Small Business Stories -B&M Automotive Group

[Music Playing] Ivy Hartman: Welcome to sbtv.com's coverage of the 2008 SEMA Show here in Las Vegas, and SEMA is the Specialty Equipment Market Association, so that's all things automotive in the aftermarket. We are covering it here on the Small Business Television and I'm bringing you a many of many words and many hats so to sweep, Nate Shelton, Chairman of B&M Automotive Group, let's just start with bad hat, okay, talk about B&M Automotive Group, what it is, you guys do and everything else? Nate Shelton: Well the B&M Automotive Group consists of B&M racing in performance products, which is an automatic transmission rebuilder for racing opportunities, we also do torque converters and we do shift it, and we also have Hurst shifters, which is very well-known, another shifter company. Hurst is kind of the manual shift guys while B&M has always been kind of the automatic shift guys. Ivy Hartman: You've got the market covered. Nate Shelton: Yeah, that's right, that's right and then we also have a company called McLeod Clutches so we built clutches for all those neat shifters and transmissions ever done and then we also have a company called Classic Chevy Motor, I'm sorry it's Classic Motorsports Group. Ivy Hartman: Okay. Nate Shelton: And what they are? They are a converter, they put late model trimix into early 66, 67, Novus in 67, 68, 69 Camaro they do everything from the crank to the differential to put those transmissions in those cars, give you a later drive-trainer in another car. Ivy Hartman: Wow! It seems like there is a lot of irons in the fire, but still you guys maintain to be even though you are a multi, multi-million dollar company maintain to be a small company even with all those facets, talk about that? Nate Shelton: Yes, we've employed about 65 different people, we are actually in 3 locations, one of the locations or one of our businesses is as small as 4-5 people. So we're operate for a little lean and you're right, we do a lot of things but I think it's a great opportunity to be involved in small business, it allows you to do all those things and do them in a different manner than you would if you are in big business, we enjoyed a lot. Ivy Hartman: I was switching gears pun-intended here, you're past Chairman of SEMA. Nate Shelton: I am. Ivy Hartman: But this year your role is of many other things, you are a speaker and now, you are also an exhibitor this year which isn't new to you, but talk about being exhibitor this year verses other years, how it's been for the B&M Automotive Group? Nate Shelton: Well, I'd say, I think this year has been our best year in some time. Despite all the doom and gloom that we are hearing out there, I think this show is well-attended, and I think we did some things differently, we brought a bunch of new products, we've reintroduced the Hurst Performance Vehicle Division, we have a brand new car here that we hope to build 500 to 800 cars of next year. So we've really taken on some new challenges and some new opportunities looked at other opportunities for somebody who tried to stretch a little bit and come up with some new things. Ivy Hartman: Okay, you've mentioned a new car, is that the new product that you launched this year or what is the new product? Nate Shelton: Well, that is one of the new products. We've also just introduced the new 6 feet shifter for the new Challenger, we've also just done the new 6 feet shifter for the new Camaro. Every launcher, believe it or not next year, that's a manual shift car, we'll have a B&M shifter in it. And we've got the Ford, late model Ford automatic shifter just completed and we just won Best New Interior Accessory with our new Supercomp stick, which is a replacement to the consol with a Hurst shifter device, it's really a neat piece. Ivy Hartman: Oh, it sounds beautiful! Nate Shelton: Yeah, oh it's gorgeous, you have to see it. Ivy Hartman: But you've mentioned that new Camaro and those Challengers are -- my favorite thing about those is that they look - they are brand new, they look old school and I love that. Nate Shelton: You've got to come over and see the new Hurst is going to be Challenger, I don't know if you're familiar with it or not but Hurst was a huge name in the 60's, and so we've kind of resurrected that whole iconic brand, we're doing them in the tradition of George Hurst, they are white with gold stripes, they've got a kind of a new version of the original Hurst wheels, George Hurst was one of the first modular wheel manufactures and so we've recreated that old Hurst wheel, it's got the Hurst shifter in, the old pistol grip shifter like these to come in the cars, we're going to make that car available in four versions, all the way upto 560 plus horsepower killer cars. Ivy Hartman: So I think you are getting a lot of feedback from people who are seeing the Hurst name on the motorsport industry again in the end, I mean what are people saying? Nate Shelton: Oh people are just in love with the car. I had more people come over and say, you know, this is something that had to happen. Hurst was always known for what they do and this is the most beautiful car in the show, it's something we've been looking forward for three years. Ivy Hartman: Oh gosh, awesome! We mentioned earlier, you are the former Chairman for SEMA but you also are dawning a new hat with the organization and you are on the memorial scholarship community, let's delve into what the memorial scholarship is, I don't think a lot of people know that SEMA offers that. Nate Shelton: Oh, we have a great scholarship committee, and it's not a new hat, I've actually sat on that committee for about ten years, but we actually have a memorial fund where people make donations to the memorial fund, we keep those in banks and from the interests and stuff that we are one of those, we give them to students in a line of study that would bring them back to the automotive industry. This year I'm not sure of the exact number but I think it was some place around 170 scholarships that we're able to offer, all the way, and we do it all the way from vocational schools, all the way up to graduate study, master's degrees and doctorates and that type of thing. Ivy Hartman: If we are able to get over the booth and see this pretty car, is it on the website by any chance? Nate Shelton: It is on the website. Ivy Hartman: Alright, what's the website? Nate Shelton: It's at www.hurstperformancevehicles.com. Ivy Hartman: Alright, Nate thanks for joining us here on Small Business. Nate Shelton: Thank you, it's fun. Ivy Hartman: Oh, yeah! Oh my gosh! We're going to continue to bring you all the hottest new things here at the SEMA Show 2008, so keep logged in sbtv.com where Small Business is our only business. [Music Playing]