It’s funny how just a couple of years in this really small industry we call off-roading can make you immune to celebrity.  I’ve never been one to fawn over a big star, but we see them so often now, it’s kind of blasé.

On the set of Overhaulin’ at SEMA

Most of the people we see are drivers or TV people, today we were on the set of Overhaulin’ with Chip Foose.  Our friend Jessi Combs is a co-host with him.  Jessi came bounding over from the set while we visited with the Slide ‘em guys, gave us hugs and we talked about all the cool things she has going on.  Jessi is as genuine as they come, she is a welder, fabricator and spokesperson.  We see her a lot at the various events that we attend.  If you are a Jessi fan, check out the following:  JessiCombs.com; facebook/com/jessicombsofficial; or twitter@thejessicombs – that way you can follow her on Overhaulin’ , All Girls Garage or The List.

Other people we saw today were Juan Pablo Montoya, Guy Fieri, Bucky Lasek, Tanner Foust, the dude from Pawn Stars that does the car work with the bandanna, and, of course, Chip Foose.  Some of these folks have talent, others have great publicists. It’s tough to get too excited about these people, they put their pants on the same as us.  Personally I’m more impressed by the entrepreneurs that have built their companies from the ground up and are here trying to make a living, just like us.

People like Joe at DJ Safety, Susie at Lazerstar, Kolby at TurnKey.  These are people who have sweat blood to build their businesses.  People like our own, Charlene Bower, who works harder than almost everyone in the industry to get the word out about what we all do.  I see Charlene a lot, I support her brands and love to tell people how awesome she is.  Check out Race Team Store and Bower Media to see what she’s up to.

So, I guess my point is, look around you, look at your Main Street businesses, these are the people who are building America.  Every day the time and effort put in by everyone who is self-employed is twice as much as those working for a paycheck.  The ones who are self-employed are the ones who support your community centers, your little league teams, your schools.  These folks live down the street from you, they carpool the kids, they have dinner in your restaurants.  Main Street, not Wall Street will bring America out of its’ slump.  How do you support your Main Street?