.png)
Made In Walker
The Made In Walker Podcast connects you to the people, stories, and ideas shaping our community. From local innovators to everyday change makers, we are diving deep into what makes Walker Michigan a great place to live, work, and grow.
Be sure to "like" and subscribe to Made in Walker so you never miss an episode.
To contact us about this podcast please send an email to Podcast@Walker.City.
Made In Walker
Driving Success: Tim Horvath's Journey with HD5 Designs
Tim Horvath doesn't just design graphics for race cars - he creates brands, builds relationships, and offers sanctuary in a high-speed world. The founder of HD5 Designs opens up about his remarkable journey from a kid in the fourth turn at Berlin Raceway to a nationally recognized force in motorsports design.
"I'm full throttle, passionate, loving, caring, go-getter that just lives life by seconds at a time," Tim explains, perfectly capturing the energy that has propelled his Walker-based business to impressive heights. What started as Horvat Design evolved into HD5 when Tim realized the power of his growing team. Today, they specialize not just in motorsports graphics but in elevating brands to new levels of connection and recognition.
The secret to HD5's success lies in relationships. Whether creating a safe space for NASCAR drivers to unwind at Michigan International Speedway or efficiently wrapping every SRX car after a crash before Berlin Raceway's sold-out event, Tim's team builds loyalty through authenticity and excellence. Their motto—"do it right the first time, every time"—has earned them respect throughout the racing community, culminating in designing all three trophies for Rockingham Speedway's historic return to racing after 17 years.
As his business has grown, Tim's motivation has shifted from personal dreams to supporting his employees' goals and ambitions. "My dreams become their dreams and their dreams become my dreams," he shares, reflecting the collaborative spirit that drives HD5 forward. With plans to expand while keeping Walker as headquarters, Tim remains deeply committed to the West Michigan community that shaped him, contributing to local events and donating flag boxes throughout the city.
Follow HD5's journey on Instagram, where they showcase not just their work but the lifestyle they've created in the fast-paced world of motorsports branding. Connect with Tim and his team to discover how they can transform your brand into something truly remarkable.
Welcome to Made in Walker, a podcast that connects you to the people, the stories and the ideas shaping our community, from local innovators to everyday changemakers. We're diving deep into what makes Walker a great place to live, work and grow. Here's your host, nicole DiDonato.
Speaker 2:From NASCAR tracks to West Michigan streets. Our next guest on this podcast knows how to bring big ideas to life with color, speed and precision. We are talking to none other than Tim Horbath of HG5 Designs. Thank you so much for joining us on the Maiden Walker podcast.
Speaker 3:Oh, thank you so much. It's such an honor to be here and looking forward to letting people know right here in Walker that we do some pretty incredible things.
Speaker 2:Yes, and, of course, many people may know who you are, but for some, who are just tuning in, learning about you the first time, what, who is Tim Horvath and what is HD5?
Speaker 3:Well, that's an absolute loaded question. And what is HD5?
Speaker 3:Well that's an absolute loaded question. You know, tim Horvath, I'm full throttle, passionate, loving, caring, go-getter that just lives life by seconds at a time. And HD5 is a company. I always say that it's a lifestyle. It's not just a company, it is a company. I always say that it's a lifestyle. It's not just a company, it's a brand.
Speaker 3:We specialize in motorsports design all over the country, but we also do design for businesses. So we take your brand and raise it to the next level. We aren't just a graphics company or a clothing company, we are all about branding. A graphics company or a clothing company, we are all about branding. So when I started, it originally started as Horvat Design, which was me, and then, as I grew the team, I turned it into HD5 because people go, well, horvat did this. No, horvat didn't do it, it was Horvat's team. And so HD5 was born and that was all about helping brands become relatable, because when you look at the Nike swoosh, that's a brand. That's not just a company, that's a brand, and that's what I wanted to grow. So that's where HD5 was born.
Speaker 2:And did NASCAR or motorsports? Was that originally part of the plan, or how did you kind of navigate to where you are now?
Speaker 3:So motorsports runs very deep in my family, so my dad started racing when I was born. I grew up in the fourth turn of Berlin Raceway. So anybody that knows Berlin Raceway and knows the rowdies in turn four, that's where I grew up. My mom and dad were down in the pits racing every single weekend and dad were down in the pits racing every single weekend. I had a passion and love for it for a long time, um, and then I kind of as as I grew, I always knew I wanted to own a company. I just didn't know what.
