Issue link: http://osercommunicationsgroup.uberflip.com/i/266194
A f t e r m a r k e t D a i l y N e w s 5 7 T h u r s d a y, N o v e m b e r 7 , 2 0 1 3 I finagled a job at the Auburn Cord Duesenberg Company in Broken Arrow, Okla. ACD was the nation's smallest auto- mobile manufacturer. I had the privilege of working under Glenn Pray, his brother Jack and Walt Carlton, who were old time hot rodders. These men instilled in me a love for restoration and custom fabrication, and taught me basic skills. While at ACD, I first visualized the idea for The Bone while working on my wrecked XKE, which I had bought via a loan for a mere $600. Years later, after opening my own restoration shop, I built the first prototype of The Bone. AMDN: What did you do then? DA: We took the prototype along with us on the "Great American Race" from Disney World to Disneyland in the late 1980s. We spent the entire race under the Stutz we were running, which gave us plenty of chances to show off the creeper. Favorable response to it led me to decide I had a good idea for a new product. Several years later in 1994, we sold the first production Bone in Hershey, Pa. AMDN: How did you go about market- ing The Bone? DA: In those days we couldn't afford advertising, and relied on what PR we were able to attain. We had a home run Dale Adams Enterprises (Cont'd. from p. 1) when a sample sent to Motor Trend led us to be named as one of the top ten new tools of 1996. Since that time, our sales have steadily increased, and the Bone is now sold on four continents. AMDN: What makes The Bone unique from other creepers? DA: The big, easy rolling outboard mounted wheels which keep it from tip- ping, the rugged, stylish design, and the only lifetime wheel warranty in the industry has made The Bone a household name name among car nuts, and inspired a few cheap knockoffs. It is also the only all-American creeper, a fact that I have stubbornly maintained despite high pres- sure to outsource. AMDN: What advice do you have for other manufacturers that want to bring their production back to America? DA: Read about the life of Henry Ford, and remember that we are Americans and have a responsibility to our fellow Americans to ensure the strength of the country. Until recently, nobody really cared that we were American-made, but now it is our number one sales tool. Ride the Bone, my friends! For more information, visit booth 10232 at the 2013 SEMA show, go online to www.daleadamsenterprises.com and www .bonecreeper.com or call 330-677-4030. Overhaulin' with Chip Foose, Hutton now heads up Charley Hutton's Color Studio in Nampa, Idaho, where he con- tinues to make automotive art history one ride at a time. Most recently, Charley added a third Ridler Award to his win- ner's belt for his flawless paintwork on Checkered Past, a 1940 Ford owned by Ron and Deb Cizek. Alloway, a member of Rod & Custom's Hall of Fame and a favorite with enthusiasts and competition judges alike, is one of the most in-demand builders working today. Thanks to his uncompromising craftsmanship and drive for perfection, his works have earned him such prestigious awards as Autorama Builder of the Year, the Ridler Award and America's Most Beautiful Roadster. Both Hutton and Alloway have been long-time devotees of PPG for their cus- tom work, yet each prefers a different PPG paint system to work with. Hutton switched from a PPG solvent-based sys- tem to the ENVIROBASE ® High Performance line, North America's lead- ing waterborne basecoat system. Switching from the solvent-based to the waterborne system is the greatest PPG Automotive Refinish (Cont'd. from p. 1) thing I've ever done," explains Hutton. "The vibrance of the colors you get with the Envirobase system are so clean and clear." Hutton used the Envirobase High Performance system for the dazzling red finish on Checkered Past, the 2013 Ridler Award winner. "It looks like a candy color, but believe it or not, it's a two- stage. And that's something we're pretty excited about – that we're able to achieve that with the waterborne paint." At Alloway's Hot Rod Shop in Louisville, Tenn., Bobby trusts his cre- ations to PPG's DELTRON ® basecoat- clearcoat system. "It's probably the friendliest product that we've used. We paint most of our stuff black. And it's the blackest black we found. It's the clearest clear that we've found which doesn't cloud our black paint. And that's important." Charley Hutton and Bobby Alloway will be signing autographs during regu- larly scheduled appearances at PPG's SEMA booth 24501. Visit the booth for complete schedule details. For more information, visit booth 24501, go online to www.ppgrefinish.com or contact Cindy Schauer by email at schauer@ppg.com or by calling 440-572-2800. manufacturer. We began in 1995 with the owners and one employee, in the base- ment and garage of the owner's home. They had someone manufacture the product for them, and they did the pack- aging and shipping. Cloud-Rider grew rapidly within months until they had leased their own warehouse and packag- ing facility, even packaging their Stainless Steel Grill Inserts for Lund. A few years later, Cloud-Rider purchased its own building and equipment, giving them the ability to manufacture and pack- age their products. AMDN: What type of products do you