.

559

:

We have 10 campsites, two of

them are full hookup service.

560

:

We have a septic system, we have

actual showers, not porta-potties.

561

:

We have it planned to set up as

a little village eventually as we

562

:

gain the capital to invest into it.

563

:

The hope is that people will set it as a

journey destination for their families,

564

:

that they'll all come here and do their

family reunions and see the cows going

565

:

back and forth from the campground.

566

:

You can see the dry cows going back

and forth, you can see our horse, and

567

:

our goats are within the campground.

568

:

So it really is a little farm

that we're trying to set up there,

569

:

and you're right beside the farm.

570

:

On the other side of the

bushes is the farm, and you

571

:

don't actually hear the cows.

572

:

It's amazing what a bush can do.

573

:

The store is open, people are able to

come over and be on the main farmyard.

574

:

We're really just hoping that schools

and people that are interested in

575

:

learning about where their milk comes

from, how we farm, why we farm, why

576

:

are the decisions that we make made.

577

:

They're made because we have to work

within our ability with our land, and

578

:

within the nutrition of the animals, and

with staying environmentally friendly.

579

:

So we have a lot of hoops to jump through,

and the agricultural land reserve is a

580

:

special land that's put aside for farming.

581

:

I see us enjoying and meeting lots of

people from around the country, maybe

582

:

around other countries, to come and

just really have a great experience.

583

:

I think for us, seeing a child learn

that milk comes from a cow, I've seen it.

584

:

Kids are like, "Wow, that happens?"

585

:

And they're like, "That's

where my ice cream comes from?"

586

:

Yes, that's where your

ice cream comes from.

587

:

Brian Searl: The most important thing

that comes from a cow, ice cream.

588

:

Joy de Vos: Oh yeah, it is.

589

:

That butter.

590

:

When people come to our

store, we have products from

591

:

little mom-and-pop businesses.

592

:

So really just trying to support that

local community as much as possible,

593

:

working together and showcasing healthy,

nutritious products, thinking about what

594

:

people need to live a happy, healthy life.

595

:

I don't know, I'm still learning.

596

:

This is exciting and it's

nerve-wracking all at the same time,

597

:

but I look forward to my plans.

598

:

Brian Searl: If you ever stop

learning, you'll be bored,

599

:

so I hope you keep learning.

600

:

Is it just RV or do you have any

intentions to add accommodations like

601

:

cabins or glamping or anything out there?

602

:

Joy de Vos: I do want to add glamping.

603

:

I want to make a miniature village of our

farm, but that again requires capital.

604

:

I would like to make a replica of our

actual farm within there and have themed

605

:

cabins for the milk house, the calf

barn, the shop, and with educational

606

:

history pictures on the inside.

607

:

I have the designs already, I just

don't have the capital to get it going.

608

:

So in time, I plan to have all the

sites hooked up and all with power,

609

:

but we know power is expensive, so

that'll take a little bit of time.

610

:

But when it's all set up and

done, it'll be a really cute place

611

:

that people will want to come to.

612

:

Then I hope while they're here,

they see the wineries and the

613

:

other dairy farms near us and just

really get to know the agricultural

614

:

footprint within our communities.

615

:

Brian Searl: It is one of the

hardest things, and I'll just

616

:

admit this from my perspective.

617

:

It's been one of the hardest things

I've learned over the last few years,

618

:

running my business, working 110 hours

a week for 15 plus years, seven days

619

:

a week, because I love what I do.

620

:

It's really been hard for me to

immerse myself into the type of

621

:

experience, to go to the places.

622

:

I take a vacation, but I realized

two years ago that I was walking

623

:

along a beach, I think it was

actually in Vancouver Island.

624

:

I realized I'm walking along this

beach and I'm thinking about business.

625

:

I'm not appreciating that I'm on

a beach, I'm not appreciating the

626

:

ocean is right here, appreciating

there's a time to disconnect.

627

:

So I've tried to reframe that thinking,

but it's hard in the modern world for

628

:

a lot of people to get to that place

with all the distractions that we have

629

:

and opportunities to not be bored.

630

:

Is that just me or is that sentiment

out there with more of you?

631

:

Joy de Vos: I find that all the time.

632

:

Jeremy Johnson: I don't

think it's just you.

633

:

I will say as somebody who lives in the

upper Midwest, I think that's the thing

634

:

I appreciate the most about seasons.

635

:

The seasons make you slow down,

whether it's winter or spring or fall.

636

:

We

637

:

got over 300 inches of snow this

year where I live in Ishpeming.

638

:

When you have that kind of snow,

you can't just go out the door

639

:

and go to wherever you're going.

640

:

You have to slow down,

you have to move the snow.

641

:

At least for me, it makes

me think differently.

642

:

Instead of just rushing out the door

and hopping in my car, I think, you

643

:

know what, it might be easier and more

fun if I skied down to the coffee shop.

644

:

That's what I did multiple

times this winter.

645

:

That makes life a little bit more fun

to have that disconnect and get out of

646

:

that regular pattern of thinking about

business or the most efficient or the

647

:

biggest ROI you can get on a project.

648

:

Brian Searl: That's why I

really like the houseboats.

649

:

We had to take a boat out there from the

marina, a 10, 15-minute ride out from

650

:

the boatyard, and we couldn't leave.

651

:

We could call somebody if we wanted

to and pay for a boat, but we

652

:

were in the middle of the water.

653

:

We weren't going anywhere

even if I wanted to.

654

:

So we had to go grocery shopping,

we had to bring our provisions,

655

:

we had ice coolers, we didn't

have a full refrigerator.

656

:

We had to think and plan and

clearly disconnect and understand

657

:

what we needed, and it was great.

658

:

Jeremy Johnson: One of my favorite places

is actually in the Upper Peninsula,

659

:

about 50 minutes away from where I live.

660

:

It's called the Huron Mountain Club.

661

:

When you go up that club road and you

pass through the gates, you've got no

662

:

service, you're completely disconnected.

663

:

The closest store to get gas, food,

anything, water, is probably 45 minutes

664

:

down the road, and it's a dirt road.

665

:

It brings on a little bit of

anxiety because you're wondering,

666

:

did I forget something?

667

:

But then as you settle in,

you realize it doesn't matter.

668

:

You might think, oh shoot, I forgot

my phone charger, and you realize,

669

:

you know what, I'm here, who cares?

670

:

That feeling is invaluable to have.

671

:

On that same note, one of the

future projects I'm working on is

672

:

on the shores of Lake Superior,

and one of the components of it is

673

:

a private beach that you can only

access by walking through a wetland.

674

:

We're going to be building a raised

boardwalk to get to that wetland and

675

:

it's probably about a thousand feet

of boardwalk, but it's a 10, 15 minute

676

:

walk and it's like you're walking

through pretty deep thick wetland

677

:

and you might get bit by a mosquito.

678

:

Like there might, you might get

hit in the face with a branch.

679

:

That's fine.

680

:

There's an element of uncomfortableness

to it, but then you get to that

681

:

beach and I'm sure Travis, it's

probably like you walk through the

682

:

jungle to get to the waterfalls.

683

:

Like you get to that beach

and everything just changes.

684

:

You're like, this was worth it.

685

:

I call it type two fun.

686

:

Walking to that waterfall might

not have been fun, but then you get

687

:

there, you see how beautiful it is

and you're like, it was all worth it.

688

:

None of it matters now.

689

:

Brian Searl: I just, you need to give

me a bug suit, man, because I'm the one

690

:

guy in the world where every mosquito

will find me from 10 miles away, man.

691

:

They all like me.

692

:

But I would agree with you.

693

:

Yeah, forgetting the phone

charger, there are certain things

694

:

that you don't want to forget.

695

:

We got out to the boat and realized

we forgot the tequila and the cocktail

696

:

mix in the car, so we had to go back.

697

:

10 minute ride.

698

:

Jeremy Johnson: Brian, I've got to jump

early today, but I appreciate being on

699

:

and getting to talk with all of you and

good luck for the last 15 minutes here.

700

:

Brian Searl: Thanks, Jeremy.

701

:

Appreciate you being here.

702

:

Jeremy Johnson: Bye guys.

703

:

Brian Searl: So how do we

keep moving this conversation

704

:

forward in outdoor hospitality?

705

:

How do we get more people into

the way of thinking that...

706

:

and we've talked about experiential

hospitality for a couple years, right?

707

:

Loosely.

708

:

Never anything probably as in-depth

as Travis being on the show,

709

:

right, with experiences like that.

710

:

But does the outdoor hospitality industry

need to reframe some of the thinking

711

:

or are we headed in the right direction

already or what do you think, Zach?

712

:

You work with a lot of these businesses.

713

:

Zach Stoltenberg: I don't

know that I would say reframe.

714

:

One of the things I love

about this industry is that

715

:

there's room for everyone.

716

:

And I don't know that there's any one

right way or wrong way of doing it.

717

:

And that's probably a perspective for

me that's changed a lot over the years.

718

:

Early on in doing these, the majority

of the folks we were working with

719

:

had a lot of capital behind them.

720

:

There was a lot of money available

and people were doing that.

721

:

But seeing what Joy and her husband

are doing, saying, "Hey, we're going

722

:

to do this a little bit at a time.

723

:

We're going to be restricted by capital.

724

:

We're going to start

small and make this work."

725

:

I see a lot of people that have done

that and done so very successfully.

726

:

And maybe their first one was that

way, then it started to take off and

727

:

getting a loan or some investment

to expand or move to their second or

728

:

third site, that became a lot easier.

729

:

But I think Travis, you

mentioned Ben Wolff earlier.

730

:

I think we're seeing a lot of innovators

in this space that are coming in that

731

:

are figuring out what works for them.

732

:

You don't have to spend two grand a

month with Google and Meta for ads

733

:

for marketing for your place, right?

734

:

These guys have worked with

influencers, they've built social media

735

:

campaigns, millions of followers, and

they're doing only direct booking.

736

:

Where a lot of other campgrounds

would say, "Oh gosh, we get so

737

:

much off of our Facebook ads.

738

:

It's the most successful marketing we do."

739

:

So I don't know.

740

:

I guess it's a roundabout way of saying

I don't know what the answer is to that.

741

:

Like where do we go from here?

742

:

I think certainly there's something

to be learned for people who are

743

:

doing it, have tried something new

and are really successful with it.

744

:

And Travis, I'm sure you're

starting to see too, you captured

745

:

this sort of lightning in a

bottle with your first site, you

746

:

built a massive online following.

747

:

I'm anxious to see, does that carry

over into a second site, a third site?

748

:

Does that carry over into

a site out of the country?

749

:

And then how does that shape

your journey of what's next?

750

:

Any thoughts on that?

751

:

Travis Chambers: Yeah, I think it

just comes down to a good story.

752

:

Like Joy is a story, right?

753

:

She's been doing the

farming club for 20 years.

754

:

This is her life, right?

755

:

This is her lifestyle.

756

:

And there's something romantic about

entering someone else's lifestyle.

757

:

It's a cultural experience.

758

:

And so it really, it's just

that's what culture is.

759

:

And I think in the United States,

cultures are very disjointed.

760

:

And I think what we're talking

about exists in a lot of deep

761

:

cultures in the world already.

762

:

Morocco is a hospitality zone.

763

:

There's just this richness, there's

a certain type of food, there's

764

:

a certain type of tradition,

there's a certain type of clothing.

765

:

When you go to Morocco,

you are in a movie.

766

:

You really are.

767

:

And so you go to Joy's place, you're

in this society, you're in this

768

:

community, you're in this way of life.

769

:

I think that's what people want.

770

:

I think people want as many

experiences as they can have.

771

:

And it just naturally seems to be what

people spend their time and money on.

772

:

And it's pretty crazy.

773

:

This is a really strange concept,

but if you are a coal miner and all

774

:

you do your whole life is mine coal

and don't have any other experiences,

775

:

time is going to be very compressed.

776

:

But the more experiences you have,

it's like the more time you create

777

:

because you're experiencing new things.

778

:

They've done studies on this.

779

:

It really sounds wild, but you've

lived half of your life by the

780

:

time you're 20 because the way we

perceive time, because you generally

781

:

are having less new experiences.

782

:

You're in a routine.

783

:

And so if you want to live a longer

life, you go have more experiences.

784

:

Unless you just really love what you have.

785

:

I think that's what people want.

786

:

Obviously if people are stuck in survival

mode, like the majority of people on

787

:

earth are still in a survival situation.

788

:

I have to do this job so that I can eat,

so I can have a shelter over my head.

789

:

So really the stuff we're talking

about is what do you do when

790

:

that's not the case anymore?

791

:

What happens when you're

not in a survival mode?

792

:

How do you spend your time?

793

:

Where do you go?

794

:

And we know that people

spend it on travel.

795

:

They spend a lot of it on travel.

796

:

And we see it too, a lot

of people buy stuff, right?

797

:

But once they reach a certain level of

abundance, they don't buy as much stuff.

798

:

That's what happened with me.

799

:

I sold my company, bought a bunch of

really stupid things I didn't need.

800

:

It didn't make me happy.

801

:

So then I got rid of them and just went

right back to the adventure part of it.

802

:

So I think the other thing

that's happening is the tourism

803

:

market is getting younger.

804

:

So a majority of tourism was over

60 years old for most of our era

805

:

because they're the ones that

have disposable time and income.

806

:

But I just think that there's

just more money going around.

807

:

The upper middle class has doubled

or tripled in the last 20 years

808

:

and people are getting a lot more

mobility, and they're not spending

809

:

as much money on where they live.

810

:

They're spending their money on going

places and they have the flexibility

811

:

to do that, which is not something that

has really been around for a long time.

812

:

Brian Searl: Yeah, I think my answer

to that question, and I don't know if I

813

:

have the answer like you do, Zach, but

I think my answer is to gently nudge

814

:

people toward creating their own whatever

unique experience is in their head, right?

815

:

For Travis, that's what he's building.

816

:

For Ben Wolff, that's something different.

817

:

For the clients that you have,

Zach, that's something different.

818

:

I think there's been perhaps a majority,

and I'm not saying that's 60% or

819

:

whatever, right, but a majority of

people who are developing in outdoor

820

:

hospitality that have just said,

"Look, here's something that works.

821

:

Let me do that also."

822

:

Instead of, "Look, here's

something that works.

823

:

Let me tweak that to make it work

for me or my audience or my niche

824

:

or what I want to accomplish."

825

:

Let me add an RV park or glamping to

a dairy farm instead of just building

826

:

an RV park, if that makes sense.

827

:

So I think that's where we need

to maybe encourage people to go.

828

:

And I think there's significantly,

there are people that are going

829

:

there, like Travis and Ben and some

of your clients, Zach, and other

830

:

people that we've had on this show.

831

:

I think those voices would be

well served for our industry to

832

:

be more visible at some of the

industry conferences that we have.

833

:

Travis Chambers: Yeah, I always

bring it back to storytelling.

834

:

How do you make your

property not a commodity?

835

:

Like Joy's property is

not a commodity at all.

836

:

You're going to milk cows, you're going

to do things that you can't just walk

837

:

into someone's dairy and milk their cow.

838

:

You can't do that anywhere in society.

839

:

It's like you would get shot.

840

:

You might get in trouble, but you could.

841

:

Brian Searl: You're just going to walk in

here and just milk my cow without even...

842

:

what?

843

:

Travis Chambers: The disrespect!

844

:

So that's the problem is too many people

say, "I'm going to do a glamping project."

845

:

What is...

846

:

guys, I almost feel like you

could finish my sentence.

847

:

What is the first thing they say?

848

:

"Oh, I'm going to do domes."

849

:

It's always the same thing.

850

:

I always come to the same conclusion.

851

:

And I would recommend to people,

go figure out what your story is.

852

:

Go figure out what your unique

world is that you want people to

853

:

enter because domes is not enough.

854

:

It's enough if you're right next to

a national park, then it is enough.

855

:

But do you really want to just add

another commodity to the world?

856

:

I love Rick Rubin.

