Kelly Davis, founder and new owner of Tuff Country on Episode 241
11/14/24 • 59 min
Tuff Country has been through some changes, from the founding 35 years ago to it’s purchase by a private equity firm to being back in the hands of the founder, Kelly Davis. Kelly shares all the details and what’s coming next. We wish him all the best in his reboot! Be sure to listen on your favorite podcast app.
3:07 – I guess we’ve always been off-road entrepreneurs
6:54 – He said, “swim or sink, it’s up to you. You control your own destiny here.”
12:26 – we really engaged with grassroots events all over the country
16:45 – one thing we really tried to do was control our growth
22:06 – we thought, if we can survive 2008 and climb back out of this hole, we’re going to be some tough dudes
33:02 – they buy you because you are a well-earned machine, you’re profitable, you have value, and then they get away from your core values
43:05 – we made an offer, they accepted and the work started, we had to reboot this thing.
51:13 – Quitten’s easy, man, so easy. The harder you work, the luckier you get.
Special thanks to 4low Magazine and Maxxis Tires for support and sponsorship of this podcast.
Be sure to listen on your favorite podcast app.
Tuff Country has been through some changes, from the founding 35 years ago to it’s purchase by a private equity firm to being back in the hands of the founder, Kelly Davis. Kelly shares all the details and what’s coming next. We wish him all the best in his reboot! Be sure to listen on your favorite podcast app.
3:07 – I guess we’ve always been off-road entrepreneurs
6:54 – He said, “swim or sink, it’s up to you. You control your own destiny here.”
12:26 – we really engaged with grassroots events all over the country
16:45 – one thing we really tried to do was control our growth
22:06 – we thought, if we can survive 2008 and climb back out of this hole, we’re going to be some tough dudes
33:02 – they buy you because you are a well-earned machine, you’re profitable, you have value, and then they get away from your core values
43:05 – we made an offer, they accepted and the work started, we had to reboot this thing.
51:13 – Quitten’s easy, man, so easy. The harder you work, the luckier you get.
Special thanks to 4low Magazine and Maxxis Tires for support and sponsorship of this podcast.
Be sure to listen on your favorite podcast app.
Previous Episode
Episode 240 features BRC Director Ben Burr
Blue Ribbon Coalition Executive Director Ben Burr gives the low-down on what BRC needs right now and shows us how we can be successful in our land use fight. It’s a fascinating take on what is going on in the real world. Be sure to listen on your favorite podcast app.
4:16 – my ancestors settled the Moab area; the Burr Trail is named for them
8:01 – I was always an advisor on these issues, I had pretty deep life experience working on public lands
17:13 – If you would have said I’m going to go from restaurants to politics, I would have been like, how am I going to get there?
25:16 – that’s the operating system running things now, it positioned lawyers to be the key players in this movement, especially on the environmental side
30:19 – and so, it is time to install an operating system that works to the benefit of outdoor recreation users
37:21 – you say exclusionist, I say elitist, it’s a very elitist movement
47:21 – SUWA wants concentrated recreation in just a few areas
53:20 – Call to Action – join BRC, a change in the public land system is going to happen because a bunch of people rise up and demand it
1:01:15 – if everybody who owned an off-road vehicle joined BRC, I’d be bigger than the Sierra club, it’s a $300 million organization – the math maths out on that
Special thanks to 4low Magazine and Maxxis Tires for support and sponsorship of this podcast.
Be sure to listen on your favorite podcast app.
Next Episode
Episode 242 with Jeff Mckinlay, man of experiences.
Jeff McKinlay, a man of experiences, from milking cows to construction; building steel buildings and rockcrawlers. Jeff has the work ethic to knock everyone out of the park; he’s the best at all he has done. Be sure to listen on your favorite podcast app.
5:38 – Wrestling was what I was good at; ended up four-time state champion, that’s what taught me a good work ethic is the wrestling and the training
12:58 – I realized it’s really hard to get paid when you’re not the guy in charge of the money
20:45 – Kevin was at his shop and had an old Twisted Customs rear steer buggy, I was like, “what in the world is that?”
26:20 – Anybody that’s crawled with Kevin knows that you don’t spot and you don’t help, you better keep up or you’re just getting left.
34:10 – I remember at my youngest son, Kade’s funeral, people were saying, “you did more with that kid in 17 years than most people do with their kids in their entire life.” That was a compliment I feel really good about.
Special thanks to 4low Magazine and Maxxis Tires for support and sponsorship of this podcast.
Be sure to listen on your favorite podcast app.
Conversations with Big Rich - Kelly Davis, founder and new owner of Tuff Country on Episode 241
Transcript
[00:00:01.100] -
Welcome to Conversations with Big Rich. This is an interview-style podcast. Those interviewed are all involved in the off-road industry. Being involved, like all of my guests are, is a lifestyle, not just a job. I talk to past, present, and future legends, as well as business owners, employees, media, and land use warriors, men and women who have found their way into this exciting and addictive lifestyle we call off-road. We discuss their personal history, struggles
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