Conversations with Big Rich
Hear conversations with the legacy stars of rockcrawling and off-road. Big Rich interviews the leaders in rock sports.
Conversations with Big Rich
Episode 318 features native Kentuckians Kim and Nathaniel Sears, OG East Coast rock crawlers
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Early Life & Background
Kim and Nathaniel grew up in rural Kentucky, meeting in high school with lockers across the hall from each other. They worked together at a local Winn-Dixie grocery store before college, where Nathaniel pursued psychology and Kim studied occupational therapy. Both eventually moved to the Lexington area after graduating.
Rise in Rock Crawling
The couple stumbled into competitive rock crawling through friends in Lexington, entering their first competition—NeuRock at Paragon in Pennsylvania—in a stock class YJ. Kim finished 3rd out of 30 competitors that year. They progressed quickly, building courses at EROC events, with Nathaniel becoming a head judge and Kim earning recognition as one of the few female competitors on the East Coast.
Competition Highlights
Their most memorable moment came in a rock race at Alabama where Kim flipped her buggy twice, landed on all fours, and continued without hesitation. They competed from 2003 to 2011, attending King of the Hammers twice and nearly finishing in Kim's second attempt with just 13 miles remaining. A serious injury at the Badlands early in their marriage reminded them of competition's risks.
Life After Competition
As they prioritized family and saw unlimited-class costs skyrocket, they retired from racing to start a family. Nathaniel discovered brewing, earning his certification and launching Next Level Brewing Company in December 2019. Kim remained in occupational therapy for 22+ years. Now they coach youth football, fish, and enjoy outdoor activities with their son Mason and three rescue boxers.
[00:00:05.320] -
Welcome to Conversations with Big Rich. This is an interview-style podcast. Those interviewed are all involved in the off-road industry. Being involved, like all my guests are, is a lifestyle, not just a job. I talk to past, present, and future legends, as well as business owners, employees, media, and land use warriors— men and women who have found their way into this exciting and addictive lifestyle we call off-road. We their personal history, struggles, successes, and reboots. We dive into what drives them to stay active in off-road. We all hope to shed some light on how to find a path into this world that we live and love and call off-road.
[00:00:46.600] -
Whether you're crawling the red rocks of Moab or hauling your toys to the trail, Maxxis has the tires you can trust for performance and durability. Four wheels or two, Maxxis tires are the choice of champions because they know that whether for work or play, For fun or competition, Maxxis tires deliver. Choose Maxxis. Tread victoriously.
[00:01:13.460] - Big Rich Klein
My guests— yes, that's plural, guests— on this episode of Conversations with Big Rich hail from Knoxville, Tennessee. They were part of the Team Maxxis as OG rock crawlers. My guest are Kim and Nathaniel Droopy Sears. So good to have you guys on the podcast. I'm really looking forward to this one. It's been a long time.
[00:01:38.790] - Kim Sears
Yes, it has.
[00:01:39.850] - Nathaniel Sears
Yeah, we're looking forward to it.
[00:01:42.480] - Big Rich Klein
Well, let's get started with the first question I ask everybody. We'll start with Droopy or Nathaniel. I'll go back and forth, I guess.
[00:01:52.110] - Nathaniel Sears
Okay.
[00:01:52.850] - Big Rich Klein
Where were you born and raised?
[00:01:55.720] - Nathaniel Sears
I was born in a small town called Keavy, Kentucky. It's southeast Kentucky. It's right off I-75.
[00:02:02.660] - Big Rich Klein
Okay.
[00:02:03.350] - Nathaniel Sears
And, uh, go ahead, I'll keep talking.
[00:02:08.100] - Big Rich Klein
Kim, Kim, where were you born and raised?
[00:02:11.060] - Kim Sears
I was born in Louisville, Kentucky, and lived there till I was 7, and then we moved to London, Kentucky, which is right next to the town that Nathaniel grew up in.
[00:02:22.860] - Big Rich Klein
And that's probably how you guys met. I'm going to say, was it high school?
[00:02:28.490] - Nathaniel Sears
Yes, we did meet in high school.
[00:02:30.030] - Kim Sears
Our lockers were across the hall from each other.
[00:02:33.540] - Big Rich Klein
Okay. Um, did, did the romance start then, or did it start after?
[00:02:42.190] - Nathaniel Sears
It did not. We did not have our first date until she graduated.
[00:02:47.510] - Kim Sears
The day after I graduated high school.
[00:02:49.480] - Nathaniel Sears
Yep.
[00:02:49.900] - Kim Sears
He's 2 years older than me.
[00:02:51.420] - Big Rich Klein
Okay. All right, cool. So you waited till she was 18?
[00:02:59.950] - Nathaniel Sears
Yes.
[00:03:00.810] - Big Rich Klein
That's smart. You can stay out of trouble that way. Or shotgun weddings.
[00:03:08.040] - Nathaniel Sears
Oh, absolutely.
[00:03:09.900] - Big Rich Klein
So what was it like growing up in— that's pretty rural. I've been through London. Um, I've probably been through Keefe as well.
[00:03:22.180] - Nathaniel Sears
It's, uh, it was— I mean, it's less rural now, but it was pretty rural back in the day. So I mean, you know, growing, growing up, off-roading was, you know, something literally everybody did. Hey, let's, let's go hit this trail tonight. And it did not matter what you had. So I mean, you know, we were going four-wheeling before we even thought about, you know, being into it hot and heavy like we became.
[00:03:50.930] - Big Rich Klein
Okay. And when— when did— when you first started driving, Nathaniel, what did you drive?
[00:04:01.650] - Nathaniel Sears
Oh my God. I drove a four-door Toyota Cressida. Oh yeah, yeah, that was my first car.
[00:04:11.060] - Big Rich Klein
Wow, I haven't heard the Cresta name brand in a long time.
[00:04:17.950] - Nathaniel Sears
Yeah, uh, I drove the wheels off that thing.
[00:04:21.460] - Big Rich Klein
Was it a 4-door or 2-door?
[00:04:24.910] - Nathaniel Sears
Oh, it was a 4-door.
[00:04:25.900] - Big Rich Klein
Okay, quite the, uh, stylish, uh, lady catcher.
[00:04:31.640] - Nathaniel Sears
Oh yeah, especially with the The sound system and the two 12-inch subs that I had in there. Totally. Yeah, yeah. I was getting all the women.
[00:04:44.650] - Big Rich Klein
And Kim, when you were able to drive, what was your first car?
[00:04:50.330] - Kim Sears
A two-door 1988 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme.
[00:04:56.480] - Nathaniel Sears
Oh, that was sweet.
[00:04:57.550] - Kim Sears
It was a tank.
[00:04:59.910] - Big Rich Klein
Yes. Was that planned by the parents for— to make sure you were safe?
[00:05:04.470] - Kim Sears
Oh, I'm sure. I'm sure.
[00:05:08.610] - Big Rich Klein
That's, that's awesome. So then when you guys met, you guys were in high school and across the hall lockers. Did you, did you, were you friends then at least, or converse, or—
[00:05:24.380] - Nathaniel Sears
We were friends. We talked all the time. Uh, we both dated different people, and then, um, oddly enough, we both worked at a local grocery store called Winn-Dixie, and, uh, I would bag her groceries. She was the cashier and I was the bag boy. So, uh, we just kind of stuck around, you know, just being friends after that. And finally I was like, I really like talking to this girl, so I eventually just asked her out, you know.
[00:05:55.820] - Big Rich Klein
So, okay, it wasn't a— it wasn't a fact that you were afraid of rejection at first, or Just waiting until she turned 18.
[00:06:06.520] - Nathaniel Sears
I don't think it was the 18 thing. We just had mutual friends and we all did dumb teenager stuff together, and I was like, I think I want to be with this one, you know? So cool.
[00:06:22.720] - Big Rich Klein
So in high school, what kind of, uh, classes did you like or excel at? Nathaniel?
[00:06:32.600] - Nathaniel Sears
Me? Oh God. Um, I love social studies. I, uh, I was in the advanced class. Yeah, in social studies. That was probably the one class I did good in.
[00:06:50.380] - Big Rich Klein
Did they have shop classes?
[00:06:53.910] - Nathaniel Sears
They took them away, uh, When I was in high school, they took away a lot of things, and shop is one of the things they took away.
[00:07:01.750] - Big Rich Klein
Ah, too bad.
[00:07:03.270] - Nathaniel Sears
Yeah.