857

:

He's my favorite music producer.

858

:

He always says there's a difference

between art and commerce.

859

:

Commerce is what you make

what you think people want.

860

:

Art is you make what you love.

861

:

And that's what I've tried

to do with my projects.

862

:

What do I love deeply, love?

863

:

And it's like if you're going to build a

project like this and you don't know what

864

:

you love, then you got to go find out.

865

:

You got to go find out.

866

:

Brian Searl: What's your unique story

that you want to tell in the world?

867

:

All right, last few minutes.

868

:

Travis, do you have any

questions for Joy or Zachary?

869

:

We kind of let the guests take over,

so do you have a question you want

870

:

to ask either one of those two?

871

:

Travis Chambers: Yeah, Joy, my

question for you is I'd love

872

:

to know more about how you...

873

:

how do you do this whole guest experience?

874

:

Is it like a choose your

own adventure thing?

875

:

Is there a schedule?

876

:

Joy de Vos: It's a choose

your own adventure thing and

877

:

we schedule based on demand.

878

:

We could have tour times, but what

we've decided to do is work with

879

:

when they're actually being demanded

so that we can be prepared with the

880

:

staff to take people through the tour.

881

:

We have to do biosecurity.

882

:

We have to be prepared that people carry

disease, animals have disease, and we

883

:

have to make sure that both work together.

884

:

So we have to make sure

people's hands are sanitized.

885

:

If you're doing the milking dairy

tour, we'll be providing you with

886

:

the gumboots and the overalls so

that you don't have to worry about

887

:

staining your lovely camping outfit.

888

:

But mainly people, we want them to come

and camp and just enjoy the animals

889

:

that are available all the time and kick

back and relax and forget about real

890

:

life because real life is really hard.

891

:

And then when you want to do a dairy tour,

we'll try to do them in the morning and

892

:

answer the questions as best as we can.

893

:

And we would target our dairy tours based

on who our client is at that moment.

894

:

If they're young children,

we keep it simple.

895

:

If they're older and they're college

students and they're trying to

896

:

learn something about agriculture,

then we'll be more in depth.

897

:

If it's the general person, just an

understanding of how we work with our

898

:

environment to be good stewards of the

land and how we look after our animals.

899

:

We love our girls.

900

:

They all sleep on waterbeds

in case anybody's wondering.

901

:

And they're very happy.

902

:

And we'll develop as we're going

along because obviously I've only

903

:

been doing this for the last 12 months

or 14 months with opening up the

904

:

store and working towards this plan.

905

:

And still I don't even know

what to put in my brochures.

906

:

I have a brochure, but maybe my ideas

will be different in six months from now.

907

:

And our campground can host tents and RVs.

908

:

And right now we only

have two full hookups.

909

:

The rest are dry until we

eventually get to our end goal.

910

:

Travis Chambers: That's really cool.

911

:

My one of my favorite experiences,

my grandpa had a dairy farm.

912

:

My dad grew up on a dairy farm

and I used to go there as a kid,

913

:

climb around the barn, find old...

914

:

I'd find his old mail and checks

to the IRS and stuff from the 50s.

915

:

It was so much fun.

916

:

Like it was this...

917

:

and it's like how many people

really get that experience?

918

:

Zachary, what's your favorite

thing that you've designed so far?

919

:

Zach Stoltenberg: I get this question

a lot and I think the best answer

920

:

I can say is my favorite thing is

whatever I'm working on right now.

921

:

Which the current project,

it's also in Utah.

922

:

I can share a little bit about it, but

I'll say this is the first time instead

923

:

of building or erecting a unit, we

are excavating the units out of rock.

924

:

So that's been very

unique, very different.

925

:

Some challenges with it.

926

:

Everybody on my team has just poured

themselves into it and I think when

927

:

it finally comes to fruition, it's

going to be absolutely incredible.

928

:

But I think yeah, my best answer would

be whatever I'm working on right now.

929

:

Because I think when you put a piece of

yourself into what you're designing, when

930

:

you get passionate about it, when you

get turned on, you get your team excited

931

:

about it, when your client is 100% into

it, that's when we get our best result.

932

:

That's when we create something

that's really incredible.

933

:

And those are the properties that

it might be a year or two later that

934

:

they're finally open and hosting

guests and all those things that we

935

:

talked about, all those ideas, those

conversations, even some of the crazy

936

:

hairball stuff that we came up with

that's like, I don't know if it'll

937

:

work or not, but we'll give it a shot.

938

:

And then that's the thing that got

the million views on Instagram.

939

:

And so that's the way we work.

940

:

But yeah, for me it's always

whatever we're doing right now.

941

:

That's what I'm passionate about.

942

:

Travis Chambers: Was

it hard to get permits?

943

:

Was it hard to engineer

building into rock?

944

:

Zach Stoltenberg: It's been interesting.

945

:

The permit side not so much.

946

:

The county and the state have

been reasonable to work with.

947

:

But some of the testing, the

geotech, the borings, working

948

:

with a really knowledgeable crew

that's used to doing drilling and

949

:

blasting and some of those things.

950

:

We had big questions and they were

like, "Yeah, we do this all the time."

951

:

And so I would say the most difficult

thing was us, our education and learning

952

:

what is possible and then listening

to those trades and those contractors

953

:

and saying, "Yeah, we can do that."

954

:

And we sent him a few crazy things

and he's like, "I've never done that

955

:

before, but I think I can do it."

956

:

And there's been some things

that he pushed back a little bit.

957

:

"If you want a column there, leave

it at least six or eight feet wide.

958

:

Don't give me a two foot column,

that's going to crack and break on me."

959

:

So it's been very interesting, very

educational, but it's been a ton of fun.

960

:

And I've got it...

961

:

we're working on it with a client who is

one of the most passionate people that

962

:

I think I've ever worked for before.

963

:

Brian Searl: We need to get

you your own TV show, Zach.

964

:

Do you remember that TV show

with the people who went around

965

:

and built the crazy fish tanks?

966

:

I can't remember what it's called.

967

:

Zach Stoltenberg: I

don't need a show, but...

968

:

Brian Searl: Tanked, yeah.

969

:

Zach Stoltenberg: I would love to do...

970

:

maybe Netflix needs to do a pilot

series on building experiential stays

971

:

and go out and follow some of these

crews with folks like what Travis is

972

:

doing out there to see that sort of

behind the scenes of what's going on.

973

:

I think there's three or four I

think they could go shoot right now.

974

:

Brian Searl: It

975

:

would be interesting for sure.

976

:

We're a couple minutes over.

977

:

Joy, do you have a last question

for Zach or Travis before we go?

978

:

Joy de Vos: I can't think

of anything at this moment.

979

:

Sorry.

980

:

Brian Searl: No, that's perfectly fine.

981

:

All right, final thoughts.

982

:

Joy, any final thoughts?

983

:

And then where can they find

out more about Foxtrot Dairy?

984

:

Joy de Vos: We're foxtrotdairy.ca

985

:

and we have .com,

986

:

but .com

987

:

is sleeping.

988

:

I made sure to buy both panhandles

to make sure that they're mine.

989

:

Just that we provide our

own beef when we're...

990

:

when you're at our farm.

991

:

And we have our own lamb and pork

and we've brought in some select

992

:

agricultural products from different

vendors and just trying to provide

993

:

what you would need when you come here.

994

:

Come and visit us and pet a goat.

995

:

Say hi to the chickens, say

hi to the cows, say hi to me.

996

:

I'll tell you a lot.

997

:

Brian Searl: Thank you,

Joy, for being here.

998

:

I appreciate it.

999

:

I'm looking forward to

seeing your success.

:

00:55:44,417 --> 00:55:47,247

Zach, any final thoughts or where

can they learn more about LJA?

:

00:55:48,927 --> 00:55:52,397

Zach Stoltenberg: You can reach

out to me on LinkedIn or Instagram.

:

00:55:52,447 --> 00:55:56,027

Like I always said, never

charged anybody for a phone call.

:

00:55:56,067 --> 00:55:57,147

We'd love to talk to people.

:

00:55:57,147 --> 00:55:58,687

Maybe we can help you, maybe we can't.

:

00:55:59,247 --> 00:56:03,577

But my email is just zstoltenberg@lja.com.

:

00:56:04,097 --> 00:56:08,227

And again, most of our advertising,

I like to say, is not us.

:

00:56:08,307 --> 00:56:11,267

It's through the clients, through

the properties we've worked with.

:

00:56:11,267 --> 00:56:12,847

I think they're our best testament.

:

00:56:12,857 --> 00:56:16,147

We like kind of being the folks

in the background that help people

:

00:56:16,147 --> 00:56:17,337

that are doing wonderful things.

:

00:56:17,837 --> 00:56:20,497

And Joy, I want to design

mini barns for you.

:

00:56:21,057 --> 00:56:24,307

I want little experiential stay units.

:

00:56:24,307 --> 00:56:26,867

I want them to be able to sit

in bed and look up and see the

:

00:56:26,867 --> 00:56:28,427

cows at the foot of the bed.

:

00:56:28,947 --> 00:56:32,577

I want the kids to be able to sleep

up in the hayloft for the evening.

:

00:56:32,637 --> 00:56:34,317

I think we could do some really fun stuff.

:

00:56:35,957 --> 00:56:40,717

And I grew up on a cattle ranch,

so not that far detracted from it.

:

00:56:41,367 --> 00:56:42,737

I was a 4-H kid too.

:

00:56:43,917 --> 00:56:45,857

Joy de Vos: Yeah, 4-H is

such a valuable program.

:

00:56:45,927 --> 00:56:48,027

If all of our children were

in it, we would have a bit

:

00:56:48,027 --> 00:56:49,417

of a different society today.

:

00:56:50,487 --> 00:56:51,467

Please reach out to me.

:

00:56:52,587 --> 00:56:52,987

Zach Stoltenberg: I will.

:

00:56:53,807 --> 00:56:55,797

Brian Searl: Last but not least,

Travis, any final thoughts and

:

00:56:55,797 --> 00:56:57,557

where can they find out more about

the projects you have going on?

:

00:56:58,697 --> 00:57:01,827

Travis Chambers: Yeah, I'm on

Instagram, travis_chambers.

:

00:57:01,827 --> 00:57:05,947

And then you can check out Outpost

X on Instagram or Outpost X

:

00:57:05,947 --> 00:57:07,307

Jungle for the island project.

:

00:57:07,767 --> 00:57:10,397

Brian Searl: All right, thank

you guys for being here.

:

00:57:10,397 --> 00:57:10,947

I appreciate it.

:

00:57:11,287 --> 00:57:13,067

Join us for another episode

of MC Fireside Chats.

:

00:57:13,067 --> 00:57:15,577

If you're not sick and tired of

hearing from me, I will have another

:

00:57:15,577 --> 00:57:18,447

live podcast in about 45 minutes

or so with Scott Bahr, who we're

:

00:57:18,447 --> 00:57:21,057

going to talk about data research,

AI, tech, all that kind of stuff.

:

00:57:21,627 --> 00:57:22,207

So join us there.

:

00:57:22,207 --> 00:57:24,757

If not, we'll see you next week for

another episode of MC Fireside Chats.

:

00:57:24,957 --> 00:57:25,477

Thanks guys.

:

00:57:25,567 --> 00:57:25,847

Take care.

:

00:57:25,897 --> 00:57:26,457

Travis Chambers: Thanks guys.

:

00:57:27,107 --> 00:57:27,677

Zach Stoltenberg: Thanks everybody.

:

00:57:28,907 --> 00:57:29,247

Joy de Vos: Thank you.

:

00:57:29,398 --> 00:57:32,458

Brian Searl: With Insider Perks and Modern

Campground, excited to be here with you.

:

00:57:32,738 --> 00:57:34,888

Back from the Florida Keys,

my dog is laying next to me.

:

00:57:34,888 --> 00:57:39,628

She missed me for 12 days or however

long I was gone, so we have more

:

00:57:39,658 --> 00:57:41,118

separation anxiety than normal.

:

00:57:41,568 --> 00:57:44,478

But excited to be back here for

another episode of Fireside Chats.

:

00:57:44,478 --> 00:57:47,888

We got Zach, recurring guest, Jeremy,

recurring guest, Travis as a special

:

00:57:47,888 --> 00:57:49,598

guest, and Joy as our special guest today.

:

00:57:49,608 --> 00:57:51,618

I want to go around the room

and just introduce everybody.

:

00:57:52,088 --> 00:57:52,708

Zach, you want to start?

:

00:57:54,278 --> 00:57:54,668

Zach Stoltenberg: Sure.

:

00:57:54,828 --> 00:57:56,068

My name is Zach Stoltenberg.

:

00:57:56,078 --> 00:58:00,178

I'm the Associate Principal for

Architecture with LJA Engineering.

:

00:58:00,188 --> 00:58:06,358

We help people design, build, permit,

and entitle outdoor hospitality.

:

00:58:06,358 --> 00:58:11,298

So glamping, camping, luxury RV parks,

boutique hotels, and experiential stays.

:

00:58:12,198 --> 00:58:12,528

Brian Searl: Awesome.

:

00:58:12,528 --> 00:58:13,258

Welcome back, Zach.

:

00:58:13,268 --> 00:58:14,308

Appreciate you being here.

:

00:58:14,438 --> 00:58:14,818

Jeremy?

:

00:58:15,918 --> 00:58:17,098

Jeremy Johnson: Hey

guys, my name is Jeremy.

:

00:58:17,108 --> 00:58:20,308

I'm one of the owners of Kona Hills

Campground in Marquette, Michigan.

:

00:58:20,668 --> 00:58:24,188

Actually on site today, getting

ready to open next weekend.

:

00:58:24,328 --> 00:58:28,178

We finally got bright sunny weather

above 50 degrees in Northern

:

00:58:28,178 --> 00:58:29,878

Michigan, so I'm feeling good.

:

00:58:30,768 --> 00:58:31,408

Brian Searl: It's warm here too.

:

00:58:31,658 --> 00:58:32,648

Yeah, we got lucked out.

:

00:58:32,648 --> 00:58:34,708

Although it's supposed to be

cold this weekend, so we'll see

:

00:58:34,748 --> 00:58:36,988

for the holiday up here anyway.

:

00:58:37,458 --> 00:58:37,848

Joy?

:

00:58:39,118 --> 00:58:42,038

Joy de Vos: Hi, my name is Joy de

Vos and I'm from British Columbia.

:

00:58:42,208 --> 00:58:47,788

We opened up our campground this year

and we're looking at trying to give

:

00:58:47,788 --> 00:58:49,608

people the experience on a dairy farm.

:

00:58:50,818 --> 00:58:51,358

Brian Searl: Welcome, Joy.

:

00:58:51,358 --> 00:58:52,914

Is it going to be cold

over there in BC like us?

:

00:58:52,914 --> 00:58:55,188

Is it going to be like nine

here for the holiday weekend?

:

00:58:56,738 --> 00:58:59,408

Joy de Vos: I think it's

around 10 and it's cloudy.

:

00:59:03,028 --> 00:59:04,268

Yeah, this is not my background.

:

00:59:04,328 --> 00:59:07,948

I would have liked to have had my

farm background, but I'll just go

:

00:59:07,948 --> 00:59:09,628

with your pre-made avatar here.

:

00:59:11,118 --> 00:59:12,488

Brian Searl: Travis,

last but not least, sir.

:

00:59:13,328 --> 00:59:15,278

Travis Chambers: Hey,

Travis Chambers here.

:

00:59:15,368 --> 00:59:21,518

Company is Outpost X and we build

immersive adventure hotels or micro

:

00:59:21,518 --> 00:59:23,398

resorts, not sure what to call them.

:

00:59:23,398 --> 00:59:26,768

But we're here today

in Rincon, Puerto Rico.

:

00:59:26,768 --> 00:59:29,448

We're building an avatar-inspired

project in our jungle here.

:

00:59:30,488 --> 00:59:30,928

Brian Searl: Awesome.

:

00:59:30,988 --> 00:59:32,378

Excited to learn more about that, Travis.

