Hennessy Industries, manufacturer of Coats tire service equipment, announced Schlenker Automotive of Rockledge, Fla., as the winner of the "Lights, Camera, Coats" video contest at the SEMA Show/Global Tire Expo.
As the grand prize winner, Schlenker Automotive will receive an Extreme Shop Makeover valued at more than $30,000, as well as a trip to this year’s SEMA Show.
“We’ve used Coats equipment for more than 10 years, so when we heard about the contest we started brainstorming ideas for a video that would go above and beyond a typical testimonial,” said Lou Schlenker, owner of Schlenker Automotive. “We hoped that the judges would appreciate our attempt at humor, while also providing a sincere testimonial about the superior quality and durability that Coats provides.”
The contest, which ran from Sept. 3 to Oct. 23, urged customers to submit video testimonials about why they use and trust Coats for their tire service needs. The grand-prize package includes a new Coats tire changer and wheel balancer, an Ammco brake lathe, and a BaseLine by Coats auto lift, as well as a fully-stocked floor rack of Bada wheel weights. Shops from more than 20 states entered the contest.
“This may be the best customer outreach program we’ve conducted in my time at Hennessy because we were able to actually see and hear from our customers from all corners of the U.S.,” said Kevin Keefe, Hennessy Industries’ vice president of marketing. “The entries we received were really impressive, in terms of both storytelling and production, and there were several entries that were worthy of consideration for the grand prize.”
Every shop that entered the contest was entered into a random drawing for a chance to win the runner-up prize, a new Coats 1250 3-DV wheel balancer. Midas franchisee Joe Townshend of East Longmeadow, Mass., was selected as the winner of the runner-up prize
Schlenker Automotive’s video is being featured on Ammcoats’ YouTube channel, along with a collection of the best videos entered into the contest.
