Compiled by SEMA Editors
This year’s tour celebrated the Monroe brand’s 100th anniversary and continued its emphasis of the “Everything Gets Old. Even Your Shocks” consumer education campaign. |
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Monroe Shockmobiles Complete Extensive 2016 Summer Tour Through United States and Canada
From the 100th running of the Indianapolis 500 to the 2016 Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals in Brainerd, Minnesota, the Monroe Shockmobiles traveled more than 10,000 miles through the United States and Canada this past summer. This year’s tour celebrated the Monroe brand’s 100th anniversary and continued its emphasis of the “Everything Gets Old. Even Your Shocks” consumer education campaign. The Monroe Shockmobiles and the Monroe Brand Ambassadors completed hundreds of stops at consumer events, including baseball games, concerts and festivals, and customer visits at service provider locations and parts distributorships. The tour schedule led to hundreds of thousands of roadside impressions among consumers and more than two million people following the tour on the Monroe brand’s social media channels. The tour also provided Monroe partners with content and visibility through their own social pages. The Shockmobiles and respective tow vehicles featured 100th anniversary graphics and “Made for the Road Ahead” messages, plus a 50,000-mile inspection reminder.
PPG Continues Support of National SkillsUSA Championships
PPG once again supported the SkillsUSA Championships, which were held at the Kentucky Exposition Center in Louisville, June 22–23. SkillsUSA, a national nonprofit organization, serves more than 300,000 high school, middle school and college students, preparing them for careers in trade, technical and skilled service occupations. The organization acts as a link between education and industry, helping students excel in their chosen field and qualify for jobs in the real world. PPG has long been involved with SkillsUSA, primarily in the automotive segment of the national championships, and is a major sponsor of the event.
This year, 80 students participated in the two automotive areas—repair and refinish. PPG helped establish the refinish competition in 2008 and brought eight volunteers to the championships for the 2016 event. One of the volunteers, Jamie Redd, PPG training center manager, is a segment leader in the national competition. He began by assisting SkillsUSA on the state level in 1997, then got involved on the national level. Some students are eventually hired by PPG or its customers. Jessica Crowley competed four years ago in the refinish segment and won a bronze award. Today she is a PPG technical sales instructor and has returned to the championships floor as a judge. Crowley is featured in the current issue of SkillsUSA Champions magazine.
The first vehicle Ringbrothers will unveil at the 2016 SEMA Show is a ’48 Cadillac Series V fastback named “Madam V” in the Flowmaster booth (#22351) in the Central Hall, Tuesday, November 1, at 1:30 p.m. |
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Ringbrothers Revs Up for 2016 SEMA Show
Ringbrothers will bring an eclectic collection of cars to the 2016 SEMA Show, representing Chevrolet, Cadillac, Ford and Winnebago. In addition, Jim and Mike Ring will also make a major announcement about their new partnership with Prestone Products Corp. during a press conference, Wednesday, November 2, at 1:00 p.m. The press conference will include a preview of one of the most unique build projects Ringbrothers has ever undertaken, which will debut at the 2017 SEMA Show.
The first vehicle Ringbrothers will unveil at the 2016 SEMA Show is a ’48 Cadillac Series V fastback named “Madam V” in the Flowmaster booth (#22351) in the Central Hall, Tuesday, November 1, at 11:20 a.m. “G-Code”—to be revealed in the Royal Purple booth (#23057) in the Central Hall the same day at 3:00 p.m.—is only the second ’69 Camaro the Rings have ever built. The ’65 widebody Mustang convertible “Ballistic” will be the first car to ever be unveiled in the Ringbrothers booth (#23283), Wednesday, November 2, at 10:00 a.m. “The World’s Fastest Winnebago”—a ’72 “Happy Camper” Winnebago Brave—will also make its first SEMA Show appearance this year. Hosted in the Prestone booth (#30327) in the Upper South Hall, the 900-plus-horsepower RV will be on display with its doors open for showgoers to explore its tikki lounge and WWII Bomber-inspired, party-ready interior. Ringbrothers and Prestone will also make a joint announcement in the Prestone booth during a press conference on Wednesday, November 2, 2016 at 1:00 p.m.
Cars and Coffee Moving to SPEEDVEGAS Beginning October 8
Every Saturday morning, beginning October 8, hundreds of car enthusiasts will convene at SPEEDVEGAS to participate in the popular weekend pop-up attraction, Cars and Coffee. This event attracts 600 to 1,000 car aficionados, including Southern Nevada residents and tourists, to meet fellow car enthusiasts as they showcase their exotic, muscle and vintage cars. More than 250 cars are typically on display. Admission is free and the event is open to guests of all ages from 7:00 a.m.–10:00 a.m.
