Former funeral home director finds new career designing custom-built vans

Tinkering and building have always come natural for Robert Morehead. Growing up in south-central Ohio in the small town of Greenfield, he found himself working alongside his father, a master cabinetmaker who remodeled farmhouses and built furniture. 

Years later, after leaving a career in the funeral home business in western North Carolina, Morehead poured his creative energies into starting up his own new company, Morehead Design Laboratories, Inc. In his office/garage headquarters in Fletcher, N.C., he designs, custom-builds and remodels multi-purpose vans, trucks, trailers, sport utilities, and recreation vehicles for travel, business, and pleasure.  

Laying out 3-D designs on his laptop and turning those ideas into reality inside a spacious garage workshop, he’s a one-man operation, installing new electrical systems and plumbing, sewing upholstery and cushions, and reconfiguring the space within a vehicle. He’ll manage to fit storage cabinets, lights, a sink, showerhead, refrigerator, and fold-out beds into a cozy, efficient space that a traveling couple could enjoy on the road. He likes to think of these vans as “mobile living systems.”

Perhaps a church van needs wheelchair accessibility. Or a carpentry business needs a portable workshop to store and use power tools on the go. Other jobs might include retrofitting Volkswagen “hippie vans” or creating more seat room in a van for a soccer mom. The work is different every day, whether it’s replacing interior lights, repairing broken fixtures, exchanging a VCR for a DVD player, making room for a new appliance, or installing luggage racks. 

“If you have a problem, I have solutions,” Morehead aptly states in his business slogan. 

He savors the challenge of designing to someone’s specifications while maintaining the balance between style and utility. For example, he’s found a way to install a strong enough electrical system that can operate microwaves, coffeepots, or handsaws with a quiet, mobile power source that doesn’t come with a noisy generator. Morehead involves a network of suppliers for his individually designed projects—everything from bamboo cabinets to allergy-free moldings. Projects can range from the hundreds of dollars to $33,000. 

A lot of his ideas come from European designs, as tourists overseas have learned to travel resourcefully since gas prices are much higher and families can’t afford giant recreational vehicles. 

“They’ve got it down to a science,” Morehead marvels. 

Meanwhile, Americans tend to have more of the accessories of home life inside their vehicles—basically an apartment on wheels.

“But they’re missing the whole communal experience of camping,” he adds. 

Installing retractable awnings, for instance, allows travelers to enjoy some shade, fresh air, and social time with fellow campers.

“You don’t hole up inside of it,” he says. 

The recent economic recession, along with a massive number of retiring Baby Boomers, has meant a growing need for smartly built travel vans. More people want to pare down larger vans or take to the road instead of paying for expensive hotels. Capitalizing on this niche market, Morehead’s website received hundreds of hits during 2008. His clients include everybody from cross-country trekkers looking for a dependable rental to rock guitarist Tim Reynolds of the Dave Mathews Band needing a multi-purpose vehicle while out on tour.  

Clay Fitzgerald of Etowah, N.C., first came across Morehead’s business a few years ago as a traveling salesman in need of a van. Having endured extensive back surgeries, he needed room in his vehicle to lay down and rest from time to time during long road trips and was pleasantly surprised to find just the man for the job in western North Carolina. After researching his choices for several months, Fitzgerald decided to put his trust in a local company rather than send an order to a company in Indiana. 

Morehead was able to take a Mercedes passenger van, pull out the back seats, and install a refrigerator, microwave, heating and air conditioning, TV, a water outlet, and a bed. 

“So essentially it’s a rolling motel room,” Fitzgerald said. “Robert pretty much did it the way I wanted it.”

And when minor modifications needed to be made, Morehead offered his own time to track down a part or engineer to provide just the right solution. 

“You can trust him to do whatever you want with your vehicle,” Fitzgerald added. “He’s very capable.”

To learn more, visit www.moreheaddesignlab.com.