GOOD AS GOLD
Jeb Grose is 31 years old, but he has more experience in vans than many businesspeople twice his age. After starting an apprenticeship in a caravan workshop aged 16 in his then hometown of Broken Hill, he took on a sales role and travelled to trade shows across the country.
In 2016, Jeb and his partner Cassie opened Adelaide RV, a one-stop caravan retailer in Adelaide’s northern ’burbs. Subsequently, he has twice won SA’s Caravan and Camping Young Achiever of the Year Award, and the business has grown to employ 15 staff.
The story of Jeb’s success lies in his clarity of purpose. “Life is meant to be lived in more than one spot,” he says. “We aim on helping 10,000 people travel by 2030.”
Adelaide RV is on track to hit its goal and families are doing more than their fair share of the heavy lifting. “The average age of our buyers is 42 years old,” Jeb says. “55 to 60 per cent of the vans we sell are family vans.”
Adelaide RV keeps around 40 to 50 vans in stock, with Supreme and Leader its mainstays. I recently met up with Jeb to check out their Leader Gold LE in its 2160 configuration. This comfort capsule with rear-bunks is geared to host a family of four or even five if you count the convertible dinette.
Thirty minutes north and the understated grey-black 2160 was cruising along the bitumen through Seppeltsfield and Greenock. A glorious day for reviewing in Adelaide’s Barossa, all told, even if we did get caught behind a horse and cart for a few minutes.