:

00:59:32,398 --> 00:59:32,948

Thanks for being here.

:

00:59:32,988 --> 00:59:33,378

I appreciate it.

:

00:59:33,818 --> 00:59:37,098

So normally how we start the show,

everybody knows, or Jeremy and Zach

:

00:59:37,098 --> 00:59:38,188

know, we just toss it to you guys.

:

00:59:38,188 --> 00:59:41,298

Is there anything that you guys have

felt has come across your desk in

:

00:59:41,298 --> 00:59:44,558

the last few weeks since we've been

together on this specific show that

:

00:59:44,558 --> 00:59:46,208

you think is worthy of talking about?

:

00:59:49,458 --> 00:59:52,428

Jeremy Johnson: Man, I don't know if

it's just my feed showing it to me,

:

00:59:52,428 --> 00:59:57,318

but I feel like everybody seems to

be harping on dynamic pricing lately.

:

00:59:57,358 --> 01:00:01,618

That seems to be such a big

thing that:

:

01:00:01,618 --> 01:00:05,408

I don't know if anybody here has

utilized it in their projects yet.

:

01:00:06,628 --> 01:00:07,518

Brian Searl: So here's a question.

:

01:00:07,518 --> 01:00:09,958

Are we talking about real dynamic

pricing or are we talking about

:

01:00:09,958 --> 01:00:12,878

what the campground industry has,

which is basically yield management?

:

01:00:14,328 --> 01:00:17,008

Jeremy Johnson: I think that's

also the consensus from everybody

:

01:00:17,008 --> 01:00:20,508

that I'm talking to or everybody

that I'm seeing in my feed.

:

01:00:20,548 --> 01:00:25,478

Everybody's saying turning on PriceLabs

or turning on dynamic pricing in

:

01:00:25,488 --> 01:00:28,188

Newbook isn't quite cutting it anymore.

:

01:00:28,228 --> 01:00:31,738

There's a manual process behind

all of it that most people

:

01:00:31,738 --> 01:00:33,488

aren't fully exploring, it seems.

:

01:00:33,518 --> 01:00:35,968

Brian Searl: Where do you think,

Jeremy, as an owner of a campground

:

01:00:36,118 --> 01:00:38,748

obviously, what do you think is missing?

:

01:00:38,748 --> 01:00:41,188

What do you think is the biggest

gap between where we need to go?

:

01:00:41,228 --> 01:00:42,248

Because there are steps, right?

:

01:00:42,248 --> 01:00:45,478

We're not going to get to Disney

tomorrow or Delta Airlines tomorrow.

:

01:00:45,848 --> 01:00:49,028

But where's the step the industry

needs to take to get us from where

:

01:00:49,028 --> 01:00:50,468

we are now to where we should be?

:

01:00:52,368 --> 01:00:56,008

Jeremy Johnson: On the campground

side, it's hard for me to say because

:

01:00:56,248 --> 01:01:02,008

we use Parc as our PMS and they just

introduced flexible pricing across

:

01:01:02,028 --> 01:01:07,278

dates, but they don't have any dynamic

pricing or dynamic pricing integrations.

:

01:01:07,638 --> 01:01:09,988

I'm also very rustic, as you know, Brian.

:

01:01:09,988 --> 01:01:12,498

So I don't have a lot of amenities.

:

01:01:12,568 --> 01:01:15,318

A base price works really easy for me.

:

01:01:15,348 --> 01:01:18,258

I don't need to go up or down a

whole lot compared to somebody

:

01:01:18,258 --> 01:01:22,738

with maybe higher demand or more

amenities or different site types.

:

01:01:23,178 --> 01:01:26,398

So it's hard for me to say, but I

think the one thing that I've noticed

:

01:01:26,438 --> 01:01:30,668

on my end, whether it's with Airbnb

or even thinking about the campground,

:

01:01:30,688 --> 01:01:35,638

is there's not a lot of consideration

for my individual properties.

:

01:01:38,208 --> 01:01:42,378

You can set a base floor, but

you can't set a dynamic floor.

:

01:01:42,688 --> 01:01:45,408

I would like to be able to set

a dynamic floor based on the

:

01:01:45,408 --> 01:01:49,458

season, where most software just

lets you set one single floor.

:

01:01:49,508 --> 01:01:54,508

So I think taking into account more of

the uniqueness of your property and not

:

01:01:54,508 --> 01:01:59,058

just a single equation would be really

helpful with a lot of these softwares.

:

01:02:00,728 --> 01:02:02,098

Brian Searl: Zach, anybody

else have anything to add?

:

01:02:02,098 --> 01:02:02,758

Travis, Joy?

:

01:02:04,548 --> 01:02:06,438

Zach Stoltenberg: I think some of

that is still coming out of the

:

01:02:06,438 --> 01:02:08,428

influence of traditional hospitality.

:

01:02:08,548 --> 01:02:12,348

All those systems and mechanisms,

the booking software, they're

:

01:02:12,358 --> 01:02:14,098

built for that traditional model.

:

01:02:15,108 --> 01:02:19,858

Everything about outdoor hospitality

is so unique and different.

:

01:02:20,728 --> 01:02:24,758

Looking at Travis's property, even

with different seasons, I think

:

01:02:24,758 --> 01:02:28,398

his demand is always there because

it's such a unique property.

:

01:02:28,548 --> 01:02:33,298

I think traditional hotels, their

demand drivers are typically events.

:

01:02:33,648 --> 01:02:36,628

Maybe there's a concert, maybe

there's a convention, a gathering,

:

01:02:36,678 --> 01:02:40,618

a meetup, something like that, and

they'll of course raise prices because

:

01:02:40,648 --> 01:02:43,758

they know there's more demand on

those particular event weekends.

:

01:02:44,228 --> 01:02:49,248

But I think there's not a good way to

measure those demand drivers when it

:

01:02:49,248 --> 01:02:52,038

comes from that experiential perspective.

:

01:02:52,748 --> 01:02:56,368

The other thing I think to answer your

first question, Brian, that I noticed,

:

01:02:56,668 --> 01:03:00,888

we're coming off of back-to-back

conventions with the Texas Association

:

01:03:01,288 --> 01:03:04,648

of Campground Owners, the TACO event, and

then the Florida and Alabama convention.

:

01:03:05,468 --> 01:03:08,868

The thing that we heard kind of

harped on repeatedly at both of those

:

01:03:08,868 --> 01:03:14,648

events was that campground owners

need to be paying attention to non-RV.

:

01:03:15,678 --> 01:03:20,268

With the RV market kind of stabilizing,

softening a little bit, there's a big

:

01:03:20,298 --> 01:03:27,548

push right now into cabins, park models,

glamping tents, other accommodation

:

01:03:27,568 --> 01:03:31,408

options for all those people who want

to come and have that camping experience

:

01:03:31,438 --> 01:03:33,108

but don't necessarily own an RV.

:

01:03:34,488 --> 01:03:37,348

Brian Searl: How do we, and maybe

we don't want to take this over the

:

01:03:37,348 --> 01:03:39,768

whole show and go down this direction,

but it's just interesting to me.

:

01:03:40,678 --> 01:03:46,208

Is it possible to build a dynamic pricing

model for experiences or experiential?

:

01:03:47,198 --> 01:03:49,988

To measure what the guest is not only

experiencing in the accommodation,

:

01:03:49,988 --> 01:03:53,828

but what they're feeling, how their

stay goes, what the landscaping is,

:

01:03:54,418 --> 01:03:57,038

everything that you do, Zach, to

design the resorts, everything that

:

01:03:57,038 --> 01:04:01,318

Travis does with the accommodations,

everything Jeremy does from operations

:

01:04:01,348 --> 01:04:02,708

that feed into that experience.

:

01:04:02,758 --> 01:04:03,718

Or is that unnecessary?

:

01:04:03,728 --> 01:04:03,738

Zach Stoltenberg: I

:

01:04:06,988 --> 01:04:08,488

think that's the rub here, right?

:

01:04:08,498 --> 01:04:14,428

That's the challenge is how do you,

what's the data measurement, the metric

:

01:04:14,428 --> 01:04:18,438

that you would use to drive that dynamic

pricing when it's experience-based?

:

01:04:20,658 --> 01:04:21,398

Brian Searl: Anybody have any ideas?

:

01:04:22,608 --> 01:04:23,588

Travis, you have an idea?

:

01:04:24,268 --> 01:04:24,678

You build...

:

01:04:26,558 --> 01:04:28,688

Travis Chambers: Yeah, I'm

not a dynamic pricing expert.

:

01:04:28,848 --> 01:04:30,228

Brian Searl: No, but you're

an accommodation expert.

:

01:04:30,238 --> 01:04:31,448

You're an experience guy, right?

:

01:04:31,548 --> 01:04:32,048

Travis Chambers: Yeah.

:

01:04:32,188 --> 01:04:35,598

I actually just texted my business

partner to ask him if we do it.

:

01:04:35,648 --> 01:04:38,478

I don't know if we have a

software running, I'll ask him.

:

01:04:39,178 --> 01:04:44,818

I know we were doing it manually,

but most of our demand is driven by

:

01:04:45,008 --> 01:04:46,838

marketing and influencers and stuff.

:

01:04:46,838 --> 01:04:51,148

So I don't know if dynamic

helps us a little bit less.

:

01:04:51,168 --> 01:04:52,688

I know Ben Wolff does a ton of it.

:

01:04:52,878 --> 01:04:54,228

He talks about it all the time.

:

01:04:54,458 --> 01:04:57,358

So I'm waiting on an answer

from my partner on that.

:

01:04:57,878 --> 01:04:59,898

Brian Searl: In the meantime, while you

wait on the answer from your partner,

:

01:05:00,198 --> 01:05:01,428

tell us what you're building, Travis.

:

01:05:02,448 --> 01:05:06,078

Travis Chambers: Yeah, so we're building

these, basically they're movie set hotels.

:

01:05:06,268 --> 01:05:08,478

So they're highly experiential.

:

01:05:08,578 --> 01:05:12,898

We're trying to pull that lever as much

as possible, and experiential hospitality

:

01:05:12,898 --> 01:05:15,638

is kind of a growing niche right now.

:

01:05:15,648 --> 01:05:15,668

So

:

01:05:18,538 --> 01:05:21,758

when you enter the project,

you're entering a movie scene.

:

01:05:21,888 --> 01:05:25,048

There's a whole story, there's a

podcast that you listen to on the way

:

01:05:25,048 --> 01:05:29,508

there with dialogue and characters

and plot lines and backstories.

:

01:05:30,148 --> 01:05:34,788

You get to the project, you

enter this super themed unit.

:

01:05:34,818 --> 01:05:40,028

We try to remove all of your

connections to the modern world,

:

01:05:40,028 --> 01:05:45,368

to your life, and you're just in

this 48-hour kind of experience.

:

01:05:46,518 --> 01:05:49,868

It's almost like the movie version

if you were going to go train with

:

01:05:49,878 --> 01:05:55,508

samurai or go in the Amazon rainforest

with a tribe or go on a safari.

:

01:05:55,528 --> 01:06:00,018

We're trying to create that

level of immersive experience.

:

01:06:00,028 --> 01:06:02,778

So we have art cars that

you can drive around.

:

01:06:03,008 --> 01:06:08,228

There's an audio tour with historical

signs throughout the property

:

01:06:08,228 --> 01:06:11,598

of things that are not real,

they're just our fictional world.

:

01:06:12,748 --> 01:06:14,448

It's a choose your own adventure place.

:

01:06:14,478 --> 01:06:18,118

There's a cantina with

mocktails that you can make.

:

01:06:18,548 --> 01:06:25,738

There's an earth lodge that's a Moroccan

interior with mint tea and all these

:

01:06:25,828 --> 01:06:30,648

random delicacies and snacks that we

made up that are part of our culture.

:

01:06:31,478 --> 01:06:32,078

But it's cool.

:

01:06:32,328 --> 01:06:34,068

We're mixing a lot of things together.

:

01:06:34,078 --> 01:06:39,648

It's like a landscape hotel, it's like

an Airbnb, it's like a resort, but not.

:

01:06:40,328 --> 01:06:44,528

So it's actually difficult to explain

exactly what it is, but it's like

:

01:06:44,528 --> 01:06:45,868

a movie set kind of experience.

:

01:06:45,868 --> 01:06:50,218

And now here in Puerto Rico, we're

doing this avatar-inspired experience.

:

01:06:50,218 --> 01:06:54,898

And so you arrive at this jungle

trading post, right, that's

:

01:06:54,898 --> 01:06:56,558

hidden into this jungle here.

:

01:06:57,008 --> 01:07:01,118

This old kind of colonial

thing that's happening here.

:

01:07:01,118 --> 01:07:05,148

And then you descend down into

the jungle to ancient times.

:

01:07:05,638 --> 01:07:11,378

And we're going to have a lighting

design, projection mapping where

:

01:07:11,378 --> 01:07:15,538

the whole jungle comes alive, and

you have this art walk experience.

:

01:07:15,558 --> 01:07:18,368

And then there's waterfalls

down at the bottom with lagoons.

:

01:07:18,708 --> 01:07:21,808

So we're just trying to create

this magic, kind of surreal

:

01:07:22,258 --> 01:07:23,978

cinematic experience for people.

:

01:07:25,318 --> 01:07:29,378

Brian Searl: Is it fair to say that then

you're basically putting someone in a

:

01:07:29,378 --> 01:07:32,208

personalized movie of their own making?

:

01:07:32,918 --> 01:07:33,248

Travis Chambers: Yeah.

:

01:07:35,118 --> 01:07:36,168

It's hard to explain.

:

01:07:36,788 --> 01:07:37,888

I'm still working on the pitch.

:

01:07:37,888 --> 01:07:38,698

Brian Searl: I like that.

:

01:07:39,258 --> 01:07:40,718

I like a challenge like that, right?

:

01:07:40,758 --> 01:07:44,028

Because you're creating your own

thing that hasn't been done before in

:

01:07:44,028 --> 01:07:45,158

the ways that you've been doing it.

:

01:07:45,188 --> 01:07:48,868

And I think that innovation is

probably sorely needed in the

:

01:07:48,868 --> 01:07:49,948

outdoor hospitality industry.

:

01:07:51,958 --> 01:07:53,258

Travis Chambers: Yeah, so

far it seems to be working.

:

01:07:53,298 --> 01:07:55,438

We opened Outpost X Utah two years ago.

:

01:07:55,448 --> 01:07:59,938

We've had 87% occupancy, $441 ADR.

:

01:07:59,938 --> 01:08:03,668

And so we'll see how it

goes here in Puerto Rico.

:

01:08:04,378 --> 01:08:08,658

Brian Searl: How do you do marketing

to the consumer who is unfamiliar

:

01:08:08,658 --> 01:08:09,728

with a product like yours?

:

01:08:09,728 --> 01:08:12,708

Like obviously you can say all the

things you just told us, right?

:

01:08:12,708 --> 01:08:16,108

But how do you convince the guest

who's never experienced something like

:

01:08:16,108 --> 01:08:21,018

yours that it's worth the $441 ADR or

whatever it is to come and do all that?

:

01:08:21,608 --> 01:08:24,938

Travis Chambers: Yeah, so our project

in Utah is three hours from Vegas and

:

01:08:24,938 --> 01:08:27,548

an hour and 45 minutes west of Zion.

:

01:08:27,548 --> 01:08:30,377

So it's absolutely in

the middle of nowhere.

:

01:08:30,497 --> 01:08:32,058

And we wanted to do this experiment.

:

01:08:32,098 --> 01:08:34,408

Can we get someone to go

in the middle of nowhere?

:

01:08:34,438 --> 01:08:35,488

Can we pull that off?

:

01:08:36,028 --> 01:08:39,968

The thing that's worked has been

medium-sized travel influencers.

:

01:08:40,587 --> 01:08:44,658

And these are people who just

find experiences and explain

:

01:08:44,658 --> 01:08:45,888

them to their audience.

