|
PUBLISHED: Wednesday, January 24, 2007 Auto show wows Central Lake students
DETROIT - The North American International Auto Show hosted its third annual automotive education day presented by State Farm Insurance on Wednesday, Jan, 17, at Cobo Arena in Detroit, and two Central Lake students were in attendance with the generous help of an adult mentor.
Bill Ashley provided the logistics for juniors Fred Risteau and Clayton Shepard to attend which provided them with the opportunity to have informal discussions with industry experts about trends and career opportunities in the automotive field.
Detroit Pistons announcer John "MasonÓ served as the emcee for the opening ceremonies and Hillary Will of KB Racing LLC Top Fuel Dragster served as speaker for more than 7,000 students from Michigan, surrounding states and Windsor, Ontario.
"Hillary races dragsters for a quarter mile. She goes from 0 to 320 mph in 4.5 secondsÓ Risteau said. "She told us there are three things you need to have to get your dream job É determination, perseverance, and education.Ó
Risteau and Shepard toured the show and witnessed the annual event that attracts more than 6,000 journalists from 62 countries and 42 United States outlets to see the unveiling of 45 new automotive models. The exhibits, theatrical lighting, and sound equipment uses enough electricity to power 180 homes for a year.
"It was phenomenalÓ Sheppard said. "I got to see a cut-away engine on display that was running. I always wondered what that would look like on the inside and that was probably the only place IÕll ever see anything like that.Ó
It takes about 10 weeks, or almost an entire high school semester, for the NAIAS build. More than 1,500 carpenters, stagehands, electricians, Teamsters, riggers and ironworkers are employed full time for the build and dismantle of the NAIAS (working 12-14 hour days, including some double shifts). Fourteen semi-trailers are required to carry the 75,000-plus yards of carpet used for the exhibits and aisles at the NAIAS. This is enough carpet to cover the length of 750 football fields.
NAIAS exhibits are collectively valued in excess of $200 million, excluding the value of the more than 700 vehicles in those exhibits.
"IÕd never seen anything on that scale beforeÓ Risteau said. "I really appreciated the opportunity that Mr. Ashley gave us and it put my mind in a place where I really want to do something successful with my life.Ó
|
TOP JOBS
TOP AUTOS
TOP HOMES
TOP RENTALS
|
