MIAMI — Santa Clara Convention Center in Santa Clara, Calif., was the setting for the 6th CARS Expo appreciation and recognition evening. More than 150 suppliers and invited guests attended the event this year, which was held in the Mission City Ballroom of the facility.
The event opened with a cocktail reception followed by a buffet dinner.
Following dinner, awards were presented in six categories: Reps of the Year, Suppliers of the Year, Performance and Traditional Retailers of the Year, Machine Shop of the Year and Hall of Fame.
The recipients were: Performance Rep went to Pat Chaves of Ballard & Allan; Traditional Rep went to a trio of Gates reps consisting of Colby Floria, Alan Loder and Jonah Gonzales; Supplier of the Year for Performance was awarded to Pertronix and theSupplier of the Year in Traditional Parts was Gates: Performance Retailers were Smother’sAuto Parts, Morgan’s Speed & Machine and Oldie’s Speed Shop, while Traditional Retailers were C&H Auto, B&G Auto and Weaver’s Auto Parts. Top spot for Machine Shop of the Year went to Hughes Automotive & Machine.
Finally,the Hall of Fame awards for 2016 went to Don Smithand Mike Parrish. Smith of High Performance Distributors and PWA fame also has garnered many SEMA accolades in his 40-plus years as an industry leader. Mike Parrish of Parrish Auto and Machine in Sacramento is a pioneering engine builder with more than 40 years of accomplishments in business and the engine market.
The affair ended with NPW CEO Larry Pacey expressing thanks for the suppliers support, recognizing the award winners and expressing his thoughts on the show and announcing that the 2017 CARS Expo would be April 8-9 at the Santa Clara Convention Center.