:

01:08:46,877 --> 01:08:47,997

It's done really well.

:

01:08:48,108 --> 01:08:55,377

I'd say we've spent maybe $30,000 total

in two years on influencers to do about

:

01:08:55,377 --> 01:08:58,008

250 million views on social media.

:

01:08:58,558 --> 01:09:03,808

And to our knowledge, we're the most

viewed hospitality product in Utah.

:

01:09:06,268 --> 01:09:07,728

Brian Searl: Something to

hang your hat on for sure.

:

01:09:08,318 --> 01:09:11,728

Especially with all the national parks

there and all the amazing geography.

:

01:09:12,308 --> 01:09:13,738

Zach, you have any questions for Travis?

:

01:09:15,598 --> 01:09:16,858

Zach Stoltenberg: One, I

love that you're in Rincon.

:

01:09:17,048 --> 01:09:21,398

I actually spent Christmas a year

ago in Rincon at Crash Boat Beach

:

01:09:21,428 --> 01:09:23,348

and I love that area of Puerto Rico.

:

01:09:23,398 --> 01:09:27,518

It's absolutely incredible and the

people there are absolutely wonderful.

:

01:09:28,008 --> 01:09:29,408

That's pretty exciting.

:

01:09:29,408 --> 01:09:30,648

I'm anxious to see you focusing on that.

:

01:09:31,048 --> 01:09:35,417

Talk a little bit about just some of

the challenges of those remote sites.

:

01:09:35,428 --> 01:09:40,457

Solving some of the problems of

utilities, of infrastructure, of

:

01:09:40,518 --> 01:09:44,827

getting trades to come out to be able

to actually do work on the property.

:

01:09:44,827 --> 01:09:47,968

Is it bringing a crew in or

is it sourcing it locally?

:

01:09:48,288 --> 01:09:50,837

Because I think you're doing

something that is amazing and

:

01:09:50,837 --> 01:09:55,128

wonderful, but everybody would

be doing it if it was easy.

:

01:09:55,388 --> 01:09:56,848

And I know that it's not easy.

:

01:09:57,077 --> 01:10:00,308

I know that you've taken honestly

probably one of the more difficult

:

01:10:00,327 --> 01:10:02,388

paths in order to get there.

:

01:10:02,388 --> 01:10:06,808

So maybe just tell us a little bit

about what that journey's been like

:

01:10:06,918 --> 01:10:09,698

and your approach to it and some of

the things that have worked for you.

:

01:10:10,648 --> 01:10:11,558

Travis Chambers: Yeah, thanks Zach.

:

01:10:11,618 --> 01:10:13,708

Yeah, we've tried just about everything.

:

01:10:13,818 --> 01:10:18,088

Hiring a builder, we've

tried getting local people.

:

01:10:18,978 --> 01:10:25,548

So where we've landed is we now have

a mobile construction crew, people who

:

01:10:25,548 --> 01:10:27,378

are willing to travel and live on site.

:

01:10:28,088 --> 01:10:30,058

Generally that's been the best for us.

:

01:10:30,218 --> 01:10:33,768

That requires a lot of hands-on

management and a lot of planning.

:

01:10:34,318 --> 01:10:38,208

It's not maybe the easiest way

to do it, but it's definitely the

:

01:10:38,208 --> 01:10:40,428

most cost-efficient way to do it.

:

01:10:41,158 --> 01:10:46,228

And so we've got 25 people living

here on the job site right now.

:

01:10:46,698 --> 01:10:51,418

And I'll actually show you, we've just

rolled out all this prefab housing,

:

01:10:51,738 --> 01:10:53,628

basically just air-conditioned units.

:

01:10:54,278 --> 01:10:57,128

And then we've got these

showers and bathrooms.

:

01:10:57,438 --> 01:11:03,468

And the advantage of that is a lot

of this infrastructure for the crew,

:

01:11:03,508 --> 01:11:09,048

we end up reusing for staff to live

on site and for our laundry room

:

01:11:09,048 --> 01:11:11,818

and back of house, things like that.

:

01:11:12,468 --> 01:11:13,618

That seems to be going well.

:

01:11:13,648 --> 01:11:15,628

And in Puerto Rico is

an additional challenge.

:

01:11:16,148 --> 01:11:20,668

There's not a lot of builders,

there's not a lot of laborers

:

01:11:20,668 --> 01:11:22,298

in general in Puerto Rico.

:

01:11:22,538 --> 01:11:23,618

They're really hard to get.

:

01:11:23,868 --> 01:11:27,478

So just bringing people from

the mainland has been huge.

:

01:11:27,478 --> 01:11:30,848

We already did the test experiment with

a lot of locals and things and they were

:

01:11:30,848 --> 01:11:35,568

pretty good, but it was just a little bit

more difficult, not moving quite as quick.

:

01:11:39,418 --> 01:11:40,948

Brian Searl: Anybody else

have any questions for Travis?

:

01:11:44,478 --> 01:11:47,068

Joy de Vos: I'm curious, how

did you come up with this idea

:

01:11:47,218 --> 01:11:48,528

of doing what you're doing?

:

01:11:48,528 --> 01:11:49,818

Because it sounds really exciting.

:

01:11:51,048 --> 01:11:52,728

Travis Chambers: I had a

film production company.

:

01:11:52,788 --> 01:11:58,408

We were making hundreds of commercials a

year for Facebook, Instagram, YouTube ads.

:

01:11:59,108 --> 01:12:02,348

And one day we were

throwing away a film set.

:

01:12:02,458 --> 01:12:05,428

It was a $50,000 film set

and it broke my heart.

:

01:12:05,438 --> 01:12:09,118

And I thought, I would sleep in

this film set, especially if it was

:

01:12:09,118 --> 01:12:12,058

out in the wilderness somewhere.

:

01:12:12,648 --> 01:12:16,598

And so I sold that production company and

there were some other macro trends too.

:

01:12:16,658 --> 01:12:19,918

I used to work at 20th Century Fox

and I saw that the movie industry

:

01:12:20,188 --> 01:12:22,178

is reducing pretty quickly.

:

01:12:22,178 --> 01:12:28,188

And I thought the digital age maybe

has reached its peak and maybe we're

:

01:12:28,188 --> 01:12:34,098

going to go back to the physical in

real life experiences or alternate

:

01:12:34,098 --> 01:12:38,077

reality even, you could call it,

like slightly augmented reality.

:

01:12:38,738 --> 01:12:42,438

So I got really interested in that and

thought maybe that's where things are

:

01:12:42,438 --> 01:12:45,238

going to go with AI and AI robotics.

:

01:12:45,728 --> 01:12:48,998

People are not going to be working

on their computers as much.

:

01:12:49,368 --> 01:12:52,818

There's hopefully going to be a

lot of abundance, hopefully a lot

:

01:12:52,818 --> 01:12:54,827

of mobility, personal aircraft.

:

01:12:55,618 --> 01:13:00,138

So I imagine people are going to want

to spend their time in really beautiful

:

01:13:00,138 --> 01:13:01,858

places with unique experiences.

:

01:13:01,858 --> 01:13:05,868

So I'm just really bullish

on hospitality in general.

:

01:13:06,138 --> 01:13:08,148

That's why I just pivoted this direction.

:

01:13:08,648 --> 01:13:10,327

And it was really interesting too.

:

01:13:10,448 --> 01:13:15,198

Marc Andreessen, he's one of the most

prolific venture capitalists of all

:

01:13:15,418 --> 01:13:18,738

time, he tweeted actually last week.

:

01:13:18,898 --> 01:13:20,348

He said, "I co-sign."

:

01:13:20,368 --> 01:13:25,848

And the tweet was, "As abundant things

become more abundant, the things that

:

01:13:25,848 --> 01:13:30,208

are going to be in demand are things that

are difficult to have an abundance of."

:

01:13:30,208 --> 01:13:33,618

Hotels, experiences, community.

:

01:13:33,698 --> 01:13:35,608

And so I feel like that's

what we're all a part of.

:

01:13:35,608 --> 01:13:38,077

And I just feel like this

niche is going to grow.

:

01:13:38,418 --> 01:13:43,818

So I just wanted to do my own

little type of thing with it.

:

01:13:44,577 --> 01:13:46,188

Zach Stoltenberg: Yeah, we've talked

about that on the show before.

:

01:13:46,188 --> 01:13:49,218

Like how I think outdoor hospitality,

and I think many people agree with me,

:

01:13:49,218 --> 01:13:51,718

that outdoor hospitality is perfectly

positioned for what's going to come.

:

01:13:52,098 --> 01:13:54,368

Because you only have so many

rivers and so many forests and

:

01:13:54,438 --> 01:13:55,638

so many trees to sit next to.

:

01:13:55,698 --> 01:13:59,208

And you can't duplicate that in

any kind of AI virtual whatever.

:

01:13:59,208 --> 01:14:01,568

People want to touch, they want

to feel, they want to smell.

:

01:14:01,898 --> 01:14:05,608

People have been disconnected from that

stuff I think over the last 15 plus

:

01:14:05,608 --> 01:14:07,148

years as we've had phones in our hands.

:

01:14:07,148 --> 01:14:10,508

And I was telling my girlfriend

when we were out and down in the

:

01:14:10,508 --> 01:14:14,338

Keys, like there's just not an

opportunity to be bored anymore.

:

01:14:14,748 --> 01:14:17,498

And so you don't notice the waves, you

don't notice the ocean, you don't notice

:

01:14:17,498 --> 01:14:19,018

the osprey, you don't notice the, right?

:

01:14:19,628 --> 01:14:23,968

But that is going to be I think extremely

coveted in the future we're headed toward.

:

01:14:23,968 --> 01:14:26,508

And I think all of us are perfectly

positioned to take advantage of it.

:

01:14:29,327 --> 01:14:30,038

Brian Searl: So are you...

:

01:14:30,958 --> 01:14:33,628

if let's say I have a question,

I have one more question for you.

:

01:14:34,038 --> 01:14:38,508

If somebody were to drop a billion

dollars into your hands tomorrow,

:

01:14:38,548 --> 01:14:39,648

would you build Westworld?

:

01:14:41,128 --> 01:14:41,778

Travis Chambers: Probably.

:

01:14:42,888 --> 01:14:46,088

It feels like you're taking baby

steps maybe towards that future

:

01:14:46,088 --> 01:14:47,018

based on what you just said.

:

01:14:47,048 --> 01:14:51,908

Yeah, right now I like the

40 to 60 unit projects.

:

01:14:52,908 --> 01:14:58,458

I think projects can get too big where

you could risk losing the whole project.

:

01:14:59,318 --> 01:15:04,508

So I feel like there's a certain

level of intimacy that you can't

:

01:15:04,508 --> 01:15:07,138

really accomplish at scale.

:

01:15:07,208 --> 01:15:11,308

You'll probably seen people

go from 50 units to 100 units

:

01:15:12,038 --> 01:15:13,678

and start to have problems.

:

01:15:13,988 --> 01:15:17,108

That's what I've noticed with some

of my friends that own projects

:

01:15:18,228 --> 01:15:19,728

outside of Zion National Park.

:

01:15:21,018 --> 01:15:25,458

But yeah, I think that the even

bigger vision, Brian, when you talk

:

01:15:25,468 --> 01:15:29,538

about Westworld, is converting this

at some point into long-term living.

:

01:15:29,908 --> 01:15:33,688

And we see that Disney is now doing

long-term living developments.

:

01:15:34,608 --> 01:15:39,358

And you just think about how do

our communities change when people

:

01:15:39,378 --> 01:15:41,658

aren't working on a laptop all day?

:

01:15:41,778 --> 01:15:42,988

What do they do with their time?

:

01:15:43,408 --> 01:15:48,338

And old European cities and even Puerto

Rican towns seem much more equipped for

:

01:15:48,338 --> 01:15:53,558

that future than American towns that

are built around cars and very isolated.

:

01:15:53,988 --> 01:15:59,368

And you spend a lot of time alone

and there's no mixed zoning, so

:

01:15:59,368 --> 01:16:02,827

no one can have a business in your

neighborhood, which is really weird.

:

01:16:03,148 --> 01:16:06,538

So I feel like you talk about

this Westworld thing, I wonder

:

01:16:06,538 --> 01:16:10,128

if a Westworldification is

going to happen everywhere.

:

01:16:10,488 --> 01:16:15,738

I wonder if this experientialization

and this hospitality element that

:

01:16:15,738 --> 01:16:19,478

we're involved in is going to

just be everything, everywhere

:

01:16:19,478 --> 01:16:20,628

is going to be like that.

:

01:16:20,948 --> 01:16:25,488

Community driven, agricultural,

agrarian driven as well.

:

01:16:25,998 --> 01:16:26,878

Brian Searl: I would sign up for that.

:

01:16:26,878 --> 01:16:30,898

And I'm the biggest AI geek probably in

outdoor hospitality that exists, right?

:

01:16:31,198 --> 01:16:32,568

But I still like to disconnect.

:

01:16:32,568 --> 01:16:33,628

I still like to be immersed.

:

01:16:33,628 --> 01:16:34,388

I still like to...

:

01:16:34,858 --> 01:16:38,448

and I would love to get to a

place where I know everybody in my

:

01:16:38,448 --> 01:16:40,148

community for a couple blocks, right?

:

01:16:41,178 --> 01:16:41,888

I don't know...

:

01:16:42,298 --> 01:16:44,768

I guess I could theoretically do

that now, but it'd be weird to

:

01:16:44,768 --> 01:16:47,168

just walk up to people's doors and

knock and be like, "Hey, I'm your

:

01:16:47,168 --> 01:16:49,158

neighbor from two streets over."

:

01:16:49,188 --> 01:16:51,198

It feels weird, even though

it shouldn't be weird.

:

01:16:52,368 --> 01:16:57,628

So if you can do some part to build almost

like a neighborhood that's what you're

:

01:16:57,628 --> 01:16:59,888

saying is almost themed the same way.

:

01:16:59,898 --> 01:17:00,184

Does that make...

:

01:17:00,184 --> 01:17:03,448

and that's too maybe loose of a

word, but that brings the same

:

01:17:03,488 --> 01:17:06,278

type of people together who want to

experience the same thing and thus

:

01:17:06,278 --> 01:17:08,128

the community interaction is easier?

:

01:17:09,608 --> 01:17:11,268

Am I going down the right path?

:

01:17:11,268 --> 01:17:14,498

Zach Stoltenberg: Yeah, I think

we're starting to see some of that.

:

01:17:14,498 --> 01:17:17,308

Travis mentioned kind of the

Disney communities and stuff.

:

01:17:18,498 --> 01:17:24,938

Not my focus with our company, but other

divisions within LJA do a lot of these

:

01:17:24,938 --> 01:17:31,738

master plan communities where developers

coming in to build 800, 2,000 home lots.

:

01:17:32,178 --> 01:17:38,407

And at a $100,000 lot price, you've

got to sell more than just ground.

:

01:17:38,988 --> 01:17:42,368

You're selling a lifestyle,

they're selling a brand.

:

01:17:42,428 --> 01:17:45,398

And so we can call it theming, we

can call it immersion, we can call

:

01:17:45,407 --> 01:17:47,168

it branding, whatever you want.

:

01:17:47,508 --> 01:17:51,407

But we're seeing those master plan

communities with resort-style swimming

:

01:17:51,407 --> 01:17:57,388

pools and top-tier amenities and

clubs that would rival a Four Seasons.

:

01:17:57,758 --> 01:18:02,288

And I think when you look especially

amongst younger generations, I'll

:

01:18:03,228 --> 01:18:08,407

say Gen Z especially, they're really

putting a huge emphasis on lifestyle.

:

01:18:09,407 --> 01:18:12,808

You figure most of your life

is spent at work or at home.

:

01:18:13,228 --> 01:18:15,218

And when you're at home,

wouldn't it be great if it

:

01:18:15,218 --> 01:18:16,838

felt like you were on vacation?

:

01:18:17,558 --> 01:18:20,868

So I think we're starting

to see that trend already.