[00:07:04.820] - Big Rich Klein
And Kim, what was your, uh, what was your favorite, or, or the class that you excelled at?
[00:07:11.060] - Kim Sears
Probably AP US History. Okay, we had an amazing teacher. Um, and you know, to touch on what Nathaniel was just talking about, they opened up a vocational school school behind our high school. So it was more the kids that— I hate to say it, but that had dropped out of high school and were going to go more that direction. But they wouldn't let the high school kids take that class.
[00:07:36.900] - Nathaniel Sears
That's, that's what upset me, is you couldn't just go over there and, and learn. You had to be a dropout.
[00:07:43.720] - Big Rich Klein
That's ridiculous.
[00:07:45.200] - Nathaniel Sears
It really is.
[00:07:48.380] - Big Rich Klein
I know that the, uh, most of the schools that, that, you know, like an Independence High School or whatever you want to call it, um, continuing, you know, for those, those troubled teens, it seems to be that all they're interested in doing is making sure they get the money for you to show up from the, from the federal government. But, uh I don't, I don't know that they, they actually have, you know, shop classes in most of them. So that's, that's an interesting concept. Did you guys do any extra, you know, anything extra, um, you know, band or, you know, in a drama or yearbook or anything like that?
[00:08:36.850] - Nathaniel Sears
So I played all major sports until I got to high school. I stuck with baseball the longest. Um, and then sports just kind of fizzled out after that, and I went to work pretty early. Um, Mom and Dad wanted to teach me about being an adult, so I was working close to 40 hours a week on the stock crew at the grocery store, um, when everybody else was doing fun stuff, you know.
[00:09:10.860] - Big Rich Klein
Okay. And Kim, how about you?
[00:09:14.460] - Kim Sears
I played soccer. I was on the girls team and the boys team up until my junior year. We only had a boys team. Then my junior year is when the girls team got established, so they let me play on both teams my junior year, and then I had to switch over to just the girls on my senior year.
[00:09:34.210] - Big Rich Klein
Wow, that's interesting. That's kind of cool.
[00:09:36.700] - Kim Sears
Yeah. Yeah, it was really neat.
[00:09:38.640] - Big Rich Klein
And what position did you play?
[00:09:40.710] - Kim Sears
Striker. I scored the goals.
[00:09:43.390] - Big Rich Klein
Okay, excellent. And, uh, what was it— what were those things, you know, that you guys did after school or weekends for fun?
[00:09:55.570] - Kim Sears
Friday nights we would cruise around the Walmart parking lot and listen to music. You would?
[00:10:03.180] - Nathaniel Sears
Yeah, uh, cruising was the thing. And, uh, literally, you know, you driving a circle around the parking lot and, uh, saw somebody you wanted to talk to that had pulled into the middle and you found out where a party was. And honestly, you know, now that he's asking that, that's how we would go four-wheeling sometimes in the middle of the night. We're like, hey, y'all want to go hit this tonight? And we're like, sure. So, you know, some wise decisions were made all the way around.
[00:10:33.080] - Big Rich Klein
So after the, the Toyota Cressida, what did you wheel with? Unless you took Toyota out.
[00:10:42.360] - Nathaniel Sears
So I had, uh, inherited my grandfather's, um, Toyota. I don't know if they called it Tacoma that long ago.
[00:10:57.260] - Big Rich Klein
It was probably the Helix.
[00:11:00.420] - Nathaniel Sears
I'm trying to— it's been so long.
[00:11:02.160] - Big Rich Klein
What year was it?
[00:11:06.280] - Kim Sears
'95?
[00:11:07.150] - Nathaniel Sears
No, I'm trying to think of the year of the truck. It may have been the first or second year of the Tacoma.
[00:11:14.300] - Big Rich Klein
Okay.
[00:11:15.890] - Nathaniel Sears
It was a two-door, but I took that out and, and started beating on that, which You know, that's, that's how I learned, to be honest, taking that. I love that little truck.
[00:11:31.390] - Big Rich Klein
And was it pretty much stock at that point?
[00:11:34.260] - Nathaniel Sears
Oh, absolutely.
[00:11:37.470] - Big Rich Klein
And, uh, Kim, did you have a vehicle to wheel in, or did you just hitch a ride?
[00:11:42.770] - Kim Sears
I hitched a ride. I didn't actually start driving until Nathaniel got his first Jeep. February 13th, 1999. I only remember because we were in college and it was a Saturday, and he was supposed to take me out for Valentine's Day, and he spent the day at the car lot. That's how I remember the date. But, um, because we went to different colleges, but that's what— that's the first thing I started driving, um, was his Jeep that's still in the garage.
[00:12:19.090] - Nathaniel Sears
I'm gonna say, oddly enough, that's—
[00:12:20.640] - Big Rich Klein
it's the one you guys competed in.
[00:12:24.310] - Nathaniel Sears
Oh yeah.
[00:12:24.970] - Big Rich Klein
Is it still green and orange?
[00:12:27.370] - Kim Sears
No, this was before the green and orange one. This was when we did stock at the very beginning.
[00:12:34.780] - Nathaniel Sears
Okay, but it's stock for Paragon New Rock. Yeah, my, my— it's a '95 YJ. It's It's tan and the roll cage is yellow.
[00:12:46.390] - Big Rich Klein
Okay, okay. Nurock— were you at the very first Nurock that was put on?
[00:12:55.520] - Nathaniel Sears
Oh, that's a great question.
[00:12:56.740] - Big Rich Klein
I don't think it was one that Bob Rogie and I came out and helped, helped the Kyles— Big Kyle and Little Kyle— set up.
[00:13:04.850] - Kim Sears
We may have been.
[00:13:09.080] - Nathaniel Sears
Man, I don't remember. I know we—
[00:13:10.780] - Kim Sears
what year was that?
[00:13:12.190] - Big Rich Klein
It was probably '02, '03.
[00:13:21.300] - Nathaniel Sears
Yeah, yeah, because that would have been around the time frame.
[00:13:25.010] - Kim Sears
Okay, because I graduated college in December of '03.
[00:13:29.360] - Nathaniel Sears
I remember the stock class, there was like 30 vehicles in that class, which was a crazy amount for that class, right?
[00:13:37.610] - Big Rich Klein
Yeah, because we— the best we ever did, um, I guess we were close to that. We— in— on the West Coast, when I had— when it was— when we were just doing CalRocks, we had an event up in, uh, Goldendale, Washington, where we had over— right about 90 vehicles, and it was like 30 in each one of the 3 classes. Oh, wow. Just huge. But we also had like 6,000 or 7,000 spectators show up to a town that, you know, had like 1,200 people. So.
[00:14:13.330] - Nathaniel Sears
Oh, wow.
[00:14:13.750] - Big Rich Klein
Cool. So what was, what was it like going out that— well, let's, let's, let's not jump too far forward. Kim, how old were you when you started to work at the grocery store?
[00:14:33.900] - Kim Sears
17, maybe.
[00:14:36.290] - Big Rich Klein
Okay. And, uh, when— how long did you guys work at the grocery store, each one of you? Was that something that continued on for a while?
[00:14:54.540] - Kim Sears
It did. Um, Nathaniel went to college at Eastern Kentucky University. and I went to college at Western Kentucky University, and both of them had a Winn-Dixie. So I transferred to Bowling Green, Kentucky, and was a cashier there. And then Nathaniel continued on at Eastern as a stock crew.
[00:15:16.740] - Big Rich Klein
Okay.
[00:15:17.000] - Nathaniel Sears
Well, I was driving there for a while. I was driving. I was going to college. And then when I got done with classes, I was driving like 30, 40 minutes to the next town over, and I was assistant manager.
[00:15:32.300] - Kim Sears
Oh yeah, I forgot about that.
[00:15:33.040] - Nathaniel Sears
Yeah.
[00:15:33.850] - Big Rich Klein
Okay.
[00:15:34.300] - Nathaniel Sears
While I was full-time in college.
[00:15:37.750] - Big Rich Klein
That's pretty good. Yeah.
[00:15:39.210] - Nathaniel Sears
Yeah.
[00:15:40.150] - Big Rich Klein
That's awesome. And, uh, Kim, I take it you, you didn't date any of your baggers in at Western Kentucky?
[00:15:48.250] - Kim Sears
No, I did not.
[00:15:52.910] - Big Rich Klein
At least not that you're gonna admit to, right?
[00:15:55.940] - Kim Sears
Right.
[00:15:57.160] - Big Rich Klein
No, I No, I understand. I always thought you guys were the greatest couple. I really did.
