Flashback Friday

A couple weeks ago, our Administrative Assistant, Nicole, brought in some old pictures of her grandpa and his race cars.  We thought we'd be unbiased this week and feature some pictures of a Chevy instead of a Ford (Don't tell Mark!)  Here is Nicole's grandpa and his '57 Chevy Bel-Air back in the late '50s:

Owner Spotlight: Bo

Name: Bo

Hometown: Biloxi, MS/Indianapolis, IN

Area of Specialty: President

Other job experience: Amtrak engineer

How did you find yourself starting bo-mar? [There was an] opportunity to follow a project that left Amtrak and went to Hornell, New York

Favorite part about owning bo-mar: Making really cool stuff

Any funny memories/stories about bo-mar? We almost threw in the towel in the summer of 1995.  [We] had a "bad project" that was taking all the fun out of life.  Mark and I sat in the middle of the shop at 3 AM and debated about leaving and not coming back.  We obviously changed our minds.  The project was finally completed.

Interests/hobbies outside of bo-mar: church, racquetball, skiing, car racing

Favorite song: Roxanne by The Police

Favorite quote: "It's not what happens in our life that defines us, rather it is how we respond to what happens in our life that really defines who we are."

Favorite car: 1970 Boss 302

Favorite sports team: Indiana Pacers

Anything else you want people to know? I'm a big family man!

Flashback Friday

In honor of the first race of the IndyCar Series coming up this weekend, we have a picture of Bo, Mark, their friend Dave, and Mark & Dave's oldest daughters.  In 1983, Bo, Mark, and Dave went in together to purchase this IndyCar.  The guys had no plans to race the car, but they all thought it would be a neat vehicle to own.  Eventually, they went ahead and sold it.

   

Kitchen for Railplan

Last week, we sent out a project for our customer, Railplan.  bo-mar fabricated a prototype kitchen for the newly remodeled 8400 Viewliner dining car. The car has been in service since 2011 and has been met with great reviews from Amtrak and their patrons. We are now building 25 additional car sets for the next generation of the Viewliner Fleet!

Flashback Friday

We got ourselves a new scanner this week, so we have lots of fun pictures for the upcoming Flashback Fridays! This week, with the weather so nice, and the thought of spring just around the corner, we thought we'd share this picture of Bo and Mark feeding a flock of ducks.  Of course, we don't condone going around feeding wild animals (especially feeding them people food!), but the picture was too cute to pass up. :-)

Flashback Friday

While our pictures this week aren't very old, they are technically still a 'flashback.'  This time last year, Mark was down in Gainesville, Florida for the NHRA Gator Nationals.  Last year was important because Clayton Harris, the crew chief Mark worked under during the late '90s, was honored with an induction into the International Drag Racing Hall of Fame.  Sadly, Clayton passed away in a plane crash back in 2000, but his wife was there to receive the award for him.  Mark's wife, Jill, and their daughter Kelly were also down in Florida for the ceremony, along with a few other crew members from the old team.  During Mark's years with the race crew, Clayton became like family.  It was a great little reunion after many years apart. 

A couple days after the induction ceremony, Mark, Kelly, and some of the guys headed down to Ocala, Florida to go through Don Garlits' Museum of Drag Racing, where Mark worked in late 1986/early 1987.  Here are a few pictures from their trip to the museum:

Part of the old crew, plus Clayton's son Rex and a friend.



  

The guys outside of Don Garlits' museum- March 12, 2011

Recent Projects

In the past couple of weeks, we've completed two projects for some guys you may have heard of: Singer-songwriter/Actor Harry Connick Jr. and 2009 NHRA Top Fuel Funny Car World Champion Robert Hight!

This season, Harry Connick Jr. has guest-starred on NBC's Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.  In an upcoming episode, Harry Connick will play his piano in the streets of New York City.  First, he needed a special piano stand built.  bo-mar recently had the privilege of working with  Jonas Productions to fabricate piano legs for the television appearance. 

bo-mar has also had the honor of manufacturing parts for NHRA drag racer Robert Hight.  Robert called Mark last month about a project for his funny car.  We sent the final product to John Force Racing last week, and everyone at their shop seemed very happy with the results!  Robert just complimented Mark on the parts today!  We hope they bring the team luck in Gainesville this weekend.  :-)

Flashback Friday

About six and a half years ago, the Indianapolis Business Journal featured an article on bo-mar.  The author was certainly correct when she mentioned "only growth on the horizon."  We are very blessed that we're continuing to succeed 20 years after starting the business.   Since the article was written, we're up from 32 employees to 43!  Some years have been slower than others, but 2010 and 2011 were two of our best years. Hopefully 2012 will follow in 2011's footsteps.