Automotive Aftermarket Manufacturers Reps
The 2022 Goodguys Summit Racing Lone Star Nationals took place last weekend at Texas Motor Speedway, and, boy, was it another great event. The Kunzman team was proud to be on site to mix and mingle with so many automotive enthusiasts. It’s always a good time at a Goodguys event.
Stop by to see the Kunzman & Associates team this weekend at the 2022 Frankenmuth Car Show!
We will be there with 50 feet of product display and literature; we’d be happy to answer all of your technical questions and address any automotive needs. Plus, there are tons of activities and hundreds of cars on display at this annual event.
Come by the Frankenmuth Car Show to see us September 9-11, 2022, from 8 am to 8 pm each day.
August 3-6, 2022: Hot August Nights – Reno, NVThe 35th Annual Hot August Nights saw a full week’s worth of record crowds and car show participants – including people from Canada, New Zealand and Norway. If you’ve never been to HAN, the week can be too short to try and see everything in one shot. The Reno-Sparks area is covered with events at all the major casino/hotels, the Downtown main strip, along with the Summit sponsored Big Boy’s Toys Store at the Reno Expo. If you look at any indicators of turn-out, note the crowds at the food concessions!
August 4-7, 2022: NSRA – Louisville, KYAfter continuing to run the show through the COVID years, we weren’t sure what to expect at this year’s NSRA event – however, we were happy to see that things seemed back to normal! We estimate that the car count was around 10,000, and Friday and Saturday were packed with people. We stayed busy until 3:00 pm every day. The car giveaway started at 3:00 pm, which turned off the tap for the vendors. Rumor had it that ALL the prizes were to given away at that time, which drew the crowed there.
August 5-7, 2022: Carlisle Truck Nationals – Carlisle, PAWe attended the Carlisle Truck Nationals in support of the A&A Stores, and set up in their tent along with several other vendors. There was a mixture of attending trucks, which ranged from gigantic lifted 4×4 trucks to slammed trucks on air suspension and a whole section of conversion vans. There were a lot of people who seemed to be casually browsing parts and gathering information, rather than being on a mission to buy specific items.
The Rockin’ Rods ‘n Rochester event was very well attended! There was a threat of rain early, so it took a bit to get the crowd there, but they eventually arrived and we had great traffic through the trailer. Customers continued to ask questions about their projects that indicated they are spending money and trying to complete what they started. We saw lots of interest in brake systems, full suspension kits, full cooling systems, rotating assemblies and fuel injection kits. There were no complaints about the price of anything or the issues relating to inflation. There were about 400 vehicles, which is always the goal of the Lions Club who put this on. All proceeds go to the Leader Dogs for the Blind, a great nonprofit organization in Rochester, Michigan.
August 18, 2022: SEMA Garage Grand Opening – Detroit, MIThe SEMA Garage Grand Opening in Detroit was very well-attended, with over 1,000 people coming through the event. There were a lot of really cool cars at the event, with the building itself being a technological marvel. They are able to run dynos and emission testing, and do just about anything a manufacturer would need for any vehicle. Quite an investment for our industry!
For over 30 years the first week of August transforms Reno and Sparks, Nevada, into a classic cars haven that is long on tradition and nostalgia! The annual Hot August Nights celebration has become a fixture in Nevada and this year is no exception! The Kunzman team is on hand along with thousands of car enthusiast to take part in the festivities including: Drag races, drifting, cruising, fireworks, a parade, show-n-shine and so much more!
If you’re in the Reno area the first of August, be sure to stop by to say hi! For more information visit the event’s website.
The Iola Car Show, a 3-day consumer event (Thursday – Saturday) in Northern Wisconsin, is the largest cars show in Wisconsin, hosts a huge swap meet and has over 12,000 people in attendance.
