Page 292 - Peterson 85 Years and Going Strong

CORE VALUE: TEAMWORK
Building Peterson’s custom BBQ in the San Leandro Fab Shop in 2003
a really cool-looking barbeque they’d custom-built, all chromed with their name on it,” says Ravazza. “Jerry Lopus really liked the idea and asked us to look into it.” Ravazza started with a design based on the traditional oval track D8K concept. What he ended up with was an elevated sprocket version—at Lopus’ request—with features that would make any grill master envious. The Smoke n’ Go boasts a 12.5-cubic foot smoker oven, a 7.5-cubic foot smoker fire box, a 13-cubic foot warming oven, a 7-cubic foot tool box, 12 square feet of grill space and a large extending fold-down dozer table for work space and condiments.
Several members of the San Leandro fab shop worked on the project including Jim Stone, Todd Stinn, Dave Dickinson, Art Wheeler, Bud Collins and Jack Ravazza. After three months of construction, JR’s Smoke ‘n Go rolled out of the shop, literally, just in time for Peterson’s Hot August Nights employee car show that afternoon. Everybody loved it. Today, Peterson has two customized Smoke ‘n Go grills to cover its three-state territory. Their novel look and output continue to delight Peterson employees and customers year after year.
290 | PETERSON: 85 YEARS AND GOING STRONG