![]() ![]() ![]() On a lot of days, on the way into Storyblocks, I thought that if I kept going I would end up in the Shenandoah Valley. I had always romanticized this idea of the great American road trip. We had the ability to do whatever we wanted. Around 2015 I realized that I needed to do something different. I got burned out on where we were living, burned out on going to a cubical, and burned out by the grind. One of them was trying to do too much myself for too long, so I got burned out. Over time we grew to 100 employees, built up a large customer base, and eventually sold the company.ĭuring that process, I did a lot of things wrong. Then I went to Babson College, studied business, and continued to apply what I had learned to Storyblocks.Īfter college in 2008, I went full-time on Storyblocks and really started growing the company. I then marketed and sold that content to pay for the next trip. I took a year off between high school and college to travel all over the country shooting video and photography of different cities. I was in high school when I started shooting nature videos and then selling them. Our customers were TV networks, movie studios, and advertising agencies looking for stock media to incorporate into their productions. Storyblocks consisted of video, graphics, and audio memberships for the content community. And we thought we had an amazing job.Ībove: Joel and Mary Ashley Holland, Owners of Harvest Hostsīefore we get into Harvest Hosts, tell us a little about your background and how you ended up becoming the owner of the company.īefore getting into the RV world, I started a company called Storyblocks. Get ready for a whirlwind entrepreneurial American Dream story, some good laughs, and a deep dive into the most important alternative camping program on Earth. What happened next exceeded all expectations. For example, what exactly is the expectation for purchase at a Harvest Hosts location? Do you need to bring a gift to a Boondockers Welcome host? How do we keep our travel plans spontaneous with the new Harvest Hosts reservation system? And, while we’re at it, are there any plans to expand Harvest Hosts into Europe?Īs passionate Harvest Hosts members, we contacted Joel Holland for some answers. We love it.Īnd yet, we’ve always had questions about Harvest Hosts and Boondockers Welcome. All totaled, you can see why our Harvest Hosts membership is a highly valued component of our personal truck camping lifestyle. Harvest Hosts and Boondockers Welcome now represent nearly 8,000 locations (4,495 Harvest Hosts and 3,295 Boondockers Welcome) across the United States and Canada. In 2021, Harvest Hosts acquired Boondockers Welcome opening up yet another world of camping opportunities the diverse properties of fellow RVers. Many of our favorite Harvest Hosts were brought in after the acquisition. Joel and his team also broadened the types of Harvest Hosts locations to include golf courses, churches, and local attractions. Almost immediately, there was a dramatic expansion in Harvest Hosts locations with even more compelling camping opportunities. ![]() At first, we were concerned that Harvest Hosts might lose its community-focused spirit, but the opposite has been true. In 2018, Don and Kim sold Harvest Hosts to technology entrepreneur, Joel Holland. You may find this hard to believe, but some of our best memories of truck camping are from Harvest Hosts locations. From the National Soaring Museum in Elmira, New York, to the Maine Military Museum in South Portland, Maine, to Lightship Brewery in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia, to Peggy Sue’s Diner in Yermi, California, to Smallwood Farms in Okanogan, Washington. ![]() Unlimited overnight camping at vineyards, wineries, breweries, museums, and farms across the United States and Canada? Yes, please!Įight years later, we have camped at hundreds of Harvest Hosts locations. Then they reeled us in with their camping program. The Founders, Kim and Don Greene, caught our attention with photographs of their 2005 Lance 1030, almost exactly the truck camper Angela and I started with in 2004. In January of 2015, we came across a booth at the Florida RV Super Show for something called Harvest Hosts. If you want to camp at hundreds of spectacular breweries, wineries, farms, and museums (like us), this is essential reading. Here’s why, and the incredible story behind the company with CEO, Joel Holland. Harvest Hosts is absolute perfection for truck campers. ![]()
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