Invis-A-Rack is a permanently mounted cargo-management system that can hold up to 500 lbs. of material or equipment.
		When not needed for a load, it easily folds down out of sight to preserve the look of a personal-use truck.

Invis-A-Rack is a new company, is a new SEMA/TORA member and has a brand-new, innovative product. The Invis-A-Rack is a collapsible rack that can be used to transport construction material for a job or a canoe for a camping trip when needed. When not in use, the Invis-A-Rack folds out of sight to return the truck to a personal-use vehicle. SEMA Member News recently spoke with Donny McCall, the company’s president.

SEMA Member News: Where did the idea for Invis-A-Rack come from?

Donny McCall: I owned a small construction company for a time—too small to afford a business vehicle. So my personal truck doubled as the business truck. I could never bring myself to purchase a ladder rack because I knew that it would turn my truck into a work truck. One day while driving from one job site to another, the idea hit me.

SMN: What did you do once you had the idea?

DM: I first decided to have a patent search done. The search came back feasible for utility patent protection. I submitted a provisional application and started shouting from the mountaintops. I looked at every bureaucracy I could think of for help with business development but, unfortunately, I had to go it alone. I built a prototype and used it on my truck and in my business for about two years while I was gathering information and talking with anyone I could think of to possibly bring it to market. I even submitted the idea to a few big-name companies in our industry, but all either passed or never returned my contact request. A happenstance conversation one day brought the business to the forefront again. Another man and I put a business plan and investment package together and started beating the streets. This was two years ago. Since that time, two men—with strategic help from investors but little manufacturing experience—created a product and business that has the potential to do good. I believe, in my small little way, I can do my part to put Americans to work. My goal is to help my family, my church, my community and my country.

SMN: Was the SEMA Show the first place you brought Invis-A-Rack?

DM: SEMA is the first place we brought Invis-A-Rack for public exhibition. I have been showing it in its current form for about a year to retailers, reps and just about anybody I can. We were not prepared for manufacturing or sales until 2010 and have only had product available for sale since September 2010.

SMN: How was your 2010 SEMA Show experience?

DM: Our Show was amazing. You never know how you will be accepted with a brand-new product by a brand-new company. Most companies work the entire year on what they’re going to do for next year’s SEMA Show. After an investor stepped up at the last minute and provided funding for us to go, we had about two months to throw everything together. We drove from North Carolina non-stop for 32 hours pulling a trailer.

One of the benefits of having a moving product is that you can catch peoples’ eyes during the process. Some buyers came looking specifically for us, but most were just wandering the aisles. I don’t know how many conversations I actually had, but we estimated that we raised and lowered the Invis-A-Rack about 600 times over the four days of the Show. By the end of the week, Invis-A-Rack garnered the Popular Mechanics Best New Product of the Year, a 2010 SEMA Global Media Award and the award for the TORA Best New Product Over $500. I certainly had hoped to have a good showing but was blown away by the independent validation we received from different sources.

SMN: Do you have anything exciting planned for 2011?

DM: We are in talks with a couple of manufacturers about possibly partnering and helping each others’ exposure. Depending on sales, we may also be able to fully develop some of the other accessories we have planned for Invis-A-Rack.

SMN: Do you have any advice for anyone else with an idea?

DM: Tenacity. I could probably help someone avoid some of the mistakes I’ve made and prepare them for some of the obstacles, but nothing has beaten walking my own path. Maybe with the mistakes I’ve avoided because of advice and explaining mine, the person I hope to help may produce something in half the time it has taken me. I’m no success story…yet. But I am proud of my accomplishments and praise God every day for the opportunity to do His will in my life.

		Invis-A-Rack is a permanently mounted cargo-management system that can hold up to 500 lbs. of material or equipment.
		When not needed for a load, it easily folds down out of sight to preserve the look of a personal-use truck.

Invis-A-Rack is a new company, is a new SEMA/TORA member and has a brand-new, innovative product. The Invis-A-Rack is a collapsible rack that can be used to transport construction material for a job or a canoe for a camping trip when needed. When not in use, the Invis-A-Rack folds out of sight to return the truck to a personal-use vehicle. SEMA Member News recently spoke with Donny McCall, the company’s president.

SEMA Member News: Where did the idea for Invis-A-Rack come from?

Donny McCall: I owned a small construction company for a time—too small to afford a business vehicle. So my personal truck doubled as the business truck. I could never bring myself to purchase a ladder rack because I knew that it would turn my truck into a work truck. One day while driving from one job site to another, the idea hit me.

SMN: What did you do once you had the idea?

