Hot Rodders Give Back and Honor the Industry

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SEMA Member News—January/February 2013

Hot Rodders Give Back and Honor the Industry

 

 On hand for the HRIA Business of the Year presentation to Classic Instruments were (from left) Love, John McLeod, Austin, Bill Mullins, Devin Butterbrodt and Ron Hanna.
On hand for the HRIA Business of the Year presentation to Classic Instruments were (from left) Love, John McLeod, Austin, Bill Mullins, Devin Butterbrodt and Ron Hanna.

The 2012 SEMA Show featured a night to remember for hot-rodding professionals.

The Hot Rod Industry Alliance (HRIA) kicked off its annual industry reception in dramatic fashion, as Mike Kinney of Moonlight Auctioneering Services led the way through the council’s first-ever live auction to benefit the two charities supported by SEMA Cares: Childhelp and Victory Junction Camp.

The live auction featured three participants from HRIA’s Pinewood Builder’s Challenge and got the crowd of nearly 700 into a bidding frenzy.

Three-time race winner Derek White of Street Vizions designed his pinewood after the legendary Red Baron T-Bucket, and it sold for $800 to Bob Millard of Championship Auto Shows.

Mike Cooper of Spanky’s Hot Rod received the “Best Engineered” award for his ’32 Ford pinewood, which was fabricated from a sheet of steel from an actual ’32 Ford door. Cooper’s miniature hot rod sold to Franco Ganino of Alliant Insurance Services for $600.

Lastly, “Best in Show” winner Jesse Greening of Greening Automotive Company in Nashville, Tennessee, built a pinewood made completely from billet aluminum. It was CAD designed and produced on a CNC mill, and it sold for an astounding $3,750 to Gilbert Bugg of the National Street Rod Association (NSRA).

For good measure, Debbie Walls of Lokar made a generous donation of $1,000 to SEMA Cares.

HRIA Chairman Rick Love (left) and Chair-Elect Del Austin (right) awarded the HRIA’s Industry Recognition of an Individual to Rick Craze of Lokar.
HRIA Chairman Rick Love (left) and Chair-Elect Del Austin (right) awarded the HRIA’s Industry Recognition of an Individual to Rick Craze of Lokar. 		     John Menzler (center) received induction into the HRIA Hall of Fame from Love and Austin.
John Menzler (center) received induction into the HRIA Hall of Fame from Love and Austin. 		     The tables turned as Love and Austin presented Dave McClelland (center) with HRIA Hall of Fame honors.
The tables turned as Love and Austin presented Dave McClelland (center) with HRIA Hall of Fame honors.
             

John Menzler (center) received induction into the HRIA Hall of Fame from Love and Austin. The evening also played host to a silent auction for a 2012 Gibson Les Paul Studio Deluxe guitar that was donated by Advanced Plating and featured pinstriping by Rick Harris.

This limited-edition beauty sold for $3,200 to Gary Mills of San Antonio, Texas.

All told, the hot-rod industry raised $9,350 for the children of Childhelp and Victory Junction Camp.

Following the auction and the fund raising, legendary emcee Dave McClelland took the stage to present the 2012 Hot Rodding Industry Awards, as detailed in the accompanying photos and captions.