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March 26, 2021
Alan Kline is 36°N’s resident Van Guru. Yep, that’s a thing. If you’re wondering, the Home of Sliced Bread is Chillicothe, Missouri and it’s also the Home of Vandoit Adventure Vans. Vandoit is a family-owned business that turns Ford Transit Vans into cool, multi-functional vans that you could live out of if you wanted to. It all started when Alan’s family was looking for a solution to their own adventure itch. In their searching, they stumbled upon a market in desperate need of something more functional, versatile, and durable than the traditional VW Van or RV. So they built, scrapped. Built, scrapped. And did it over and over again until they built something incredibly special; and so, Vandoit Adventure Vans was born!
Although raised in Missouri, Tulsa quickly became a second home to Alan in 2015 when he moved here for college. After graduating from ORU, Alan moved back to the KC area to help his family launch Vandoit. He experienced new beginnings professionally, but also personally, as he proposed to his dream girl, Daniela. In 2020, the two felt drawn to move back to Tulsa and rejoin the culture and community that they grew so fond of. Alan jumped right into the 36 Degrees North community, and that’s how he became our resident Van Guru.
So what exactly does a Van Guru do all day? Most of Alan’s time is spent collaborating with his clients to help bring their dream van to life. Every Vandoit van is custom-built to fit each client’s needs. Some want to retire and see the country, some want the freedom of living on the open road, and others just want a functional rig to travel on the weekend with their family and friends. Vandoit makes the process easy for their clients to custom create a van that serves every purpose they are looking to fill.
It hasn’t always been fun times and back-road adventures. Second to marrying his best friend, Alan’s biggest win has been working to help his family’s company come out on top in the battle of being a startup. Most of you know the drill. Alan is proud of his work pushing the Vandoit family (family, literally and figuratively) out of the startup phase and into a season of success. Alan’s been there since the first screw was drilled into a van and now he’s running to keep up with a rapidly-scaling business, as demand for their vans has exploded (we’re talking a 14-month waiting list). Even as they grow, one thing about Vandoit won’t change and that is the detail and time they put into building each van. They don’t rush it, and they’re proud of that.
So what’s next for Alan? Well, would he really be a Van Guru if he didn’t own a Vandoit van? Alan and Daniela are in the process of building and buying their very own van and they’ve already got a list of destinations to hit this summer. Oh, and if you want to grab his new van and hit the open road, he might just let you! Alan’s planning on renting out his van and giving us Tulsans a chance to experience life on the open road. He’s a big believer that everyone should try their hand at #vanlife at least once.
Coffee? Doubleshot or Triangle Coffee!
Food? Old School Bagel Co, Lone Wolf, Chimera and Yokozuna.
Late-night drink? Hodge’s Bend.
Outside? Riverside, the Gathering Place, Woodward Park or Turkey Mountain!
Work? 36 Degrees North. Duh. (He said it, not us!)
