Looking back … and forward

“Amazing” is the only way to describe 2005, as it was a year of growth for the Rustbeeter Family. We launched this website in February, started accepting credit card orders in June and worked a show season in which we logged more than 20,000 miles.

Many of you car buffs undoubtedly saw us at Jefferson and Iola, Wis., or Carlisle and Hershey, Penn., while members of the Vintage Motorcycle Club of America visited our booth at Farmington, Minn., and Davenport, Iowa. There were a lot of tractor shows, too, from Portland, Ind., and Edgerton, Wis., to colorful national meets such as Red Power and the Gathering of the Orange. Midwest Tool Collectors Association members became better acquainted with how Rustbeeter™ helps restore their vintage wrenches at St. Francis, Wis., and St. Charles, Ill., and we even attended the Speed Equipment Manufacturers Association (SEMA) show in Las Vegas to rub elbows with others in the industry.

There and everywhere else we went, Rustbeeter™ garnered lots of interest, but the word about Rustbeeter™ spread in other ways, as well. We were featured in several publications, including the January/February issue of “Belt Pulley” and June 9, 2005, edition of “Old Cars Weekly.” We started out 2005 with more P.R., this time with an article in the February 2006 issue of “Hemmings’ Classic Car.” You also might have seen our advertisements in those periodicals, as well as “Hemming’s Motor News,” “Farm Collector,” “Old Car Trader,” “Antique Automobile,” “Oliver Heritage” and “Gas Engine” magazines.
Last but certainly not least, the Rustbeeter Family took a giant leap forward when we hired our first full-time employee. Tim Dougherty, former owner of Vintage Metals, had been our top Rustbeeter™ dealer, so in September, we hired him full time to serve as operations manager. Tim is running the company on daily basis, with one of his main jobs being working with dealers and custom dippers.

And speaking of that, we’d like to thank all the members of the Rustbeeter™ Family. Among them is Fred Schnell of Body by Schnell, who became our first custom dipper last winter. Ron Paetz of Lone Pine Enterprises has been selling Rustbeeter™ at car shows, while the guys at This Old Bike have taken Rustbeeter to eBay! Thanks, everyone!

With such a great year behind us, it is difficult to believe that 2006 could be even better, but we know it will. We are lining up our show schedule and working diligently to add dealers and dippers. If you or someone you know is interested, just call Tim at (920) 563-4048 or (920) 650-1818.

We’ll certainly be back at Portland, Ind.; Edgerton, Wis.; Iola, Wis.; Hershey, Penn.; Carlisle, Penn.; Davenport, Iowa; Denton, N.C., and many of the other shows we attended in 2005. However, we’ve also added new venues for 2006, including the Pre-War Swap Meet at Chickasha, Okla., and the Pate Swap Meet in Fort Worth, Texas.

Check out this season’s schedule and, if we’re in your neighborhood, stop by to see us. If we can’t hook up, simply give us a call and we’ll make sure a pail of Rustbeeter™ is on its way to you the next day.

In the meantime, we hope your restoration projects are going well, and we look forward to talking with you in the future.

Sincerely,
Peter and Chris Spangler
The Rustbeeter Family