The Pep Boys - Manny, Moe & Jack, the nation's leading automotive aftermarket service and retail chain, was inducted into the Stater Bros. Route 66 Rendezvous Cruisin' Hall of Fame(r) in the historical category, on Saturday, September 17, 2011 at the California Theatre of Performing Arts.
This award is designed to honor individuals and businesses that have made significant contributions to the American automotive landscape. Accepting the award for Pep Boys was the company's Divisional Vice President of Southern California, Sean Chidsey, flanked by Manny, Moe & Jack. Previous honorees have included race car drivers Carroll Shelby and Parnelli Jones, musicians like the Beach Boys, and icons of the automotive world and Motor Trend Magazine.
"We consider it an honor and a privilege to be associated with a part of motoring Americana like Route 66," said Pep Boys President and CEO Mike Odell. "Pep Boys came of age at the same time drivers first had the ability to cross the country via highways like Route 66. We were founded as a retailer that serves the needs of the daily driver and the long distance traveller, and we continue to serve drivers across the country on the same principles of Trust, Value and Convenience that were established 90 years ago."
Founded in 1921 by Navy veterans --Emanuel "Manny" Rosenfeld, Maurice "Moe" Strauss and W. Graham "Jack" Jackson-- on a shoestring budget in Philadelphia, today Pep Boys is the leading automotive aftermarket service and retail chain in the nation.
The "Cruisin' Hall of Fame(r)" is an event that recognizes many manufacturers, designers, media, and historical figures in the automotive industry. Established in 1995 by the San Bernardino Convention and Visitors Bureau, in conjunction with the City of San Bernardino, it continues to identify those who have made groundbreaking contributions to the uniquely-American automotive cultural phenomenon of cruising.