From Paragon to Badlands, Kyle Knosp shares his philosophies on life and business, with some rockcrawling and some crazy stories thrown in. Attica, Indiana is the place to visit if you want it all.
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4:52 – The start of the off-road obsession
9:59 – The REAL difference between East and West off-roading
14:45 – The best part about rockcrawling – it’s always family
19:41 – Count your blessings
30:45 – how Kyle really ended up at the Badlands in Indiana
35:51 – The many parts of being a leader
47:08 –Taking the family to Glamis, oh, what a ride…
55:56 – Kyle goes on a roll…old time rockcrawling stories
TRANSCRIPT
Big Rich Klein: Thank you for tuning in to another episode of Conversations with Big Rich. Today’s guest is going to be Kyle Knosp. He is the owner and operator of Attica, Indiana’s Badlands off-road park. Prior to taking over Badlands as the new owner, Kyle had opened and operated a park in Eastern Pennsylvania called Paragon. Let’s talk to Kyle about the history of four-wheel drive for him and what it’s like to start and open up parks, and then run them. Maybe we can get some insight on what it will take to create a park in the future. All right, Kyle Knosp. How good is it to be seeing you again It’s been awhile. Thank you for joining us here on this podcast and talking about the history of Paragon and Badlands and what you’re doing and what you plan on doing. So let’s get started and ask the simple question. How have you been Where did you start off at in off-road?
Kyle Knosp: I’m doing really good. yeah, we’re in midst right now these crazy times of this COVID thing. So, that’s a little while. And definitely when I first started this stuff way back when, would never have anticipated the things that we’re facing today. And so that’s always a crazy challenge. But, you know, started this oh heck, probably 25 years or so. I’m starting when I was 16 kind of before that. My family’s always loved Jeeps and things like that, but really started when I was about 15, 16 went wheeling with one of my buddies for the first time. It was just like instantly hooked, loved it, you know, back in the Jeep days. And I always joke with people cause like I remember when like a 31 inch tire was like, Holy moly, I want a 31 inch tire. Now you’ve got UTVs with, you know, 35s and stuff like that.
Kyle Knosp: So it’s crazy. But yeah, back in the, you know, the back of the Jeep days and, that was a really cool, we went on, you know, trail rides with the local club. It was Blue Mountain Jeep Alliance. I’ll never forget that back in Pennsylvania. so that was crazy. I’m in Indiana now, so you know, however many States away, but grew up in Pennsylvania, grew up in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. everybody always likes to joke about that being Amish country. I’d didn’t drive a buggy, I had a Jeep and that was my first vehicle and just started wheeling and with the comradery of like the clubs and Jeep Jamboree and things like that, just instantly got hooked and well, here I am. And you less hair, grayer hair and still doing it. READ MORE