Speaker 3:Um, my creative side started coming out. We started with autograph cards and doing some stuff out at the racetrack, out at berlin um, for drivers, and then that just kind of evolved into doing graphics for them and continued to evolve into what it is now on on a whole stage. So me, growing up, I wanted to be a race car driver. That was. My dad was a race car driver. That's what I wanted to be. But when you start getting older and understanding what it takes to be a race car driver and the financial standpoint of it, I realized that I needed to learn how to make a living in the sport that I loved. And that's how HD Horvat design was born and then HD five evolved.
Speaker 2:So and it's really cool. You are based in Walker, up on three miles.
Speaker 3:Yes, oh yeah, and this is, this is home to me. It is one of those places. Like I've traveled the country. I lived in Florida. I've lived outside of Michigan, but West Michigan is my home. So when I came back and really put my head down, I was 21 and I put my head down and said this is what I wanted to do. I set up shop here in West Michigan. Berlin Raceway is my home track, so it was really good to have them on board and start doing work for them, and it just completely snowballed into what it is today.
Speaker 2:Of course, and everyone kind of has like a big break or so where you kind of you know, break into NASCAR or whatnot. So how did that come for you?
Speaker 3:you kind of you know, break into NASCAR or whatnot. So how did that come for you? This question? I read and this has been weighing on me because I tried to figure out what my big break was, and I use this analogy a lot that we just continue to snowball.
Speaker 3:And when I say snowball, there is a race down in Pensacola, florida, we sponsor every single year. We've been there 10 years now. It's the Snowball Derby at Five Flag Speedway. Tim Bryant and the Bryant family fantastic race group down there. They called us up to do some windshield banners for them and we we got on board, started sponsoring the race and that that race I credit most of my success to, because once we did it 10 years ago, we continue to snowball, continue to grow steam. The snowball derby is the first weekend in december. It's when the whole country shut down for racing because it's snowing or cold, and the Chase Elliott's won it twice, kyle Busch has won it twice, darrell Waltrip has raced it like the who's, who in motorsports, go to the Snowball Derby the first weekend of December, and that, to me, was the one spot that I realized that you know, our growth is there.
Speaker 2:Yes, yeah, and talk about, like the relationships to finding yourself where you are. I mean, of course, I'm sure, no matter the size or the image of the person, you have special relationships from everybody, from behind the scenes to the race car driver.
Speaker 3:That is 100 percent. Our business is 100% based on relationships. When we say we're a brand company, we live our brand at our shop. Everybody at the shop has a racing or motorsports background, but I always say that the bigger that you get, the bigger we get, because if you come to us for work, if I promote you and do stuff for you, then the chances of you getting bigger and needing more fleet graphics or needing more clothing or whatever it might be like for me it's all about that relationship, that handshake, that fun.
Speaker 3:We were just at MIS Speedway this weekend with one of our clients uh, cold break, right here in walker, um. We took him to daytona, chris, from cold break and then we took him over from um to michigan and they have a really cool product that really works good for tailgating. And we took them, uh, with us MIS, and he asked me he goes, tim, how can we get more sales directed towards you when you do something like this for me? And and I looked right at him and I go well, my inside of the racetrack, my personality and my relationship with the drivers where they have a safe space to go.
Speaker 3:We were just mentioned on Kevin Harvick's podcast by our friend Mamba. He does all of the NASCAR intros for all the drivers and all the tracks and he's on Kevin Harvick's podcast and we fed him breakfast. He had somewhere where he could come eat good food. He's treated like family, can change in the camper, can just get ready to go do his job. And that's huge for us because that safe space is worth more money than anything could ever buy.
Speaker 2:Wow, and you wouldn't think of that. But knowing what they all have to go through, you know the constant kind of you know fast paced lifestyle.
Speaker 3:no pun intended, but that's pretty important so yeah, 100% and the way like MIS is my home track. So when I go there, we set up our campers in a way so that you, when they come there, they're no, no regular race fans just like oh, all of a sudden looks in and I mean there was one time I think it was last year one of my employees new employee came up and I was like, hey, why didn't you come in the camper? And he goes did you see who's in the camper? I figure you needed a pass and I think we had like six NASCAR drivers and crew chiefs and like everybody. Just we went there, we ate, we had drinks, we had, they were safe and they could just unwind and like that's the important part of hd5 is being able to be yourself around us and us be ourselves and create your brand to mimic what you are yeah, that is incredible.