This year marked the 50th Anniversary for the Iola Car Show, and there was no shortage of customers as we displayed in the Toys for Trucks Iola Show Complex – a beautiful 60’ x 224’ long metal, NASCAR garage-style building. We had a good flow of traffic each day, with the most concentrated amount Friday morning while it was raining outside. The booth traffic seemed different this year with more sporadic groups of people coming through, as opposed to last year when the crowd was more consistent throughout the day.
July 8-10, 2022: Goodguys – Columbus, OHAdam and Mike attended Goodguys, with Friday experiencing rain early and late in the day. Traffic was light, but steady throughout the day. Customers continued to ask about big-ticket items. Between C10s and the typical Tri-5 Chevy applications, we had customers taking advantage of sale discounts along with asking plenty of tech across the board. Educating the customers is also a dominant factor at any Goodguys event, especially Columbus being the go-to show this time of the year.
July 8-10, 2022: Bloomsburg 4×4 Jamboree – Bloomsburg, PAThis is a selling event! We attended in support of A&A Auto Stores, who brings product to sell. They have a building on the fairgrounds all to themselves, which draws people in and out of the heat. Many of the people we spoke with came specifically to buy parts. There was a mixture of Jeep and truck owners, with a disproportionate amount of them being single cab trucks (typically one or two body styles back from current).
July 14-16, 2022: Motor State Challenge – Berrien County, MIThe Motor State Challenge is a three-day, PRO-Touring event based in southwest Michigan. The event features a scenic cruise throughout Berrien County, Michigan, an all-day track session at GingerMan Raceway and a full day of autocross competition at the Tire Rack in South Bend, Indiana. A long time event by Lane Automotive, customers are signed up months in advance!
July 15-17 2022: Street Machine Nationals – Minnesota State Fair GroundsMatt and Mike worked all three days of this year’s Street Machine Nationals. The car count and spectator numbers were better than we saw last year. Saturday was the busiest as always and confirmed with Bonnier Events staff that the car count was over 4,000.
Overall, it was a very good show and improved attendance over last year, which was nice to see. It is a more locally attended show compared to Back to the 50’s with most from MN, WI and IA. We did hear that next year they have a new corporate sponsor, Mountain Dew! We are hoping this will help bring in more vendors and better advertising ,which should help the traffic even more.
July 15-17, 2022: NJ Jeep Invasion – Wildwood, NJThe NJ Jeep Invasion takes place on the beach in Wildwood, New Jersey. There were about 2,500 Jeeps and over 100 vendors in attendance.
This event has been growing over the years, with this year having the largest vendor area so far. There were a lot of first time and new Jeep owners in this crowd. This is more of an accessory crowd than a hardcore wheeling one.
July 23, 2022: Eastwood Open House – Pottstown, PAThis event grew from last year, with a few hundred cars and 15 vendors. Eastwood is primarily known for tools and restoration supplies, but has been expanding into parts sales rapidly. They made a big push to get more vendors to attend this year and we think this will help draw more cars and customers next time around. The event was well attended overall, with a mixture of classic cars and some more modern muscle.
July 29, 2022: SEMA Gala – Anaheim, CASEMA’s Gala, previously known as the Installation Banquet, was held at the new Westin-Anaheim Resort across from Disney this year. Best-known for a long evening during the Thursday evening SEMA Banquet in November, the Gala now gives appropriate time and honor for this year’s Hall of Fame Inductees. Being celebrated this year were Gene Winfield, Jack Roush and Walker Evans. Side note – Ed has had the pleasure of working with Walker and his son, Evan, for many years and enjoyed the opportunity to spend time with them at their table and reminisce! Along with the Inductees, the event allows many of the recognizable faces of the industry to take off their company hats and enjoy time to catch up and tell stories face-to-face again.