[00:16:02.750] - Kim Sears
Oh, thank you.
[00:16:04.950] - Big Rich Klein
So you got— after college, you guys got married. How, how, how much longer after that? 18 and the first dating?
[00:16:18.770] - Kim Sears
I graduated. So our first date was in '98. I graduated in December of 2003, and we got married in April of 2005.
[00:16:30.320] - Big Rich Klein
Okay. All right, cool. And, uh, were you still both of you working at Winn-Dixie's at that point?
[00:16:41.230] - Nathaniel Sears
I went to school, um, to be a psychologist, and I had started working at a group home with, um, kids And that's where I was working at, at that time. And you can say where you started at.
[00:17:00.670] - Kim Sears
And then I went to school to become an occupational therapist. So I started— as soon as I graduated, um, I immediately had job offers for nursing homes in Lexington to do therapy in-house.
[00:17:16.340] - Big Rich Klein
Okay. And, uh, where did— where were you guys living at that point?
[00:17:22.650] - Kim Sears
Richmond, Kentucky, which was just south of Lexington, right?
[00:17:27.950] - Big Rich Klein
And that's, that's still the Eastern side, right?
[00:17:31.730] - Nathaniel Sears
Yes, yes, yes.
[00:17:33.350] - Kim Sears
Yeah, yeah. I went to Western for just a year and then I transferred to Eastern in '99.
[00:17:39.440] - Big Rich Klein
Oh, okay, okay.
[00:17:40.640] - Kim Sears
Yeah, Western didn't have my major.
[00:17:44.410] - Big Rich Klein
And when you, when you you first started to compete? How did that come about? So, well, this should be good if Kim's giggling, man.
[00:18:00.860] - Nathaniel Sears
I could talk for days.
[00:18:02.460] - Big Rich Klein
Do it.
[00:18:03.360] - Nathaniel Sears
So we hang, you know, we lived in Richmond, but I mean, essentially Lexington's right up the road. So all those guys back in that day from Kentucky with Rusty Bray and, and Josh and all those guys. We would hang around Rusty's shop and, you know, I can't even remember how many rock crawling competitors, you know, was just from our group.
[00:18:29.900] - Kim Sears
Yeah.
[00:18:30.500] - Nathaniel Sears
So, you know, we would go on trail rides on the hardest trails we could find, uh, mainly in Slade, Kentucky, and then we would run down the road to Livingston, Kentucky. For some of those hills. But, you know, it's like we always were just pushing each other. And I can kind of spin this into how Kim started driving. So we would always take my Jeep and, you know, I was just kind of being sweet, like, oh, let me drive. And I'm like, sure, you can drive, honey. And then, you know, before I knew it, she's hitting every obstacle. And I'm like, well, she likes doing this. I love being out here too. So That kind of spawned into that. And then we saw there was a stock class, you know, so my Jeep had 35s on it and a roll cage and we're like, yeah, let's do the stock class. So I don't know, that just kind of spawned into riding with all those boys from Central Kentucky all the time who, you know, good grief, it seemed like there was more than 10 of us that actually competed. So it's just, you know, it was just like, okay, this is what our friends do.
[00:19:42.050] - Nathaniel Sears
We all go to rock crawling competitions, you know. It just— we were just another one of the group that went, and, you know, it wasn't odd to us, you know, because all— literally all of our friends did it, right?
[00:19:53.140] - Big Rich Klein
So, and, uh, and your first competition was Paragon?
[00:20:00.750] - Kim Sears
Yeah.
[00:20:01.350] - Big Rich Klein
Okay.
[00:20:02.440] - Nathaniel Sears
It was what it was.
[00:20:03.820] - Kim Sears
We drove 8 deep in Snatch's 6-seater truck all the way to Pennsylvania, towing 2 rigs.
[00:20:13.180] - Nathaniel Sears
Oh yeah.
[00:20:16.100] - Kim Sears
Talk about that one.
[00:20:21.950] - Big Rich Klein
So what was that like, that first competition?
[00:20:28.580] - Nathaniel Sears
You go ahead, you're the driver.
[00:20:30.180] - Kim Sears
It was fun, I enjoyed it. Um, I mean, I think you finished—
[00:20:35.900] - Nathaniel Sears
didn't you finish 3rd out of 30?
[00:20:38.780] - Kim Sears
Yeah, yeah, that was my best finish out of all the years.
[00:20:43.670] - Nathaniel Sears
Yeah, that's right, you finished 3rd out of 30. Um, I mean, really it was just breaking us in and we were like, oh geez, you know, we're on, on this side of it now and it's like Wow.
[00:20:56.680] - Kim Sears
Yeah, because we— I mean, at the same time, we were— weren't we judging?
[00:21:02.450] - Nathaniel Sears
Oh yeah.
[00:21:03.030] - Kim Sears
So we were judging the EROC series for the—
[00:21:10.630] - Nathaniel Sears
yeah, when they started competing in EROC for the legends and the whatever, the other class, when you started, when you started getting big and the other place and the other organization started getting big. And then EROC started. We, we would go with our friends from Lexington and we were help building the course at Jellico. You know, we were clearing trees and doing whatever Darrell told us to do back in the day. So that's how we got started seeing it. Um, because we're helping build the courses and then I became a head judge. Um, and then Kim became a judge and then I was recovery crew. We used my YJ a lot. So yeah, I mean, we were, we were all up in it, Rich.
[00:21:55.910] - Kim Sears
Okay, so actually competing and being on the other side of it was, you know, seeing the other side of it. And being at that point, I was the only female doing that, I think, at least on the East Coast for sure.
[00:22:09.540] - Nathaniel Sears
Yeah, I mean, there was Becca always, right?
[00:22:14.210] - Big Rich Klein
So what was, uh The— did you— you were the head judge and you guys judged it at Jellico with E-Rock and then decided to do New Rock. Did you start competing at Jellico as well after the New Rock event?
[00:22:33.430] - Nathaniel Sears
Yeah.
[00:22:33.930] - Kim Sears
So we did a year in his YJ and we weren't even married at that point.
[00:22:39.880] - Big Rich Klein
Okay.
[00:22:40.650] - Nathaniel Sears
Oh, that's right. So New Rock did put on That was still New Rock, wasn't it? Yeah. So yeah, we did New Rock at Jellico.
[00:22:51.740] - Kim Sears
So we did that for a year, and then he got tired of me beating up his daily driver and told me I had to buy my own rig.
[00:23:01.110] - Big Rich Klein
At that time, I had a—
[00:23:04.620] - Nathaniel Sears
I forgot how long the Tundras had been out, but I had a, I had a used Toyota Tundra that as my tow rig. Which back in the day was a terrible choice.
[00:23:15.680] - Big Rich Klein
Um, much better trucks now.
[00:23:18.670] - Nathaniel Sears
Yeah, I remember the transmission was the same transmission that were in Tacomas back then.
[00:23:27.810] - Big Rich Klein
And, uh, the— Kim, what, what vehicle did you jump into when you had to get your own rig?
[00:23:36.860] - Kim Sears
I bought It was a YJ, wasn't it? It's Scott Ambergy.
[00:23:41.870] - Nathaniel Sears
I was gonna say Scott Ambergy. He competed in, uh, I forgot what the middle class was called, uh, in Iraq, but it was the one you were referring to as green and orange. Um, it had a 350 in it. Um, welded Dodge '60s in it. And, uh, I think what we did with it was we just shaved some weight on it. We put an Atlas in it and, uh, got some steering components from PSC and, uh, did a little bit of cage work and then painted it that crazy color and got those crazy cheetah print or whatever those were, the seats from PRP, right? Zebra print in that.
[00:24:40.540] - Big Rich Klein
That's right, zebra print.
[00:24:42.290] - Nathaniel Sears
Yeah. And then so she made it her own. Yeah, I was like, listen, this is my Jeep. I love that you love this, but you love it so much you need your own thing now. So that's— yeah, so that's when we got that thing, and that's how you know us is when we first competed in We Rock, she was driving that, right? Yeah. And we gave my Jeep a break.
[00:25:08.610] - Big Rich Klein
And you guys were still continuing the same job path then. And how long did, did that job path last? You guys still doing the same things?
[00:25:21.210] - Kim Sears
I am a home health occupational therapist now, but yes, I've been doing it for 22 years now.
[00:25:28.680] - Big Rich Klein
Wow, I thought you just had a birthday and just turned 29. How's that happen?
