By Emily Barnwell

What do Snoop Dogg, Hugh Jackman and Sheryl Crow have in common? The answer: Wichita.

Yes, you read that right. These stars are all customers of Village Coach, an elite entertainer coach company headquartered in Wichita.

Village Coach, Village Transport and Village Coachworks are part of Village Travel. Together, the three divisions employ about 100 people and boast a fleet of 300 vehicles company-wide, including top-of-the-line tour buses and tractor-trailers that transport tour production equipment and staging.

Village Coachworks builds the interiors of the buses and Village Coach leases them to various world-renowned musicians, performers, entertainers, comedians and theatrical groups.

Some of the customers include Alanis Morissette, Bon Jovi, Blink 182, Charley Crockett, Flatland Calvary, Flaming Lips, Limp Biscuit, Logan Mize, Pantera and Snoop Dogg.

Kyle Filiatreault, a Wichita native and general manager of Village Coach, oversees operations for the companies.

“When you have a customer like Hugh Jackman, you can’t have some shabby bus that has cardboard walls and imperfections. You better be putting out a really good product,” explained Filiatreault.

Filiatreault credits Wichita’s robust aviation industry for contributing to the businesses’ success.

 “We have the people who understand what craftsmanship is specifically in building a plane or a luxury bus,” explained Filiatreault.

Starting with the bare bones

Finishing with a top quality product and experience

From Airplanes to Buses

As the Air Capital of the World, Wichita is home to some of the world’s largest aviation brands including Textron Aviation, Airbus, Bombardier and Spirit AeroSystems. It’s also the leading manufacturing hub in the U.S.

It’s fitting those same highly skilled minds are crafting buses fit for some of the world’s top artists.

“I love the people in Wichita. They know how to work. They put their heads down and get things done and their service is exceptional,” explained Filiatreault. “Wichitans are meticulous and tenacious. They do a great job of figuring out ways not just to build something but to build it at the highest level they can.”

With a $500,000 price tag, the individually designed interiors are equipped with premium amenities including Wi-Fi, satellite TV, gaming systems, sound systems, multiple flat-screen TVs and more.

The buses are often booked months in advance with more than 80 percent of clients being return customers.

The company’s growing popularity is good news for Wichita. Rather than Village Coach driving the buses to destinations across the U.S. and Canada, Filiatreault said some customers are choosing to come to them. This is leading to more entertainment options within the region.

“We are starting to get more and more artists who want to fly into Wichita to start their tour. They say it’s so much easier to fly into Wichita. The airport is easy. It’s beautiful. Let’s go there,” he explained.

Filiatreault agrees with the customers. He too chooses Wichita to remain his home.

“I travel all over the country and I get to see cool things, but coming back to Wichita is comfortable. It is a breath of fresh air. It’s easy to travel in. The cost of living is superb,” Filiatreault said.

So, the next time someone asks what do Snoop Dogg, 21 Pilots and Sheryl Crow have in common, you can confidently answer Wichita.

What’s Next?

Village Coachworks is only about a year and a half old. Filiatreault projects the company will begin building buses for other tour bus companies within the next two years.

As for Village Coach and Village Transport, each division is steadily growing.