July 30, 2022: Original Parts Group Open House – Seal Beach, CAOriginal Parts Group celebrated their 40th anniversary with a maxed-out parking lot of 200 participants on a terrific warm SoCal Saturday. Special show prices had the counter full of folks taking advantage…parts were being picked up straight out of the warehouse. Plus, for those who needed information – there were plenty of manufacturer tents on hand to answer consumer questions. OPG’s Wes Nielsen kept the crowd looking at their tickets for awards and prizes throughout the one-day event!
Cary and Adam spent the weekend at the Silver Lake Jeep Invasion. The weather was perfect, and attendance was wonderful – over 1,000 registered Jeeps! They participated in the Lane Automotive Breakfast and cruise to the dunes. The concern over gas prices seemed to keep some away from the cruise, but overall, it was a great weekend and well-attended. Cary and Adam set up in the vendor tent where they were able to show off parts and play in the dunes a bit with Cary’s Jeep!
June 3-5, 2022: Carlisle Ford Nationals – Carlisle, PAJay attended the Carlisle Ford Nationals in support of A&A Auto Stores and set up shop in their tent. Far and away the most popular car at the event was the S550 Mustang. We also saw a lot of the 11-14 cars, but the S550 probably outnumbered everything else 2:1. There weren’t a lot of classics, and nearly every car they saw was Fox body or newer. This was probably the best-attended Carlisle show in terms of car count and the vendor midway. Ford had a huge presence, and the midway being so packed was a big draw for consumers.
June 4, 2022: CARS, Inc., – Rochester, MITim, Jason and Bob attended the CARS, Inc. Open House event, where over 300 vehicles showed up, leaving the large trailer steady all day. Customers had no concerns about rising gas prices or inflation. Many customers were involved in full rebuilds and were eager to get the parts they needed to finish the job. C-10 was by far the most popular vehicle present. We were able to send many customers inside with part numbers to place an order with CARS.
June 16-17, 2022: Meyer Customer Appreciation Event – Jasper, INRon and Tom attended the Meyer Customer Appreciation Event, which was primarily for truck and Jeep accessory customers. The show was well attended and as usual, Meyer put on a great event for its customers. They make the event so that it is not only a selling show, but also time spent with the customer to build the relationships. Meyer felt the show was very successful, and it gave us the opportunity to get to talk with the jobbers in attendance.
June 17-19, 2022: Back to the 50’s – St. Paul, MNAs usual, the Back to the 50’s event was largely attended! From what we saw Friday and Saturday, it was likely the largest event we have ever worked from an attendance standpoint. Sunday was lighter and there were near-record temperatures that likely kept people closer to an air conditioner.
About 50% of the conversations we had were Mustang II ,which is expected at this event, followed by Chevelle, then C-10 and F-100. Dealers like Danny’s Rod Shop, Yogi’s, Speedway and Summit were doing great with customers!
June 18, 2022: Car Parts Parts Machine Father’s Day Cruise-In – El Paso, TXCar Parts Machine & Engine was started in 1920 and has been El Paso’s go-to machine shop for nitty-gritty engine rebuilds. Now with a modern emphasis on performance and speed parts (and a bar behind the counter!) they’re striving to keep the El Paso community engaged with the latest in tech for today’s enthusiasts!
As we transition from spring new product introductions to summer events, we will be highlighting events attended by MKA staff throughout the country. Enjoy and as always, let us know if you need anything! – The MKA Crew
May 4, 2022: DAS Show – Lancaster, PAThis is the first year for this “combined” show, with DAS bringing together their Travel Center and Mobile Electronics shows into one. Turnout seemed solid, particularly on the travel center side. It was interesting to see the level of interest from those customers as many of them inquired about 12v/automotive products that might sell well in their stores. On the regular mobile electronics side of things, there were lots of great questions from DAS customers, many of whom sent their installers to the show. Comments we caught included on how accent/underglow lighting is “coming back” strong. Customers from both sides of the DAS business are looking for ways to branch out from their core offerings given today’s market.
