Today we’d like to introduce you to Chad Harrison.
Chad, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
We are a family of avid campers! We bought our first bunkhouse travel trailer shortly after the twins were born because we knew that we would need the extra room. As the girls got older we decided to upgrade our older travel trailer and stepped up our game into a 37-ft. triple slide bunkhouse unit that we loved. During this time, Chad was a commuting airline pilot based out of Chicago O’Hare and Kansas City when in 2015 we were given the opportunity to be based at home (DFW) and not have to commute! The only catch was that for that to happen immediately Chad had to accept a downgrade from Captain to First Officer, which he gladly did in hopes that it would only be for a very short time. We’ll as luck would have it, the wait lasted 11 months before he could re-upgrade.
The substantial pay cut from the move left the much-loved camper at the top of the list for things to be cut. During this time Kristin was working for the City of Irving, TX and missing a ton of time away from the kids. From there the idea of an RV Rental company was born. We started by posting the camper for rent in hopes of making enough money in rental income to keep from having to sell the camper. It didn’t take long before we were turning down rentals in our one camper so we added a 2nd, then a 3rd…4th…5th…6th…etc. Our concept was very original and very easy…. provide nothing but the newest, cleanest, and most equipped RV’s in the market. Provide everything that you would expect inside the camper, everything that makes a trip easy for the renters. We are now up to 12 units and looking to add even more before Spring 2018. Kristin is now a full-time stay at home mom…if you don’t count the endless hours she spends cleaning trailers, washing sheets, booking reservations, keeping Chad in line. Chad has retired from the airlines and the life on the road in exchange for a pilot instructor gig that keeps him home with the kids every night and allows him more time to devote to the family business.
Has it been a smooth road?
Our main struggle was in timing! With 4 kids a family business is tough. Couple that with the fact that for the first 2 years of the business Chad spent more than half his time on the road flying trips where he would spend endless hours in hotels working on the business.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Sportsman’s RV Rentals story. Tell us more about the business.
What makes us different from others would be our fleet. We offer the nicest and newest fleet in the rental business. We take great pride in offering only the highest quality campers to our renters. We also provide fully stocked unit. So, when you rent a RV from us, you’ll know that it’s a meticulously maintained newer model that has all the amenities already on board. That includes: blankets, sheets, pillows, pots and pans, plates, cups, bowls, silverware, coffee pot, toaster, bath towels, toilet paper…etc. Imagine going on vacation and having to start your trip by unloading your entire kitchen, bathroom, and bedroom into the camper parked on the street. And good luck finding sheets to fit the camper beds!! We take care of all that for a hassle-free experience at no additional charge
How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
I can personally see a large shift towards rentals as the millennials make their way more and more into the job force. The idea that you can pick up or even have a camper delivered to your campsite, use it for the weekend then take it back and not have to worry with storage, maintenance, upkeep is very appealing to that group of folks. They also realize that it’s a much cheaper option to owing.
Contact Info:
- Address: 1250 Haltom Road
Fort Worth, TX 76117 - Website: www.sportsmansRVrentals.com
- Phone: 8173722157
- Email: chad@sportsmansrvrentals.com
- Facebook: sportmansrvrentals
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