By IvyLee Rosario
Many companies guarantee their products to be reliable or multipurpose, but what better way to prove that commitment than actually using the merchandise out on the road? That is exactly what Shane Corrigan, Sales Representative at Wilcor International, has been doing for the last two years. “Considering Wilcor is an expanding business, I decided to try my luck out in Colorado where everybody seems to be camping and enjoying the outdoors.” Shane quips, “I started out on a ski trip and ended up staying, visiting customers and traveling around the state.”
Corrigan travels through his territories of Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming in his distinct olive green, 1976 Volkswagen camper van nick-named Eleanor, a tribute to his grandmother. “Being brought up with camping in my family and being part of a camping business, it only seemed natural to camp while I was on the road.”
Wilcor products are in everyday use during Corrigan’s travels, including the headlamp, the music bomb, double burner stove, extendable marshmallow roasting fork, and the double hammock. “I carry a lot of camping samples with me to show customers so I’m always using those on the road. My most used products are the headlamp, because it gets me around easily, and the music bomb speaker because I just hook it up to my phone and I can play music around the campfire.”
Being on the road has led to some interesting adventures for Corrigan, who says the van is the main source for conversation and creating relationships with strangers he happens to meet. “Last summer I was in Gunnison, Colorado and I pulled up behind another van with a bunch of kayaks. We started talking about vans and kayaks and within a few minutes we made plans to run a river nearby through Gunnison Gorge on the Gunnison River. It was just a spontaneous thing,” said Corrigan. “I went off with them, camped in the same area and then the next morning we took off paddling the gorge on some fun rapids. That was pretty much only possible because of the van. Without it, I probably never would’ve talked to them and we would’ve gone separate ways.”
Along his travels Corrigan has made many contacts and friends, leading him to visit many great towns across his work territories. “I’ve picked a few favorites; Crested Butte in Colorado is a funky town with beautiful mountains, hiking, and everyone is quirky and artsy. In Utah, Escalante is unique and full of great sites and people.”
“My trip is all about visiting small mountain towns for the most part, that’s the bread and butter of our customer base. From camp grounds to all the little sporting good shops and general stores,” adds Corrigan. “I’m always cruising around these quirky small towns people come to vacation in.”
Although there have been a few minor hiccups during his travels, such as the van’s alternator dying, Corrigan says that in the end, everything seems to work out. “I never was in too bad of a situation. Even if I am stuck at a place for a few days, I have Wilcor to keep me busy no matter what, whether I’m visiting customers or just working at a coffee shop, jumping on email or doing some phone calls.”
With the continued success of his journey with Wilcor products, Corrigan hopes to carry on with his road trip in the future. “I hope to do this at least a couple of more years. I could probably live in the van forever if I had a choice. Life on the road with the van couldn’t be better.”