Devin MacRostie is a brave man. Trained as an electrical engineer and with years of experience as a design engineer in the biomedical field, he had a change of heart when he converted his first van while consulting as an engineer.
Shortly afterward, he sold that van. “I lived in a van for a year and when I sold it, I was ready for a life change. That was to build a business where I could be creative and do it in a community that I love.” He bought a house in Rollinsville, and decided to build a business around converting vans…in an area where no van conversion business had been successful.
Altitude Vans, opened in 2019, is “a van conversion shop, focused on building camper vans for recreation and providing sources for alternative living. We do everything from supporting the DIYer to designing and creating the entire conversion.”
Business has grown exponentially in the few years the business has been operating. “It is hard to keep up with demand,” MacRostie said. “Without any advertising, we have more work than we are able to keep up with…. At the moment, we have two full time employees (not including myself), but I hope to grow that to five or six by the end of the year.” He genuinely loves working with customers to create a space that is unique to them, and which can accommodate their travel goals.
MacRostie is unabashedly proud of what he has accomplished. “I got here with a lot of hard work and sacrifice. I don’t intend to take this company out of this community; I see it growing within the community and becoming a source of jobs that allows people to avoid the commute and work within the community that they live.” Even s o ,
Altitude Vans has customers from both coasts “and everywhere in between.”
Asked about his leadership team, MacRostie responds, “At this point the leadership ‘team’ is me, with an engineering background, but I can’t ignore the support that I have received from those around me. From the web design and marketing support that I have received form my amazing partner of seven years, Rachel Rusnak, to the support of Mark and Lynn Slinger for providing me with the space to make it happen, and everyone in between.”
Business slowed during the pandemic – MacRostie admits that “initially, I was overly cautious and intentionally slowed growth. Supply Chain has also been a challenge, with unexpected items going out of stock without notice.” The only remaining barrier to expansion, he says, is “Staffing!!! The demand is there to support 3-4 more employees.”
You will find Altitude Vans at 51 Main Street, Unit B, Rollinsville. Phone them at 720-593-9956. The company’s website is www.altitudevans.com; their Facebook page is https://www.facebook.com/altitudevans; and they are on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/altitudevans/.
Sponsored by Gilpin County, with funds from the American Rescue Plan Act.