:

01:18:20,907 --> 01:18:24,598

And I also think that that's probably

one of the things that is pushing that

:

01:18:24,598 --> 01:18:28,538

ratcheting up of guest expectations

when it does come to outdoor

:

01:18:28,538 --> 01:18:30,128

hospitality and resort development.

:

01:18:31,208 --> 01:18:33,558

What people have at home

is getting nicer and nicer.

:

01:18:33,878 --> 01:18:39,327

So we've really got to up the ante when

it comes to creating a unique experience.

:

01:18:39,327 --> 01:18:43,518

And I think Travis, to your credit,

you're probably one of the best in the

:

01:18:43,518 --> 01:18:45,508

business at having accomplished that.

:

01:18:47,258 --> 01:18:53,208

Brian Searl: If living at home

feels like vacation, does vacation

:

01:18:53,208 --> 01:18:55,928

exist in the future or do you

just swap homes with someone else?

:

01:18:57,088 --> 01:19:00,718

Jeremy Johnson: I think it's not so

much does vacation exist, but it's

:

01:19:00,728 --> 01:19:02,258

wanting a different experience.

:

01:19:02,278 --> 01:19:07,248

I think Travis, I remember you

talking about this on the podcast

:

01:19:07,258 --> 01:19:12,918

with Alex and Matt, where it's

like you can be anywhere in 24 to

:

01:19:15,518 --> 01:19:17,038

48 hours.

:

01:19:17,418 --> 01:19:19,618

So your life might feel like vacation.

:

01:19:19,628 --> 01:19:22,088

Like I live in Marquette, Michigan.

:

01:19:22,098 --> 01:19:23,788

I'm on the shores of Lake Superior.

:

01:19:23,827 --> 01:19:26,118

To me, every day is vacation.

:

01:19:26,418 --> 01:19:30,858

I get to look out, I live on the biggest

freshwater lake in North America.

:

01:19:31,168 --> 01:19:32,038

I love my life.

:

01:19:32,278 --> 01:19:35,388

But that doesn't mean that I don't

want a completely different experience.

:

01:19:35,728 --> 01:19:38,228

I might want to go to Utah

and be in the desert or go to

:

01:19:38,238 --> 01:19:39,488

Santa Fe and be in the desert.

:

01:19:39,548 --> 01:19:41,918

I want that different perspective.

:

01:19:42,868 --> 01:19:46,138

And I think that's where that

perspective, being able to give

:

01:19:46,138 --> 01:19:49,398

somebody a new perspective, that's

where there's a lot of value, I think.

:

01:19:51,788 --> 01:19:52,968

Travis Chambers: Yeah, I agree with that.

:

01:19:52,978 --> 01:19:56,388

I think that we as a species, we're

really obsessed with storytelling.

:

01:19:57,108 --> 01:20:00,488

And the storytellers

generally run society.

:

01:20:01,478 --> 01:20:02,018

The Aristotles, the

:

01:20:05,488 --> 01:20:05,498

Shakespeares.

:

01:20:06,248 --> 01:20:10,698

Or if our life is playing infinite

games, then who's the game maker?

:

01:20:10,858 --> 01:20:12,258

Whose games are we playing?

:

01:20:12,448 --> 01:20:15,988

And you see how big the video

game industry is exploding.

:

01:20:15,988 --> 01:20:18,688

It's multiples and multiples

of the film industry now.

:

01:20:19,448 --> 01:20:23,248

And I think what happens is when

a species gets more wealthy, they

:

01:20:23,248 --> 01:20:25,468

start living more like aristocrats.

:

01:20:25,818 --> 01:20:31,688

So it almost becomes post-monetary

where your exchange of value is your

:

01:20:31,688 --> 01:20:36,488

style and your personality and your

experiences and your perspectives,

:

01:20:36,538 --> 01:20:38,608

just like Jeremy said, and your art.

:

01:20:39,168 --> 01:20:42,958

And so if we do survive this AI thing

and it does bring a lot of abundance

:

01:20:42,968 --> 01:20:47,458

and prosperity, then it seems like

that exchange will possibly become

:

01:20:47,458 --> 01:20:49,838

one of the most valuable currencies.

:

01:20:50,077 --> 01:20:51,628

It will be, right?

:

01:20:51,657 --> 01:20:56,077

It will be Jeremy walking out and

looking at this lake because he

:

01:20:56,077 --> 01:21:01,858

doesn't have to live in Milwaukee

anymore to make a living.

:

01:21:02,388 --> 01:21:04,318

He can live anywhere he wants.

:

01:21:05,077 --> 01:21:08,768

And because of that, he's this

really interesting character and

:

01:21:09,708 --> 01:21:13,318

it just seems like that is possibly

going to be where things go.

:

01:21:13,327 --> 01:21:15,518

It'll be interesting to see.

:

01:21:17,378 --> 01:21:20,938

Jeremy Johnson: I'm curious,

Joy, we haven't talked about your

:

01:21:20,938 --> 01:21:24,488

property too much yet, but I'm

guessing you're on a dairy farm.

:

01:21:24,518 --> 01:21:28,577

Is that an experience in British Columbia

that people are seeking because they

:

01:21:28,577 --> 01:21:33,028

want to get out of the city or what was

the idea and inspiration behind that?

:

01:21:34,628 --> 01:21:37,668

Joy de Vos: I guess my inspiration

comes from being a 4-H leader.

:

01:21:37,818 --> 01:21:42,058

I've been a 4-H leader for 20 years

and in this time I've mentored over 200

:

01:21:42,077 --> 01:21:46,818

children to learn more about dairy, learn

more about agriculture, being able to be

:

01:21:46,827 --> 01:21:49,508

public speakers and leaders for tomorrow.

:

01:21:49,548 --> 01:21:54,358

And along the way, I've encountered

people that couldn't tell that a

:

01:21:54,718 --> 01:21:56,808

bull calf was actually not a goat.

:

01:21:58,407 --> 01:21:58,918

Brian Searl: That would be me.

:

01:21:59,577 --> 01:22:03,188

Joy de Vos: Yeah, and when I had

21-year-olds making that kind of comment

:

01:22:03,208 --> 01:22:06,168

when I did a petting zoo, I thought,

oh my goodness, we're so out of touch.

:

01:22:06,708 --> 01:22:10,528

And so I decided with my

husband that we would do an

:

01:22:10,528 --> 01:22:12,327

educational experience for people.

:

01:22:12,608 --> 01:22:17,068

It first started off with just doing

dairy tours and working on how we

:

01:22:17,068 --> 01:22:18,728

farm it with the riparian area.

:

01:22:18,918 --> 01:22:22,278

We are a working dairy farm, third

generation, and we're hoping that

:

01:22:22,618 --> 01:22:24,428

it'll go on to the fourth generation.

:

01:22:24,838 --> 01:22:27,618

So along our discussions, we

decided, let's do a campground.

:

01:22:28,188 --> 01:22:28,988

That sounds like fun.

:

01:22:29,338 --> 01:22:30,998

And then we talked about doing a store.

:

01:22:30,998 --> 01:22:33,008

We'll have a little store

to service the campground.

:

01:22:33,268 --> 01:22:36,928

And then it became my husband moving

his stuff out of his shop and me turning

:

01:22:36,928 --> 01:22:38,657

it into a cute little general store.

:

01:22:39,008 --> 01:22:41,758

So you feel like you've come back in

time because it looks like the late

:

01:22:41,768 --> 01:22:45,648

:

inside the store and get a coffee.

:

01:22:46,138 --> 01:22:49,978

You can go feed the chickens, you

can camp on the farm, you can do

:

01:22:49,978 --> 01:22:53,378

an actual dairy tour or you can do

a milking dairy tour where you get

:

01:22:53,378 --> 01:22:55,868

to go in there and milk the cows.

:

01:22:55,878 --> 01:22:57,898

And if you're lucky,

maybe you get shit on.

:

01:22:57,958 --> 01:22:58,808

An experience!

:

01:23:01,048 --> 01:23:04,827

And there's so many people out of

touch with agriculture and in our

:

01:23:04,827 --> 01:23:07,688

area, we're starting to see more

and more people wanting to get

:

01:23:07,698 --> 01:23:09,327

back in touch with their roots.

:

01:23:09,358 --> 01:23:12,838

And we would like to offer

that opportunity to people

:

01:23:12,848 --> 01:23:13,688

who live in the city.

:

01:23:13,798 --> 01:23:15,928

Maybe they don't have a

backyard, they can't do a garden.

:

01:23:16,327 --> 01:23:17,218

Come and check out our

:

01:23:19,298 --> 01:23:19,368

property.

:

01:23:19,368 --> 01:23:20,698

Travis Chambers: Zach, have

you guys seen that Netflix show

:

01:23:20,748 --> 01:23:22,077

called "This is a Gardening Show"?

:

01:23:22,948 --> 01:23:23,918

Zach Stoltenberg: No, I haven't.

:

01:23:24,518 --> 01:23:26,898

Travis Chambers: Oh, it's pretty cool.

:

01:23:26,898 --> 01:23:30,407

He makes like the whole point that

the future of everything is agrarian.

:

01:23:30,698 --> 01:23:35,238

In that the more abundant we are, the

more we will all go back to an agrarian

:

01:23:35,238 --> 01:23:39,718

society where we're farming and that will

be our identity and how we spend our time.

:

01:23:40,618 --> 01:23:42,788

Jeremy Johnson: I can't help but

think of, I don't know if anybody's

:

01:23:42,788 --> 01:23:47,288

familiar, but there's a very luxury

high-end development, I think it's

:

01:23:47,288 --> 01:23:52,678

called CERES in Chattahoochee Hills,

Georgia, just outside of Atlanta.

:

01:23:53,258 --> 01:23:59,438

And it is completely agricultural

based and very food focused.

:

01:23:59,838 --> 01:24:03,558

They're growing food, but then

also cooking on site, and we're

:

01:24:03,558 --> 01:24:05,938

talking million-dollar lots.

:

01:24:06,428 --> 01:24:09,988

It's exactly, Travis, what you're talking

about, Joy, what you're talking about.

:

01:24:09,998 --> 01:24:14,288

These people have everything they could

ever want, but yet they're going back

:

01:24:14,288 --> 01:24:19,208

to this from-the-earth movement, and

there's this massive price tag on it

:

01:24:19,258 --> 01:24:21,008

because they're just outside of Atlanta.

:

01:24:21,638 --> 01:24:25,038

Zach Stoltenberg: I think another thing

that we've been seeing here recently

:

01:24:25,038 --> 01:24:29,628

with this growth, this focus on health

and wellness, especially amongst people

:

01:24:29,688 --> 01:24:34,188

that have got more money than they will

probably spend in their lifetime, or

:

01:24:34,548 --> 01:24:36,138

even that their children can spend.

:

01:24:36,978 --> 01:24:42,338

Their focus shifts from material

things into living the best life of

:

01:24:42,358 --> 01:24:43,748

the years that they have remaining.

:

01:24:43,748 --> 01:24:48,648

Feeling good, feeling you can do

whatever you want, and that recentral

:

01:24:48,648 --> 01:24:54,598

focus on health, longevity, wellness,

and a huge part of that is diet.

:

01:24:54,848 --> 01:25:00,068

So I think all of these experiences that

we're trying to create to attract that

:

01:25:00,068 --> 01:25:05,028

type of a customer base, it's not just the

theming and the immersion and all of that.

:

01:25:05,448 --> 01:25:09,548

In order to hit that authenticity

feel that is driving outdoor,

:

01:25:09,577 --> 01:25:11,458

it's got to be holistic.

:

01:25:11,468 --> 01:25:16,378

It's got to be the food, learning

about it, tending it, meeting

:

01:25:16,378 --> 01:25:20,028

the staff that are cooking it and

growing it, and it's got to come full

:

01:25:20,038 --> 01:25:21,827

circle with all those components.

:

01:25:23,048 --> 01:25:24,128

Brian Searl: Yeah, I agree with that.

:

01:25:24,428 --> 01:25:27,218

I'm always one of those people who's

trying to learn as much as they can.

:

01:25:27,218 --> 01:25:30,048

So when we were down in Key West,

I was going to the farmers markets,

:

01:25:30,048 --> 01:25:34,148

learning about the pink shrimp and

the lobsters and the stone crab and

:

01:25:34,148 --> 01:25:35,348

all the things they have down there.

:

01:25:35,468 --> 01:25:37,327

Then trying to figure out where

can I get it from the markets and

:

01:25:37,327 --> 01:25:40,508

how can I cook it in my glamping

accommodation that I was in.

:

01:25:40,508 --> 01:25:44,358

So I think that for sure, it's not

farming, but it's the same from the sea.

:

01:25:45,208 --> 01:25:48,108

It's figuring out how that all connects

to each other, to the experience.

:

01:25:48,118 --> 01:25:48,278

We

:

01:25:54,258 --> 01:25:56,598

stayed at a couple glamping

accommodations, I would call them

:

01:25:56,598 --> 01:26:01,558

glamping, that were basically

cottages that this guy built on

:

01:26:01,577 --> 01:26:04,278

top of catamarans in Key West.

:

01:26:05,077 --> 01:26:06,798

They rent for something like $500 a night.

:

01:26:07,338 --> 01:26:11,268

I think they're called Outpost 1 and 2

from a company called Mellow Ventures.

:

01:26:12,388 --> 01:26:14,318

There's a couple competitors

down there, but it's very rare.

:

01:26:14,378 --> 01:26:17,098

He's basically built these custom

cottages that float on catamarans.

:

01:26:17,098 --> 01:26:19,818

They're anchored in the middle

of the harbor in Key West in

:

01:26:19,818 --> 01:26:21,268

four-foot crystal clear water.

:

01:26:21,668 --> 01:26:25,468

You go out there and there's no air

conditioning, you're just out there in

:

01:26:25,608 --> 01:26:26,978

this cabin in the middle of the water.

:

01:26:26,998 --> 01:26:29,398

We stayed there for three nights

and it was one of the most

:

01:26:29,398 --> 01:26:31,168

relaxing things I think I've done.

:

01:26:31,657 --> 01:26:35,798

Just being disconnected and being able

to cook my fresh food from the market,

:

01:26:36,758 --> 01:26:40,728

learning about the shrimp and the fish and

the types of stuff that's swimming by me.

:

01:26:42,568 --> 01:26:43,958

I'm a buyer, I'm a believer in that.

:

01:26:46,198 --> 01:26:48,098

Maybe that's your next idea, Travis.

:

01:26:48,508 --> 01:26:50,388

We go from Westworld to Waterworld.

:

01:26:51,458 --> 01:26:52,208

Travis Chambers: It's funny, we...

:

01:26:52,488 --> 01:26:54,398

Brian Searl: But it's got to

be better than Waterworld, man.

:

01:26:54,398 --> 01:26:56,618

That's a very low bar for a movie to set.

:

01:26:58,558 --> 01:27:01,327

Travis Chambers: It's funny, we have been

looking at barges and catamarans here in

:

01:27:01,348 --> 01:27:04,028

Puerto Rico to do that kind of experience.

:

01:27:08,518 --> 01:27:10,198

Brian Searl: Yeah, it's one

of the most unique things

:

01:27:10,198 --> 01:27:11,788

that I've ever seen and done.

:

01:27:11,848 --> 01:27:12,958

And he built it really well.

:

01:27:14,938 --> 01:27:16,657

Travis Chambers: It's so funny,

we were literally talking last

:

01:27:16,657 --> 01:27:18,168

week about doing a catamaran.

:

01:27:18,168 --> 01:27:22,128

I'm thinking, why don't we

just buy a barge and build a

:

01:27:22,128 --> 01:27:23,208

little village on the barge?

:

01:27:24,948 --> 01:27:26,718

This is cool, this is really inspiring.

:

01:27:27,378 --> 01:27:30,918

Jeremy Johnson: There's a project,

I think it's just outside of Toledo.

:

01:27:31,368 --> 01:27:34,528

I'd have to look on the map, but

it's in the middle of nowhere

:

01:27:34,528 --> 01:27:36,928

Ohio and it's on Lake Erie.