[00:25:34.520] - Kim Sears
I like that comment. That was nice.
[00:25:39.650] - Big Rich Klein
And you, Nathaniel?
[00:25:42.140] - Nathaniel Sears
Uh, I'm trying to think. I can't tell you how many times I've changed what I'm doing, and we won't get into the why because that's a whole nother podcast, but I got into brewing beer Several years ago, and that turned into a career. And, uh, I own a brewery, and that's where I work every day. Um, and we've been open since 2019, so that's, that's my life now for work.
[00:26:13.760] - Big Rich Klein
And that's Next Level Brewing Company?
[00:26:15.390] - Nathaniel Sears
It is.
[00:26:17.210] - Big Rich Klein
And, and do you guys— to, to ask about that, do you do, uh How many different beers are you guys offering every day?
[00:26:29.970] - Nathaniel Sears
Every day we can have the normals, 18 and— 18 to 20.
[00:26:36.670] - Big Rich Klein
Okay, and that's your, your own brew?
[00:26:40.170] - Nathaniel Sears
It is, yeah.
[00:26:41.150] - Kim Sears
Cool.
[00:26:43.300] - Big Rich Klein
And do you guys, uh, bottle or can it as well?
[00:26:49.240] - Nathaniel Sears
We mainly distribute to bars in kegs. We've— we sell some bottles, like, if it's like a really special edition beer. Yeah, but mainly is just high turnover selling kegs to bars and stuff like that, and selling it out the taproom is where we make the most money, right?
[00:27:13.890] - Big Rich Klein
And it's a restaurant as well?
[00:27:19.440] - Nathaniel Sears
We— so it's primarily just a brewery with a food truck. So people come there for the food truck. So it's not really a restaurant, but, you know, kind of, sort of.
[00:27:31.460] - Kim Sears
It's a resident food truck.
[00:27:32.700] - Nathaniel Sears
Yeah, it's a resident food truck. So no, we don't have waiters and waitresses. The food truck deals with the food and we don't have to worry about it.
[00:27:39.470] - Big Rich Klein
So, well, that, that's handy.
[00:27:43.500] - Nathaniel Sears
Yeah.
[00:27:45.830] - Big Rich Klein
And, uh, to get back to the crawling, so how, how long did you guys compete? You started in 2003, you said, and 2003-ish.
[00:27:59.160] - Nathaniel Sears
Yeah.
[00:27:59.670] - Big Rich Klein
Okay. And when, when was the last event?
[00:28:06.230] - Nathaniel Sears
So the last event, was that 2011 or 2012? Okay, you're looking at me. Um, 2011. Okay, we did, uh, King of the Hammers 2 years in a row, uh, so that was our second King of the Hammers. And to answer your question before it's asked, She was so close to finishing that second time.
[00:28:35.650] - Kim Sears
Um, I only had 13 miles to go.
[00:28:38.860] - Nathaniel Sears
You know, they give you a little sticker, or I don't know if they still do, they give you a little sticker for every, every checkpoint. What's the word? Yeah, every checkpoint. So her, her little board said King of the Hammer, so all she needed was, was the S. Um, Yeah, she broke. God, I forgot the name of the obstacle, but literally we were just like chilling and hanging out and talking because literally every rig was breaking in front of us and we're like, okay, well now it's your turn. But you know, that was— I'm surprised she remembered 13 miles, but yeah, it was 13 miles pretty much after you finished that obstacle.
[00:29:19.370] - Kim Sears
It was smooth sailing.
[00:29:20.870] - Nathaniel Sears
It was 13 miles of put it in two-wheel drive and drive the finish line after that. So Wow. Clothes but no cigar.
[00:29:28.220] - Big Rich Klein
And what I— what one of the things that I truly remember that happened at an event, because it scared the heck— scared the heck out of me, let me put it that way, was at the Badlands. Oh God, the— where Kim injured herself got injured on the course and it was, it was a scary situation.
[00:29:58.390] - Nathaniel Sears
It was.
[00:29:59.580] - Kim Sears
So that was actually at the end of our honeymoon. We got married on April 2nd, so that would have been April 10th. We came back early from our honeymoon for that. And funny enough, that was the first written document that I had with my married name on it was my hospital wristband.
[00:30:19.800] - Big Rich Klein
Oh my God, I didn't realize it was so early in, in your rock crawling.
[00:30:27.300] - Nathaniel Sears
Mm-hmm. Oh yeah, so that was 2005. Yeah, we'd only done the stock class before that.
[00:30:35.210] - Kim Sears
I just wanted you all to let me finish that.
[00:30:37.220] - Nathaniel Sears
Was that rig still blue then, or had we actually painted it?
[00:30:40.350] - Kim Sears
Okay, Daddy painted it before we even started competing it.
[00:30:45.890] - Big Rich Klein
You— so Kim, you said you wanted, you wanted us to let you continue that day?
[00:30:50.470] - Kim Sears
Yes, I was mad. I wanted to finish.
[00:30:53.760] - Big Rich Klein
I understand, but that was pretty traumatic for all of us.
[00:30:58.010] - Kim Sears
Yeah, yeah, it was not fun. That ambulance ride out of there on those dirt roads was definitely not fun, right?
[00:31:09.190] - Big Rich Klein
I can imagine.
[00:31:10.950] - Kim Sears
But you all had me and you all had me safe, and I knew that, and everything was done correctly.
[00:31:19.930] - Nathaniel Sears
Yeah, it was okay.
[00:31:22.100] - Big Rich Klein
Yeah, I just remember being just so worried. It's— I don't know why it was different for me with you being hurt than, than like Chris Durham when he got hurt right there, almost on the same obstacle.
[00:31:37.160] - Nathaniel Sears
Yeah.
[00:31:38.040] - Big Rich Klein
And it was, you know, maybe I don't know why. Maybe I don't, I don't want to say it was a sexist thing.
[00:31:45.040] - Kim Sears
It was a female thing and I get it and it's fine. Okay. You're not going to hurt my feelings. Okay.
[00:31:51.460] - Big Rich Klein
I just, I don't want to, I don't want to think it was that way, but I guess it was. I was very protective of all the, all the women.
[00:31:57.880] - Kim Sears
Yes.
[00:31:58.510] - Big Rich Klein
Or ladies, girls that, that always, that have always driven with us.
[00:32:03.410] - Kim Sears
Um, yeah, you were protected with Kat, Bigelow's wife, because she was, she was spotting for him at that same time, at that same event.
[00:32:15.120] - Nathaniel Sears
Yep.
[00:32:15.510] - Kim Sears
What? Yep.
[00:32:19.450] - Big Rich Klein
So, uh, what do you remember? What was, what was the most— the event you remember the most during your rock crawling time?
[00:32:31.570] - Nathaniel Sears
I'm sure it's different for each of us, so you go ahead.
[00:32:34.110] - Kim Sears
I can't think right now. You go for it.
[00:32:36.470] - Nathaniel Sears
So I guess the most memorable was, uh, we had just got the Jimmy's buggy and we went to Moab, and the first competition was a rock race at Alabama. And I was riding with her in the rock race, and she went up the side of this hill, mountain, whatever you want to call it. And I never will forget seeing the front tires raise up, and I was like, oh, we're going backwards. Oh, we're going backwards again. Oh, you know, so she end over end, was it twice?
[00:33:22.150] - Kim Sears
Yeah. And landed on—
[00:33:23.390] - Nathaniel Sears
it was at least twice. And then she landed on all fours. She landed out of bounds, and she looked at me and she said, you ready? And I said, yeah. And she put it in drive and hammered the gas. And man, they got pissed at us. They're like, no, no, no, you can't do that, you've just rolled over. And we were like, so? I mean, you know, we were, we were freaking pumped. But they were like, no, like, we gotta check on you. And I was like, why? Like, let's go. You know, that, that was the most You know, that was the most pumped up I'd felt. Like, you know, I'm like, let's go, this is awesome. But I felt completely safe in it. And that was the worst rollover I'd been in yet. Um, I'm— she had rolled over plenty of times by herself. But, you know, that's a memory that sticks out to me, was doing the end over end down the side of the mountain, and everybody was freaking out except us, you know. Okay, rig was fine. We landed on all fours, so, you know.
[00:34:24.760] - Kim Sears
And Kim, I would say the 2010 pre-qualifier for King of the Hammers at Rouse Creek.
[00:34:35.840] - Big Rich Klein
Was that that little muddy one?