Speaker 2:You don't think about how important that is, but you've got a secret sauce there and as far as like some of your designs are, you know, can you look back at one or two of them and or, you know, are you more proud of one the other or they each kind of equally have a story?
Speaker 3:well when it comes to our designs, like our design crew continues to get larger. It used to just be me, um, and, and I'm proud of what I built, but I realized that if I wanted to grow, I couldn't do it myself, and so as I built the company, I started getting surrounded with talent and creative talent, and we've really put that together for each other to make amazing stuff. So anytime that somebody comes to us like, we put our heart and soul into it. There's no cutting corners. Our motto at the shop is do it right the first time, every time, and that's like we stand by it. But a couple of the fun like I get asked and it's like every time I think that I've gotten the coolest thing I'll ever do. Something else comes along, but big ones that stand out.
Speaker 3:Our SRX came to town for Berlin Raceway and we the the week before they crashed every one of their cars and so they came and they they hired us and two of our installers to rewrap every one of their vehicles and they were like dead. Like this is how you do stuff, this is how we want it, and I had at least 20 people come up to me from that crew and say like they've been in the sport for a long time and they've never seen a crew like ours and like that was super big. For me it was like man, that means that I'm doing something right. So, from from us laying it down like, and them getting the next graphics kit out, uh, me and two of my installers, we were literally done with the car and he's like I've never had people standing waiting for work. Um, so that was super, super awesome to be a part of SRX in Berlin complete sellout, so magical. That was awesome.
Speaker 3:And then this past year, a couple weeks ago, the return to Rockingham Speedway. So it's such a blessing in so many ways. I got the phone call and we did all three trophies for the ARCA Menards Series. We did the NASCAR Truck Series and the Xfinity Series. We did all three trophies for the race weekend, as they brought back Rockingham, which hasn't been raced in 17 years, and we were the people who got to go to Victory Lane in all three races. And just fantastic, like, let me be creative, let me go do my thing, and that's super special to me.
Speaker 2:Glad you have that outlet and, you know, for having such a creative and you're on so much. How do you unwind? You know what is something that you can do to kind of. You know, tune off if and when you need to.
Speaker 3:Oh unwinding is difficult for me. I always say, like when we're at MIS and I go in my camper and I shut the door and I just sit down on the couch and I relax, because once I step out of those camper doors I got to be this larger than life character which is me anyway. I'm, I'm fun, I'm, I'm approachable, um, but like I, I tell people it's hard for me to get to a point where you see me down or you see me bummed out, because I have so many people that rely on me being the happy guy and the fun guy. So, like, unwinding for me is going to.
Speaker 3:I have a buddy with a go-kart track in his backyard and I'll go strap on the helmet and we'll go race dirt track and go around and laugh with each other. I go ride dirt bikes with friends. I go do stuff that's still adrenaline pumping, but it's like me and myself and we were talking before this but when I get out on the road, I like to travel by vehicle on the road because it's my windshield therapy and I get to unwind as I cruise to the next location and just get to be inside my head and just chill out for a little while.
Speaker 2:We were saying that you kind of started doing that during the pandemic, doing these Facebook Lives just kind of, you know, make a drink, sit down, let's talk a little bit. So where did that go?
Speaker 3:Well, and I tell you what the Facebook Lives and the stuff that we're working on right now is so special to me because I never realized how many people like they see me at the racetrack. And then when I did those during the pandemic, they seen me as a, as a real, just normal person in my home hanging out. So for me, like when when people see me I just had it at Charlotte, I was standing outside Cletus McFarland's car, who we sponsor, and a kid came up and he's, he goes, hd5, you're HD5. You're the guy and I go. I am hey man and he goes, he goesd5, you're hd5. You're the guy and I, I go. I I am hey man and he goes, he goes. I love you guys and I'm like we love you too.
Speaker 3:And it's like when you have that like there's so many people that will say I know who you are and I'm like, well, who am I? And they, they'll tell me they're like you do this and you do that, but when they relate to me, that I'm just a normal guy that's just out there doing something really, really cool, that's my blessing, like that's my know people in the racing world, the rap world and just life in general that surround myself with. So that's important to me and that's good people. It's always good people.
Speaker 2:Stay in tune to that. We'll get back to that in a second. You know what is your motivation? Kind of that gets you up every day and such every day and such.
