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Elite
Company
A
Cavalcade of Stars Descends on the VW Trends
AVWI Awards
By Rob
Hallstrom
Photography: Robert Hallstrom,
Henry DeKuyper
Never before has such a large
gathering of influential VW-related industry
people been assembled in a single room. The
occasion? The 2001 VW Trends Aircooled
Volkswagen Industry (AVWI) Awards.
In addition to the entire
VW Trends staff, its key contributors and a room
full of core enthusiasts, our honored guests
included award recipients Tom Lieb of SCAT,
Lenny Copp of West Coast Classic Restoration and
the legendary Joe Vittone of the original EMPI,
to name a few.
The purpose behind the
AVWI Awards is to recognize the hard work,
determination and diligent efforts of a few
outstanding individuals and companies within our
VW community. It seemed only logical to us at VW
Trends, especially in conjunction with our 25th
anniversary, that the media should come forth
and publicly appreciate the time and skills that
are invested into our hobby. Time and time again
people in this industry are overlooked, taken
for granted and undervalued for these efforts
and abilities. This was an opportunity to honor
them by offering our deepest appreciation for
their involvement in the betterment of the
Volkswagen industry as a whole.
A total of six awards were
presented, three of which were selected by the
VW Trends staff, while the remaining three were
chosen via a reader's choice tabulation.
Officially kicking off the
evening gala was the presenting of the Reader's
Choice Award for Best Restoration Shop to Lenny
Copp on behalf of West Coast Classic
Restoration. Copp excitedly received the
handsome trophy and jokingly stated, 'Wow! This
is like the Grammys.' Copp's Volkswagen
restoration business is recognized for producing
some of the most admired vintage VWs in the
world.
The next award recipient
was Mrs. Dee Berg who, on behalf of Gene Berg
Enterprises, accepted the honors for the
Reader's Choice Award for the Best Aftermarket
Performance Manufacturer. This honor was
bestowed upon the company in recognition of its
relentless pursuit for quality high-performance
products.
Bob and Terresa Koch, whom
unfortunately could not make the reception, took
the honors for Best Vintage Product, awarded on
behalf of the company's world-renowned steering
wheels.
Best Performance Product
was presented to Tom Lieb of SCAT Enterprises in
recognition of the unparalleled quality and
performance in the production of their stroker
cranks.
VW Trends contributor Bill
Collins rightly received the Editor's Choice
Industry Preservation Award for his diligent
efforts toward the preservation and enjoyment of
the vintage VW.
Last, but certainly not
least, was the presentation of the coveted
Lifetime Achievement Award. Ceremony host and VW
Trends Editor, Ryan Lee Price, had the distinct
pleasure of presenting this award to EMPI
founder Joe Vittone. Price stated, 'This award
was granted to Mr. Vittone for his commitment to
manufacturing quality aftermarket parts, the
many years of innovative and unparalleled
contribution within the Volkswagen aftermarket
and the resulting immeasurable impact on the
industry.' After receiving the award and a
standing ovation, Mr. Vittone thanked many of
his former employees in response to the
company's success. 'I've had the pleasure of
working with some of the best people in the
business, such as Dean Lowery, Lee Leighton,
Roger Kessinger and Fumio Fukya,' Vittone
stated. 'I owe our achievements and much of the
company's success to them.'
After the ceremony, which
was held in conjunction with the recent Kelley
Park/Spring Meet pre-event dinner-hosted by Rick
Spohn and his Golden Gate Chapter of the Vintage
Volkswagen Club of America (VVWCA)-guests were
treated to a delicious buffet dinner. In
addition to a silent auction, which helps fund
various club activities, guests were entertained
by taking part in a game of identifying obscure
Volkswagen parts, courtesy of Ray Schubert of
the Volksauthority in San Jose, Calif. The game,
which essentially is comprised of a number of
extremely unusual VW parts (wartime to late
model), challenges everyone (including VW
brainiacs) to accurately identify them. By the
way, most did not identify them
correctly.
In all, over 150 people
filled the facility's spacious banquet room. It
would be an understatement to say a good time
was had by all, especially for those who
remained for the after hour party in the
adjacent lounge. Overall, the inaugural VW
Trends AVWI Awards proved to be a huge success.
As one honored guest stated, 'This is the
beginning of something good.'
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