Small Business Stories - Bob Abdellah Video

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Small Business Stories - Bob Abdellah

I’m Alex Fees with SBTV.com, coming to you from the floor of the Las Vegas Convention Center at SEMA 2007, that’s Specialty Equipment Market Association, and joining me here now is Bob Abdellah, Bob, I appreciate you being here. Thank you Alex. Bob is vice president of marketing for a company known as Executive Drive. And Bob, Executive Drive is all about the high performance auto racing experience, is that fair? It’s fair, we’re driving events company, and we’ve been given a great opportunity to enter into a license relationship with two of the great brands in automotive journalism, Current Driver and Road and Track. And what we’re able to do for all of those loyal readers of those publications is to bring those great cars to life to a series of driving events that are taking place in 2008, in 15 markets across the US. Oh, really. Now you’re really, you guys are located in Indianapolis, Indiana, but this is not only happening there? Oh no, no, it will be a road show that will hit all four corners of the US, many of the major markets. And in those markets, readers will have the opportunity to experience a fleet of 8 high performance sports cars. Everything from Lamborghini, Gaiardo’s, Ferrari F430, Porsche 997, and others, they can choose between driving events will take place on open roads, which will drive these cars on the highway consecutively, drive one, drive the next, then the next. Or they can go to a racetrack and drive those same cars and receive professional instruction from many of our instructors of professional drivers and champions in their own right. They got to drive all the cars on the race track which is the great way to truly experienced the capabilities of these great sport cars. And then at the end they’ll get a hot lap in a purpose build race car which is kinda caps the experience for them. Well Bob, who is your clientele in a case like this? I mean, are these would be auto racers? Weekend auto racers if you will? Car lovers. Car lovers found in all different shape, sizes, genders, and just about any description under the sun. We have folks that have, are potential buyers for a particular car, it’s the ultimate form of comparative shopping, you cant easily get into a fleet of exotic cars and car hop in that matter. A lot of these folks do race on the weekends, this are just folks that love cars. We also do corporate events, that’s a great experience to bring folks together in atypical not a golf course setting and allow them to go out and, you know, do some informal bonding in a way that is very memorable. I bet, with people they certainly hold things in common with. It’s quite the ice breaker after people have a chance to get into cars and they get out, fully pump up, it’s not about stature and title at that point, it’s just about having fun. What about this, how old is Executive Drive? How did this company come to be, Bob? The company was originally created by a gentleman by the name of Zach Brown, he presides over a company called Just Marketing International in Indianapolis, who is a retired racecar driver in his own right. He saw a market opportunity to do corporate driving events and that’s really where this all began. And at one point, Current Driver is actually a client we did a driving events for them, and this venture is a, developed from that. Okay Bob, tell me about Executive Drive’s relationship with SEMA, do you guys been here in years past? This is our first opportunity to be in the show, in this particular configuration, but certainly a number of the folks in our staff, myself included have been part of the companies that have been involved with the automotives aftermarket, so, kinda of a homecoming if you come to the show. It’s gotten bigger every year, but you see so many familiar companies and faces that are carried through the year. So Bob, as you can hear, we are on the floor here at the Las Vegas Convention Center at the conference. Well what about this, I mean, where do you see the future going for Executive Drive, this is kind of high end, is it not, I mean this is not something that somebody who is a casual race fan is gonna take part in. Well there’s a particular market in mind for this, we find that it makes a great gift. I bet. You know, significant anniversary or a special occasion, find, and it’s not necessarily just a male dominated audience, so, yeah, there is, it is somewhat of a nitch market but one that is achievable. The pricing for the program right now, we have special going on, the normal price for the road driving events is 1,750, right now you can do it for 1,350, the race track event, normally 3,500, you can do it now for 2,995, not necessarily cheap ticket, but this is an unusual event and one that is certainly will be memorable. Well Bob, in light to that, where can somebody go to get more information about ExecutiveDrive.com. Best place to get information about the car and driver and road track driving events is caranddriverlive.com, and roadandtracklive.com. Okay, so those are the two websites for those mags. That will take you where you need to go. Alright, Bob, again, thank you very much. Thank you Alex. Bob Abedellah with Executive Drive, I’m Alex Fees, you’re watching SBTV.com.