Speaker 3:You know, for the longest time my motivation was my dreams, my goals. As I continue to grow in this industry and then I start having employees, a lot of my motivation has turned from me and what I have done to my employees. So getting to know my employees and understanding what their hopes and goals and dreams are and helping them achieve those things, that is every day for me. People ask me every single day like your dream? You know what's your dream and I always tell them like I've lived them, like I don't. I don't, I have dreams and I have goals that I set for myself, but still to this day, my dad raced Daytona in 1999.
Speaker 3:20 years to the day, my name went around Daytona on a race car as a graphics company. 20,. You can't write that right and you can't dream that Like. For me, those dreams and goals have continued to level up but have been successful. So now, going back and and my crew at the shop, it's like my, my dreams become their dreams and their dreams become my dreams, because I want to see them successful and I want to see them happy. So, and on top of that, our clients same deal. I have very high end clients that have huge goals and I'm on the edge of my seat every single weekend cheering them on and trying to trying to get them to, to get to their goals, yeah.
Speaker 2:And then this kind of goes into the next question. As far as you know, where do you see yourself five, 10 years or so down the road? Where are you planning for, or are you just I got to go day by day right now?
Speaker 3:So I ask whenever anybody comes to us and is in a job interview, we ask them what their goals and hopes are what do you see yourself in five years?
Speaker 3:And this is the first time I think somebody's ever asked me, because I'm one of those people who plan ahead. My head thinks I'm very strategic in a lot of things I do, so I'm always like, ok, what I do today is going to affect me tomorrow, what I do next week is going to affect me five years from now. So right now, my goals of HD5 is continue to grow, continue to be at a level that is unseen in the industry, whether it's business or motorsports. But I'm hoping that we'll get a couple of things and get a couple more locations around the nation, but our home base will always be right here in West Michigan. This will always be the headquarters of HD5. And then from there hopefully have a couple little sub outlets that people can come to and have somebody right there to help them. So that's my five to ten year plan of growth down the East Coast and make HD5 a little bit bigger of a brand than it already is.
Speaker 2:I love again, like the hometown kind of connection, just small things that you've done for the community, giving back. You've kind of done some of our flag boxes for the city of Walker, also situated outside of Sobey Meats too. That was wonderful. That is something that's pretty near and dear to the hearts here of Walker residents and West Michigan too.
Speaker 3:Oh, I mean we've worked the touch of truck. We brought Carson Hosovar and Eric Jones's cars out there. I know they're revamping the city hall area and the police department and all that stuff. So Touch a Truck is a little on hold right now but when it comes back, like getting out in the community. Teaching these young kids about motorsports and racing is one of my passions. I love talking to the little kids. We were just bringing the trophy out to Berlin and a couple first-time little kids were out there and us taking photos with them, flag boxes, donating flag boxes, talking to the VFW and how successful that's been because most people don't know where to dispose of their older flags and having those flag boxes outside Sobe Meats and in City Hall have been huge for the community. But I'm all about West Michigan. It's where I was born and raised. It's where I tore up the streets for a long time and it's where I still live to this day.
Speaker 2:I love it. I love it. A lot of other stories I'm sure we can't go into right now, but, um, if folks can follow you for your updates, where can they find you?
Speaker 3:You can find us on uh. Instagram is our favorite due to the fact that we do a lot of cool things, so that's photo uh base. So Instagram, facebook or X or Twitter whatever way you go with it Find us on there. We're working on our website right now to post that. We're always doing super fun stuff. Follow along, share it with your friends. If you see us out at an event, say hi. We love seeing people you know. Get on the social medias. We're we're always doing something cool. One of my favorite things about our social media is is you won't see a lot of like our products we do. You'll see a lot of the lifestyle we live. So you'll see a lot of us at the racetracks on pit road. You'll see a lot of us at businesses that we work with, a lot of the events like Touch a Truck. We try to blast that out on social media as much as we can.
Speaker 2:Awesome, tim. You're such a gem to the community. So fun to talk to Many more stories, I'm sure, but thank you so much for being with us today on the Maiden Walker podcast.
Speaker 3:No, thank you so much. It's an honor and a privilege to be a part of this community and I look forward to seeing what's next we appreciate you, thank you.
Speaker 2:Thank you for tuning in.
Speaker 1:Thank you for joining us for this episode of the Maiden Walker podcast. If you have comments or questions about this podcast or if you have suggestions for future episodes, we'd love to hear from you. Please drop us an email at podcast at walkercity Ma in Walker is the official podcast of the city of Walker, michigan. You can find Made in Walker wherever you get your podcasts.