[00:34:38.080] - Kim Sears
Yes, it was super muddy and the rocks and—
[00:34:42.590] - Nathaniel Sears
oh, you were top 5?
[00:34:43.860] - Kim Sears
Yeah, yeah. Yeah, it was just, it was, I love mud. I can't help it. Um, it's a pain to clean, but you know, running, there's nothing like going through a mud puddle and getting mud everywhere. Um, but that, I really enjoyed that one and I had a really good finish. Everything went well. Yeah, everything went real, real well.
[00:35:07.870] - Big Rich Klein
And then, then you made the, uh, the trip to KOH.
[00:35:11.730] - Kim Sears
Yes.
[00:35:13.090] - Nathaniel Sears
Yeah.
[00:35:13.990] - Big Rich Klein
And what was that first KOH like for you guys? Was that the first time you had visited Johnson Valley and King of the Hammers? Was the first time you raced there, or had you been?
[00:35:23.220] - Nathaniel Sears
A lot of firsts.
[00:35:24.250] - Kim Sears
Yeah, yeah, that was the first, uh, first time we drove across country.
[00:35:30.030] - Nathaniel Sears
I, I felt like, uh, I don't know what I'm trying to say. I felt like a lot of people felt like we— Kim did not belong there, uh, because we had to do— she had to do the, uh, to qualify to even be in the race.
[00:35:52.120] - Big Rich Klein
Oh, that last chance qualifier?
[00:35:53.800] - Nathaniel Sears
Yeah, she had to do the last chance qualifier, you know. So I mean, we knew in our hearts, we're like, she's fine.
[00:36:02.090] - Kim Sears
That was 2010. Yeah.
[00:36:05.760] - Nathaniel Sears
Um, so we had to do the, the Last Chance Qualifier.
[00:36:10.130] - Big Rich Klein
So being in the top 5 at, at Roush Creek didn't get you a seat at that, at that event?
[00:36:18.600] - Nathaniel Sears
That was the, that was the next year, Kim.
[00:36:20.320] - Kim Sears
Oh, okay, okay. I'm sorry, I got it back.
[00:36:22.530] - Nathaniel Sears
That was the next year.
[00:36:23.510] - Big Rich Klein
Okay.
[00:36:23.670] - Nathaniel Sears
So, and I felt like— I'm not saying any names, but I felt like some people who were organizing the event felt like we shouldn't be there, like, who's this girl, you know, who are these people? And, uh, she kicked a lot of ass, to be honest. Um, it was— how many, how many people did the Last Chance Qualifier?
[00:36:49.190] - Kim Sears
Was it 50-something like that?
[00:36:51.440] - Nathaniel Sears
And she finished top 10.
[00:36:54.010] - Big Rich Klein
Nice.
[00:36:54.170] - Nathaniel Sears
So Yeah, you know, it was kind of like, hey, she does know how to drive, you know.
[00:37:01.940] - Kim Sears
It was just Cotton and Becca. Yeah, the other two girl drivers.
[00:37:10.640] - Nathaniel Sears
Yeah, yeah, for King of the Hammers.
[00:37:14.550] - Big Rich Klein
Yeah, so the After that, that qualifier, how did that race go?
[00:37:27.720] - Kim Sears
Not good.
[00:37:29.340] - Big Rich Klein
Not good.
[00:37:30.750] - Kim Sears
Not good.
[00:37:32.530] - Nathaniel Sears
Oh, you did. I remember, uh, I rode with her in that one, and long story short, we had— I remember they made us— there was something with the fuel cell. We didn't have anything in the fuel cell. And we didn't pass tech. And they were like, you have to have this foam in your fuel cell.
[00:37:59.150] - Kim Sears
Yeah.
[00:37:59.650] - Nathaniel Sears
And I was like, no, I don't want the foam in our fuel cell. But anyway, they weren't going to let us race, so we had someone go and get us the foam that goes in the fuel cell. And lo and behold, all that foam broke apart and clogged the whole fuel line, like You know, I had limited tools on me, so I'm out there, you know, pretty much blowing on it with my mouth trying to get this crap out of the fuel line, and it just— I just couldn't get it out.
[00:38:29.110] - Big Rich Klein
Just disintegrated. Yeah.
[00:38:31.110] - Nathaniel Sears
Oh yeah, absolutely.
[00:38:32.560] - Big Rich Klein
Yeah, there's only one— there's only like one type of foam, and I think it's a special order, at least it was then, to run regular pump gas.
[00:38:46.400] - Kim Sears
Yeah, yeah, it was.
[00:38:47.740] - Big Rich Klein
Yeah, that's too bad.
[00:38:49.790] - Nathaniel Sears
But yeah, but I remember they weren't going to let us run, so I was like, okay, well, I don't know what to do, right?
[00:38:59.520] - Kim Sears
But I mean, it was, you know, back then it was nothing compared to today. It was just amazing. We could walk around and go from trailer to trailer.
[00:39:09.950] - Nathaniel Sears
Oh yeah.
[00:39:10.820] - Kim Sears
You know, the rock crawling community and, you know, I don't know what it is like today, but we were so tight-knit at that point that it was just like you were going to a family reunion and everybody had these off-road vehicles.
[00:39:29.110] - Big Rich Klein
Yeah, it's not so, so much that anymore. Remember how everybody used to hang around at the campfire?
[00:39:35.660] - Kim Sears
Mm-hmm.
[00:39:36.980] - Big Rich Klein
And now the last time I was there, it's been quite a few years. I've decided not to go back. That there's— the last time I was there, which was probably 4 or 5 years ago, there— oh, it's not even been that long. '22, I think it was. I walked through the campfire area and I didn't know anyone. Uh, not a single person. And for me to not know anybody anywhere at an off-road event, that means it's much different.
[00:40:11.960] - Nathaniel Sears
Yeah.
[00:40:12.910] - Kim Sears
Yeah.
[00:40:13.570] - Nathaniel Sears
Now, I remember to your point, we went to a King of the Hammers qualifier somewhere in Tennessee about that same time, maybe 4 or 5 years ago. And, uh, you know, just walked around and said hi to the 10% of people that we knew. Um, right. And I was like, wow, this looks— you know, before it was like, here's all our buddies. And, and now I was like, okay, this looks like these people are running a business, you know. Um, it just— it was, it was definitely a different vibe. Um, I remember, I remember seeing Stan Haynes. I always loved him, you know, he was normal. I remember hanging out with him at that race.
[00:41:05.340] - Big Rich Klein
That, that Stan and normal can mean something different. Sorry, Stan, I love you.
[00:41:16.560] - Kim Sears
Oh, Bender was there.
[00:41:18.660] - Nathaniel Sears
Well, Bender's always Bender.
[00:41:20.380] - Kim Sears
Yeah, yeah.
[00:41:23.980] - Nathaniel Sears
Oh yeah, we could literally name off on 10 fingers who we talked to. Yeah, remember Shannon Campbell did like a triple take. He's like, what, you all are here? Yeah, just walking around.
[00:41:39.790] - Big Rich Klein
And, uh, when you, uh, when you were competing in the rock crawling Was there a specific location that you liked more so than any of the others?
[00:41:56.750] - Nathaniel Sears
Like, for the actual events?
[00:41:59.380] - Kim Sears
Yeah.
[00:42:03.160] - Nathaniel Sears
What about you?
[00:42:04.760] - Kim Sears
It would be a toss-up between Hannibal, Missouri and the Badlands.
[00:42:08.860] - Nathaniel Sears
Oh yeah.
[00:42:09.850] - Big Rich Klein
Okay.
[00:42:11.750] - Kim Sears
Hannibal was fun.
[00:42:13.530] - Nathaniel Sears
Well, that was man-made. Yeah, I could see that. That's when I spotted you. Okay.
[00:42:22.430] - Big Rich Klein
Yeah, Hannibal was all that in that there in the quarry, the old quarry.
[00:42:27.730] - Kim Sears
Yeah, it wasn't man-made. You're thinking of Spartanburg.
[00:42:30.680] - Nathaniel Sears
Oh, Spartan— no, I'm like Ohio.
[00:42:34.450] - Kim Sears
Oh yeah, Spartanburg was awful.
[00:42:36.240] - Nathaniel Sears
I'm thinking of Ohio.
[00:42:37.320] - Kim Sears
Yeah.
[00:42:37.820] - Nathaniel Sears
Yeah, I'm thinking Columbus, Ohio is what I'm thinking of.
[00:42:40.800] - Kim Sears
Hannibal's the one event I tried to spot you and it was a dumpster.
