TLCs Overhaulin Host, CHIP FOOSE,

Revs Up for Father’s Day Fascination with cars fuels bonding opportunities for dads and kids ST. LOUIS (May 22, 2008) Famed car designer Chip Foose learned to love the automobile from his father. Now he’s helping his own son build that same passion through the hands-on, interactive experience of building and customizing model cars from RIDEMAKERZ. I can’t think of a better way to celebrate Father’s Day than doing something hands-on together, said Foose, legendary car customizer and host of The Learning Channel’s (TLC) hit show Overhaulin. Building custom RIDEZ is an interactive challenge to everyones imagination and the end result is a one-of-a-kind, personal expression. Foose is teaching the joys of model-car building to his son, Brock, eight. His wife, Lynn, sometimes wonders who gets the biggest kick out of the RIDEMAKERZ experience her son or her husband. It really brings out the kid in dads, she said. And it’s great to see Chip and Brock having so much fun together. Foose can easily identify with the stage in life when boys begin to really turn their attention to cars. Born and raised in Santa Barbara , Calif. , automobiles were in his blood. He was all of seven when he began working for his father’s car company, where he specialized in project design. By age 12, Foose had painted his first car, a Porsche 356. From there his passion and drive propelled him to an unequalled legacy in the world of car design and customization. As advisor to RIDEMAKERZ, Foose has appeared at the grand opening of several of the companys Shops around the country. He mingles with the crowd and signs the one-of-the-kind RIDEZ made by visiting Customizers. This project is close to my heart, Foose said. I learned about car-customizing from my dad, and now I get to help pass that experience on to the fathers, sons and families across America. “As much as I’ve always admired my dad, creating a RIDE is not like model-car making from his youth, Foose said. You don’t have to mess with glue, and the parts snap-in and snap-on. The whole process of customizing is truly revolutionary. RIDEMAKERZ brings model-car making into the 21st century.” You don’t have to live near one of the dozen RIDEMAKERZ Shops to be able to bring the family together for a RIDE building and customizing experience. Dads and sons (and daughters) can go online together to RIDEMAKERZ.com, customize and order all the parts. Then they can let their imaginations run wild as they create a car or truck in the comfort of their own den or garage. Sharing the experience with your family that’s the most rewarding part, Foose said. Plus, when you make something together that you take pride in, years later you will remember that experience. Chip Foose has compiled an impressive list of accomplishments in his career. In November 1997, at age 31, he became the youngest member to be inducted into the Hot Rod Hall of Fame. In 1998, he was the first recipient of the Good Guys Trendsetter Award. Foose has won or been involved with winners of seven prestigious America’s Most Beautiful Roadster Awards and has received the Good Guys Street Rod of the Year Award seven times. He has won the coveted Ridler Award the hot rod world’s equivalent of the Oscars an unprecedented three times. His company, Foose Design, specializes in illustration, graphics, ideation model making, surfacing and complete construction of automobiles and automotive-related products. These products are available to private individuals, television, film and the auto manufacturers. He has designed and built street rods, customs, studio vehicles and show cars for films such as Blade Runner, Robo Cop and Gone in 60 Seconds. His prize-winning creations often take upwards of six years to build by hand. Foose serves as vice chairman of the Progeria Research Foundation, California chapter. RIDEMAKERZ 2008 FACT SHEET THE CONCEPT RIDEMAKERZ combines the fun and excitement of cars with the hands-on experience of building and customizing a unique 21st century model car your very own personalized RIDE. The concept taps into America’s love of cars and the massive car-customizing movement. The RIDEMAKERZ experience starts in the ultimate car customizing garage, either online (at RIDEMAKERZ.com) or at a RIDEMAKERZ Shop, where Customizers CHOOZE, SONICIZE, MOTORIZE, MOBILIZE, CUSTOMIZE, PERSONALIZE and CRUIZEѢ one-of-a-kind RIDEZ. Between the body styles and colors, tires and wheels, lights and sounds, accessories and decals, RIDEMAKERZ estimates there are more than 649 million possible combinations, not including individual decal placement. Instead of just buying a toy, Customizers build their RIDEZ using their imagination and engineuity. Parents and kids can share a bonding experience by going online or visiting a Shop and building a RIDE together. With licensing deals from a number of car companies, Customizers can pick from hot models like the Ford Mustang, Dodge Challenger, Ford F-250 Super Chief, Dodge Ram, Scion xB, MINI Cooper S and the new Dodge Viper, as well as retro hot rods, fire engines, race cars, and cab-over tow and dump trucks. The durable, molded plastic cars and trucks assemble quickly and easily with snap-in, snap-on parts that need no glue. And theres even more fun that comes with customizing and tricking out the RIDE. RIDEZ are priced from $12 to $29, depending on body and paint scheme selected. Radio remote-control can be added for an additional $25 and custom accessories range in price from $2.50 for grille guards, spoilers and hood scoops to $5 for a set of monster tires and chassis; $10 for a street-glow light kit to $15 for a deluxe muscle kit that includes a blown engine, spoiler, side pipes, muffler tips and roof vent. RIDEZ measure 10 to 12 inches long, about the size of a shoebox, and range from approximately 1:14th to 1:20th scale. HOW TO MAKE A RIDE AT RIDEMAKERZ Customizers, who visit RIDEMAKERZ, either online or at a physical shop, enter a dream car-customization garage where they can