:

01:27:38,028 --> 01:27:44,788

This younger guy bought a commercial

marina with 14 slips, and I think he gets

:

01:27:45,548 --> 01:27:50,058

an average of four or $500 a night because

he turned it into this little micro

:

01:27:50,058 --> 01:27:52,318

resort where everything's on the water.

:

01:27:52,918 --> 01:27:56,428

He's got little food trucks that pull up

to his marina, and it's just this whole

:

01:27:56,428 --> 01:28:02,628

experience that you typically wouldn't

get in this post-industrial area that was

:

01:28:02,868 --> 01:28:05,898

nothing but iron ore shipping in the past.

:

01:28:05,907 --> 01:28:08,108

It's cool that he was

able to turn that around.

:

01:28:09,308 --> 01:28:13,338

I think we all talk about how land

is becoming more and more a scarce

:

01:28:13,338 --> 01:28:17,518

commodity, but water even more

so, especially nice fresh water

:

01:28:17,518 --> 01:28:19,488

or even nice sea water as well.

:

01:28:25,018 --> 01:28:27,368

Brian Searl: Joy, where do

you see Foxtrot Dairy going?

:

01:28:27,368 --> 01:28:29,508

You said it was new, the

campground side of it?

:

01:28:30,077 --> 01:28:33,128

Joy de Vos: Yeah, it took us a while

to get the campground up and running

:

01:28:33,138 --> 01:28:36,808

because it's my husband and I that

are trying to forge ahead with it.

:

01:28:36,907 --> 01:28:39,678

We have limited capital to

getting it started up, but I

:

01:28:39,688 --> 01:28:40,898

think we've done really well.

:

01:28:42,628 --> 01:28:47,448

We're held at a capacity of 10 campsites

because we're on the agricultural land

:

01:28:47,448 --> 01:28:54,968

reserve, and so that means that we have to

preserve it for farming as a main economy.

:

01:28:56,258 --> 01:28:59,608

The campground itself is really

just there for the educational

:

01:28:59,608 --> 01:29:00,958

aspect of dairy farming.

:

01:29:06,888 --> 01:29:10,118

We have 10 campsites, two of

them are full hookup service.

:

01:29:10,118 --> 01:29:14,248

We have a septic system, we have

actual showers, not porta-potties.

:

01:29:15,698 --> 01:29:21,198

We have it planned to set up as

a little village eventually as we

:

01:29:21,958 --> 01:29:24,288

gain the capital to invest into it.

:

01:29:25,188 --> 01:29:29,438

The hope is that people will set it as a

journey destination for their families,

:

01:29:29,438 --> 01:29:33,398

that they'll all come here and do their

family reunions and see the cows going

:

01:29:33,398 --> 01:29:34,858

back and forth from the campground.

:

01:29:35,148 --> 01:29:38,758

You can see the dry cows going back

and forth, you can see our horse, and

:

01:29:38,758 --> 01:29:40,438

our goats are within the campground.

:

01:29:41,048 --> 01:29:45,118

So it really is a little farm

that we're trying to set up there,

:

01:29:45,358 --> 01:29:46,798

and you're right beside the farm.

:

01:29:47,088 --> 01:29:49,448

On the other side of the

bushes is the farm, and you

:

01:29:49,448 --> 01:29:50,988

don't actually hear the cows.

:

01:29:51,338 --> 01:29:53,038

It's amazing what a bush can do.

:

01:29:54,518 --> 01:29:58,848

The store is open, people are able to

come over and be on the main farmyard.

:

01:29:59,628 --> 01:30:03,798

We're really just hoping that schools

and people that are interested in

:

01:30:03,798 --> 01:30:08,498

learning about where their milk comes

from, how we farm, why we farm, why

:

01:30:08,498 --> 01:30:10,738

are the decisions that we make made.

:

01:30:11,038 --> 01:30:15,858

They're made because we have to work

within our ability with our land, and

:

01:30:15,878 --> 01:30:20,228

within the nutrition of the animals, and

with staying environmentally friendly.

:

01:30:20,388 --> 01:30:25,258

So we have a lot of hoops to jump through,

and the agricultural land reserve is a

:

01:30:25,258 --> 01:30:27,418

special land that's put aside for farming.

:

01:30:28,318 --> 01:30:34,327

I see us enjoying and meeting lots of

people from around the country, maybe

:

01:30:34,327 --> 01:30:38,378

around other countries, to come and

just really have a great experience.

:

01:30:38,378 --> 01:30:43,088

I think for us, seeing a child learn

that milk comes from a cow, I've seen it.

:

01:30:43,288 --> 01:30:45,148

Kids are like, "Wow, that happens?"

:

01:30:45,468 --> 01:30:47,738

And they're like, "That's

where my ice cream comes from?"

:

01:30:47,808 --> 01:30:49,577

Yes, that's where your

ice cream comes from.

:

01:30:50,678 --> 01:30:52,278

Brian Searl: The most important thing

that comes from a cow, ice cream.

:

01:30:53,118 --> 01:30:54,388

Joy de Vos: Oh yeah, it is.

:

01:30:55,028 --> 01:30:55,528

That butter.

:

01:30:56,888 --> 01:31:00,868

When people come to our

store, we have products from

:

01:31:00,868 --> 01:31:02,238

little mom-and-pop businesses.

:

01:31:02,898 --> 01:31:07,068

So really just trying to support that

local community as much as possible,

:

01:31:07,068 --> 01:31:11,538

working together and showcasing healthy,

nutritious products, thinking about what

:

01:31:11,538 --> 01:31:14,378

people need to live a happy, healthy life.

:

01:31:16,028 --> 01:31:17,358

I don't know, I'm still learning.

:

01:31:17,577 --> 01:31:21,438

This is exciting and it's

nerve-wracking all at the same time,

:

01:31:21,588 --> 01:31:23,588

but I look forward to my plans.

:

01:31:24,298 --> 01:31:25,758

Brian Searl: If you ever stop

learning, you'll be bored,

:

01:31:25,758 --> 01:31:26,798

so I hope you keep learning.

:

01:31:27,788 --> 01:31:31,068

Is it just RV or do you have any

intentions to add accommodations like

:

01:31:31,068 --> 01:31:32,738

cabins or glamping or anything out there?

:

01:31:33,478 --> 01:31:34,728

Joy de Vos: I do want to add glamping.

:

01:31:34,958 --> 01:31:40,348

I want to make a miniature village of our

farm, but that again requires capital.

:

01:31:40,928 --> 01:31:45,848

I would like to make a replica of our

actual farm within there and have themed

:

01:31:45,888 --> 01:31:51,398

cabins for the milk house, the calf

barn, the shop, and with educational

:

01:31:51,398 --> 01:31:53,268

history pictures on the inside.

:

01:31:53,608 --> 01:31:56,898

I have the designs already, I just

don't have the capital to get it going.

:

01:31:57,358 --> 01:32:02,668

So in time, I plan to have all the

sites hooked up and all with power,

:

01:32:03,218 --> 01:32:06,368

but we know power is expensive, so

that'll take a little bit of time.

:

01:32:06,488 --> 01:32:09,698

But when it's all set up and

done, it'll be a really cute place

:

01:32:09,698 --> 01:32:10,878

that people will want to come to.

:

01:32:11,128 --> 01:32:13,938

Then I hope while they're here,

they see the wineries and the

:

01:32:13,938 --> 01:32:18,748

other dairy farms near us and just

really get to know the agricultural

:

01:32:18,748 --> 01:32:20,348

footprint within our communities.

:

01:32:21,657 --> 01:32:24,218

Brian Searl: It is one of the

hardest things, and I'll just

:

01:32:24,218 --> 01:32:25,327

admit this from my perspective.

:

01:32:25,327 --> 01:32:27,778

It's been one of the hardest things

I've learned over the last few years,

:

01:32:28,928 --> 01:32:32,657

running my business, working 110 hours

a week for 15 plus years, seven days

:

01:32:32,657 --> 01:32:34,028

a week, because I love what I do.

:

01:32:34,848 --> 01:32:37,438

It's really been hard for me to

immerse myself into the type of

:

01:32:37,458 --> 01:32:38,728

experience, to go to the places.

:

01:32:38,878 --> 01:32:43,077

I take a vacation, but I realized

two years ago that I was walking

:

01:32:43,077 --> 01:32:45,058

along a beach, I think it was

actually in Vancouver Island.

:

01:32:46,818 --> 01:32:49,157

I realized I'm walking along this

beach and I'm thinking about business.

:

01:32:49,788 --> 01:32:52,388

I'm not appreciating that I'm on

a beach, I'm not appreciating the

:

01:32:52,388 --> 01:32:55,208

ocean is right here, appreciating

there's a time to disconnect.

:

01:32:55,888 --> 01:32:59,788

So I've tried to reframe that thinking,

but it's hard in the modern world for

:

01:32:59,838 --> 01:33:03,188

a lot of people to get to that place

with all the distractions that we have

:

01:33:03,188 --> 01:33:04,818

and opportunities to not be bored.

:

01:33:05,338 --> 01:33:08,748

Is that just me or is that sentiment

out there with more of you?

:

01:33:08,748 --> 01:33:15,657

Joy de Vos: I find that all the time.

:

01:33:15,657 --> 01:33:16,588

Jeremy Johnson: I don't

think it's just you.

:

01:33:16,827 --> 01:33:20,798

I will say as somebody who lives in the

upper Midwest, I think that's the thing

:

01:33:20,798 --> 01:33:22,938

I appreciate the most about seasons.

:

01:33:23,048 --> 01:33:27,748

The seasons make you slow down,

whether it's winter or spring or fall.

:

01:33:27,758 --> 01:33:27,778

We

:

01:33:30,728 --> 01:33:34,438

got over 300 inches of snow this

year where I live in Ishpeming.

:

01:33:34,808 --> 01:33:39,488

When you have that kind of snow,

you can't just go out the door

:

01:33:39,548 --> 01:33:41,028

and go to wherever you're going.

:

01:33:41,038 --> 01:33:43,688

You have to slow down,

you have to move the snow.

:

01:33:44,958 --> 01:33:46,758

At least for me, it makes

me think differently.

:

01:33:46,968 --> 01:33:51,077

Instead of just rushing out the door

and hopping in my car, I think, you

:

01:33:51,077 --> 01:33:55,478

know what, it might be easier and more

fun if I skied down to the coffee shop.

:

01:33:57,318 --> 01:33:58,938

That's what I did multiple

times this winter.

:

01:34:00,327 --> 01:34:03,898

That makes life a little bit more fun

to have that disconnect and get out of

:

01:34:03,898 --> 01:34:08,498

that regular pattern of thinking about

business or the most efficient or the

:

01:34:09,068 --> 01:34:11,148

biggest ROI you can get on a project.

:

01:34:11,157 --> 01:34:12,598

Brian Searl: That's why I

really like the houseboats.

:

01:34:12,827 --> 01:34:16,987

We had to take a boat out there from the

marina, a 10, 15-minute ride out from

:

01:34:16,987 --> 01:34:20,608

the boatyard, and we couldn't leave.

:

01:34:20,898 --> 01:34:23,808

We could call somebody if we wanted

to and pay for a boat, but we

:

01:34:23,808 --> 01:34:24,728

were in the middle of the water.

:

01:34:25,077 --> 01:34:26,778

We weren't going anywhere

even if I wanted to.

:

01:34:26,958 --> 01:34:29,288

So we had to go grocery shopping,

we had to bring our provisions,

:

01:34:29,718 --> 01:34:31,818

we had ice coolers, we didn't

have a full refrigerator.

:

01:34:31,818 --> 01:34:35,968

We had to think and plan and

clearly disconnect and understand

:

01:34:35,968 --> 01:34:38,327

what we needed, and it was great.

:

01:34:39,208 --> 01:34:42,538

Jeremy Johnson: One of my favorite places

is actually in the Upper Peninsula,

:

01:34:42,538 --> 01:34:45,248

about 50 minutes away from where I live.

:

01:34:45,398 --> 01:34:46,778

It's called the Huron Mountain Club.

:

01:34:47,568 --> 01:34:52,258

When you go up that club road and you

pass through the gates, you've got no

:

01:34:52,258 --> 01:34:54,368

service, you're completely disconnected.

:

01:34:54,378 --> 01:35:01,737

The closest store to get gas, food,

anything, water, is probably 45 minutes

:

01:35:01,737 --> 01:35:03,508

down the road, and it's a dirt road.

:

01:35:05,907 --> 01:35:08,198

It brings on a little bit of

anxiety because you're wondering,

:

01:35:08,198 --> 01:35:09,407

did I forget something?

:

01:35:09,798 --> 01:35:12,558

But then as you settle in,

you realize it doesn't matter.

:

01:35:12,558 --> 01:35:15,698

You might think, oh shoot, I forgot

my phone charger, and you realize,

:

01:35:15,698 --> 01:35:17,577

you know what, I'm here, who cares?

:

01:35:18,058 --> 01:35:20,788

That feeling is invaluable to have.

:

01:35:22,188 --> 01:35:27,038

On that same note, one of the

future projects I'm working on is

:

01:35:27,168 --> 01:35:31,588

on the shores of Lake Superior,

and one of the components of it is

:

01:35:32,478 --> 01:35:37,088

a private beach that you can only

access by walking through a wetland.

:

01:35:37,088 --> 01:35:41,818

We're going to be building a raised

boardwalk to get to that wetland and

:

01:35:41,818 --> 01:35:47,758

it's probably about a thousand feet

of boardwalk, but it's a 10, 15 minute

:

01:35:47,768 --> 01:35:51,758

walk and it's like you're walking

through pretty deep thick wetland

:

01:35:52,077 --> 01:35:54,798

and you might get bit by a mosquito.

:

01:35:54,848 --> 01:35:58,643

Like there might, you might get

hit in the face with a branch.

:

01:35:58,643 --> 01:35:59,327

That's fine.

:

01:35:59,327 --> 01:36:03,048

There's an element of uncomfortableness

to it, but then you get to that

:

01:36:03,058 --> 01:36:06,528

beach and I'm sure Travis, it's

probably like you walk through the

:

01:36:06,528 --> 01:36:08,157

jungle to get to the waterfalls.

:

01:36:08,487 --> 01:36:11,418

Like you get to that beach

and everything just changes.

:

01:36:11,418 --> 01:36:12,958

You're like, this was worth it.

:

01:36:13,648 --> 01:36:14,898

I call it type two fun.

:

01:36:15,168 --> 01:36:18,038

Walking to that waterfall might

not have been fun, but then you get

:

01:36:18,038 --> 01:36:21,308

there, you see how beautiful it is

and you're like, it was all worth it.

:

01:36:21,308 --> 01:36:22,288

None of it matters now.

:

01:36:23,237 --> 01:36:25,568

Brian Searl: I just, you need to give

me a bug suit, man, because I'm the one

:

01:36:25,568 --> 01:36:30,008

guy in the world where every mosquito

will find me from 10 miles away, man.

:

01:36:30,998 --> 01:36:31,768

They all like me.

:

01:36:31,878 --> 01:36:32,577

But I would agree with you.

:

01:36:32,577 --> 01:36:34,628

Yeah, forgetting the phone

charger, there are certain things

:

01:36:34,628 --> 01:36:35,588

that you don't want to forget.

:

01:36:35,598 --> 01:36:38,608

We got out to the boat and realized

we forgot the tequila and the cocktail

:

01:36:38,608 --> 01:36:39,928

mix in the car, so we had to go back.

:

01:36:40,548 --> 01:36:41,388

10 minute ride.

:

01:36:42,178 --> 01:36:45,478

Jeremy Johnson: Brian, I've got to jump

early today, but I appreciate being on

:

01:36:45,588 --> 01:36:49,038

and getting to talk with all of you and

good luck for the last 15 minutes here.

:

01:36:49,848 --> 01:36:50,388

Brian Searl: Thanks, Jeremy.

