The annual Federated-KOI Auto Parts Cavalcade of Customs and Training Expo, held Jan. 9-11 in Cincinnati, saw an increase in attendance of more than 19 percent from last year’s record crowd.
“The 55th annual Cavalcade of Customs was a big hit with the general public as well as our service technician customers,” said Dave Wesselman, president of KOI Auto Parts. “We offered a little bit of everything from custom cars, hot rods and live music to an extensive line-up of technical training and workshops. We also held a student day that had participation from 12 Cincinnati-area schools. We want to thank all the participating vendors and everyone who came out and enjoyed the show for making this year’s Cavalcade the best ever.”
New for the 2015 Cavalcade, KOI hosted Federated Car Care Program classes, as well as shop management classes presented by Fisher Auto Parts. Before the show officially opened, KOI hosted a student day event for more than 320 local vocational school students and their teachers. The students heard from various speakers in the industry and were able to tour the car show before it opened to the public. They were also invited to visit the vendor display area to learn about the various products that KOI sells.
The vendor area was opened up exclusively on Jan. 8 to KOI store managers, regional managers and outside sales people so key personnel could speak with the 68 participating supplier partners and learn more about their product offerings, and visit the Federated Car Care, KOI Heavy Duty, KOI Tool and KOI TeAch booths.
Longtime Federated spokesman, NASCAR legend Kenny Schrader, and Kevin Byrd, co-host of Two Guys Garage on MAVTV, made special celebrity appearances in several of the training classes, employee meetings and also signed autographs on the show floor.
Headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio, KOI serves close to 20,000 customers including professional repair garages, collision centers, car dealerships and individual customers through 72 store locations. KOI offers a variety of parts and services including OE, aftermarket and import parts, collision parts, refinish supplies, shop supplies, critical parts service, equipment and tool sales and service, mobile services and more. In business for more than 60 years, KOI has been a Federated Auto Parts member since 1987.
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