Back in 2016, Metro Detroit native Paul Domish took a trip to South America. Domish says he has been many things; a general contractor, a food truck operator, an entrepreneur, but always a dreamer.
So when his cousin invited him to travel to Patagonia for a couple of months, he jumped at the chance. After the two months were up and it was time to come home, Domish decided to stay in South America. Eight months later, he had traveled to Argentina, Chile, Colombia, and Bolivia, learning Spanish and soaking up the culture.
The experience was life-changing. Domish made a vow to himself that any future business he’d pursue must combine his passions for travel, tourism, and the outdoors.
While in Bolivia, he and an ex-pat friend from France launched
GoTOURgether.com, a digital platform connecting South American tour companies with international travelers. Domish traveled home in early 2020 to visit friends and family, intending to return soon to Bolivia. Then, the COVID-19 pandemic hit. His globe-trotting was put on hold.
The same cousin who’d invited Domish to travel to Patagonia asked if he’d like to head out to Yellowstone National Park. Domish said sure. And they were off on another adventure.
“We ended up going out to Yellowstone. I started seeing all these vans. I was like, these things are so cool! In Michigan, you don’t really see them like you do when you go to Colorado or out west. They’re everywhere,” Domish said. “So, I started looking into it. … I thought I would love to start a company doing these because it followed my passions and everything else was on hold at the time.
“It’s so much more accepted out west if you want to take an extended period of time and go see the country,” Domish said. “One of the reasons why I wanted to bring it back to Detroit is, first of all, I wanted to bring jobs and manufacturing back to Michigan. But, I also wanted to bring the culture.”
Back in Metro Detroit in the fall of 2020, Domish set to work founding
Drifter Vans. He connected with co-owner/lead builder Kyle Silvey, and eventually brought on board co-owner/lead carpenter Daren LeManski and interior designer Kathleen Nalli. He built a website and began marketing the new venture. Orders soon rolled into their Southfield shop from as far away as Texas and California.
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Drifter Vans co-owner/lead builder Kyle Silvey, left, co-owner/design consultant Paul Domish, center, and co-owner/lead carpenter Daren LeManski pose in front of a conversion project. Courtesy photo.
Nicole Allen of Youngsville, La., was one of the first to connect with Drifter Vans back in December 2020 after discovering
the company’s website. She’d had a camper before but wanted a vehicle that would be nimble and self-contained enough to go off-road.
Allen is one of a growing legion of camper van fans. The popularity of converting cargo vehicles into campers was on the rise even before COVID-19. The #vanlife hashtag has more than 9.7 million posts on Instagram.
And the practice has skyrocketed in the face of questions about the safety of conventional travel during a pandemic, wanderlust among those who’ve been cooped up at home, and the ability many people now have to work remotely. Cargo vans often are snapped up as soon as they hit showroom floors and conversion companies are booked out for months.
For some van conversion enthusiasts, the pursuit is part-time and recreational. For others, it’s an opportunity to pull up the stakes and live an alternative lifestyle of freedom and adventure on the road. For still others, it’s a last-ditch housing option when finances get too tight, as seen in the 2020 film “Nomadland,” based on a book by the same name.
Some #vanlifers purchase used vehicles at bargain prices and convert them with elbow grease and ingenuity. Others buy new vans and spend tens of thousands of dollars to have them professionally converted to their tastes.
With the ability to work remotely and her youngest daughter off at college, Allen plans to keep her home in Louisiana and use her van to travel for fun. Her companion, Steven Pharis, as well as her children, grandchildren, and dogs, will all be welcome to join her — whoever’s up for an adventure when she hits the road.
The big reveal
All morning, excitement has been building inside the Drifter Vans workshop, where tires and slats of wood are stacked neatly near sawhorses and vans in various states of conversion. The Drifter Vans team, family members, and even a pair of clients are all on hand to catch the first glimpse of Allen’s van.
At last, the service door rolls all the way up to reveal Allen’s RAM® ProMaster shrouded in mist outside the workshop, its sliding door open to reveal a warm, welcoming interior.
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Courtesy photo
Allen steps up into the van and takes it all in. She runs her hands over leather pull tabs on the cabinets, marvels at how the floor and ceiling are finished, and admires the curtain tassels that Domish’s mom sewed by hand.
“Do you love it?! I’m in love!” Allen exclaims to Pharis.
The van has gnarly tires to carry Allen into remote areas. The interior color palette of orange, aqua, and earth tones was inspired by a recent trip she took to Zion National Park. Inside, it’s equipped with a stovetop, refrigerator, bench seat, bed, electrical service, plumbing, and storage space. Outside, it features a solar power system, retractable awning, and heated shower.
“You used every little piece of this space! I love it,” Allen tells Domish as she wraps him in a bear hug.
To the Drifter crew watching with pride, she exclaims: “Awesome, y’all!”
“The overall experience has been the relationship with you guys,” Allen says after the reveal. “It’s like a friend group. It’s like a family.”
Drifter Vans administrative assistant and photographer Janell Vennard says that friends-and-family experience is by design.
“Paul’s really big about keeping things fun and not letting it get stressful,” Vennard says. “He always reminds us of that — to talk to each other and we’ll work it out. This is the most fun job I’ve ever had.”
The formula seems to be working. Drifter Vans is booked with orders into early 2022, recently expanded its Southfield workshop space from 2,000 to 6,500 square feet, and has hired three additional team members.
Next year, Drifter plans to convert 124 vans, including some with pre-manufactured layouts.
“We’re going to keep them very custom as far as the interior design goes. But the floor plans, we’ll be doing 100 pre-manufactured ones,” Domish says. “We have a professional interior designer on staff.
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Courtesy photo
She goes through the entire process with people. They send their inspirations. She makes a mood board for them. So, every (van) is as unique as the individuals we build them for.”
Drifter Vans converts Mercedes-Benz® Sprinters, RAM ProMasters and Ford® Transits. Each build takes four to six weeks and prices begin at $52,500 (van not included).
With his team firmly in place and business booming, Domish hopes he will be able to split time between Drifter Vans and his Bolivia-based tour-booking platform.
“It’s so funny,” Domish chuckles. “Everything in my life, as I set my vision on doing travel and tourism and outdoor products or services, I never in a million years would have thought that would mean be coming back to Detroit and doing manufacturing.”