Ivy Hartman: Okay! It’s all about the car here at Sema, it’s all about and then for a lot of us is about racing. Now, with me is some of you might know him as Bob. Bob Smith, the president and owner or RKSport. Well, you might know him as RK because you’ve been a racer and now you’re and in segue into being a business person with RKSport. Talk about how you got into the business.
Bob Smith: Okay. We started the business in 1993. We had a very good relationship with general motors and I drove cars for them particularly the Corvette’s and the world challenge series for 24 hours at Daytona, Sebring, those kinds of just as races as well. And that lead to my relationship with the GM designers, Randy Retin particular. And when the new came out in ’93, I was back at the studios and they showed me the prototype car and I go, “Wow, that’s really nice.” You know and he said, “Yeah, you know it’s really nice but there is things that we’re not going to do and maybe you want to think about doing them.”
So, we look at that. He did me a rendering of a ground effects package and wing and hood and that type of thing. And that’s really where it all started.
Ivy Hartman: Wow! Very seldom do you hear about a major manufacturer say, “Well, you know, we’re not going to do this but here’s some idea for some after market stuff if you want to do it but you must have really allow them and a great reputation with them.
Bob Smith: Yes, you have and you have to be very careful obviously, they’re not going to divulge anything that they’re going to be doing maybe in the future. But it was to feel also with GM by the name of John Moss who actually was really extremely helpful when I first started and John helped me promote the vehicle. We brought the vehicle back to Detroit, showed it to a Camaro enthusiast group out of Florida that he had set up a little show for them. And with that actually that connection later on they sent a complimentary copy of that magazine to all of the Camaro owners and so it’s just a great opportunity for us to launch that business.
Ivy Hartman: You talk about starting with just a certain product. How has that grown since then and how wide and deep does this go?
Bob Smith: Well, when we started, my only real desire was to do the Camaro and really do to accessorize that Camaro so that it could be a one stop shop for a Camaro enthusiast. But as we all know the Camaro went by the race side and also GM came out with some other cars that were very interesting like the Camaro when they had the little race rocket deal and it was extremely good force. And so, we still had that connection at GM, still have it. But along with that, we’re building our products which are primarily the composites and the Urethanes which our ground effects packages, foods, spoilers and that kind of thing. We felt that we needed to expand our market and we have to be very selective in the vehicles that we choose because a lot of people don’t accessorize certain cars.
Ivy Hartman: Oh! Well, you started late in life as a racer as you said. You won numerous awards out some of which are four national championships with road racing. You’ve got experience with the NASCAR racing. You know, are you still racing?
Bob Smith: No, I’m not. My phone quit ringing. So no actually, I probably haven’t raised and I don’t really remember the last time but probably four or five years ago now.
Ivy Hartman: Now, there really is that? Now, your—is a business where it doesn’t just for the racing enthusiast as the Camaro enthusiast and it can be anyone, right? Or it is just for race cars?
Bob Smith: No, this is not for racing.
Ivy Hartman: Not at all.
Bob Smith: No, we don’t do anything. Certainly, the racing heritage that I have that helped me I think develop the products and—but they are primarily cosmetic certainly some functional products such as our ram air functional hoods that actually do develop the air cold airflow for the engine than the intake. So, we make those up to and work with people like K&N and some of the intake manufacturers.
We also worked with people who do supercharges like magnism and we build the hoods so that it’ll accommodate that build up on the engines. So, we do a lot of that and that’s also performance related but our primary goal is sort of that people can personalize their vehicle and make it unique for them.
Ivy Hartman: Okay! Well, from the racing perspective, explain to me racing is a business. You know, you’re not just that a direct catalog of business of racing itself.
Bob Smith: And when I started racing, I first was car owner before I ever race and someone finally came to me and said, “Why are a car owner? Why don’t you race?” And I had lots of reasons not to but I finally went to a driver school and I got hooked.
Ivy Hartman: Yeah.
Bob Smith: One, two or three days school and I thought that this is pretty neat. And maybe I’m not so bad at it you know so I bought a little formula ford and have a mentor help me. It was great help—and he helped me hone my abilities and along with that came the opportunity—there were four of us that’s started out a new company called Swift and we developed our first Formula Ford in 1983. And I top that particular prototype car circuit for the national runoffs in Atlanta in ’83 and actually went in the national championship. So, that was my first go at the national championship.
Ivy Hartman: And then starting business.
Bob Smith: And starting a business. And we came away from that was really interesting we came away from that. I think it’s about 35 orders for the car. So again, it was a successful launch through a business.
Ivy Hartman: And it seems like it’s been just smooth for you but I mean, given in the reality give us some tips about, you know, how as a entrepreneur can really get, you know network well. That seems to work out well for you or what the secret is to make it seem like it’s going to be a success?
Bob Smith: Sure. Well, I think that a lot of it is obviously hard work. And hard work and dedication I like the challenge quite frankly, that’s my—I think that’s what caught me up in raising, it was the challenge. But the business I would say if I were to put a name under—what I really is being an entrepreneur. Finding something that I find interesting, getting it started or maybe finding a business that’s in trouble and turning it around.
I’m not really very good of what you call me next person to keep a business going. This is probably and I know it’s the longest that I’ve ever been in a business and probably one of the biggest reason is I had my daughter involved with me. That kind of makes me choke up a little but that made me, made it all work well. Yeah, that’s really to kind of see the growth in her and now that she has a grandchild—and now our first step away from the business and spend more time, yeah.
Ivy Hartman: It’s interesting because I was going to ask you what the future of RKs 4th is, you know, if it’s going to be—if there’s going to be some succession there with your family or if you?
Bob Smith: Well, her husband now is really in charge, Mike Lozano. He does most of the day to day business but we’re doing a lot of private label for other companies. And so the business is changing, we still obviously market our own product but we’re extremely heavy into and through and looking at more opportunities to private label products for other people.
Ivy Hartman: This has been really great. Thanks for being RK.
Bob Smith: Okay! Yeah, well I really appreciate the opportunity to talk to you.
Ivy Hartman: Absolutely! So, I guess you know why somebody knows you probably they come and say RK or they come up or they call in the office and—doctor bob and you know that they—
Bob Smith: Yeah, and no ones comes from.
Ivy Hartman: Yeah, exactly. Have a great time here at Semas.
Bob Smith: Okay, yeah!
Ivy Hartman: It’s been really fun talking to you.
Bob Smith: I really appreciate the opportunity.
Ivy Hartman: Absolutely. Keep it right here as we continue our coverage of the 2007 Sema Show.
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