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I’m Alex Fees with SBTV.com, coming to you from the floor of the Las Vegas Convention Center at SEMA 2007, that’s Specialty Equipment Market Association, and joining me here now is Bob Abdellah, Bob, I appreciate you being here.

Thank you Alex.

Bob is vice president of marketing for a company known as Executive Drive. And Bob, Executive Drive is all about the high performance auto racing experience, is that fair?

It’s fair, we’re driving events company, and we’ve been given a great opportunity to enter into a license relationship with two of the great brands in automotive journalism, Current Driver and Road and Track. And what we’re able to do for all of those loyal readers of those publications is to bring those great cars to life to a series of driving events that are taking place in 2008, in 15 markets across the US.

Oh, really. Now you’re really, you guys are located in Indianapolis, Indiana, but this is not only happening there?

Oh no, no, it will be a road show that will hit all four corners of the US, many of the major markets. And in those markets, readers will have the opportunity to experience a fleet of 8 high performance sports cars. Everything from Lamborghini, Gaiardo’s, Ferrari F430, Porsche 997, and others, they can choose between driving events will take place on open roads, which will drive these cars on the highway consecutively, drive one, drive the next, then the next. Or they can go to a racetrack and drive those same cars and receive professional instruction from many of our instructors of professional drivers and champions in their own right. They got to drive all the cars on the race track which is the great way to truly experienced the capabilities of these great sport cars. And then at the end they’ll get a hot lap in a purpose build race car which is kinda caps the experience for them.

Well Bob, who is your clientele in a case like this? I mean, are these would be auto racers? Weekend auto racers if you will?

Car lovers. Car lovers found in all different shape, sizes, genders, and just about any description under the sun. We have folks that have, are potential buyers for a particular car, it’s the ultimate form of comparative shopping, you cant easily get into a fleet of exotic cars and car hop in that matter. A lot of these folks do race on the weekends, this are just folks that love cars. We also do corporate events, that’s a great experience to bring folks together in atypical not a golf course setting and allow them to go out and, you know, do some informal bonding in a way that is very memorable.

I bet, with people they certainly hold things in common with.

It’s quite the ice breaker after people have a chance to get into cars and they get out, fully pump up, it’s not about stature and title at that point, it’s just about having fun.

What about this, how old is Executive Drive? How did this company come to be, Bob?

The company was originally created by a gentleman by the name of Zach Brown, he presides over a company called Just Marketing International in Indianapolis, who is a retired racecar driver in his own right. He saw a market opportunity to do corporate driving events and that’s really where this all began. And at one point, Current Driver is actually a client we did a driving events for them, and this venture is a, developed from that.

Okay Bob, tell me about Executive Drive’s relationship with SEMA, do you guys been here in years past?

This is our first opportunity to be in the show, in this particular configuration, but certainly a number of the folks in our staff, myself included have been part of the companies that have been involved with the automotives aftermarket, so, kinda of a homecoming if you come to the show. It’s gotten bigger every year, but you see so many familiar companies and faces that are carried through the year.

So Bob, as you can hear, we are on the floor here at the Las Vegas Convention Center at the conference. Well what about this, I mean, where do you see the future going for Executive Drive, this is kind of high end, is it not, I mean this is not something that somebody who is a casual race fan is gonna take part in.

Well there’s a particular market in mind for this, we find that it makes a great gift.

I bet.

You know, significant anniversary or a special occasion, find, and it’s not necessarily just a male dominated audience, so, yeah, there is, it is somewhat of a nitch market but one that is achievable. The pricing for the program right now, we have special going on, the normal price for the road driving events is 1,750, right now you can do it for 1,350, the race track event, normally 3,500, you can do it now for 2,995, not necessarily cheap ticket, but this is an unusual event and one that is certainly will be memorable.

Well Bob, in light to that, where can somebody go to get more information about ExecutiveDrive.com.

Best place to get information about the car and driver and road track driving events is caranddriverlive.com, and roadandtracklive.com.

Okay, so those are the two websites for those mags.

That will take you where you need to go.

Alright, Bob, again, thank you very much.

Thank you Alex.

Bob Abedellah with Executive Drive, I’m Alex Fees, you’re watching SBTV.com.

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