“National School Bus Maintenance Competition Comes to South Carolina - Biloxi Sun Herald” plus 4 more

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• National School Bus Maintenance Competition Comes to South Carolina - Biloxi Sun Herald
• Custom-made bikes turn heads - Reporter
• Italian auto show in Grapevine next Saturday - Dallas Morning News
• Concours d'Elegance event at Westport's Hunt Club - Stamford Advocate
• Universal Technical Institute to Present at the 2009 BMO Capital ... - MSN Money

National School Bus Maintenance Competition Comes to South Carolina - Biloxi Sun Herald Posted: 09 Sep 2009 06:46 AM PDT During the second portion of the competition, technicians must demonstrate the ability to diagnose, troubleshoot and repair various mechanical components found on school buses. Competitors will rotate through three diagnostic stations, which will involve an actual vehicle and a bench test situation. Inspectors will rotate through three stations requiring them to inspect all vehicle components and systems to identify defects. "Over the years, America's Best Tech has been successful in raising awareness for school bus maintenance and safety," said Bill Tousley, president of NAPT. "Not only does the competition help technicians share and learn best practices, but the information provided is valuable for continuous improvement and learning. We're delighted to be holding the 2009 competition in Greenville." "One of the most important - and easiest - maintenance checks on any heavy-duty vehicle, including school buses, is proper tire inflation, and this competition gives us a great opportunity to talk tires with these mechanics," said Roger Handren, director of government sales, Michelin North America. "Our goal for hosting the event is to bring more attention to school bus safety and maintenance, but we're also excited about showing off Greenville and the Upstate to the mechanics who may have never been here before." About NAPT NAPT's vision is to be first and foremost in leading, supporting and developing world-class professionals who provide safe and efficient pupil transportation for our children. Each year the America's Best competition moves to different venues as it is hosted by various companies involved in the school transportation industry. For specific information regarding the competition for this year or prior years, please check the America's Best website www.americasbesttech.org. About Michelin North America Dedicated to the improvement of sustainable mobility, Michelin designs, manufactures and sells tires for every type of vehicle, including airplanes, automobiles, bicycles, earthmovers, farm equipment, heavy-duty trucks, motorcycles and the space shuttle. The company also publishes travel guides, hotel and restaurant guides, maps and road atlases. Headquartered in Greenville, S.C., Michelin North America (www.michelintruck.com) employs more than 22,600 and operates 19 major manufacturing plants in 17 locations. For more information, visit www.michelinmedia.com SOURCE Michelin North America This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Custom-made bikes turn heads - Reporter Posted: 09 Sep 2009 05:35 AM PDT By SHELLEY WIDHALM, Reporter-Herald via AP LOVELAND, Colo. — On sunny days, the gold underneath the heavy metal flake green of Ryan Boyd's custom-made motorcycle grabs attention. But the focal point is the swooping curve of the frame of the Loveland resident's first solo custom project. "This is the first one I had all my influence in," Boyd said. "You'll never see anything like this." Boyd, 27, owner of RB Fabrications in Loveland, started with a Buell drive train. He made a custom gas tank, forward controls and frame, through which he ran oil rather than putting it in a separate tank. Boyd hand-fabricated several of the smaller parts, putting in a gold-colored chain and brass accents, such as grips, footpegs, clamps and exhaust tips. "I just call it my bike," Boyd said. Boyd finished the motorcycle in July 2008, two weeks before the annual rally in Sturgis, S.D. He was asked to participate in Michael Lichter's "Stay Gold" exhibit and received attention from a few motorcycle-enthusiast magazines. "I read a lot of magazines. I see what I like and don't like," Boyd said. Boyd was 14 when he started putting together mini-bikes and 18 when he bought a used Toyota pickup truck with the goal of lifting it for four-wheeling. Two years later, a friend taught Boyd some fabrication basics, but since he often was unavailable, Boyd taught himself welding, cutting, grinding and bending. Boyd, who also took vocational classes in high school, became an ASE (Automotive Service Excellence) master technician that same year. He already had been working four years at a Fort Collins car dealership, starting as a wash technician when he was 16 and working his way to a line technician doing repairs, the job he now holds, he said. In addition to working full time, Boyd puts in another 45 to 50 hours at his shop. "This is what I want to be doing," Boyd said, adding he will focus solely on his shop when it becomes financially feasible. "Nights and weekends doesn't mean it's the real deal." Boyd started working on