DM: I first decided to have a patent search done. The search came back feasible for utility patent protection. I submitted a provisional application and started shouting from the mountaintops. I looked at every bureaucracy I could think of for help with business development but, unfortunately, I had to go it alone. I built a prototype and used it on my truck and in my business for about two years while I was gathering information and talking with anyone I could think of to possibly bring it to market. I even submitted the idea to a few big-name companies in our industry, but all either passed or never returned my contact request. A happenstance conversation one day brought the business to the forefront again. Another man and I put a business plan and investment package together and started beating the streets. This was two years ago. Since that time, two men—with strategic help from investors but little manufacturing experience—created a product and business that has the potential to do good. I believe, in my small little way, I can do my part to put Americans to work. My goal is to help my family, my church, my community and my country.

SMN: Was the SEMA Show the first place you brought Invis-A-Rack?

DM: SEMA is the first place we brought Invis-A-Rack for public exhibition. I have been showing it in its current form for about a year to retailers, reps and just about anybody I can. We were not prepared for manufacturing or sales until 2010 and have only had product available for sale since September 2010.

SMN: How was your 2010 SEMA Show experience?

DM: Our Show was amazing. You never know how you will be accepted with a brand-new product by a brand-new company. Most companies work the entire year on what they’re going to do for next year’s SEMA Show. After an investor stepped up at the last minute and provided funding for us to go, we had about two months to throw everything together. We drove from North Carolina non-stop for 32 hours pulling a trailer.

One of the benefits of having a moving product is that you can catch peoples’ eyes during the process. Some buyers came looking specifically for us, but most were just wandering the aisles. I don’t know how many conversations I actually had, but we estimated that we raised and lowered the Invis-A-Rack about 600 times over the four days of the Show. By the end of the week, Invis-A-Rack garnered the Popular Mechanics Best New Product of the Year, a 2010 SEMA Global Media Award and the award for the TORA Best New Product Over $500. I certainly had hoped to have a good showing but was blown away by the independent validation we received from different sources.

SMN: Do you have anything exciting planned for 2011?

DM: We are in talks with a couple of manufacturers about possibly partnering and helping each others’ exposure. Depending on sales, we may also be able to fully develop some of the other accessories we have planned for Invis-A-Rack.

SMN: Do you have any advice for anyone else with an idea?

DM: Tenacity. I could probably help someone avoid some of the mistakes I’ve made and prepare them for some of the obstacles, but nothing has beaten walking my own path. Maybe with the mistakes I’ve avoided because of advice and explaining mine, the person I hope to help may produce something in half the time it has taken me. I’m no success story…yet. But I am proud of my accomplishments and praise God every day for the opportunity to do His will in my life.

The new Take a Kid to a Car Show website is an interactive, one-stop shop for both kids and adults interested in learning more about the program. Program supporters are encouraged to submit content—including event information for inclusion on the site’s event calendar—to jimsk@sema.org.

First unveiled in 2002, the Automotive Restoration Market Organization (ARMO) Take a Kid to a Car Show (TKCS) program has consistently delivered a simple message to restoration enthusiasts the world over: Take a Kid to a Car Show. Through the program, car show promoters, organizers and enthusiasts may download public service ads (PSA) and announcements in various sizes and with various images and messaging.

All of the messages are aimed at one thing: getting kids exposed to the restoration hobby at a very young age. Also available for download are the PSA images themselves, which organizers may incorporate into their own event information. Utilizing the stock TKCS images helps brand both the event and the TKCS program. In addition, stickers branded with the TKCS logo are available in rolls of 50, free for the asking. These are very popular items for goodie bags, as giveaways at a car show “kid’s area” and in other promotional offerings.

Probably the most popular TKCS promotion over the years was a coloring book that was sponsored by Year One. The coloring book provided a lasting link between young people and the cars they saw at a car show. ARMO leadership decided in 2010 that, as popular as the coloring book was, the TKCS message could be sent to far more people through the creation of a Take a Kid to a Car Show website.

Phase 1 of the TKCS website was launched on March 1, 2011 and can be found at www.takeakidtoacarshow.com. Designed to be an interactive, one-stop shop for all things TKCS, the site contains features and information for both kids and adults. Car show promoters can find information on how and why to get involved, how to download TKCS logos and ads, how to attract media to an event and more.

Kid-specific pages include instructions on downloading a free iPhone app that enables the user to color a car right on his or her iPhone or iPad. The TKCS coloring book also lives again on the website and is available for download in PDF format. There is also a page that lists supporters of the TKCS program as well as testimonials from active participants.

One prominent feature of the new site is “Find a Car Show.” Events are presented on a calendar, and clicking on an event brings the viewer to an information page for that event. The calendar is searchable using several different criteria.

“ARMO is very excited about this project,” said Chairperson Laura Bergan of American Collectors Insurance Inc. “We really believe in getting young people hooked on cars and involved in the hobby, and Take a Kid to a Car Show has proven an effective message. With the new website, we should be able to get that message out to more and more people, and some of the features of the site will appeal to kids who are into gaming and computers while sending them the message that car shows are fun and exciting.”

