People never know who they might encounter at the Alliance of Automotive Service Providers of New Jersey’s (AASP/NJ) NORTHEAST Automotive Services Show — and the 2022 iteration of the association’s flagship event offered an opportunity to greet some of the automotive industry’s biggest celebrities, all under one roof.
Ryan Evans (Count’s Kustoms/History Channel’s Counting Cars), Jonathan Goolsby (Goolsby Customs) and Mike Ring (Ringbrothers) spent the weekend talking to industry professionals and fans, while enjoying the chance to peruse the offerings on the trade show floor for their own purposes.
NORTHEAST Platinum Sponsor BASF’s booth featured Ring and Goolsby.
“I came to NORTHEAST 2022 to represent BASF, but I’m taking a lot away,” said Ring, a first-time NORTHEAST attendee. “Ringbrothers isn’t just a hot rod shop; we also offer collision repairs, but we don’t get as much exposure to new technology as was available at the show, so it was fun finding out about some of the new tools and equipment that could benefit us. I was pleasantly surprised by how much I learned during the event. Some of the conversations I had with attending collision professionals helped me realize that I’m missing money in my own shop. I came out to New Jersey expecting to do a simple meet-and-greet, but my expectations were exceeded — I feel like I should have paid BASF to let me represent them!”
Goolsby agreed. “The biggest thing about coming to NORTHEAST for me is interacting with all the companies that are in the collision industry. Many tools and equipment bounce over into the hot rod world, so we can use a lot of those products on our end of the world too. Add in seeing the people and obtaining all the knowledge offered in the classes during the show, and it’s an all-around awesome show to attend.”
Added Ryan Evans, “I know Lift King did really well and heard other vendors saying the same. More industry professionals were walking the floor, and they were all happy to be there. Upbeat attitudes from attendees indicated that they were all really enjoying themselves … or they were just happy to not be in their office. It was a great event.”
Additionally, Javier Soto and Juan “Munch” Gonzalez demonstrated their skills at Javier Designs’ booth, and Indasa USA hosted several renowned artists over the course of the weekend: Adam Stone (Stone Cold Color), Cory Mroz (Mr Oz Designs), Kristian Baena (Fried Chicken Kustoms), Taylor Holmes (Trigger Happy Graphics) and TankBilt.
AASP/NJ is already making plans for NORTHEAST 2023, scheduled for March 17-19, 2023 at the Meadowlands Exposition Center in Secaucus, N.J. Visit aaspnjnortheast.com for updates on next year’s event as they become available.
For more information on AASP/NJ, visit aaspnj.org.
