The event was staged at the Lowe's Motor Speedway in Charlotte and drew 3,100 people. Through a random drawing, 200 customers won a Fast Track High Performance Driving Experience that included trips around the racetrack with a professional driver at speeds up to 175 miles per hour.

Hughes hosted a number of such events throughout the year.

Hughes CEO Tom Hughes said, "We continue to raise the bar each time we hold one of these events. We love the challenge of trying to surpass our previous efforts each time, and we appreciate our associates who work so hard to put on these great events."

In other developments, the company announced the appointment of several branch managers. Tom Davis came from a large plumbing contractor to serve as branch manager at the Clearwater (Fla.) Electrical & Plumbing branch. Ronald Spencer, who has extensive experience in the plumbing and wholesale industry, was named branch manager at Lady Lake Electrical & Plumbing, Lady Lake, Fla. Michael Robinson, most recently an outside sales representative at Hughes' Naples, Fla., branch, was named branch manager at Fort Myers (Fla.) Electric. And Water Grice moved from operations manager at the Atlanta Plumbing Branch to manage the branch in Marietta, Ga.

Publication date: 12/15/2003