You might know them as the Honda’s with Heart guys or maybe even the Import Soup guys. What this band of 9 friends goes by though is Relentless Productions and they’re making a splash in the Sioux Falls area. With 4 consecutive years of Honda’s with Heart and now the first annual Import Soup, Relentless Productions has raised countless dollars for the Children’s Home Society of South Dakota and Import Soup alone raised over 600 lbs of food for the Food Pantry this year!
I recently sat down with two of the members of this group, Eli Vanden Bosch and Justin Johnson to speak about their accomplishments. Aside from being complete gear heads, these guys have a real knack for building the community they are in. When asked why they started this event Eli said, “We saw a void in the market. There were no import car shows in Sioux Falls.” With ample members of the community driving and discussing import vehicles, Eli and three other original founders took to making the first import-focused event in Sioux Falls.
Drawing inspiration from other events such as Import Alliance, Eli and friends decided to take it a step further and donate any profits to the Children’s Home Society. “We wanted to do an event that was better for the community,” Eli explained. And that they did. Eli explained that they have raised thousands of dollars for this cause.
Justin explained that the recent addition of the Import Soup event was out of demand from the community. Though the Honda’s with Heart event was a success, import enthusiasts who drove other makes wanted an event that wasn’t so Honda focused. And despite Honda’s with Heart being open to all makes, Relentless Productions decided to create a new event for this. Import Soup‘s first event was held recently and with great success. Relentless Productions was able to raise over 600 lbs of food for the Food Pantry of Sioux Falls!
When I asked Eli and Justin what really drives them to keep building this company and these events Eli said, “We want to show that we’re not just a bunch of punks. Just like classic car and muscle car enthusiasts get together, so do we.” Eli explained that they eventually want to see this become a regional event where even more people travel from the tri-state area to show off cars and benefit a good cause.
To-date, no one in the group has taken any pay for their time and dedication. Eli and Justin spoke about the hardships at times and how when they’re putting in 30+ hours a week for something that doesn’t pay, it can be difficult. “Once we see the success of the events though,” Eli explained, “It’s all worth the effort”. Justin echoed this response. Seeing how far these guys have come shows their extreme dedication and that they are indeed not just a bunch of “punks”. Here at Sioux Falls Auto Reviews, we wish them the best of luck and look forward to many more great events!