Airdrie fans of the CBC television show Dragons' Den will see one of their own in the program’s next episode.
On Dec. 17, the show will include a pitch from Paved to Pines – a Saskatchewan-based company that designs and converts ordinary school buses and vans into customized living spaces. Mitchell Rosko, who was born and raised in Airdrie, is a co-founder of the company, which he and business partner Steven Glass started in 2017.
“We pretty much turn them into houses on wheels, complete with solar panels, a completely off-grid power system and water system,” said Rosko, who graduated from Bert Church High Schol in 2011. “They’re spray-foam insulated, so they can last four seasons.”
Dragons' Den is a show in which entrepreneurs and small business owners pitch their idea to a panel of venture capitalists, who grill them on financial and logistical specifics. If the “Dragons” like the pitch, they offer to invest in the business or idea, with their personal money.
Glass said appearing on the show was always a dream for the two entrepreneurs, who were roommates and hockey teammates in college.
“It’s something we grew up watching and you don’t really think you’ll ever have the opportunity, but when we put this business together, we set that goal pretty early on,” he said. “When the time came around, we were actually approached by one of the producers to try out. Auditions went really well, and now we’ll get to see the episode air, finally.”
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the pair was unable to make their pitch to the Dragons in person, which the show would typically arrange. Instead, Rosko said they had to travel to the CBC studio in Edmonton, where they filmed the segment in front of a green screen, using a webcam to connect with the panel of Dragons.
“It was an unbelievable experience,” he said. “I still get the heebie-jeebies just thinking about being in front of that [camera].”
According to cbc.ca/dragsonden, the pair will ask the Dragons for a $200,000 investment for a 10 per cent stake in their company.
Rosko said the idea for Paved to Pines emerged while he and Glass were playing hockey and studying at Selkirk College in Castlegar, B.C. Living in the Kootenays, where outdoor recreation is highly popular, introduced them to the concept of “van life” – an alternative lifestyle in which outdoor enthusiasts convert their vehicles into off-grid living spaces.
“It was definitely that outdoor lifestyle that wanted us to pursue an outdoor-focused company,” Glass said.
Rosko said they traded in Glass’ motorcycle for a decommissioned 1992 school bus and spent a year turning it into a “skoolie” – a van life term for a converted school bus.
After putting an ad for their services online, the pair quickly learned there was a demand for the customizations, and the business was born.
“Fortunately for us, our business was in the right sector and we exploded with new builds,” Rosko said.
Three years ago, Rosko said they decided to relocate to Prince Albert, Sask. to focus on Paved to Pines full time. He added the business’ popularity has remained high since then, and they now have a 15-month line up of pre-ordered builds. He added it takes anywhere from two to four months to finish a conversion, which, according to the business' website, costs anywhere from $40,000 to $150,000.
Glass attributed the company’s early success to the team they were able to put together after moving to Saskatchewan.
“Prince Albert is a pretty small city and we were definitely a bit worried as we were developing this business what kind of employees we’d be able to find, just with it being such a niche market and job description,” he said. “But we’ve been pretty fortunate in finding some excellent carpenters and fabricators, who have helped take us to where we are today.”
The Dragons' Den episode featuring Paved to Pines will air Dec. 17, at 8 p.m. on CBC and the CBC Gem streaming service.
For more information on Paved to Pines, visit pavedtopines.com or search the @pavedtopines handle on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.
Scott Strasser, AirdrieToday.com
Follow me on Twitter @scottstrasser19
