How It All Started.

Welcome to STL Offroad. I started STL Offroad to provide top notch expert instruction and guiding for people who have the adventure bug. You know who they are, heck you may even be scratching your chin saying “that’s me”. This all came from combining my passion for adventure and my 2022 Land Rover Defender 110.

The day I bought this Land Rover, I saw it rolling off the truck at the dealership. A main prominent white body color with a solid black roof, black accents and black wheels. Being the Star Wars nerd that I am, I blurted out, its a StormTrooper. Hence, the brand was born (and I have a second Defender 110 that is grey and called BESKAR, you Star Wars nerds will get the reference). Up to this point, I have always been a gear head. The kid that bought 4x4 magazines when all the other kids were buying comics. I have always modified all my vehicles to be purpose built rigs to accomplish my main goal: adventure, creating memories and getting back safely.

Ok…. I know, so great you like offroading, being in the wild, but being a guide and an instructor? After my 2nd and 3rd rounds of cancer (I have battled stage III sarcoma over 17 years now), I realized I had a dual purpose in life. (1) Serve others every day and (2) Learn something every day, and never stop striving for knowledge. I have always been a teacher/coach/mentor, as long as I can remember. My minor in college was Education. I have coached hockey, lacrosse, powerlifting, CrossFit, mentored through Big Brothers/Big Sisters and more. It seemed only natural now that I had a vehicle that I could accomplish so much with to share that knowledge. At the same time, seek out and learn from the best of the best around.

Yep, you may be saying that’s still a stretch. How did you get from there to here? Well, in 2022 I was chosen by my Land Rover dealership in Boston to represent them in the annual Defender Trophy Competition put on by Land Rover North America. I already had a year under my belt of founding and being President of our New Hampshire Land Rover club (DORC-NH) and figured heck yah, I’m in. One of the other club board members and myself teamed up and headed to VT. We competed in a grueling 15 event/challenge day and won! Not only did we win, we blew the other teams away. During the event, the staff for the Land Rover Vermont Experience Centre asked me if I wanted to be an instructor there. In the middle of winching a Defender 90 up a seventeen degree angled hill, I didn’t even hesitate and accepted.

I became a certified Land Rover Experience Centre instructor, which I still love to do. That ignited my quest to learn and expose myself to as much as I could across more vehicle platforms. I was nominated to be a candidate in the I4WDTA 2023 TFC class and jumped at the chance. As a result of attending that week long fully immersive event, my decision was made. This is what has brought me out retirement to do for as long as I am above the dirt. The people in this industry, the clients and the places I have gotten to experience, have been what dreams are made of. This is what I wish to impart on all my clients from the novice to the experienced.

STL Offroad provides an experience far and above. We pride ourselves on our knowledge and staying a breast of the constantly changing industry standards, equipment and best practices. We look at everything from a safety first mindset. Wether its a clinic or an excursion, its a combination of the best instruction and security in knowing you are in a 100% controlled environment. An environment that will foster learning and confidence filled with 5 star touches throughout. I look forward to seeing you on the trails.