find all the parts they need to personalize their car. There are so many body styles, engines, parts and decals that each Customizer will emerge with a RIDE that is unique. The journey toward making a dream car begins with: CHOOZE Customizers pick from nearly 70 body and paint styles. Models come in a variety of eye-popping colors and designs, along with stock treadz and wheelz and most have soundz and working headlights and taillights. Then it’s time to pick a chassiz either Street or Monster. SONICIZE Customizers select from dozens of RIDESOUNDZ that jam in a variety of fun ways, including: electric guitars, city beats, sirens, whistles, squealing tires and revving engines. MOTORIZE Now it’s time to choose Free-Wheel or Radio-Control. MOBILIZE Here Customizers select wheelz and treadz, and then build their RIDEZ in the RZ Pit Challenge, a timed and age-handicapped race against the clock. CUSTOMIZE Customizers can add specialty lights, spoilers, side pipes, hood scoops, blown engines, roll bars, decals and much more. PERSONALIZE After tricking out their RIDEZ, Customizers create a personalized license plate and receive their own Certificate of Title and unique RIDE Identification Number (RIN) which can be used to view and interact with their RIDE online at RIDEMAKERZ.com. CRUIZE Customizers load their RIDEZ into the RZ CRUIZECASE and head out for a spin. RIDEMAKERZ PARTNERS Chip Foose, the legendary car designer and host of The Learning Channels (TLC), Overhaulin is working with RIDEMAKERZ as an adviser and investor. RIDEMAKERZ has agreements with Ford Motor Company to offer the Ford Mustang and the Ford F-250 Super Chief Alternative Fuel Concept Truck and has an agreement with Dodge and HEMI, trademarks of Chrysler, LLC., to offer the Dodge Ram, the Dodge Challenger and the Dodge Viper. In addition, RIDEMAKERZ features officially licensed RIDEZ from Scion (Scion xB), a marquee of Toyota Motor Sales, USA, Inc., and MINI (MINI Cooper S), a division of BMW of North America, LLC. Build-A-Bear Workshop was an early investor in RIDEMAKERZ and also has shared key infrastructure components. RIDEMAKERZ, which opened its first store in June 2007, is benefiting from the interactive retailers well-developed logistics, warehousing and supply chain management systems, as well as state-of-the-art point-of-sale systems, interactive in-store technology and e-commerce capabilities. In addition, it is learning from the teddy bear makers selection of mall locations and also has access to its world-class associate training programs, which are at the core of the Guest experience. LOCATIONS RIDEMAKERZ Shops can be found at Broadway at the Beach in Myrtle Beach, S.C.; Mall of America in Bloomington, Minn.; Spotsylvania Towne Center in Fredericksburg, Virg.; Castleton Square Mall in Indianapolis, Ind.; The Avenue at White Marsh in Baltimore, Md.; The Shoppes at Hagerstown in Hagerstown, Md.; Woodfield Mall in Schaumberg, Ill.; Twelve Oaks Mall, in Novi, Mich., and Great Lakes Crossing in Auburn Hills, Mich. RIDEMAKERZ will open at Branson Landing on May 31, at Fox River Mall in Appleton, Wis., on June 14 and Baybrook Mall in Friendswood, Texas on June 28. THE WEBSITE At RIDEMAKERZ.com, Customizers can enjoy the virtual experience of building RIDEZ. RIDEZ customized and purchased online are shipped with a special RIDEMAKERZ tool, so Customizers can have the experience of building them at home (within minutes). Online, Customizers can trick out virtual RIDEZ for free and e-mail them to friends, learn about car history and alternative fuels in the RIDERZ ED section, join the RIDEMILEZ CLUB to be among the first to receive RIDEMAKERZ information and special offers, and watch videos featuring, among others, Chip Foose. The website will soon add online games and community elements. RIDEMONEY Gift Cardz also are available online to allow Customizers to visit RIDEMAKERZ Shops or the website and make their own choices. THROW A BASH Customizers can celebrate their birthdays or any big event with a RIDEMAKERZ BASH at RIDEMAKERZ. Party planners can build a SUPERCHARGED BASH to fit any budget, large or small. Guests can build a car starting at $12 per person. Prices can be customized depending on the kind of RIDE selected for the party. RIDEMAKERZ ZEO Larry Andreini drives RIDEMAKERZ as founder and ZEO. Throughout his career, Larry has specialized in bringing together strategic partners to move business ideas from concept to reality. At the age of 25, Larry founded START, a first-of-its-kind customer loyalty program where he partnered with Met Life and NationsBank (now Bank of America), both of which were strategic investors. He went on to be part of Simplexity, a telecommunications exchange where he implemented more than 20 partner programs, including investments and strategic partnerships with technology and retail giants Microsoft and Best Buy. A graduate of the University of Notre Dame, Larry was a member of the Fighting Irish football team and a two-time heavyweight Bengal Bout boxing champion. RIDEMAKERZ MISSION RIDEMAKERZ mission is to have great fun making cool RIDEZ with the ultimate vision of contributing to the positive development of kidz. RIDEMAKERZ is about the joy and fun of creating something great, something artistic, something unique and original. The RIDEMAKERZ experience is specifically designed to: provide choice, unleash creativity, foster confidence, encourage collaboration, and instill a sense of community. RIDEMAKERZ AWARDS RIDEMAKERZ recently received first place for Best Attraction Retailing in Chain Store Age magazine’s Retail Store of the Year Awards and was just named one of the Hottest Retailers in 2008 by The International Council of Shopping Centers, Inc. (ICSC). RIDEMAKERZ received the award for its innovative retail concept during ICSCs Global Retail Real Estate Convention on May 20 in Las Vegas , Nevada. https://videos.whiteblox.com/gnb/secure/player.aspx?sid=47423?”>https://videos.whiteblox.com/gnb/secure/player.aspx?sid=47423