trucks in his three-car garage, but had to move to a local shop complex when friends' requests for work turned into word-of-mouth referrals. He now custom builds motorcycles, hot rods and trucks, along with doing mechanical repairs, rebuilds and restorations. Graig Mackay of Fort Collins helps with the work, focusing on hot rods and trucks. Boyd bought a computer numeric machine, which cuts out parts, for his shop. He also purchased a metal lathe that makes round parts and welding equipment, essential tools for custom work, he said. "I can fine-tune parts here and make them perfect," he said. Boyd helped a friend custom-build a motorcycle before he built his handmade Buell, using custom parts for everything but the engine. He tries to make each project better than the last, he said. "It's just cool to see how I can do everything better," he said. Boyd has a third bike project in mind and plans to start it later this year, he said. "It will be more racy," he said, adding the bike will be more compact than his Buell bike and better able to handle corners. In the meantime, Boyd is finishing a few projects, including one for Fort Collins resident Ken Conte, who does public relations and marketing for the motorcycle industry and who wrote a recent article in Hot Rod magazine, "A First Timer's Handmade Buell." "I literally have my pick of bike builders," Conte said. "I saw what he does and the attention he pays to detail. He's the guy I wanted to do it." Conte brought in a fully running bike, wanting something unique, he said. "It's going to be real racy and narrow," Conte said. Boyd likes the smiles he gets when he makes something special for his customers. "It's cool to see people get excited about their stuff," he said. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Italian auto show in Grapevine next Saturday - Dallas Morning News Posted: 08 Sep 2009 04:27 PM PDT Dallas Auto Repair Dallas Auto Detailing Dallas Auto Rentals Dallas Car Leasing Other popular searches Dallas Apartments Dallas Attorneys Dallas Auto Dealers Dallas Auto Parts Dallas Auto Repair Dallas Beauty Salons Dallas Car Rental Dallas Dentists Dallas Doctors Dallas Flowers Dallas Hotels Dallas Insurance Dallas Loans Dallas Mortgages Dallas Movers Dallas Pizza Dallas Realtors Dallas Restaurants Dallas Storage DallasTax Preparation Dallas Travel More Dallas Businesses This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Concours d'Elegance event at Westport's Hunt Club - Stamford Advocate Posted: 08 Sep 2009 02:19 PM PDT This weekend, a field that typically holds horses will be turned over to the mechanized steeds that basically replaced them when inventors created the automobile more than a century ago. The Fairfield County Concours d'Elegance will celebrate its sixth year by hosting a Car and Motorcycle Club Celebration Saturday and an on-the-field display Sunday of more than 200 classic automobiles and motorcycles. The event will be at the Fairfield County Hunt Club in Westport. "These really are works of art," concours co-founder Bill Scheffler said of the vehicles. The Westport resident plans to display a 1973 Austin Mini Cooper S. "You don't have to be a gearhead," to appreciate the event, he said. "Some of them will take your breath away. They should be in a museum they are so beautiful." At least one of them is. Part of the show will include a reunion on Sunday of early 1950s Packard concept cars, six of which will come from a New Jersey collector, Ralph Marano, with the seventh making its way to Westport from the Studebaker National Museum in South Bend, Ind. It is the first time they will be seen together. This year, cars are coming from Europe and across the United States. The show has its fair share of area collectors, too. Malcolm Pray of Greenwich will be showing several cars, including a 1954 Alpine Sunbeam, which was featured in the 1955 Alfred Hitchcock film "To Catch a Thief." Jack Jason of Bridgeport will bring his 1972 Norton Commando motorcycle. Charles Schoendorf of Norwalk is expected to display his 1946 Lancia Aprilia Barchetta Corsa Sport, while Cliff La Motta of Danbury, who runs Brookfield-based motorcycle dealership Cliff's Cycle Revolution, will bring along several bikes, including a 1948 Vincent Black Shadow, a 1978 Ducati 900SS and a 2010 Indian Chief. There are several Stamford collectors, too, including Charles Roy with his 1939 Hotchkiss 686 Cabourg; Michael and Kathy Davias' 1967 Alfa Romeo Duetto Spider; and Michael De Angelis' 1932 Plymouth Racer. "The growth has been driven by the crowds," Scheffler said of the show. "And they keep coming back, asking for more." The interest spurred the organizers to make it a two-day event this year, beginning Saturday. That day will feature art and auto memorabilia exhibitions, education events and other presentations for members of invited car clubs and the public. Some cars also will be on display. The day also features a Nutmeg Tour for Autism cruise and a d'Elegance Reception and Preview to benefit Next Steps Developmental Center for children and adults with autism spectrum and related disorders. The tour and evening event require advance tickets. On Sunday, the event continues with exhibits