There’s something to be said for stability and as we come to the
last issue of 2011, I’d like to thank all of our long-time readers and
advertisers for their continued support of Engine Builder magazine.
Since we can’t physically come to each of your shops to do it, I’m
instead sending out a virtual fist bump, head nod and handshake to each
of you.
We’ve been to three trade shows in the past two
months (as have many of you) and it’s been a great experience to speak
with many of you. And when I say “many,” I mean “Wow, were we busy!”
SEMA counted more than 60,000 buyers in attendance despite competition
from every gaming table in Las Vegas. Beautiful weather in Orlando
attracted 38,000 people for the PRI Show. And the youthful International
Motorsports Industry Show in the heart of America brought over 20,000
people to Indianapolis in just its third year of existence.
To
be honest, despite the excitement and vitality of the SEMA Show, the
PRI?Show and IMIS, it can be easy to run out of steam during a trade
show. That’s why it’s so refreshing when readers stop by our booth to
say hi. It’s humbling, actually, when readers tell us they’ve been
getting this magazine for decades and have every back issue archived in
their shop.
We deeply respect your opinion, so hearing from
you first hand is a treat. Nearly everyone we spoke with at these shows
said, though things could always get better, business seems to be
strong. “Cautiously optimistic” is how I would describe the general
mood.
And while there’s certainly nothing wrong with a little
caution, the optimism is refreshing. I’ve been to events in the past
where the only thing longer than the exhibit hours were the faces of the
few people in attendance. Keep up the good work on your end and we’ll
keep trying to help.
We’ve made it our mission over the years
to help our readers keep up with the latest developments in the engine
building industry. We’ve done that with the help of a talented group of
contributors that includes shop owners and managers, association
leaders and supplier representatives. Our mission has been to provide
balanced, accurate information on technical and shop management topics.
Admittedly, we’ve missed on occasion, but we like to think our hits have
been much more frequent.
This group of experts Engine
Builder’s “Inner Circle” if you will (some have called them the “Knights
of the Torque Table” help determine what this publication should
cover editorially. Would you like to join?
Has your shop done
some exciting things to recover from the past, profit from the present
and prepare for the future? If you’ve made the tough decisions necessary
to stay in business, we want to know about it. Let us know how you’ve
prepared your facility and your employees, and we’ll let you help others
find success.
Think you’re the next Tolstoy with a torque wrench?
Steinbeck with a surface profilometer? Clancy of the crank balancers?
Even if you’ve ever just had the desire to write for a business
publication, let us know. We’d be interested in speaking with you about
contributing something to our magazine. The hours are long, the
pressure is high and potential profits are low, but if you’ve got
something to say to your engine building peers, we’d like to help you
express it.
In actual fact, no one here uses typewriters
anymore. Some of us even call on our fancy smart phones to put words on
paper. But technology aside, the importance of communication remains.
After all, keeping in touch is the best way for all of us to know what’s
on the horizon.
Rev It Up Raffle Wrap-Up
Just when
you’re trying hard to sell engines, along comes some do-gooder trying to
give them away! If you’ve been following the Rev It Up Raffle saga in
these pages over the past few months, you know that it’s all been for a
great cause.
Two great causes, actually. Sunnen Products and
Jasper Engines and Transmissions teamed up to produce a Jasper
Performance Products Class II?Chevrolet 350. Raffle tickets were sold to
benefit the Tony Stewart Foundation and the Special Olympics of
Indiana.The winning raffle ticket was sold to Leo Zynda, from the Ring
& Pinion Shop in Clinton Township, MI.
Obviously, the
winner’s podium holds Zynda and the charities but there’s a third space
as well as with racing, the engine builders back in the shop made it
all possible. Special kudos and congratulations go to Paul Higgins, High
Performance Division Head and Motorsports Team Head Coach and his
students (at left) and faculty members at the University of Northwestern
Ohio for the final assembly and dyno testing of the engine.
Their efforts seem to indicate the future is in very good hands.