Small Business Stories - Will Baty

Ivy Hartman: welcome to SBTV.com, this is the TV coverage of the (--) show in 2007 in Las Vegas, with me is Will Baty of Centerforce Clutches and Ply Wheels, which is a manufacturer for Will Baty: Automotive clutches, all your automotive clutches on to Ivy Hartman: Every, any car that you want to make Will Baty: Pretty much, any car, we have over 1500 applications that we offer for the (--) Ivy Hartman: Okay, what’s the benefit of buying at Centerforce clutch or ply wheel for your car? Will Baty: Well, it’s obviously an upgrade over the stock, clutch components; we typically get more longer life, softer pedal, easier driving ability and where you can have all the power Ivy Hartman: Are you seeing any trends, like a trend in picking up and five, you know, fix sheds or kind of define or does it Will Baty: Pretty like it’s a little bit of decline in some areas, but an increase in others, but these are market that gone through the rough with lot of manual transmissions, that’s been a big push for us and a big demand on the diesel market cause those guys are pumping our, things like, you know, it’s an overnight kind of put on the torques so, it’s not a question of old pal Ivy Hartman: Why do you think that the diesel market, there’s business in clutch? Will Baty: The truck does everything, it pulls your car, it pulls the toys, it’s the new sport compact, it’ the toy everybody picks if you see a truck now, its selected wheels, tires, that’s the new choke on Ivy Hartman: What about race thing, like then street race thing or something like that Will Baty: We did get into that, yeah we’re a little bit answering the mastering of world, in MRA, we’re all over that, even in the Chevy (--), some of those sport compact, we’re in the back with our DFX, and it’s worth very well for us, and for the guys in general, that it just, it does everything that we wanted to do and everything that they wanted to do Ivy Hartman: We’ve got a product in a special team market, do you feel like you worked hard to create a name in that market, do you got customers coming to you or Will Baty: We do Ivy Hartman: How did you create that brand overnight? Will Baty: We’re known for having a nice, soft pedal and drive ability, so that that’s where we’ve always focused, making sure that the customer has the best of both worlds, have your cake and eat it too, we can hold the power and still get our car enjoy this car, that’s what they wanted Ivy Hartman: Have this been around for a long time, too? Will Baty: We’ve been, the company, Centerforce has been around since 1982, but initially, it was age-conscious. So the name to Ms. And Mr. Gasket, Bill Hayes founded Hayes Clutches, he’s also founder and then at Centerforce, started Centerforce in 1982, and it’s been going strong ever since. Ivy Hartman: How is the SEMA show done for you guys? Will Baty: SEMA show has been crazy, a lot of people this year, unbelievable for traffic, so you just go back and forth over here and over there, over there, over there, just trying to talk to every person that comes to a mood, but it’s really hard there Ivy Hartman: So what have you got some 4 or 5 leaves for buyers, talk about that Will Baty: Oh yeah, we pride on my personal, I don’t get into the buying aspect of that foot, yeah, there’s been a lot of people coming in and walk-in to but the product and that actually goes to our show’s manager Ivy Hartman: Who do you sell to then? Will Baty: Good question; a lot of people, the all your major keystones, arrows, all the major manufacturers, we do not sell direct, you can find all that information on our website, which is www.centerforce.com, and you can find all the DR’s in your area Ivy Hartman: That’s a good way of putting that and that’s in, a lot of people I hear talking in the SEMA show they say, it’s great, SEMA show’s been wonderful because they’ve made contacts with people that they wouldn’t know to bill the (--) of the phone, you know, with somebody’s company Will Baty: Yes, they like coming in and actually talking to the guy that makes the product, who knows this product; and so we can refer to this guy over here, what you really need in your car, we want to know the intended use to the vehicle, not just can we hold the power; so a lot of times, guys will over-clutch for what they’re doing Ivy Hartman: As you’re just saying, because I see at my lifestyle, change have gone from, you know, using a car with the chip or a clutch, and now not so much, so you see, it’s kind of fix the ball, I guess Will Baty: You know, it’s no fun to have in a car that, you have a nice car and you can’t drive it; when it’s hard to drive, you chew the guy on her chin, kind of a stop light that, you know, kind of takes the fun out of the car, you guys are embarrassed when you’re driving that way, but, you know, we like to give that joy of driving the car back to them, that’s right Ivy Hartman: You guys don’t like you really know what you’re doing well, thanks for joining us here Will Baty: Thanks for having me here Ivy Hartman: Absolutely, and we’ll continue our coverage of the SEMA shows down here in Las Vegas, right there.