Sky’s the Limit Car Care, a distributor of Carpro products in Sanford, Fla., hosted Verge 2023 from April 14-16. The event gathered 70 industry professionals and showcased supplier Carpro’s new Immortal PPF.
Converging for Growth
“We started Verge in 2014,” says Corey Carruth, owner of Sky’s the Limit Car Care. “We started Carpro’s CQuartz finest program in 2012, and as it grew, I realized we needed to get everyone together for networking and education. Verge is an event that features presentations and demonstrations of new products. We get together and we just gel.”
This year’s primary demonstration featured Carpro’s new Immortal PPF. The product was demonstrated on April 16 by industry veterans and cousins Kaval Vilkhu, owner/operator of Make it Shine Detailing in Vaughan, Ontario, Canada, and Jay Ka, owner of Modern Elix Paint Protection in West Chester, Pa. The PPF, the company’s first, was also displayed at Automechanika in Frankfurt, Germany, last fall.
“I am 15 years in, and I never would have guessed that I would be in the position I am right now,” shares Ka, who was featured in an award-winning PPFMag article. “I didn’t think I was a somebody. I used to keep to myself and get work done. Now I have people coming to me for questions and training.”
Vilkhu, a Focus on PPF/CC e-newsletter blogger, founded Make it Shine Detailing in Ontario, Canada, in December 2007. Today, Vilkhu is a decade and a half removed from founding the company, and his service mix has shifted dramatically since opening day. Paint protection film now generates 95% of all company sales, with ceramic coatings comprising 5%.
Vilkhu runs the shop solo as an owner/operator, but plans to hire additional team members in the future. He credits his success to his father, a retired mould maker in the tool and dye industry.
“That’s definitely where I get my hands-on skills,” Vilkhu says. “The film industry, especially with PPF, has tight tolerances like that industry. So I understand the need to be detail-oriented, and I got that from my dad. Well into his 70s, he comes to the shop and helps me often.”
Click here to read Vilkhu’s full story.
Connecting and Reflecting
“That was pretty awesome,” Ka says of demoing PPF with his cousin. “I hadn’t seen him for awhile because of COVID. You’re with someone that you haven’t installed with in forever. You’re throwing around film and keeping up with each other—it feels great.”
Ka and Vilkhu were both born in India, moving to North America at a young age.
“It was an honor,” Vilkhu says of the demo. “To be able to stand up there and speak to guys about the film—I’ve been told by my peers and family members that I’m good at teaching and explaining things. My mom was a teacher as well. I love learning how things work and understanding them. It’s a skill to learn how to transfer knowledge from your head to installers.”
Carruth has helped host more than 10 Verge gatherings and says guiding industry peers gives him gratification.
“Seeing the benefit that the event has for these guys—what they can learn from each other—gets me going,” Carruth says. “It’s super exciting to see that. It was a benefit to someone and it’s going to make ripples throughout someone’s life. You can never take that away.”
