Shop Rat Chopper Debuts at Woodward Dream Cruise Turning Heads and Uniting America's Most Talented

MUNITH, Mich., Aug. 16, 2004 -- The hottest vehicle at the 10th Annual Woodward Dream Cruise may be on two wheels when the Shop Rat Chopper debuts this weekend in Royal Oak, Michigan. The one-of-a kind chopper is the first initiative of the Shop Rat Association and was built by the famed Orange County Choppers.

Shop Rat Associates will feature the Shop Rat Chopper in the Woodward Dream Cruise as a means of introducing the Shop Rat Association, a national member based organization designed to re-ignite the excitement and pride in America's skilled professionals.

The Shop Rat Chopper was built by Orange County Choppers, best known by the one million viewers of the American Chopper program on the Discovery Channel. It features a patented rim design designed and manufactured in Michigan by Chris Salow of Shop Rat Association and has a friction drive that sits perpendicular to the axle. The drive operates several moving mechanical parts while the wheel turns.

Conceived to turns heads, this chopper was built exclusively by talented mechanics affectionately referred to as Shop Rats. The term applies to those who make their living in the skilled trades as well as weekend warriors who may build in their garages, the quintessential Woodward Dream Cruise fan.

"Few things are as American as our love of automobiles," says Shop Rat founder Chris Salow. "These classic icons represent some of the many achievements of our nation's tradesmen and women. We created Shop Rat Association to salute the Americans who really built this country and give them their due. It is especially important now when Americans are seeing jobs going overseas."

Chris Salow is a lifelong shop rat that has loved taking apart and rebuilding all kinds of things since the age of 12. He has created two successful Michigan-based companies, Salow Machine Works and Metalform. "I know all my success has been because of the determination, creativity and innovation of my shop rat partners and employees," says Salow.

Celebrating such creativity, Salow created the Shop Rat Association not just to acknowledge skilled trades, but also to empower them through educational opportunities, technical support, training and competitions. "We want to change people's perceptions about what it means to work in these trades," says Salow. "Young people choosing a profession may not consider that the skilled trades offer them the opportunity to be creative and ingenious and be part of the tradition that made our nation as strong as it is."

Michigan residents are invited to be the first on board with a special introductory offer for membership in the national organization. Among numerous benefits, members will participate in forums and exchanges with other members nationwide and can participate in Shop Rat Tough Team NASCAR by qualifying for an all expenses-paid trip to one of 38 races.

A key component of the Shop Rat Association vision is the Shop Rat Foundation, an independent non-profit. Created to enhance industrial arts education, the foundation sponsors high school and career center competitions, IT programs, work-study programs and internships. They will offer scholarships, accredited training programs and company referrals. The programs challenge young people by teaching them to utilize teamwork and creative problem solving skills to come up with innovative solutions -- all the benchmarks of American industry.

The Shop Rat exhibition tent for the Woodward Dream Cruise is located on Woodward Avenue at the corner of Woodward and 13 Mile Road. Visitors will get a first hand look at the Shop Rat Chopper and be the first to experience Shop Rat Music -- utilizing all mechanical equipment, no instruments or synthesizers, in never-heard-before sound that pays tribute to influences like Radiohead, OutKast, Portishead and 311.