:

01:36:50,398 --> 01:36:51,128

Appreciate you being here.

:

01:36:51,678 --> 01:36:52,098

Jeremy Johnson: Bye guys.

:

01:36:55,018 --> 01:36:57,368

Brian Searl: So how do we

keep moving this conversation

:

01:36:57,368 --> 01:36:58,788

forward in outdoor hospitality?

:

01:36:58,848 --> 01:37:00,948

How do we get more people into

the way of thinking that...

:

01:37:00,998 --> 01:37:03,548

and we've talked about experiential

hospitality for a couple years, right?

:

01:37:04,168 --> 01:37:04,718

Loosely.

:

01:37:05,138 --> 01:37:08,268

Never anything probably as in-depth

as Travis being on the show,

:

01:37:08,268 --> 01:37:10,048

right, with experiences like that.

:

01:37:11,338 --> 01:37:14,648

But does the outdoor hospitality industry

need to reframe some of the thinking

:

01:37:14,698 --> 01:37:18,518

or are we headed in the right direction

already or what do you think, Zach?

:

01:37:18,538 --> 01:37:20,038

You work with a lot of these businesses.

:

01:37:22,318 --> 01:37:24,468

Zach Stoltenberg: I don't

know that I would say reframe.

:

01:37:24,698 --> 01:37:27,478

One of the things I love

about this industry is that

:

01:37:27,487 --> 01:37:28,737

there's room for everyone.

:

01:37:29,288 --> 01:37:33,128

And I don't know that there's any one

right way or wrong way of doing it.

:

01:37:33,128 --> 01:37:36,758

And that's probably a perspective for

me that's changed a lot over the years.

:

01:37:37,248 --> 01:37:40,878

Early on in doing these, the majority

of the folks we were working with

:

01:37:40,878 --> 01:37:43,368

had a lot of capital behind them.

:

01:37:43,478 --> 01:37:46,478

There was a lot of money available

and people were doing that.

:

01:37:46,508 --> 01:37:49,633

But seeing what Joy and her husband

are doing, saying, "Hey, we're going

:

01:37:49,633 --> 01:37:51,458

to do this a little bit at a time.

:

01:37:51,508 --> 01:37:53,338

We're going to be restricted by capital.

:

01:37:53,718 --> 01:37:55,478

We're going to start

small and make this work."

:

01:37:55,608 --> 01:37:58,568

I see a lot of people that have done

that and done so very successfully.

:

01:37:58,668 --> 01:38:02,668

And maybe their first one was that

way, then it started to take off and

:

01:38:02,668 --> 01:38:06,518

getting a loan or some investment

to expand or move to their second or

:

01:38:06,518 --> 01:38:08,838

third site, that became a lot easier.

:

01:38:09,327 --> 01:38:13,048

But I think Travis, you

mentioned Ben Wolff earlier.

:

01:38:13,118 --> 01:38:18,178

I think we're seeing a lot of innovators

in this space that are coming in that

:

01:38:18,178 --> 01:38:19,778

are figuring out what works for them.

:

01:38:20,168 --> 01:38:25,788

You don't have to spend two grand a

month with Google and Meta for ads

:

01:38:25,788 --> 01:38:27,987

for marketing for your place, right?

:

01:38:28,018 --> 01:38:31,418

These guys have worked with

influencers, they've built social media

:

01:38:31,418 --> 01:38:34,978

campaigns, millions of followers, and

they're doing only direct booking.

:

01:38:35,398 --> 01:38:38,858

Where a lot of other campgrounds

would say, "Oh gosh, we get so

:

01:38:38,858 --> 01:38:40,268

much off of our Facebook ads.

:

01:38:40,288 --> 01:38:42,157

It's the most successful marketing we do."

:

01:38:42,827 --> 01:38:43,978

So I don't know.

:

01:38:45,338 --> 01:38:48,978

I guess it's a roundabout way of saying

I don't know what the answer is to that.

:

01:38:48,987 --> 01:38:50,478

Like where do we go from here?

:

01:38:50,898 --> 01:38:55,268

I think certainly there's something

to be learned for people who are

:

01:38:55,268 --> 01:38:58,618

doing it, have tried something new

and are really successful with it.

:

01:38:59,038 --> 01:39:03,798

And Travis, I'm sure you're

starting to see too, you captured

:

01:39:03,798 --> 01:39:06,178

this sort of lightning in a

bottle with your first site, you

:

01:39:06,278 --> 01:39:08,327

built a massive online following.

:

01:39:08,678 --> 01:39:12,838

I'm anxious to see, does that carry

over into a second site, a third site?

:

01:39:12,848 --> 01:39:14,948

Does that carry over into

a site out of the country?

:

01:39:15,398 --> 01:39:20,237

And then how does that shape

your journey of what's next?

:

01:39:20,418 --> 01:39:21,318

Any thoughts on that?

:

01:39:24,157 --> 01:39:27,628

Travis Chambers: Yeah, I think it

just comes down to a good story.

:

01:39:27,938 --> 01:39:31,378

Like Joy is a story, right?

:

01:39:32,368 --> 01:39:36,868

She's been doing the

farming club for 20 years.

:

01:39:37,288 --> 01:39:39,368

This is her life, right?

:

01:39:39,398 --> 01:39:40,487

This is her lifestyle.

:

01:39:40,628 --> 01:39:45,358

And there's something romantic about

entering someone else's lifestyle.

:

01:39:45,487 --> 01:39:46,608

It's a cultural experience.

:

01:39:46,608 --> 01:39:50,458

And so it really, it's just

that's what culture is.

:

01:39:50,598 --> 01:39:54,987

And I think in the United States,

cultures are very disjointed.

:

01:39:55,348 --> 01:40:00,788

And I think what we're talking

about exists in a lot of deep

:

01:40:00,788 --> 01:40:02,327

cultures in the world already.

:

01:40:03,518 --> 01:40:06,768

Morocco is a hospitality zone.

:

01:40:07,038 --> 01:40:10,068

There's just this richness, there's

a certain type of food, there's

:

01:40:10,068 --> 01:40:13,487

a certain type of tradition,

there's a certain type of clothing.

:

01:40:14,407 --> 01:40:16,288

When you go to Morocco,

you are in a movie.

:

01:40:16,858 --> 01:40:17,478

You really are.

:

01:40:18,678 --> 01:40:23,378

And so you go to Joy's place, you're

in this society, you're in this

:

01:40:23,407 --> 01:40:24,798

community, you're in this way of life.

:

01:40:24,848 --> 01:40:26,418

I think that's what people want.

:

01:40:26,618 --> 01:40:30,868

I think people want as many

experiences as they can have.

:

01:40:31,348 --> 01:40:36,688

And it just naturally seems to be what

people spend their time and money on.

:

01:40:36,868 --> 01:40:38,188

And it's pretty crazy.

:

01:40:38,188 --> 01:40:42,987

This is a really strange concept,

but if you are a coal miner and all

:

01:40:42,987 --> 01:40:46,668

you do your whole life is mine coal

and don't have any other experiences,

:

01:40:47,688 --> 01:40:51,218

time is going to be very compressed.

:

01:40:51,748 --> 01:40:55,678

But the more experiences you have,

it's like the more time you create

:

01:40:55,907 --> 01:40:57,928

because you're experiencing new things.

:

01:40:58,498 --> 01:40:59,598

They've done studies on this.

:

01:40:59,598 --> 01:41:04,598

It really sounds wild, but you've

lived half of your life by the

:

01:41:04,608 --> 01:41:10,327

time you're 20 because the way we

perceive time, because you generally

:

01:41:11,018 --> 01:41:13,258

are having less new experiences.

:

01:41:13,568 --> 01:41:14,428

You're in a routine.

:

01:41:14,868 --> 01:41:19,318

And so if you want to live a longer

life, you go have more experiences.

:

01:41:19,388 --> 01:41:22,278

Unless you just really love what you have.

:

01:41:22,318 --> 01:41:23,737

I think that's what people want.

:

01:41:25,858 --> 01:41:29,248

Obviously if people are stuck in survival

mode, like the majority of people on

:

01:41:29,248 --> 01:41:31,968

earth are still in a survival situation.

:

01:41:32,288 --> 01:41:36,778

I have to do this job so that I can eat,

so I can have a shelter over my head.

:

01:41:36,778 --> 01:41:40,138

So really the stuff we're talking

about is what do you do when

:

01:41:40,138 --> 01:41:41,538

that's not the case anymore?

:

01:41:41,688 --> 01:41:43,388

What happens when you're

not in a survival mode?

:

01:41:43,868 --> 01:41:44,818

How do you spend your time?

:

01:41:44,818 --> 01:41:45,538

Where do you go?

:

01:41:45,538 --> 01:41:48,468

And we know that people

spend it on travel.

:

01:41:48,928 --> 01:41:50,268

They spend a lot of it on travel.

:

01:41:50,268 --> 01:41:54,758

And we see it too, a lot

of people buy stuff, right?

:

01:41:54,808 --> 01:41:59,348

But once they reach a certain level of

abundance, they don't buy as much stuff.

:

01:42:00,237 --> 01:42:01,018

That's what happened with me.

:

01:42:01,018 --> 01:42:04,618

I sold my company, bought a bunch of

really stupid things I didn't need.

:

01:42:05,368 --> 01:42:06,468

It didn't make me happy.

:

01:42:06,558 --> 01:42:10,768

So then I got rid of them and just went

right back to the adventure part of it.

:

01:42:11,298 --> 01:42:14,668

So I think the other thing

that's happening is the tourism

:

01:42:14,678 --> 01:42:15,898

market is getting younger.

:

01:42:16,228 --> 01:42:21,088

So a majority of tourism was over

60 years old for most of our era

:

01:42:21,157 --> 01:42:24,228

because they're the ones that

have disposable time and income.

:

01:42:25,157 --> 01:42:29,407

But I just think that there's

just more money going around.

:

01:42:29,418 --> 01:42:33,378

The upper middle class has doubled

or tripled in the last 20 years

:

01:42:33,657 --> 01:42:37,878

and people are getting a lot more

mobility, and they're not spending

:

01:42:37,888 --> 01:42:39,368

as much money on where they live.

:

01:42:39,768 --> 01:42:42,348

They're spending their money on going

places and they have the flexibility

:

01:42:42,348 --> 01:42:46,327

to do that, which is not something that

has really been around for a long time.

:

01:42:48,818 --> 01:42:51,088

Brian Searl: Yeah, I think my answer

to that question, and I don't know if I

:

01:42:51,098 --> 01:42:56,368

have the answer like you do, Zach, but

I think my answer is to gently nudge

:

01:42:56,368 --> 01:43:00,918

people toward creating their own whatever

unique experience is in their head, right?

:

01:43:01,318 --> 01:43:02,968

For Travis, that's what he's building.

:

01:43:02,968 --> 01:43:04,458

For Ben Wolff, that's something different.

:

01:43:04,458 --> 01:43:07,178

For the clients that you have,

Zach, that's something different.

:

01:43:07,838 --> 01:43:14,558

I think there's been perhaps a majority,

and I'm not saying that's 60% or

:

01:43:14,558 --> 01:43:18,358

whatever, right, but a majority of

people who are developing in outdoor

:

01:43:18,358 --> 01:43:21,678

hospitality that have just said,

"Look, here's something that works.

:

01:43:21,678 --> 01:43:22,508

Let me do that also."

:

01:43:23,498 --> 01:43:24,848

Instead of, "Look, here's

something that works.

:

01:43:24,858 --> 01:43:28,318

Let me tweak that to make it work

for me or my audience or my niche

:

01:43:28,318 --> 01:43:29,237

or what I want to accomplish."

:

01:43:29,278 --> 01:43:34,568

Let me add an RV park or glamping to

a dairy farm instead of just building

:

01:43:34,568 --> 01:43:35,818

an RV park, if that makes sense.

:

01:43:37,138 --> 01:43:40,418

So I think that's where we need

to maybe encourage people to go.

:

01:43:40,418 --> 01:43:43,728

And I think there's significantly,

there are people that are going

:

01:43:43,728 --> 01:43:47,058

there, like Travis and Ben and some

of your clients, Zach, and other

:

01:43:47,058 --> 01:43:48,068

people that we've had on this show.

:

01:43:48,378 --> 01:43:52,148

I think those voices would be

well served for our industry to

:

01:43:52,148 --> 01:43:56,298

be more visible at some of the

industry conferences that we have.

:

01:43:58,737 --> 01:44:00,698

Travis Chambers: Yeah, I always

bring it back to storytelling.

:

01:44:00,698 --> 01:44:03,448

How do you make your

property not a commodity?

:

01:44:04,148 --> 01:44:06,808

Like Joy's property is

not a commodity at all.

:

01:44:07,348 --> 01:44:10,118

You're going to milk cows, you're going

to do things that you can't just walk

:

01:44:10,118 --> 01:44:11,778

into someone's dairy and milk their cow.

:

01:44:12,068 --> 01:44:13,918

You can't do that anywhere in society.

:

01:44:13,938 --> 01:44:15,428

It's like you would get shot.

:

01:44:15,428 --> 01:44:17,378

You might get in trouble, but you could.

:

01:44:19,338 --> 01:44:21,938

Brian Searl: You're just going to walk in

here and just milk my cow without even...

:

01:44:22,348 --> 01:44:22,848

what?

:

01:44:24,228 --> 01:44:25,418

Travis Chambers: The disrespect!

:

01:44:25,428 --> 01:44:31,288

So that's the problem is too many people

say, "I'm going to do a glamping project."

:

01:44:32,118 --> 01:44:32,487

What is...

:

01:44:32,538 --> 01:44:35,098

guys, I almost feel like you

could finish my sentence.

:

01:44:35,118 --> 01:44:36,188

What is the first thing they say?

:

01:44:36,218 --> 01:44:37,538

"Oh, I'm going to do domes."

:

01:44:38,008 --> 01:44:39,708

It's always the same thing.

:

01:44:40,198 --> 01:44:42,208

I always come to the same conclusion.

:

01:44:43,157 --> 01:44:47,718

And I would recommend to people,

go figure out what your story is.

:

01:44:47,978 --> 01:44:52,928

Go figure out what your unique

world is that you want people to

:

01:44:52,928 --> 01:44:56,737

enter because domes is not enough.

:

01:44:58,058 --> 01:45:01,558

It's enough if you're right next to

a national park, then it is enough.

:

01:45:01,598 --> 01:45:06,058

But do you really want to just add

another commodity to the world?

:

01:45:06,168 --> 01:45:07,278

I love Rick Rubin.

:

01:45:07,478 --> 01:45:09,098

He's my favorite music producer.

:

01:45:09,778 --> 01:45:12,398

He always says there's a difference

between art and commerce.

:

01:45:12,487 --> 01:45:15,058

Commerce is what you make

what you think people want.

:

01:45:15,928 --> 01:45:17,868

Art is you make what you love.

:

01:45:18,298 --> 01:45:20,398

And that's what I've tried

to do with my projects.

:

01:45:20,398 --> 01:45:22,657

What do I love deeply, love?

:

01:45:22,878 --> 01:45:25,418

And it's like if you're going to build a

project like this and you don't know what

:

01:45:25,418 --> 01:45:28,038

you love, then you got to go find out.

:

01:45:28,648 --> 01:45:29,308

You got to go find out.

:

01:45:29,308 --> 01:45:32,318

Brian Searl: What's your unique story

that you want to tell in the world?

:

01:45:34,657 --> 01:45:35,668

All right, last few minutes.

:

01:45:35,698 --> 01:45:38,348

Travis, do you have any

questions for Joy or Zachary?

:

01:45:38,348 --> 01:45:41,568

We kind of let the guests take over,

so do you have a question you want

:

01:45:41,568 --> 01:45:43,358

to ask either one of those two?

:

01:45:43,958 --> 01:45:48,378

Travis Chambers: Yeah, Joy, my

question for you is I'd love

:

01:45:48,378 --> 01:45:50,278

to know more about how you...

:

01:45:51,288 --> 01:45:54,068

how do you do this whole guest experience?

