Minneapolis, MN (April 29, 2009) – Sharpe, a leader in paint spraying equipment for the professional automotive refinish market, is pleased to announce that it has become a 2009 Official Sponsor of SkillsUSA through its support of the SkillsUSA National Leadership and Skills Conference.SkillsUSA returns to Kansas City June 21-June 26, 2009 where 5,000 outstanding career and technical education students—all state contest winners—compete hands-on in 91 different trade, technical and leadership fields. Students work against the clock and each other, proving their expertise in occupations such as automotive refinishing, electronics, precision machining, culinary arts and more.
Sharpe is providing student coaching and providing sets of RAZOR® spray guns and accessories to the top three winners, with additional products going to their schools where the RAZOR spray guns will help other students learn the automotive refinishing trade in years to come.
Professional painter Justin Barnes has been commissioned to paint a Harley-Davidson® motorcycle with RAZOR spray guns. He will also be signing autographs in the Sharpe booth at TECHSPO in June.
The Harley-Davidson Dyna® Super Glide® will be raffled to raise money to support SkillsUSA programs, along with a three $2800 prizes from Sharpe. "SkillsUSA is thrilled with the addition of Sharpe to the Harley-Davidson raffle and welcome them as an Official Sponsor in 2009. We look forward to their presence at the National Leadership and Skills Conference and to a lasting partnership," said Tim Lawrence SkillsSUA Executive Director.
“Sharpe will be at TECHSPO, the SkillsUSA trade show, June 23-25 at the Kansas City Convention Center, in H. Roe Bartle Hall. Justin Barnes will be signing autographs in the Sharpe booth (#303) on Tuesday, June 23 1:00-3:00 p.m. During this time, there will be a chance to win product painted by Justin” said Penny Hanson, Sharpe’s Marketing Manager. “RAZOR Spray Guns are a high-performance, yet low-cost choice for a painter to trim expenses without sacrificing quality,” said Ron Graffis, Sharpe Manager of Sales and Marketing. “RAZOR Spray Guns are a practical investment for vo-tech students moving into careers in professional painting.”
RAZOR Guns on average retail for $475 for gravity feed. Competitive gravity feed guns retail from $550 to nearly $800. RAZOR guns work with the new paint chemistries being used in today’s shops. They offer amazing performance along with a lightweight, ergonomic gun body for painter comfort.
“RAZOR Spray Guns compete head to head in terms of performance and reliability with Sata and Iwata spray guns,” said Ron Graffis. “To demonstrate the durability and high quality finish these new guns deliver, Sharpe is offering a three year warranty for our made-in-the-USA product.”
About Sharpe
Graco, a world leader in fluid handling systems and components, and Sharpe, a part of the Graco Company, developed the new RAZOR Spray Guns.
Specific to automotive finishing, Graco has a long history designing and manufacturing finishing equipment that improves productivity, reduces paint usage costs, lowers emissions and provides consistently better finishes for automotive manufacturers the world over. These manufacturers include General Motors, Ford and Toyota, as well as bus, trucking and airplane manufacturers worldwide.
Graco purchased Sharpe in 2003 to enter the North American automotive refinishing market, and brought its strong R&D, engineering and product development expertise to develop new spray guns to bolster Sharpe’s position in the marketplace.
Sharpe and Graco developed RAZOR accessories that enhance the painting experience. The Dryaire™ system removes compressed air humidity, and many air filters and coalescers ensure high quality air.
About SkillsUSA
SkillsUSA is a partnership of students, teachers and industry working together to ensure America has a skilled work force. The national organization helps students excel in training programs and future technical, skilled and service careers, including health occupations. SkillsUSA serves more than 300,000 high school and college/postsecondary students and their chapter advisors who are professional members.
