Two Israeilis, two Palestinians and an Arab walk into a room . . . sounds like a very bad ethnic joke doesn’t it?   In fact, it is what my son Ryan and I experienced at the SEMA show in Las Vegas last week.  For those unfamiliar with the SEMA show, it is the premier trade show for the automotive after-market industry and is held in Las Vegas every year.   Manufacturers and distributors from all over the country present their new products and prototypes to the automotive aftermarket industry. Seeing three groups of people who can’t get along on the world stage but have a common interest in this wonderful machine we call the automobile had a great impact on me.  The desire to build and make available something different and extraordinary is a common bond shared by all those attending the SEMA event, and it is our goal at Hillco Fastener Warehouse as well.  

The SEMA show is the largest trade show in Las Vegas.  Attendance is in the hundreds of thousands every year.  Not only did we did we get to meet the folks mentioned above, we also had visitors to Hillco’s exhibit from Colombia, Mexico,  Panama, Qatar, Venezuela, Japan,  Australia, New Zealand, Germany, Sweden, and Denmark, just to name a few.  


You may be wondering why automotive enthusiasts from all over the world come to the States to attend SEMA.  I believe it is because of our wonderful, unique in the world, American culture.  The Germans, French and Italians, as well as the English, began building automobiles at about the same time or earlier than we were in the U.S.  What is it about the U.S. market that is so appealing?   I believe it is the unique laissez-faire (in French it means leave us alone) attitude of the American car culture. The American hot rod industry is the very essence of individual creativity and innovative engineering . . .  sometimes good, sometimes not so good, and much of the time extraordinary, and always interesting and exciting.  I believe that is the allure for automobile enthusiasts from all around the world.  When one buys a chopper with all its garish chrome and loud engine, they are buying American culture. The same is true with a low rider bouncing up and down or going low and slow with music blaring, or a Corvette going 220 mph at Le Mans. All these folks have a commonality of interest in creating something unique and wonderful and it is what ties all of us together.  That, my friends, is a very good thing. By the way, did I mention Lichtenstein?  See ya soon!   Maybe at the next SEMA show.