:

01:45:54,608 --> 01:45:56,478

Is it like a choose your

own adventure thing?

:

01:45:56,918 --> 01:45:58,028

Is there a schedule?

:

01:45:59,868 --> 01:46:02,678

Joy de Vos: It's a choose

your own adventure thing and

:

01:46:02,688 --> 01:46:04,538

we schedule based on demand.

:

01:46:05,028 --> 01:46:09,418

We could have tour times, but what

we've decided to do is work with

:

01:46:09,418 --> 01:46:13,518

when they're actually being demanded

so that we can be prepared with the

:

01:46:13,518 --> 01:46:16,518

staff to take people through the tour.

:

01:46:16,518 --> 01:46:17,698

We have to do biosecurity.

:

01:46:21,237 --> 01:46:26,157

We have to be prepared that people carry

disease, animals have disease, and we

:

01:46:26,157 --> 01:46:28,678

have to make sure that both work together.

:

01:46:29,018 --> 01:46:31,718

So we have to make sure

people's hands are sanitized.

:

01:46:31,728 --> 01:46:34,298

If you're doing the milking dairy

tour, we'll be providing you with

:

01:46:34,318 --> 01:46:37,827

the gumboots and the overalls so

that you don't have to worry about

:

01:46:37,827 --> 01:46:39,928

staining your lovely camping outfit.

:

01:46:40,577 --> 01:46:44,758

But mainly people, we want them to come

and camp and just enjoy the animals

:

01:46:44,758 --> 01:46:50,358

that are available all the time and kick

back and relax and forget about real

:

01:46:50,358 --> 01:46:52,378

life because real life is really hard.

:

01:46:53,218 --> 01:46:57,458

And then when you want to do a dairy tour,

we'll try to do them in the morning and

:

01:46:57,468 --> 01:46:59,688

answer the questions as best as we can.

:

01:47:00,018 --> 01:47:05,088

And we would target our dairy tours based

on who our client is at that moment.

:

01:47:05,298 --> 01:47:07,538

If they're young children,

we keep it simple.

:

01:47:07,728 --> 01:47:10,288

If they're older and they're college

students and they're trying to

:

01:47:10,288 --> 01:47:12,827

learn something about agriculture,

then we'll be more in depth.

:

01:47:13,168 --> 01:47:16,788

If it's the general person, just an

understanding of how we work with our

:

01:47:16,788 --> 01:47:22,458

environment to be good stewards of the

land and how we look after our animals.

:

01:47:22,468 --> 01:47:23,698

We love our girls.

:

01:47:23,728 --> 01:47:26,378

They all sleep on waterbeds

in case anybody's wondering.

:

01:47:27,028 --> 01:47:28,348

And they're very happy.

:

01:47:30,248 --> 01:47:34,208

And we'll develop as we're going

along because obviously I've only

:

01:47:34,208 --> 01:47:39,138

been doing this for the last 12 months

or 14 months with opening up the

:

01:47:39,138 --> 01:47:41,028

store and working towards this plan.

:

01:47:41,468 --> 01:47:44,358

And still I don't even know

what to put in my brochures.

:

01:47:44,358 --> 01:47:48,588

I have a brochure, but maybe my ideas

will be different in six months from now.

:

01:47:49,108 --> 01:47:52,878

And our campground can host tents and RVs.

:

01:47:53,148 --> 01:47:55,208

And right now we only

have two full hookups.

:

01:47:55,418 --> 01:47:59,388

The rest are dry until we

eventually get to our end goal.

:

01:48:01,508 --> 01:48:02,128

Travis Chambers: That's really cool.

:

01:48:02,148 --> 01:48:05,018

My one of my favorite experiences,

my grandpa had a dairy farm.

:

01:48:05,028 --> 01:48:07,338

My dad grew up on a dairy farm

and I used to go there as a kid,

:

01:48:07,888 --> 01:48:10,048

climb around the barn, find old...

:

01:48:10,657 --> 01:48:15,903

I'd find his old mail and checks

to the IRS and stuff from the 50s.

:

01:48:15,903 --> 01:48:17,438

It was so much fun.

:

01:48:17,448 --> 01:48:18,168

Like it was this...

:

01:48:18,918 --> 01:48:21,737

and it's like how many people

really get that experience?

:

01:48:21,737 --> 01:48:25,878

Zachary, what's your favorite

thing that you've designed so far?

:

01:48:27,938 --> 01:48:32,327

Zach Stoltenberg: I get this question

a lot and I think the best answer

:

01:48:32,327 --> 01:48:35,358

I can say is my favorite thing is

whatever I'm working on right now.

:

01:48:36,428 --> 01:48:41,208

Which the current project,

it's also in Utah.

:

01:48:43,237 --> 01:48:48,398

I can share a little bit about it, but

I'll say this is the first time instead

:

01:48:48,398 --> 01:48:53,538

of building or erecting a unit, we

are excavating the units out of rock.

:

01:48:53,998 --> 01:48:56,428

So that's been very

unique, very different.

:

01:48:57,048 --> 01:48:58,298

Some challenges with it.

:

01:48:58,748 --> 01:49:03,418

Everybody on my team has just poured

themselves into it and I think when

:

01:49:03,418 --> 01:49:07,008

it finally comes to fruition, it's

going to be absolutely incredible.

:

01:49:07,558 --> 01:49:11,708

But I think yeah, my best answer would

be whatever I'm working on right now.

:

01:49:11,878 --> 01:49:16,638

Because I think when you put a piece of

yourself into what you're designing, when

:

01:49:16,638 --> 01:49:19,728

you get passionate about it, when you

get turned on, you get your team excited

:

01:49:19,728 --> 01:49:25,418

about it, when your client is 100% into

it, that's when we get our best result.

:

01:49:26,077 --> 01:49:28,688

That's when we create something

that's really incredible.

:

01:49:28,878 --> 01:49:31,737

And those are the properties that

it might be a year or two later that

:

01:49:31,768 --> 01:49:34,728

they're finally open and hosting

guests and all those things that we

:

01:49:34,728 --> 01:49:39,668

talked about, all those ideas, those

conversations, even some of the crazy

:

01:49:39,678 --> 01:49:41,968

hairball stuff that we came up with

that's like, I don't know if it'll

:

01:49:41,968 --> 01:49:43,478

work or not, but we'll give it a shot.

:

01:49:43,987 --> 01:49:48,498

And then that's the thing that got

the million views on Instagram.

:

01:49:48,798 --> 01:49:51,958

And so that's the way we work.

:

01:49:52,157 --> 01:49:55,388

But yeah, for me it's always

whatever we're doing right now.

:

01:49:55,808 --> 01:49:56,998

That's what I'm passionate about.

:

01:49:57,398 --> 01:49:58,708

Travis Chambers: Was

it hard to get permits?

:

01:49:58,948 --> 01:50:01,348

Was it hard to engineer

building into rock?

:

01:50:03,218 --> 01:50:04,768

Zach Stoltenberg: It's been interesting.

:

01:50:05,198 --> 01:50:06,888

The permit side not so much.

:

01:50:06,888 --> 01:50:09,638

The county and the state have

been reasonable to work with.

:

01:50:10,118 --> 01:50:14,298

But some of the testing, the

geotech, the borings, working

:

01:50:14,298 --> 01:50:19,868

with a really knowledgeable crew

that's used to doing drilling and

:

01:50:19,868 --> 01:50:21,737

blasting and some of those things.

:

01:50:21,748 --> 01:50:24,558

We had big questions and they were

like, "Yeah, we do this all the time."

:

01:50:25,148 --> 01:50:29,718

And so I would say the most difficult

thing was us, our education and learning

:

01:50:29,968 --> 01:50:33,698

what is possible and then listening

to those trades and those contractors

:

01:50:33,698 --> 01:50:35,827

and saying, "Yeah, we can do that."

:

01:50:35,827 --> 01:50:38,987

And we sent him a few crazy things

and he's like, "I've never done that

:

01:50:38,987 --> 01:50:40,358

before, but I think I can do it."

:

01:50:41,018 --> 01:50:43,228

And there's been some things

that he pushed back a little bit.

:

01:50:43,978 --> 01:50:47,168

"If you want a column there, leave

it at least six or eight feet wide.

:

01:50:47,178 --> 01:50:50,028

Don't give me a two foot column,

that's going to crack and break on me."

:

01:50:50,068 --> 01:50:54,128

So it's been very interesting, very

educational, but it's been a ton of fun.

:

01:50:54,308 --> 01:50:54,938

And I've got it...

:

01:50:55,708 --> 01:51:00,438

we're working on it with a client who is

one of the most passionate people that

:

01:51:00,438 --> 01:51:01,958

I think I've ever worked for before.

:

01:51:03,388 --> 01:51:05,498

Brian Searl: We need to get

you your own TV show, Zach.

:

01:51:05,498 --> 01:51:07,907

Do you remember that TV show

with the people who went around

:

01:51:07,907 --> 01:51:09,358

and built the crazy fish tanks?

:

01:51:09,907 --> 01:51:10,708

I can't remember what it's called.

:

01:51:11,368 --> 01:51:12,508

Zach Stoltenberg: I

don't need a show, but...

:

01:51:12,548 --> 01:51:13,148

Brian Searl: Tanked, yeah.

:

01:51:13,508 --> 01:51:14,628

Zach Stoltenberg: I would love to do...

:

01:51:14,948 --> 01:51:20,748

maybe Netflix needs to do a pilot

series on building experiential stays

:

01:51:20,868 --> 01:51:24,698

and go out and follow some of these

crews with folks like what Travis is

:

01:51:24,698 --> 01:51:28,388

doing out there to see that sort of

behind the scenes of what's going on.

:

01:51:28,728 --> 01:51:31,928

I think there's three or four I

think they could go shoot right now.

:

01:51:31,938 --> 01:51:31,958

Brian Searl: It

:

01:51:34,458 --> 01:51:35,487

would be interesting for sure.

:

01:51:35,548 --> 01:51:36,758

We're a couple minutes over.

:

01:51:36,778 --> 01:51:40,088

Joy, do you have a last question

for Zach or Travis before we go?

:

01:51:41,588 --> 01:51:43,688

Joy de Vos: I can't think

of anything at this moment.

:

01:51:43,698 --> 01:51:44,168

Sorry.

:

01:51:44,678 --> 01:51:45,818

Brian Searl: No, that's perfectly fine.

:

01:51:45,907 --> 01:51:46,848

All right, final thoughts.

:

01:51:46,878 --> 01:51:47,938

Joy, any final thoughts?

:

01:51:47,938 --> 01:51:49,878

And then where can they find

out more about Foxtrot Dairy?

:

01:51:51,098 --> 01:51:53,248

Joy de Vos: We're foxtrotdairy.ca

:

01:51:53,407 --> 01:51:54,598

and we have .com,

:

01:51:54,598 --> 01:51:55,188

but .com

:

01:51:55,188 --> 01:51:55,848

is sleeping.

:

01:51:56,348 --> 01:51:59,708

I made sure to buy both panhandles

to make sure that they're mine.

:

01:52:00,228 --> 01:52:03,128

Just that we provide our

own beef when we're...

:

01:52:03,588 --> 01:52:04,568

when you're at our farm.

:

01:52:04,958 --> 01:52:09,388

And we have our own lamb and pork

and we've brought in some select

:

01:52:09,568 --> 01:52:13,588

agricultural products from different

vendors and just trying to provide

:

01:52:13,588 --> 01:52:15,028

what you would need when you come here.

:

01:52:15,758 --> 01:52:18,538

Come and visit us and pet a goat.

:

01:52:19,338 --> 01:52:22,118

Say hi to the chickens, say

hi to the cows, say hi to me.

:

01:52:22,228 --> 01:52:23,048

I'll tell you a lot.

:

01:52:24,538 --> 01:52:25,448

Brian Searl: Thank you,

Joy, for being here.

:

01:52:25,448 --> 01:52:25,907

I appreciate it.

:

01:52:25,907 --> 01:52:27,228

I'm looking forward to

seeing your success.

:

01:52:27,858 --> 01:52:30,688

Zach, any final thoughts or where

can they learn more about LJA?

:

01:52:32,368 --> 01:52:35,838

Zach Stoltenberg: You can reach

out to me on LinkedIn or Instagram.

:

01:52:35,888 --> 01:52:39,468

Like I always said, never

charged anybody for a phone call.

:

01:52:39,508 --> 01:52:40,588

We'd love to talk to people.

:

01:52:40,588 --> 01:52:42,128

Maybe we can help you, maybe we can't.

:

01:52:42,688 --> 01:52:47,018

But my email is just zstoltenberg@lja.com.

:

01:52:47,538 --> 01:52:51,668

And again, most of our advertising,

I like to say, is not us.

:

01:52:51,748 --> 01:52:54,708

It's through the clients, through

the properties we've worked with.

:

01:52:54,708 --> 01:52:56,288

I think they're our best testament.

:

01:52:56,298 --> 01:52:59,588

We like kind of being the folks

in the background that help people

:

01:52:59,588 --> 01:53:00,778

that are doing wonderful things.

:

01:53:01,278 --> 01:53:03,938

And Joy, I want to design

mini barns for you.

:

01:53:04,498 --> 01:53:07,748

I want little experiential stay units.

:

01:53:07,748 --> 01:53:10,308

I want them to be able to sit

in bed and look up and see the

:

01:53:10,308 --> 01:53:11,868

cows at the foot of the bed.

:

01:53:12,388 --> 01:53:16,018

I want the kids to be able to sleep

up in the hayloft for the evening.

:

01:53:16,077 --> 01:53:17,758

I think we could do some really fun stuff.

:

01:53:19,398 --> 01:53:24,157

And I grew up on a cattle ranch,

so not that far detracted from it.

:

01:53:24,808 --> 01:53:26,178

I was a 4-H kid too.

:

01:53:27,358 --> 01:53:29,298

Joy de Vos: Yeah, 4-H is

such a valuable program.

:

01:53:29,368 --> 01:53:31,468

If all of our children were

in it, we would have a bit

:

01:53:31,468 --> 01:53:32,858

of a different society today.

:

01:53:33,928 --> 01:53:34,907

Please reach out to me.

:

01:53:36,028 --> 01:53:36,428

Zach Stoltenberg: I will.

:

01:53:37,248 --> 01:53:39,237

Brian Searl: Last but not least,

Travis, any final thoughts and

:

01:53:39,237 --> 01:53:40,998

where can they find out more about

the projects you have going on?

:

01:53:42,138 --> 01:53:45,268

Travis Chambers: Yeah, I'm on

Instagram, travis_chambers.

:

01:53:45,268 --> 01:53:49,388

And then you can check out Outpost

X on Instagram or Outpost X

:

01:53:49,388 --> 01:53:50,748

Jungle for the island project.

:

01:53:51,208 --> 01:53:53,838

Brian Searl: All right, thank

you guys for being here.

:

01:53:53,838 --> 01:53:54,388

I appreciate it.

:

01:53:54,728 --> 01:53:56,508

Join us for another episode

of MC Fireside Chats.

:

01:53:56,508 --> 01:53:59,018

If you're not sick and tired of

hearing from me, I will have another

:

01:53:59,018 --> 01:54:01,888

live podcast in about 45 minutes

or so with Scott Bahr, who we're

:

01:54:01,888 --> 01:54:04,498

going to talk about data research,

AI, tech, all that kind of stuff.

:

01:54:05,068 --> 01:54:05,648

So join us there.

:

01:54:05,648 --> 01:54:08,198

If not, we'll see you next week for

another episode of MC Fireside Chats.

:

01:54:08,398 --> 01:54:08,918

Thanks guys.

:

01:54:09,008 --> 01:54:09,288

Take care.

:

01:54:09,338 --> 01:54:09,898

Travis Chambers: Thanks guys.

:

01:54:10,548 --> 01:54:11,118

Zach Stoltenberg: Thanks everybody.

:

01:54:12,348 --> 01:54:12,688

Joy de Vos: Thank you.

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