Why trailers?
I was really tired of medicine and what it took to get FDA approval. I looked at all these different businesses – even a hot dog stand chain that was doing a million dollars a year. Eventually I decided to go into mobile blood testing for Aids and cholesterol. I bought a bus, but couldn’t get insurance, so I ripped it out, built it up and rented it out.
Who was your first famous client?
I first hooked up with Sylvester Stallone. I was buying a new bus and I’m standing at a front desk, ready to leave, and I hear a voice saying: ‘I’m sorry, we don’t rent buses here, Mr Stallone.’ I spun around like the exorcist, and I’m like, ‘I do’.
So, tell us about the celebs.
Of course, Will (Smith) is the biggest star in the world – we did one for him. Then there was Charlize Theron, Vin Diesel and Sharon Stone. We did one for President Ford and we even supplied the Clinton buses… The key thing is they have to learn to trust you. We’re trusted. We know everything about our clients. If they have a fight with their wife, I may see it, I may know about it, I may be on the phone trying to calm both of them down – I’ve had to do that before – but they know that it’s not going to be in the National Enquirer.
What’s the strangest request you’ve ever had?
The strangest thing was an actor – and I’m not allowed to say his name – who wanted a thumb scanner putting on his bedroom door. He also requested a Jacuzzi tub in there!
What about the bling?
That’s the one we’re bringing to the show. It has 14 televisions, including a 42-inch plasma screen which plays right through the side of the unit – it costs $3.5 million. We also have a three-storey model now, which I’ve designed to have a deck that folds into the roof.
Are they just for ‘Flash Harrys’ and movie stars then?
No, I designed one trailer that sleeps 24 fire fighters (with a kitchen), because our units can be air-sealed. It can be used in a forest fire because the air can be filtered.
What don’t you do?
I will not build trailers for entourages.
