If you prefer to read instead of watching our short video, here is the transcript of the conversation between Mike Gilvar, Mal Gilvar, Mike Graziani, and Pete Adauto about buying the airstream to retrofit:
Mike Gilvar: Alright, thanks everybody for joining this session of The Bottom Line at TTG. I’m here with Pete, Mal and Mike Graziani today. We’re gonna talk about the retrofit of an Airstream. Hey Graz, talk a little bit about why we chose to add the Airstream, this particular Airstream to our mobile set of assets.
Mike Graziani: Sure, I think it was a few reasons. Number one, the Airstream is kind of an iconic unit. It has a lot of character just as an empty shell compared to a lot of other mobile options. But then the other thing is, it’s still a blank canvas that allows us to do what we want, both on the exterior as well as the interior. So it can adapt for many uses.
Mike Gilvar: Interesting, and Mal, we’ve been doing a lot of marketing during the COVID era here, and it seems like from a mobile standpoint, with so much interest right now in mobile. Why do you think that is?
Mal Gilvar: Well, I think everyone’s really missing those face-to-face interactions that we’re used to having with live events. And one of the things that’s really exciting on a much more limited scale, you can get in the Airstream, go out to your customer’s office or go to a centralized location and meet with people in a safe and comfortable way.
Mike Gilvar: So basically bring the show to them, so to speak.
Mal Gilvar: Exactly.
Mike Gilvar: So Pete, what did we end up with? I know you were looking for an Airstream, and then what did we end up with? And what do you think we’re gonna be looking at in terms of special challenges with converting this thing?
Pete Adauto: We ended up with a 1970 25-foot land yacht that we found, fairly good shape, good solid floor. And some of the challenges I think we’re gonna run in or at least come up against are outfitting an area which will be able to have our meetings and conduct business for what we wanna do in that small area. So it’s a little bit different than having a lot more space in a showroom floor than a smaller area.
Mike Gilvar: Great, but what’s involved Pete, with getting the things… You see some of them out there that look all kind of grey and then kinda nasty looking and then you see other ones that are super shiny, but what’s involved to make something look new and cool like that?
Pete Adauto: So a lot of the ones that you see out there now are 30-50 years old, and you’ve gotta buff these things out. And it takes upwards from 100 to possibly even 200 hours of manual labour to polish these things out. And what they’re doing after they’re being polished is ceramic coat on the outside, which will help create that shine and have it last for a long time.
Mike Gilvar: Cool. And Graz, what is it about the Airstream, you think, that it makes it so appealing, sort of taking this 50-year-old design and people still want it and making it conducive for what we’re trying to do?
Mike Graziani: Yeah, I think that’s just did it. It’s kind of timeless, it’s got a retro quality about it, but yet blends well with modern styling and so forth. So again, the exterior, you see it, it automatically generates interest and intrigue and so forth, and then we can do anything we want on the inside to basically create a great area where somebody can have a good 3D representation of their brand that they can take to any client.
Mike Gilvar: Great, and so we’re gonna be taking this particular project, we were gonna be following it from beginning to end. Now, how long is it gonna take us to transform this thing into a mobile marketing sales center?
Mike Graziani: Well, Pete may weigh in differently, but from what I understand, it’s probably gonna be anywhere from six to eight weeks.
Mike Gilvar: Okay, how many total man-hours are you expecting, Pete, to put into this thing?
Pete Adauto: I think upwards around 400, I bet. By the time we’re from start to finish, from polishing to getting it and updating, there’s are certain things… You gotta do a new tires, you gotta pack the bearings, we gotta make sure this thing is gonna be safe on the road, trailer brakes, the wiring, all that stuff’s gotta either be… Bring up to code. So you’re talking a lot of different departments working together as one to make sure this thing is not only looks good, serves a good purpose, but also safe to pull down the road.
Mike Gilvar: Great. Mal, what’s the bottom line?
Mal Gilvar: The bottom line is, everyone is excited to get back to live interactions, and we’ve already discovered, in marketing this Airstream trailer, how excited people are to use this product, so we can’t wait to get it on the road. Bottom line is, this thing is going to look awesome, it’s gonna be a 3D manifestation of your brand, and it’s gonna look amazing and it’s gonna be ready to roll here in about six weeks.
Mike Gilvar: That’s awesome. Thanks, everybody. We’ll be following this project every week or so, and seeing how it gets updated and that we’re excited to see it come to life. Thanks for joining us on this session of The Bottom Line with TTG, and we’ll see you soon.
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