The GoodGuys Rod & Custom Association opened its new headquarters in Northeast Fort Worth in June, moving a company that started in 1983 in California to the 10-story Lone Star Tower. While being based in Fort Worth, the company’s mailing address is in nearby Roanoke.
Created by Gary Meadors, the business hosts car shows across the country, with 14 scheduled for 2023. The year starts in Fort Worth from March 10-12 with the 13th Annual Spring Lone Star Nationals and will return to the area Sept. 29-Oct. 1 for the 30th Annual Summit Racing Lone Star Nationals.
In between, the business will host car shows in California, Ohio, Tennessee, North Carolina, Washington, Colorado and Arizona. According to the website, two-day events draw up to 40,000 visitors, while three-day events can top 100,000 visitors.
“We are the Disnleyland for gearheads,” Chief Operating Officer Andrew Ebel said. “This is a really important part in these people’s lives. We are lucky they chose us to come and spend a weekend with us.”
Ebel said the level of investment for the regular attendees at GoodGuys’ car shows is like being a Dallas Cowboys season-ticket holder.
“This is something you think about all weekend,” he said. “Instead [of showing up at AT&T Stadium], you are showing up at the Texas Motor Speedway for a Friday, Saturday and Sunday.”
GoodGuys has had connections at its Fort Worth location since the start of the business, as it hosted a car show the year the Texas Motor Speedway opened. The company started with hot rod enthusiasts meeting in Pleasanton, California, and now has more than 70,000 members in the association, Ebel said. Meadors died in 2015, and his son, Marc, is the majority owner and chief executive officer.
Marc moved to the Fort Worth area in 2021, and the company’s headquarters followed a year later. Ebel stated the company looked at the cost-of-living differences between California and Texas when deciding on the move. The company will still have an office in California, though its top executives are now in Fort Worth.
“We considered a lot of things, but at the end of the day we have been talking about finding economic savings,” Ebel said. “It has been a really good experience for all of us who relocated, and we have hired our first employees. It has been a nice transition.”