manufacture? JS: Cloud-Rider Designs is the origina- tor and patent holder for Stainless Steel Grill Inserts in both Canada and the U.S. We also have two lines of mud flaps: the Advantage and our Fusion Bond, which includes a 12-inch wide flap, 14-inch wide flap, the universal dually flap and our new Fusion Bond Long Flap. We also have a line of stainless steel running boards, sill guards and step liners. We manufacture the best tow flap on the mar- ket today. With our licensed products, we have hitch covers, grill emblems and license plates. AMDN: You mentioned you have a new mud flap. Why did you call it the Fusion Bond Long Flap? JS: We called it the Fusion Bond Long Flap because it performs two functions. It is not only a 14-inch wide mud flap that Cloud-Rider Designs (Cont'd. from p. 1) helps protect your vehicle from mud and rocks coming off the tires, but it has a long tongue that goes along the wheel well that works like a flare, so it helps hide wider tires under your truck. This mud flap is 77 inches long. AMDN: You have talked about licens- ing. What type of licensing do you have? JS: We have licensing with NASCAR and some of its top drivers, including Dale Earnhardt, Jr. About two years ago, we signed a deal with General Motors and most recently started with American Outdoorsman, an outdoors show that has been going for 26 years. We do various products with different licenses, includ- ing mud flaps, hitch covers, grill emblems, license plates and our tow flaps. For the Canadian fans, we also have licensing with the Canadian Football League. AMDN: What are your expectations for the 2013 SEMA show? JS: We are really hoping to grow our brand in the U.S. We used to make and package our stainless steel grill inserts for Lund, but that dissolved a few years ago, so we need to get our own brand out more in the U.S. The best way I can see us doing that is with the exposure we will get here at the SEMA show, through our partner- ships with our licenses and through media partners like Aftermarket Daily News. For more information, visit booth 37139 at SEMA, visit online at www.cloud- rider.com, call 306-761-2119 or email jsmith@cloud-rider.ca. BB: WeatherTech has become an indus- try-leading manufacturer of the finest interior and exterior automotive acces- sories. We continually strive to exceed our customers' expectations, and have developed into a top tier wholesale part- ner due to the vision and direction of the Owner and Founder, David MacNeil. AMDN: What would you say makes your company unique? PS: Our philosophy focuses on quality first, so the customer experiences the highest level of satisfaction. We are also passionate about supporting the American economy, using American technology, American raw materials, and skilled American workers. In the past five years, WeatherTech has invested in multiple facilities in Downers Grove and Bolingbrook, Ill. AMDN: What was the most significant event or series of events affecting your company in the past year? BB: WeatherTech has just launched our new wholesale website (www.weath- ertechdirect.com) that allows retailers and our wholesale partners the opportu- nity to quickly determine the products their customers want, along with pictures of what merchandise looks like in the actual vehicle. This helps create an instant selling and buying environment, and our MAP pricing is clearly displayed. We also continue to have great success with our Diamond Dealer and Authorized Reseller programs. Because consumers have the opportunity to find our products on our retail website, we also give them the option to click through to a geograph- ic listing of our brick-and mortar retail partners. We ideally want the consumer WeatherTech (Cont'd. from p. 1) to have the option to find our products in the most convenient manner, either online or at one of the Diamond Dealer or Authorized Reseller locations. AMDN: Describe your company's cur- rent marketing strategy. PS: Our current marketing strategy is centered around building the WeatherTech brand and currently partici- pating in national television, magazine, and radio announcements. Our goal is to continually drive traffic to our partners' doors, and we have received tremendous positive feedback. We also have an expe- rienced outside and inside sales force that offers face-to-face support, sales training, and product pull-through. In addition, our collection of free marketing displays, sales training videos, and data allow our customers to have the tools necessary to make the WeatherTech brand a success- ful offering. AMDN: Are you introducing any new products? PS: FloorLiners continue to be the most well-known item in our diverse array of merchandise. Nevertheless, we offer a multitude of vehicle protec- tion options to appeal to every cus- tomer's needs and budget. At SEMA this year, we are unveiling quite a few new items. Please stop by our booth 31117 to check our newest applications for the popular FloorLiners, all weath- er mats, cargo liners, side window deflectors, mud flaps and TechLiner, as well as the new Billet and Composite BumpStep, CargoTech containment system, UnderLiner, and TechFloor tile options. For more information, visit booth 31117 at SEMA, call 800-943-9250, email wholesale@weathertech.com or visit www.weathertechdirect.com.