Future enhancements to the site include an updated “Find a Car Show” that will include a true Google Maps search feature and will allow promoters to upload event information directly. An interactive “Customize the Car” game is also being researched. It would allow kids to customize and share or swap cars over the Internet.

The current site is just the beginning, according to Ken DeVries of Auto Trader Classics. DeVries is an ARMO Select Committee member and chairman of the task force that developed the website.

“Everyone is encouraged to submit content for inclusion on the site,” he said. “If you have a good story about a youngster at an event or you simply believe in the messaging, submit a testimonial. If you wish to be counted as an active supporter of the messaging, submit your information. Do you have a cool photo, especially of a young person enjoying a car show? Send it in. If you don’t see your event on the calendar, submit the information and we’ll get it added. Eventually, we’ll add functionality that allows viewers to upload content directly, but for now, send anything you have to our SEMA liaison, Jim Skelly. Enjoy!”

Event information to be listed on the calendar should include event name, description (types of vehicles, cruise or car show, etc.), location, date and time, any special attractions and a link to a website or promotional material, if available.

The new Take a Kid to a Car Show website is an interactive, one-stop shop for both kids and adults interested in learning more about the program. Program supporters are encouraged to submit content—including event information for inclusion on the site’s event calendar—to jimsk@sema.org.

First unveiled in 2002, the Automotive Restoration Market Organization (ARMO) Take a Kid to a Car Show (TKCS) program has consistently delivered a simple message to restoration enthusiasts the world over: Take a Kid to a Car Show. Through the program, car show promoters, organizers and enthusiasts may download public service ads (PSA) and announcements in various sizes and with various images and messaging.

All of the messages are aimed at one thing: getting kids exposed to the restoration hobby at a very young age. Also available for download are the PSA images themselves, which organizers may incorporate into their own event information. Utilizing the stock TKCS images helps brand both the event and the TKCS program. In addition, stickers branded with the TKCS logo are available in rolls of 50, free for the asking. These are very popular items for goodie bags, as giveaways at a car show “kid’s area” and in other promotional offerings.

Probably the most popular TKCS promotion over the years was a coloring book that was sponsored by Year One. The coloring book provided a lasting link between young people and the cars they saw at a car show. ARMO leadership decided in 2010 that, as popular as the coloring book was, the TKCS message could be sent to far more people through the creation of a Take a Kid to a Car Show website.

Phase 1 of the TKCS website was launched on March 1, 2011 and can be found at www.takeakidtoacarshow.com. Designed to be an interactive, one-stop shop for all things TKCS, the site contains features and information for both kids and adults. Car show promoters can find information on how and why to get involved, how to download TKCS logos and ads, how to attract media to an event and more.

Kid-specific pages include instructions on downloading a free iPhone app that enables the user to color a car right on his or her iPhone or iPad. The TKCS coloring book also lives again on the website and is available for download in PDF format. There is also a page that lists supporters of the TKCS program as well as testimonials from active participants.

One prominent feature of the new site is “Find a Car Show.” Events are presented on a calendar, and clicking on an event brings the viewer to an information page for that event. The calendar is searchable using several different criteria.

“ARMO is very excited about this project,” said Chairperson Laura Bergan of American Collectors Insurance Inc. “We really believe in getting young people hooked on cars and involved in the hobby, and Take a Kid to a Car Show has proven an effective message. With the new website, we should be able to get that message out to more and more people, and some of the features of the site will appeal to kids who are into gaming and computers while sending them the message that car shows are fun and exciting.”

Future enhancements to the site include an updated “Find a Car Show” that will include a true Google Maps search feature and will allow promoters to upload event information directly. An interactive “Customize the Car” game is also being researched. It would allow kids to customize and share or swap cars over the Internet.

The current site is just the beginning, according to Ken DeVries of Auto Trader Classics. DeVries is an ARMO Select Committee member and chairman of the task force that developed the website.

“Everyone is encouraged to submit content for inclusion on the site,” he said. “If you have a good story about a youngster at an event or you simply believe in the messaging, submit a testimonial. If you wish to be counted as an active supporter of the messaging, submit your information. Do you have a cool photo, especially of a young person enjoying a car show? Send it in. If you don’t see your event on the calendar, submit the information and we’ll get it added. Eventually, we’ll add functionality that allows viewers to upload content directly, but for now, send anything you have to our SEMA liaison, Jim Skelly. Enjoy!”

Event information to be listed on the calendar should include event name, description (types of vehicles, cruise or car show, etc.), location, date and time, any special attractions and a link to a website or promotional material, if available.