The debut of Cars and Coffee at SPEEDVEGAS comes following a nearly 10-year engagement at its previous location near St. Rose Parkway and Eastern Avenue. Due to the event’s growing popularity, organizers sought a new location that would not only be a draw itself, but also provide ample space for continued expansion. The first 10 attendees and first 10 cars owners who arrive will receive a complimentary SPEEDVEGAS experience, which will include the option to drive or ride for three laps in any car of their choice. After that, all spectators and car enthusiasts who come that day will receive $20 ride-along laps in any one of the available SPEEDVEGAS musclecars and drift cars. All attendees will also be entered into a special drawing throughout the October 8 event to win prizes provided by Cars and Coffee and SPEEDVEGAS.
Tom Blades |
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Blades Awarded Executive Leader of the Year by Ideas America
Grote Global Vice President of Operations Tom Blades was named Executive Leader of the Year during the 74th annual Ideas America Training Summit, held September 13–15 in Atlanta. The award recognizes the importance of executive management’s support of employee involvement through their leadership and employee involvement activities. Ideas America is an international organization that brings together a variety of professionals who work to encourage employees to become more involved in their workplaces. Grote has been a member of Ideas America for nearly 20 years and has had an employee suggestion program since 1971. Blades was one of six nominees.
U.S. Postal Service Selects AM General For Next-Generation Prototypes of Postal Delivery Vehicles
AM General’s designs for advanced postal vehicles have been selected by the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) as part of the USPS Next Generation Delivery Vehicle (NGDV) Prototype awards. The awards were in support of the service’s plans and need for replacing their aging fleet. AM General will build a series of prototype vehicles for testing by the USPS that seek to provide fuel efficiency and zero-emissions capability. The AM General advanced postal vehicle is designed to grow with the new demands in delivery on the postal service and ensure that USPS can manage the changing mail mix with improvements in safety, efficiency and reliability. The postal award is part of AM General’s commercial business, which was selected by Mercedes-Benz as its only contract manufacturer in the United States, producing the R-Class vehicle in Mishawaka, Indiana. The postal vehicle’s design and development will be conducted at AM General’s Center for Advanced Automotive Design in Livonia, Michigan. The contract award from the Postal Service is part of the USPS Next Generation Delivery Vehicle program, under which several prototype designs will be designed, built and tested over an 18-month period. Production requirements and future vehicle replacement award(s) will be determined by the Postal Service after NGDV Prototype testing.
Timeless Kustoms will unveil its latest build, “Vicious,” a twin-charged ’65 Mustang in MagnaFlow’s 2016 SEMA Show booth (#23543). |
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Timeless Kustoms to Unveil 1,000-hp, Twin-Charged “Vicious” ’65 Mustang in MagnaFlow Booth
Timeless Kustoms will unveil its latest build, “Vicious,” a twin-charged ’65 Mustang in MagnaFlow’s 2016 SEMA Show booth (#23543), Tuesday, November 1, from 1:00 p.m.–1:20 p.m. Highlights include an Art Morrison Chassis, Ford Performance Aluminator powerplant, custom Magnaflow Exhaust, and an EMCO Gears sequential gearbox that utilizes a Centerforce DYAD clutch. Boost is provided by a Magnuson supercharger and two Precision Turbos with wheels provided by Forgeline.
RealTruck.com Announces Partnership and Sponsorship With Carson Wentz
RealTruck.com has officially announced that it will enter into a partnership with Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz on his newest truck build. The company will provide all the accessories for Wentz’ new pickup. The build will be promoted on social media channels, specifically RealTruck.com’s Facebook, Instagram and Twitter accounts, as well as Carson Wentz’ own Instagram and Twitter. Follow the build via the following hashtags: #WentzMobile, #WentzBuild, #TheWentzTruck and #RealTruck.
PPG Again Exclusive Paint Sponsor of FenderBender Live at the SEMA Show
For the sixth consecutive year, PPG is the exclusive paint sponsor of FenderBender Live—FenderBender magazine’s website for 2016 SEMA Show coverage. FenderBender Live provides comprehensive reporting of this year’s SEMA Show, which runs November 1–4 at the Las Vegas Convention Center. Running concurrently with the SEMA Show, FenderBender Live’s coverage will include news items, interviews with key industry professionals, celebrities, exhibitors and staff, and photos from the event floor. Industry professionals are invited to visit the FenderBender Live website to sign up for daily email recaps that will be available through FenderBender Live’s free newsletter; website content will also be updated continuously.
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