Rushforth Rocks SEMA 2008!

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Last week was the 2008 SEMA show in Las Vegas and Rushforth Wheels was well represented.

We had 10 cars in the show running the brand ranging from a monster set of 20x12s on the Speed Tech 69 Camaro built by Killer Customs in Canada to a hydrogen powered 33 Ford in the SEMA Green Zone all the way down to a Smart Car built by George Barris and styled after the original Batmobile he built for the tv series more than 40 years ago. We were stoked to have such a wide range of vehicles running the designs and it truly shows the depth and versatility of our styles. SEMA is the show of the year to see and be seen at. There are people there from all over the world showing their wares and looking for the next big thing and it never ceases to amaze me when I read the country of origin on people's I.D. badges at the show. Individualizing one's car is truly an international phenomenon that can't be swayed by economic downturns. Seeing the show is a long systematic process of trying to walk every aisle of the 3 million square feet within 3 buildings and getting to all the must-see booths and vehicles, say hi to all our friends and clients, make sure they all have decals and catalogs all within 4 days. My advice is to wear comfortable shoes and have a plan! There's never a shortage of things to do after hours in Las Vegas and SEMA week is no exception. There are always companies and shops having parties, banquets, and awards ceremonies and this year was no exception. We attended a great party on the first night hosted by Ford right in their SEMA booth that didn't even start until well after the show was dark and empty with celebrity guests, ice carvers making ice balls for cocktails with Dremel tools and graffiti artists decorating Ford Flex roof skins. Way to support the arts, Ford! The next night we were at the HRIA banquet emceed by the world renown Dave McClelland of "SUNDAY!, SUNDAY!, SUNDAY!!!!" fame who along with the late great Steve Evans announced legendary drag races and motorsports events for five decades. We were there specifically to see our friend, JF Launier get awarded Good Guys' prestigious Trendsetter of the Year and join the ranks of Troy Trepanier and Chip Foose. Congratulations, JF! Thursday night was the www.Pro-Touring.com banquet where we awarded two Rushforth Wheels Gift Certificates for door prizes and were flattered to see a former client try to pay cash for the gift certificates to put Rushforths on his next car and get denied! Looks like we're a regular commodity like gold and silver! It was a lot of fun and a great opportunity to see old friends and put actual faces with the guys we interact with online daily. Thanks to Larry Callahan for putting together a great online community of enthusiasts from around the world and then holding an event for some of us to get together while we're in Vegas. From there, we rushed to Mandalay Bay where JF and our friends from Killer Customs were throwing a celebration Canadian style in a suite on the 30th floor to commemorate JF's award the night before and promote Killer's sister company Speed Tech's success at the show. They're great guys with a lot of mutual friends and it was great to sit down and just hang out and have a drink while admiring the incredible view that seemed like you could see to California. Thanks to everyone who ran Rushforths at the show and everyone who came up to say they saw the wheels there. We appreciate it and look forward to even more success at next year's show and beyond.

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