[00:42:46.980] - Nathaniel Sears
Oh yeah, that's right. Yeah, Hannibal was fun. Um, God, they all have their own perks. Um, yeah, I don't know. I think I'll always enjoy Jellico.
[00:43:01.530] - Big Rich Klein
Yeah, I was gonna say Jellico was always the best party.
[00:43:05.460] - Kim Sears
Oh, absolutely.
[00:43:06.360] - Big Rich Klein
Oh yeah, you know, you had the rodeo at, uh, at the Jellico Inn. Yeah, or whatever they called it.
[00:43:13.960] - Nathaniel Sears
They've tore it down now, and every time we drive to go see our parents, we just look over there and we're sad now.
[00:43:20.240] - Kim Sears
It's a power plant now.
[00:43:22.140] - Big Rich Klein
Is it really?
[00:43:23.030] - Kim Sears
Oh wow. Yeah, yeah, they completely bulldozed it all down.
[00:43:27.350] - Big Rich Klein
Oh man, there were some— there's some great memories there and some some really good videos. Thank God, thank God that the cell phones really didn't have very good cameras, if they had cameras at all at that point. Because yeah, because last time I was there I had like a, a BlackBerry.
[00:43:46.580] - Nathaniel Sears
Yeah, yeah, because there's like a 10-minute video of like one of the biggest times we've ever had there. I think on YouTube it's called One Night Angelico. It's like one word ran together, right? And yeah, you can't even tell it's us in some of those shots. And I'm like, well, it's not a terrible thing you can't tell.
[00:44:07.930] - Big Rich Klein
Yeah, you know, being that it was the one night in— one night.
[00:44:12.260] - Kim Sears
Yeah, just one.
[00:44:16.260] - Big Rich Klein
The thing I remember about Jellico was, uh, they had that bar outside of town on the way out of town toward the event site. And it was— everybody called it— was— I forget what it was. What?
[00:44:30.650] - Kim Sears
It was called the Starlight.
[00:44:32.180] - Nathaniel Sears
Well, there was a Starlight. We called it the Stablight.
[00:44:35.070] - Big Rich Klein
That's it. That's the one.
[00:44:36.180] - Nathaniel Sears
Yeah. Yeah.
[00:44:37.640] - Kim Sears
And you had to sign your name on the notebook paper when you walked in.
[00:44:42.120] - Big Rich Klein
I still don't know the point of that, but yeah, it was kind of like a membership thing or something. I—
[00:44:49.510] - Kim Sears
if I remember.
[00:44:50.070] - Nathaniel Sears
Yeah.
[00:44:52.900] - Big Rich Klein
The Stab, Stab-a-Lot Inn or something. Yep, that's, that's hilarious. And, uh, did you ever have any troubles getting up that hill at Jellico on the drive-in?
[00:45:07.120] - Nathaniel Sears
No, we didn't, did we?
[00:45:10.400] - Big Rich Klein
I did with the— when we had the Top Kick.
[00:45:14.010] - Nathaniel Sears
Oh my God, say yeah.
[00:45:15.390] - Big Rich Klein
And the 44-foot race trailer.
[00:45:17.950] - Kim Sears
Oh gosh, had it—
[00:45:19.170] - Big Rich Klein
had the trailer sideways in the road because I couldn't make the hill, and trying to back down, it got sideways.
[00:45:25.890] - Nathaniel Sears
Oh my God.
[00:45:27.270] - Big Rich Klein
Yeah, that's what I thought. Luckily we were there days early.
[00:45:31.350] - Kim Sears
Yeah, we only drove— we only ever just drove the truck and my rig up there. We never had more than just that.
[00:45:40.340] - Nathaniel Sears
We just had a car trailer, right?
[00:45:44.200] - Kim Sears
We weren't fancy.
[00:45:45.890] - Big Rich Klein
I know Creighton always made it up there. That was amazing.
[00:45:49.320] - Kim Sears
I was going to say, yeah, Creighton always did good at that stuff.
[00:45:54.960] - Big Rich Klein
So how was it being part of Team Maxis?
[00:46:01.260] - Kim Sears
It was really good. They treated us really well. They made sure we had swag and tires and I mean, there's nothing that I can say other than positive things about the interaction with Creighton. He was always there, support. Um, gosh, I can't tell you how many beadlocks he put on tires for me at the last minute, and he never complained. He was always just smiling and life of the party, right? So I never will forget one of our Spartanburg trips. He actually took all of us crazy people out that were on Team Max's to Wild Wing Cafe, and they did karaoke, and all of us drivers were drinking and having fun, and Creighton never drank. And all of a sudden, in the middle of the karaoke, he got up and did Fat Man in a Little Sweater. With Chris Farley and knocked everything off the table. Um, they actually came over and were like, he needs to quit drinking, he needs to quit drinking, we're gonna have to kick him out. We're like, he doesn't even drink, this is sober.
[00:47:16.420] - Big Rich Klein
Yeah, imagine what he'd have been like if he drank.
[00:47:19.870] - Kim Sears
Oh my God, gosh, I couldn't even imagine. But they were, they were amazing. They, they kept us going. We were very blessed to have them.
[00:47:31.490] - Big Rich Klein
And did, uh, did you guys ever make it out to like SEMA at any point?
[00:47:37.110] - Nathaniel Sears
So we went to SEMA, did we go twice? Yes, we went to SEMA twice. I forgot it.
[00:47:47.540] - Kim Sears
We went the year that they had the rock crawling event during it.
[00:47:50.850] - Nathaniel Sears
Yeah, so we just went and watched rock crawling and then went to SEMA. And it seems— didn't someone— yeah, it was Mark Andrews let you drive his rig on the course. Yeah, yeah, at Las Vegas. He's like, here, you gotta, you gotta drive on this stuff because it was crazy, you know, shotcrete, right? So yeah, so he was spotting Kim driving on the course out there. I remember that.
[00:48:19.000] - Kim Sears
And then the next year we went out and actually signed autographs and stuff for my Texas and had the blowup of the picture that's in our basement.
[00:48:28.140] - Nathaniel Sears
Oh yeah, okay, save for me.
[00:48:31.770] - Big Rich Klein
Nice.
[00:48:32.070] - Nathaniel Sears
Oh yeah, the big poster, that's right.
[00:48:34.350] - Kim Sears
Yeah, nice.
[00:48:37.470] - Big Rich Klein
So let's talk a little bit about, uh, life after off-road competition. So, uh, let me know when you guys decided to to hang it up. The competitive juices got turned off, the faucet got turned off. What did, uh, what'd you guys start doing?
[00:49:01.610] - Nathaniel Sears
So I don't think the competitive juices got turned off. We had just gotten a little bit older, um, and we were like, you know what, we, we kind of want a family and we probably need to slow down. You know, because a normal vacation of going to the beach or, you know, or whatever people do, we didn't do. It was every weekend we were— if we weren't competing, we were in the woods, right? So we were like, you know, our parents are getting older, we, we want to have children, we need to, we need to pump the brakes. So You know, just kind of like adulting.
[00:49:49.060] - Kim Sears
And at that point is when the rigs started to get— the Unlimited class started getting so ridiculous on the financial aspect. Yeah, like, we can't keep up with these people. We can go to the woods all day long and have fun and show off or whatnot, but we can't compete. So we decided to sell my Jimmy's buggy and start a family. Yeah.
[00:50:15.430] - Nathaniel Sears
I mean, you know, we could do so much money. And that's when people— she's 100% right— where that's when you heard that people, yeah, so-and-so spent this, this amount of money on their buggy. And I'm like, we don't have half of that in ours, you know? And it's like, Jesus, okay, we're not going to act like we have money. Because we do not have it, you know. It's, it's time to bow out. And Kim is like this, and I'm like, I'm definitely like this. When I do something, I do it, you know. I'm, I'm all in, every bit of me. What, you know, look, I started brewing beer and I own a brewery now, and I'm, and I brewed, you know, that, that's It's just what I do. My son plays football and he's in middle school and I'm a football coach.
[00:51:12.710] - Kim Sears
And started your own travel team this year.
[00:51:15.130] - Nathaniel Sears
Yeah, I started my own travel football team. It's when we do something, we do it. I, you know, I can't half-butt do anything. So, and that's kind of like we were like, well, you know, taking a break was okay, we're ending this. Because, you know, in my mind I was like, I can't be 200% into this anymore, right?
[00:51:41.140] - Big Rich Klein
So makes sense.
