For over 40 years, Off Road Warehouse (ORW) has been a staple in the greater San Diego County area, servicing the demands of core desert racing and off-road enthusiasts. Being a native to San Diego myself, I cannot even begin to tell you about the countless visits I have made over the years. The ORW stores and products are very centric to truck, Jeep & UTV enthusiasts, but the mission has always remained true to the heritage of serving the needs of off-road racers. Off-road racers like Greg Adler.

When Off Road Xtreme learned about the newest location opening in Corona, California, I counted down the days and made plans to attend the grand opening on March 20, 2021. The most recent addition of the ORW chain is located directly off the 91 Freeway at 1531 Pomona Road. On the day of, I witnessed a crowd of over 2,000 attendees wandering a multitude of high-end off-road vehicle displays and dozens of manufacturer vendor booths.

Off Road Xtreme’s Top 5 Favorite Vehicles On Display

As I was walking along, I spotted Greg Adler and managed to tie him up for a few minutes. Greg is the proud new owner of Off Road Warehouse, having taken over in November 2019, but he’s no stranger to building off-road empires.

ORW’s Corona location offers a 14,000-square-foot facility with a large showroom displaying the off-road industry’s latest and greatest truck, Jeep, overland, UTV and racing products from leading brands. There were many knowledgeable and experienced ORW experts ready to assist customers contemplating the next upgrade. The new facility also houses a large, multi-bay installation area utilizing state-of-the-art equipment with work performed by highly skilled technicians. The retail store is attached to ORW’s latest Distribution Center, boasting over 23,000 square feet for warehousing of products.

This new venture places Greg Adler at the helm with controlling interest over the ORW organization to push his goals and initiatives. Here is what he had to say.

Off Road Xtreme: You have a long and tremendous story within the off-road industry. This new endeavor looks promising. What are you most excited about with ORW?

Greg Adler: I’m excited about growing the business. Opening new stores in new markets. ORW has a great foundation. It’s been almost 50 years since it started in 1973 and with a great team of guys.  I’m also staying connected with a lot of my friends and former colleagues in the industry that I grew up in and really enjoy. 

ORX: What does the ORW leadership team look like?
GA: You can call me the “HMFIC.” I am the President and I have a good team of guys that I have worked with for a long time. Sam Cervantes is the VP of Operations leading all the stores, and Chris O’donnell is my CFO.  We also have great leaders in each of our stores.

ORX: There are now six ORW locations open; two brand new stores within the last two months. What’s next in ORW’s short-term strategy?
GA: We are going to keep adding stores. We have two more planned for 2021. Maybe 3-4 stores each year. We are going into markets where we think we can be successful hitting the base of off-road enthusiasts. We will be in Phoenix this Summer, and heading to Atlanta, Georgia at the end of the year. That gives us a lot of territory to fill in over the next few years.

ORX: As a racer, what is your favorite off-road discipline?
GA: It depends on how well I am doing that day. I get to enjoy a lot of different styles of racing. Short-course is the most intense. It is the 100-yard dash versus the endurance race. I always love going to Baja because of the diverse terrain. Driving on the beach, cruising the pine forest, wide open in the desert. There is really nothing like it. King Of The Hammers is a huge event where the community and camaraderie comes together. I like them all. My favorite is whatever I am getting a trophy for.

ORX: Out of all the toys in the stable, what is your favorite all-around go-to?

GA: The most fun to drive hands down is the Pro 4. It is such a beast with 900 horsepower, six-speed manual transmission, and four-wheel-drive. There is nothing else like pitching that thing sideways into the corner at 50-60 mph and flying off 100-foot jumps. It does not get any better than that.

It is so crazy how they all have their unique advantages and drawbacks. The Pro 4 would not last 10 miles in Baja, and the Ultra 4 cannot hardly get around the short course. Everything is different and has its own purpose. That is what makes off-road so challenging and fun.

ORX: As chairman of the Off-Road Business Association (ORBA), you do important work for the entire industry. Would you summarize for our readers what ORBA’s mission is?
GA: The mission is simply to keep trails open for the public use. It is a lot of behind-the-scenes hard work done by just a few folks. Without them, we would be losing ground, literally. It is a very worthy cause, and the entire public benefits, not just the off-road community.

ORX: If you could tell your younger self one piece of advice, what would that be?
GA: I have always found that setting goals and coming up with a great plan of action is a great . Enjoy every day. Enjoy the ride!

ORX: Is there anything else you want to share with the off-road community?
GA: It’s a great community to be a part of. I was born and raised an off-roader. I feel very fortunate to get to do what I do every day, whether it’s working in the industry or out playing in the dirt.