and other features, such as children's activities. Visitors also may view more than 100 years of automotive design and manufacture as part of a chronological display, spanning from a 1906 model car to a 2010 motorcycle. "There are no two cars that are alike," show co-founder John Shuck said. Shuck is curating the fleet of motorcycles. The Westport resident plans on bringing his 1974 BMW motorcyle, which he restored. Other featured bikes will be 1950s and 1960s British models, as well as North American and Asian brands. The show also spotlights General Motors' Pontiac brand, which ceases production next year. A 1926 two-door coach and a 1955 Pontiac Star Chief Coupe will be displayed. And a special exhibit will mark the 100th anniversary of the forerunner of the Alfa Romeo. Shuck can trace his interest in cars to his childhood in Indiana, as he watched his dad work on his Porsche. It is the kind of personal story the organizers hope exhibitors share as the crowds mingle through the fields. However, the ultimate goal of the organizers is not unlike the expectations of someone on a Sunday drive on a beautiful afternoon. "We really hope people will come and enjoy it," Shuck said.The sixth annual Fairfield County Concours d'Elegance is Saturday 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Fairfield County Hunt Club, 174 Long Lots Road, Westport. VIP and patron packages ($75 to $1,000) must be purchased in advance. Advance or at-the-gate general admission $25 per day, per person; $45 per person for entry both days. Under age 16 free with paid adult. Family pack offered on Sunday is two adults and two children under 21 to enter for $40. 203-227-7988, www.fairfieldcountyconcours.com. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Universal Technical Institute to Present at the 2009 BMO Capital ... - MSN Money Posted: 08 Sep 2009 01:07 PM PDT PHOENIX, Sept. 8 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Universal Technical Institute, Inc. UTI will be presenting at the 2009 BMO Capital Markets Back to School Education Conference at the Sheraton New York & Towers in New York, NY on Thursday, September 17, 2009, at 1:15 p.m. Eastern time. Kim McWaters, President and Chief Executive Officer and Eugene Putnam, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer will be presenting. A webcast of the presentation will be posted on the UTI investor relations website at http://uti.investorroom.com/. An audio recording of the presentation will be archived and available following the event. About Universal Technical Institute Universal Technical Institute is the leading provider of technical education training for students seeking careers as professional automotive, diesel, collision repair, motorcycle and marine technicians as measured by total average undergraduate enrollment. The Company offers undergraduate degree, diploma and certificate programs at 10 campuses across the United States, and manufacturer specific training programs that are sponsored by the manufacturer or dealer at dedicated training centers. Through its campus-based school system, Universal Technical Institute offers specialized technical education programs under the banner of several well-known brands, including Universal Technical Institute (UTI), Motorcycle Mechanics Institute and Marine Mechanics Institute (MMI) and NASCAR Technical Institute (NTI). We routinely post important information about us on our investor relations website at http://uti.investorroom.com/. Safe Harbor Statement All statements contained herein, other than statements of historical fact, could be deemed "forward-looking" statements as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such statements are based upon management's current expectations and are subject to a number of uncertainties that could cause actual performance and results to differ materially from the results discussed in the forward-looking statements. Factors that could affect the Company's actual results include, among other things, changes to federal and state educational funding, possible failure or inability to obtain regulatory consents and certifications for new or expanding campuses, potential increased competition, changes in demand for the programs offered by the Company, increased investment in management and capital resources, the effectiveness of the Company's recruiting, advertising and promotional efforts, changes to interest rates and unemployment, general economic conditions and other risks that are described from time to time in the public filings of the Company. Further information on these and other potential factors that could affect the Company's financial results or condition may be found in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this press release. The Company expressly disclaims any obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events, changes in expectations, any changes in events, conditions or circumstances, or otherwise. SOURCE Universal Technical Institute, Inc. Copyright 2009 PR Newswire Back to News Home MSN Money Search MSN Money Message Boards Site Status This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

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