By Ashley Reyes
The SEMA Automotive Restoration Market Organization (ARMO) named Motorwerks Marketing as the council's newest member spotlight company. Motorwerks Marketing is a full-service marketing and creative agency that specializes in the specialty automotive space.
Get to know the story of their business in SEMA’s interview with company President Darin Roberge below.
SEMA: How did you start your business?
Darin Roberge: We launched November 1, 2017, with the idea that we wanted to offer higher-end, Fortune 500-style marketing products and services to small- and medium-sized businesses that were focused on the classic, collector and specialty automotive space, and do it at an affordable price. Additionally, I was somebody that was given a lot of chances when I entered this industry, and I wanted to return the favor to some of the really talented people who I knew that weren’t as lucky.
SEMA: What was your breakthrough moment?
DR: It was in July of 2019. We’ve always been a remote/work-from-home type of company, and when my house and office were destroyed in a construction accident, I was forced to relocate to a hotel a couple of towns over. For nearly a year during the rebuilding phase, my team really came together, and our business grew exponentially. That’s when I really knew that I was on to something special. Once the pandemic hit, we were already very experienced in working from home and working under difficult, high-pressure conditions, so transitioning through the pandemic was fairly seamless for us as well. Most of my team has been with us since the beginning, and it’s a testament to how fortunate myself and our clients are to have these incredible people working alongside us every day.
SEMA: Tell us about a particular project, product or build you are proud of.
DR: The thing I personally am the most proud of is our charitable outreach. We partner with a number of both automotive and non-automotive-based charities, and to this date have helped them raise just more than $12 million collectively.
SEMA: What advice do you have for young professionals contemplating a career in the automotive aftermarket, particularly in the restoration segment?
DR: To get experience wherever you can. This is a very unique industry that moves and flows in ways that others (people coming in from other industries) have a really difficult time getting in sync with. The earlier that you have an opportunity to learn and understand how this business moves, how deadlines operate and what's required to meet those, the higher likelihood of success you will have.
Fill out an ARMO-member spotlight form to highlight how your company is contributing to the specialty-equipment industry. Selected candidates are eligible to be featured on ARMO's social media, SEMA News and future ARMO-member updates.