Our Purpose
We build vans for people seeking freedom, escape, and meaningful connections with one another, and nature.
We believe that converting a van into a livable space is the ultimate way to experience the freedom and beauty of the great outdoors. With a Converted Van as your adventure base camp, you can enjoy all the comforts of home while exploring places way off-the-beaten-path. Reliable systems allow you to stay off the grid for extended periods, so you can truly disconnect and recharge. It's no surprise that more people are turning to vanlife for a simpler, more fulfilling way of life and we take great pride in enabling that lifestyle for as many people as possible.
Our Team
Without this team of wonderful and talented folk, Converted Van Co is nothing. These legends put in the hours and don't settle for second best...
Adrian Samarra
Adrian Samarra, our fearless leader, has been building vans since he was 18. Hailing from the UK, he successfully started a van conversion shop in BC, Canada. In 2018, he founded Converted Van, growing it into a thriving business. Adrian has worked on hundreds of vans and featured on the reality TV show "Gutted." He’s a Webasto heater technician, ABYC marine electrical expert, master problem solver, web and technology geek, and systems integration enthusiast.
Dallin Murphy
Dallin Murphy has been rocking the van-building scene at Converted Van since 2020. Apprenticing under Adrian, he’s now the workshop’s electrical whiz kid with an eye for detail and a perpetual grin. Always up for a challenge, Dallin brings a can-do attitude to work every day. When he’s not crafting killer vans, he's skiing, climbing, or rallying his Tacoma in the backcountry. Dallin’s enthusiasm and spirit make him an all-around legend.
Johnny Muldoon
Johnny is our workshop's Swiss Army knife and master install technician. This tough-as-nails guy can handle anything and does a killer job on everything he touches. You’ll rarely see him without bleeding knuckles or a bruise—proof of his hard work and his wins at local downhill mountain bike races. Johnny is the backbone of the workshop, and we couldn't ask for a better employee.
Katie Bennett
Meet Katie, our in-house creative from Salt Lake City, Utah. She's been behind the lens for a long while now, capturing the essence of the great outdoors. Mountains, rivers, you name it—Katie's photographed it all. And with gigs for Specialized Bikes and Yeti, she's got the chops to make our van adventures look epic.
Jordan Samarra
Meet Jordan, the powerhouse behind our van rental fleet. Not just Adrian's better half, she's also a new mom and a longtime adventurer in the world of van life. She's the rock-climbing, adventure-loving sweetheart who keeps our rental operations running smooth.
Our Values
Function first.
We look at every aspect of our business with this lens. Does it function well? If not, read on...
Continual improvement.
From the detailed processes behind our van builds, to the lines of code on our website. We relentlessly pursue the art of refinement.
Challenge conventions.
If change is the only thing you can count on, rest assured we’ll be first in line to embrace it, try new things, iterate, collaborate, and roll out fresh ideas.
Keep our people happy.
We strive to create a supportive and relaxed culture, focused on maintaining quality relationships where everybody is valued and respected - from our team and customers to our delivery drivers.
Our History
2008
Yate - England
Adrian has always loved vans. This was his first. A 2003 Citroen Dispatch that smelt like cigarettes and old engine parts.
A formidable ride, by anyone's standards.
2012
Yate - England
Dreaming of owning a VW, Adrian's next van was a shockigly average and very unreliable Vauxhall Vivaro. This time, he made sure to carpet the ceiling and walls and fill the inside with Ikea cabinets. If you squinted, it kind of looked like the VW he dreamt of.
2016
Fontainebleau - France
A few years later - another van. British folk will recognize this as the iconic VW Caddy/British Gas service van. Nice little van. Horrible color. Simple conversion. Great adventures.
Spring 2019
Squamish - BC
Adrian immigrated to the USA in 2018. A few months into his new married life, he got stuck outside the country due to some very boring visa complications. Squamish became his home for next 2 years while his US visa resolved. Luckily for him, Squamish is one of the best places on earth.
He purchased a Promaster van to make himself feel better - his first van in North America.
Summer 2019
Squamish - BC
He of course converted it, using only basic tools in the parking lot of the Home Depot with his buddy, James (who was working on converting his 40ft skoolie).
Fall 2019
Squamish - BC
Ever the opportunist, Adrian teamed up with his parking lot/design engineer buddy James, and together founded Vanovation - the Squamish-based van conversion company that is still crushing it to this day.
We consider Vanovation the sister company to Converted Van. Adrian and James still regularly collaborate on R&D projects and help each other out sourcing parts and sharing knowledge. It's a good deal!
2020
Provo - Utah
The US gov finally got their act together and granted Adrian the visa he deserved, where he could finally re-unite with his family and move back to Utah. Pretty much straight away, he started searching for a workshop and found a small spot in Provo.
Converted Van was born.
2022
Orem - Utah
Soon enough, there was more demand for van work than we could handle out of a shop that only fit one van at a time. So we moved to a bigger shop in the neighboring city, Orem.
Present
Orem - Utah
Started from the bottom, now we're here.