[00:51:43.100] - Nathaniel Sears
And people are— yeah, people are different, but that's me. It's like we're living that life, you know, whatever I'm doing, I'm living that life.
[00:51:51.690] - Big Rich Klein
Um, so, and when you said you started brewing beer, you just like bought a home brewing kit?
[00:52:00.200] - Nathaniel Sears
Man, it happened so fast. So yeah, I started doing just a home brewing kit like you would order off of the internet, and literally there was a program to get a brewing certificate in college at one of the local colleges, and Kim was like, you really like this, why don't you see what this class is about? And I was like, oh yeah, that sounds cool. And that's where I met my business partner at. Okay. So it just kind of went from there. I did, I did the course, got my certificate while I was brewing. And then our son was born. So we had a baby at that time and Kim was like, I need you to quit your job. If this is what you want to do, then you need to learn how to do this. So while I was going to school to get my brewing certificate and home brewing, I started volunteering at all the local breweries to learn how you run a brewery. Okay, so I was, I was literally doing free labor at 4 or 5 breweries around town for 40-something hours a week, coming home. And then me and my business partner named Andrew, we were brewing beer in my garage.
[00:53:29.970] - Nathaniel Sears
And, uh, so after school finished, he got a job, went to work at a big brewery. I got a job at a local brewery. And, uh, we kind of were like The plan was, let's see if we can do this on our own one day. So we just, it just kind of came together and laid it all on the line to open our own brewery.
[00:53:52.190] - Big Rich Klein
And how long ago did you open?
[00:53:56.680] - Nathaniel Sears
So we opened, uh, in 2019, uh, December 2019 to be more specific. So right before COVID Perfect time. Uh, Oh, absolutely.
[00:54:09.020] - Kim Sears
December 3rd— Friday, December 13th, actually.
[00:54:14.460] - Nathaniel Sears
That should have been a warning, warning sign right there. Um, so we learned quick how to stay in business. Uh, I know every place was different during COVID but our county, Knox County, here in Knoxville, they really, uh, relaxed the laws. So pretty much If you were a local brewery, I could go set up in Walmart parking lot and sell beer.
[00:54:39.470] - Big Rich Klein
Okay.
[00:54:39.880] - Nathaniel Sears
Like, yeah. So we were going the neighborhoods and selling beer out of the bed of our truck.
[00:54:47.760] - Big Rich Klein
So kind of like an ice cream truck?
[00:54:50.470] - Nathaniel Sears
Absolutely.
[00:54:51.430] - Big Rich Klein
What kind of music did you play?
[00:54:55.620] - Nathaniel Sears
Well, we were kind of like the party because, you know, the world shut down. And people were coming out in these neighborhoods.
[00:55:02.500] - Kim Sears
They would do food trucks too.
[00:55:04.040] - Nathaniel Sears
Yeah, it got to the point where there would be food trucks setting up right next to us. So they were buying food, buying beer from us, and everybody was kind of hanging out in cul-de-sacs, you know, drinking and feet apart, 6 feet apart, of course, drinking and eating.
[00:55:20.720] - Big Rich Klein
Tape measure.
[00:55:22.790] - Nathaniel Sears
What's funny is the cops were always there.
[00:55:26.780] - Kim Sears
Yeah, they were.
[00:55:28.160] - Nathaniel Sears
Yeah.
[00:55:30.020] - Big Rich Klein
So I guess because I didn't know anything is, were they drinking or just watching?
[00:55:34.660] - Nathaniel Sears
No, they were just watching, I guess, making sure nobody got out of hand. But I mean, they were always just there hanging out.
[00:55:39.960] - Kim Sears
Well, and then there was always some Karen that called and said they're selling alcohol. They're like, they're allowed to.
[00:55:46.880] - Nathaniel Sears
And they're like, yep, we know.
[00:55:48.260] - Big Rich Klein
They would have to come because it is Tennessee.
[00:55:52.600] - Nathaniel Sears
It is.
[00:55:54.590] - Big Rich Klein
I mean, because that right in that area, you know, is Tennessee, Kentucky, West Virginia, you know. Oh yeah, those three states are kind of known for, you know, for, for alcohol of some.
[00:56:07.190] - Nathaniel Sears
Yeah, yeah, absolutely.
[00:56:12.640] - Big Rich Klein
The, uh, I, I still laugh to this day about, um, not Jell-O, but Dayton, Tennessee, and putting on the rock crawls there and doing the night events and having— walking through the, the spectator area, and here's this pickup truck, an old like Nissan or first generation Toyota pickup truck, two-wheel drive, sitting in right in the middle of the spectator area. And I walk up and nobody's around it, but I look in the bed, you know, just trying to figure out why it's there. And there's all this corn, not bagged, but just loose in the back of there. Big, thick kernels, like feed corn or something.
[00:57:02.370] - Nathaniel Sears
And a big shovel.
[00:57:04.550] - Big Rich Klein
And I'm thinking, wow, I wonder what this thing is doing there. And then later that night, after the event is over, it's probably 2 or 3 o'clock in the morning. Somebody comes over and hands me a mason jar. And then the light went on in my head. Oh, now I know what that guy was— why that truck was parked there and why it was full of corn.
[00:57:28.070] - Nathaniel Sears
Nice.
[00:57:31.450] - Big Rich Klein
So the beer business, is it pretty awesome?
[00:57:38.810] - Nathaniel Sears
It's a lot of work. Knoxville's kind of a crazy town for that because we had a boom, which all of America's seeing this. We had too many craft breweries. We had, I think at one point we had 23 or 24, and our town just is not that big for that. And, uh, there's been quite a few that have, uh, have closed up for different reasons, um, over the past few years. So now that it's kind of planed off, um, this is the best we've ever did. Um, you know, it's because we're— I mean, we've been established for, God, it's 7 years now. Yeah, so, so now we kind of have a name of— instead of being the new guys, now we're— oh, we've been here for 7 years now.
[00:58:41.420] - Big Rich Klein
So, and how many, how many are in town now besides you?
[00:58:52.000] - Nathaniel Sears
Just a guess, I'd say it's about 15 now. Yeah.
[00:58:57.830] - Big Rich Klein
Okay. And how close is your facility to UT?
[00:59:08.600] - Nathaniel Sears
Oh, we're super close. We're as the crow flies, 2 miles.
[00:59:14.710] - Kim Sears
Yeah.
[00:59:15.040] - Nathaniel Sears
Yeah.
[00:59:15.830] - Big Rich Klein
Okay. Do you get a lot of the UT students?
[00:59:24.920] - Nathaniel Sears
We actually do not. Um, we didn't choose this, you know, in business sometimes you don't choose your path, it just kind of happens. Um, there is one or two that is— that's where the college crowd goes, you know, right? We, we are the place where my age, really take my age minus 15 years, plus 15 years. That's okay. Yeah, we're that kind of crowd.
[01:00:01.350] - Big Rich Klein
And I'm trying to think of how old you are, so that puts you—
[01:00:04.080] - Nathaniel Sears
okay, so I'm 47. Okay, I'm 48.
[01:00:09.670] - Kim Sears
You're 40.
[01:00:10.090] - Nathaniel Sears
Good girl, you know my own age. I'm 48. Yes, you'll, you'll see, you'll see 30s to 60s in our, in our brewery.
[01:00:18.490] - Big Rich Klein
48 with a 29-year-old wife. Pretty good.
[01:00:21.140] - Nathaniel Sears
Yes.
[01:00:22.680] - Kim Sears
Yeah.
[01:00:25.560] - Big Rich Klein
And so how is it, how is it coaching youth football? I know that I really enjoyed it coaching little Rich, um, from the time he was 8 years old until he hit high school. When he hit high school, I let the professionals take care of it, right?
[01:00:43.740] - Nathaniel Sears
It is, uh, God, it's, it, it's really fulfilling. Um, it's really wild, to be honest, um, because his team's really good. The way our middle school is structured is we have 6th grade, 7th grade, 8th grade, right? So we have a 6th grade team, JV team, which is primarily 7th graders, and then a varsity team which is primarily 8th graders. So he— last year he played on both JV and the varsity as a 7th grader, and we won, uh, all 3 teams. We won all 3 teams, 6th grade, JV, and varsity. We won the championship with— so it was a clean sweep. So now, you know, now we can be We're kind of cocky.
[01:01:37.630] - Kim Sears
Um, and we only lost one game out of all three teams.
