Man transforms minivan into solar-powered office after layoff
Robert Mah is on a grateful journey that began after becoming a casualty of a major downsizing at work.
“You feel like you’ve been rejected,” Robert says. “Like you’re useless.”
He was also his family’s sole breadwinner, with three young kids.
“I had to make money.”
So Robert invested his severance in equipment for a basement office. While he began earning contracts, he started dreaming of a way to escape the confines of what he called “The Cave.”
“I always wanted to buy that old beater van and get it all set up,” Robert smiles. “So you can go cross-country and enjoy life.”
Robert started realizing that dream after noticing a solar panel on sale at his local hardware store. He figured it could power small appliances, like a microwave, hotplate and cooler.
After he attached the solar panel to the roof of his vehicle and hooked up the appliances, Robert began designing and building modular furniture that could fit inside the van, transforming from a bed and storage containers into chairs and tables.
“It’s like a little RV in the back of my minivan,” Robert smiles.
Once it was fully equipped to take a big trip, Robert and his wife hit the road. They drove from Ottawa to Victoria, fuelled by a post-layoff positivity.
“If you have a frame of mind that this is the worst thing that’s ever going to happen to me, that it’s going to get worse and worse, then that’s going to happen,” Robert says. “But if you think, how can I make a benefit from it? How can I turn it better?”
If you think like Robert did, you also furnish your mini-RV with a mobile office, including two computer screens, so you can keep working along your trip.
“You can connect to any machine anywhere in the world,” Robert says. “So why do I need to be inside a factory to control it?”
So why not do what he’s doing now? Why not operate manufacturing equipment in Ontario while parked beside the ocean in B.C.?
“Surprisingly my main contract right now is the company that laid me off,” Robert laughs.
Although it felt like one of the worst moments of his life back then, Robert is grateful it inspired some of the greatest moments of his life ever since.
“It was like the best thing to happen!”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
NDP motion regarding Palestinian statehood passes after major Liberal alterations
A motion from the federal New Democrats initially calling on Canada to recognize the 'State of Palestine' passed amid widespread acrimony on Monday, after the Liberals drastically altered its wording to see the government simply work towards that aim as part of a two-state solution.
'He didn't want to die': Family of Calgary man killed in standoff speaks out
Family of a Calgary man killed after a 30-hour standoff with police last week are speaking out, sharing details of the tense and heart-wrenching experience.
Toronto family doctor who called patient's body 'perfect' suspended for 3 months: tribunal
A family doctor in Toronto has been suspended for three months after a disciplinary tribunal found that he failed to follow proper protocols while examining a patient's breasts and made inappropriate comments about her body.
Ohio mom who left toddler alone 10 days when she went on vacation pleads guilty to aggravated murder
An Ohio mother whose 16-month-old daughter died after being left home alone in a playpen for 10 days last summer while she went on vacation was sentenced Monday to life in prison with no chance of parole.
Retired teacher pleads guilty to paying for sex with 15-year-old in Collingwood, Ont.
In a Barrie courtroom on Monday, a retired high school teacher from the Niagara Region pleaded guilty to sexual touching and obtaining sexual services from a 15-year-old boy in Collingwood in 2021.
Hertz CEO out following electric car 'horror show'
The company, which announced in January it was selling 20,000 of the electric vehicles in its fleet, or about a third of the EVs it owned, is now replacing the CEO who helped build up that fleet, giving it the company’s fifth boss in just four years.
5 charged in Calgary kidnappings that targeted women
Calgary police have charged five men in a pair of kidnappings last year that targeted innocent victims.
Demand soars for solar eclipse glasses in Canada. Are they worth buying?
The demand for total solar eclipse glasses used to safely view the rare celestial event has been ramping up as sellers, along with astronomy and eye-care experts in Canada, warn that viewing the eclipse with the naked eye is dangerous.
Canadian commander of volunteer fighter group dies in Ukraine
A Canadian-born commander of the so-called Norman Brigade, a volunteer fighting group in Ukraine, has died.