May 12 & 14, 2022: F100 Nationals – Pigeon Forge, TNA fan favorite, the Grand National F-100 Show is the largest Classic Ford Truck Show open to ’96 and older Ford Trucks. Overflowing with trucks each year – if you’re a Ford enthusiast you must be here! John already has this young fan sporting our decals.
May 13-14, 2022: C10 Nationals – Fort Worth, TXThought the C10 craze had passed? Wrong! Texas Motor Speedway was packed with not just C10 Square Body trucks, but also ¾ ton and 1-tons. This event has evolved into one of the biggest truck specific events in the Midwest. Being as it’s the C-10 Nationals this was mostly all ‘67-‘87 Chevy trucks with more and more OBS trucks coming every year. Matt did see had a good mix of Chevy body styles that were lowered. He also noticed more ¾ and 1 Ton trucks (and duallys) than he’d seen in one place – many of which were dropped. While the car or spectator count isn’t typically given, Matt said the infield was packed on Saturday and the vendor midway stayed very busy.
“We fielded more questions about square body specific year ranges than anything else. Friday was slower and even though it was 100 degrees all weekend this was an enthusiast crowd. Great show for us!”, said Matt.
What do you see at a Carlisle Show? The weekend had Honda’s, Subaru’s, Volvo’s, SAAB’s and Mitsubishi’s all over the fairgrounds. And yes, there were your typical showing of domestic vehicles too. The A&A sales crew commented on experiencing strong sales in the tent. All the Carlisle shows cater to a variety of customers throughout the year. If you haven’t been to the August truck event, it’s another one not to miss!
May 16-17, 2022: Leonard’s Open House – Greensboro, NCEver-expanding with retail stores in the Piedmont area, John was on hand at the local Embassy Suites for Leonard’s vendor showcase.
May 21, 2022: Clemson 4×4 – Clemson, SCTurned into a Fun Run for 2022, there were over 400 Jeeps participating at the Clemson 4×4 event! This marked the event’s 11th year, and also happened to be John’s 68th birthday!
May 25, 2022: National Performance Warehouse – Miami, FLWith the Dawg Days of Summer rolling in South Florida, John was catering (literally!) to just about 100 of NPW’s hard-working staff. NPW has recently opened its new 200,000 square-foot Hialeah warehouse. The future is strong with the Pacey’s leading NPW across the country. Thanks to John for providing lunch to all the employees and various local dignitaries on hand.
The Keystone Big Show 2022 brings the top suppliers and manufacturers in the specialty automotive parts and accessories industry together in one place for the best trade show, outside of SEMA.
For both customer and exhibitor alike, The Keystone Automotive Big Show, held at the Gaylord Texan Resort and Convention Center in Grapevine, Texas, March 25-26, 2022, offers a relaxed, interactive environment with exciting opportunities to connect, share and discover.
The Keystone BIG Show is a wholesale-only annual event exclusively for existing and prospective customers. Attendees will have opportunities for one-on-one access with suppliers, premier educational and product training sessions, and the seasons best deals.
It’s that time a year again, the biggest car show in the Midwest is back! With over 800 custom hot rods, trucks and motorcycles on display the 2022 Detroit Autorama has something for everyone. Kunzman & Associates will be on display along with our manufacturers. Be sure to stop by for literature, to ask questions and to see what’s new with Kunzman and our clients! The Kunzman team will be attending Detroit Autorama from Friday, March 4th through Sunday, March 6th, at Huntington Place (formerly Cobo), in Detroit, Michigan.
Huntington Place is located at:
1 Washington Boulevard
Detroit, MI 48226
More information on Autorama can be found at the car show’s official site.
Stop by and see the Kunzman & Associates team this weekend at the Frankenmuth Car Show!
We will be there with 50 feet of product display and literature; we’d be happy to answer all of your technical questions and address any automotive needs. Plus, there are tons of activities and hundreds of cars on display at this annual event.
Come by the Frankenmuth Car Show to see us September 10th, 11th or 12th from 8 am to 8 pm each day.