[01:01:42.180] - Nathaniel Sears
Yeah, only lost one game out of all three teams last year.
[01:01:45.180] - Big Rich Klein
Wow, that's really good.
[01:01:46.310] - Nathaniel Sears
Yeah, so, but now we've got some good kids. Um, I think I love coaching because, you know, you get to see the kids grow, and that's really fulfilling. Um, A lot of great coaches, you know, I mean, they're my friends, uh, just great people to be around. And I'm just trying to do the best that I can, you know, for my son, because I don't want to be like, well, I wish I did this, because, you know, we only have him until he's 18. I just want to do all that I can for him, um. Which is what anybody wants to do, I guess. You know, I just want to be there for him and do everything I can. He wants to play football, so I'm going to help him do it.
[01:02:36.490] - Big Rich Klein
And Kim, do you— do you help the football team in any way?
[01:02:41.010] - Kim Sears
So I got voluntold last year that I was going to help coach the flag football team, which is 4, 5, and 6-year-olds. Boys.
[01:02:55.570] - Big Rich Klein
Okay.
[01:02:56.610] - Kim Sears
One of Mason's coaches, his kid was playing, going to be playing. So I became his assistant coach and it's probably one of the most rewarding things I've ever done. So I do that in the fall and then over winter I help coach the middle school girls flag football team. And then with Mason's team in the fall, I actually take all their pictures so that they have some kind of memorabilia and then something that they can show to the colleges or, you know, camps or whatnot to help them out as well.
[01:03:36.490] - Big Rich Klein
Nice. Very good. And what's the traveling team about?
[01:03:44.120] - Nathaniel Sears
So after school ball's over, um, because it gets over right before Thanksgiving. I was gonna say Halloween, first week of November. Pretty much from that time, there's still kids that want to play, and that's when the travel ball starts up. And it's a short season, um, there— if you wanted to play every weekend, you could, um, So pretty much from November through the end of December, there's a tournament somewhere, whether it's in West Virginia, Tennessee, or Kentucky. All of our, all of our travel tournaments are out of town, like whether it's close to Nashville, been to Chattanooga. Johnson City, wherever. And they like— there's a huge tournament that's actually in Knoxville that we do every year, and teams from all 50 states come to it. So I remember when we did it this year, we played a team from Iowa, a team from Cincinnati.
[01:05:00.630] - Kim Sears
Last year we played a team from Alaska.
[01:05:02.560] - Nathaniel Sears
Yeah, they actually flew down. Yeah.
[01:05:06.350] - Big Rich Klein
That's impressive.
[01:05:07.860] - Nathaniel Sears
Yeah, it's one of the nation's bigger tournaments called Battle on Rocky Top. I think they have 500 teams out of all the age groups, something like that. Yeah, it's, it's crazy. So they pretty much rent out every field in the area, um, and it's played all week, all weekend long.
[01:05:30.900] - Kim Sears
Wow.
[01:05:31.390] - Big Rich Klein
And so they play what, like 3 days then, or 2 days?
[01:05:37.100] - Nathaniel Sears
So they only play Saturday and Sunday. They do a big check-in on Friday, and, and the games is a running clock because like we could play 3 games in a day, which is absolutely awful. I think this time we only got stuck playing 2 games in a day, so the games are a little bit shorter. Um, but they kind of have to be because you sometimes you have to play back-to-back games, right?
[01:06:02.900] - Big Rich Klein
Uh, yeah, yeah, any kind of tournament like that I could imagine.
[01:06:06.910] - Nathaniel Sears
Yeah, yeah, it's— I know what happens in baseball, but it's, it's a different animal in, in football.
[01:06:12.860] - Big Rich Klein
Oh, much different. The contact.
[01:06:14.620] - Nathaniel Sears
Yeah, I was gonna say, you're not getting a hit in baseball, but not all of them. Yeah.
[01:06:22.100] - Big Rich Klein
Unless you're real, real aggressive at home plate.
[01:06:24.730] - Nathaniel Sears
But they do not like that anymore.
[01:06:27.620] - Big Rich Klein
No, not because when I played, it was, it was okay to do that.
[01:06:33.260] - Nathaniel Sears
Oh, absolutely.
[01:06:34.510] - Big Rich Klein
I was a catcher, so I played in some softball, some open softball tournaments where, and I played catcher, that it was like playing middle linebacker. I mean, it was—
[01:06:47.570] - Nathaniel Sears
yes, absolutely.
[01:06:48.770] - Big Rich Klein
On almost every play.
[01:06:50.790] - Nathaniel Sears
Yes, pretty good old days.
[01:06:55.030] - Big Rich Klein
Yep. Well, I want to— what's— so what's in the future? What, what are you guys looking to do besides getting Mason through high school and, and all that? Um, what, as a family, what do you guys— what else do you do?
[01:07:14.330] - Nathaniel Sears
So We like fishing. We go fishing a lot. Um, I'm happy just fishing, to be honest. But Kim mentions every few weeks, she's like, we need to get back out in the woods. So I foresee us having something, um, soonish, you know. Um, but what we do now is, is we go fishing a lot and, and have a blast doing that. Of course, with social media, my 13-year-old son tells me things he saw on TikTok, and I'm like, okay, how did you know that? You know, about fishing. So he studies all the different kind of rods, rod and reels, and I'm like, Jesus. Okay, so we— he's really got into it. So, you know, we do that now when we're not you know, glued to a football field.
[01:08:18.280] - Big Rich Klein
Awesome, awesome.
[01:08:20.130] - Kim Sears
Yeah, and we got 3 precious little boxers. We got a 1-year-old, a 5-year-old, and a 10-year-old.
[01:08:25.750] - Big Rich Klein
So, and you guys, you guys have always had boxers, right?
[01:08:30.320] - Nathaniel Sears
Yeah, we have.
[01:08:32.000] - Kim Sears
Yeah, yeah, this is the biggest age difference, but we lost our last one unexpectedly unexpectedly early. So we've always had two just so that they can keep each other entertained. And then we got our sweet Bella in October. She was a rescue and she's just turned 10. So they keep us busy when we're not on the football field or fishing.
[01:08:58.620] - Big Rich Klein
Just like kids.
[01:09:00.630] - Kim Sears
Oh, absolutely. Yeah, absolutely. And we just, you know, we take the Jeep out and drive. I've got a Bronco now. We'll take the top off of it and just go for rides and enjoy being outside.
[01:09:12.360] - Big Rich Klein
So you love driving topless?
[01:09:14.920] - Kim Sears
Absolutely. Oh, absolutely.
[01:09:21.520] - Big Rich Klein
Oh, I want to say thank you guys so much for, for sharing your life with us and reminiscing and talking about everything. I really appreciate it.
[01:09:36.840] - Nathaniel Sears
Oh, you're welcome.
[01:09:37.570] - Kim Sears
Thank you for asking us. This has been fun.
[01:09:39.970] - Nathaniel Sears
Oh, absolutely.
[01:09:41.030] - Big Rich Klein
Yeah, it's been way too long. Next time I— I don't know when I'm going to get through that part of the country again, but next time I do, I will call ahead of time and at least find out where the brewery's at and come by.
[01:09:53.530] - Nathaniel Sears
Nice.
[01:09:54.110] - Kim Sears
That's awesome.
[01:09:56.260] - Big Rich Klein
Okay, well, you guys take care and thank you so much. And, uh, I'll let you know. This is actually going to air this Thursday.
[01:10:04.530] - Kim Sears
Awesome.
[01:10:05.410] - Nathaniel Sears
Wow.
[01:10:05.810] - Big Rich Klein
You'll get—
[01:10:06.150] - Kim Sears
we'll send you that picture over.
[01:10:07.750] - Big Rich Klein
Okay, I appreciate it. And you guys have a great evening, and thank you for taking the time.
[01:10:13.270] - Nathaniel Sears
All right, thanks, Rich.
[01:10:14.320] - Big Rich Klein
All right, take care now.
[01:10:16.020] - Nathaniel Sears
Thanks. Bye-bye.
[01:10:17.850] - Big Rich Klein
Well, that's another episode of Conversations with Big Rich. I'd like to thank you all for listening. If you could do us a favor and leave us a review on any podcast service that you happen to be listening on, or send us an email or text message or Facebook message and let me know any ideas that you have, or if there's anybody that you have that you think would be a great guest, please forward the contact information to me so that we can try to get them on. And always remember, live life to the fullest. Enjoying life is a must. Follow your dreams and live life with all the gusto you can. Thank you.