 SEMA Town Hall guests were invited to take a tour to the start/finish line of the Michigan International Speedway. |
|
SEMA held the second of three Town Hall meetings scheduled for 2012 on May 18 at the Michigan International Speedway (MIS) in Brooklyn, Michigan. The gathering took place in the Champions Club, which is perched high above the track overlooking the start/finish line. Prior to the beginning of the panel discussion, most guests took advantage of the opportunity to participate in an overview of the facility and tour from the Champions Club to the track lead by Kevin Kelly, MIS director of business development.
SEMA’s Senior Vice President of Operations Bill Miller moderated the meeting discussion. Participating on the panel were SEMA Board Members Luanne Brown, president of eTool Developers LLC, and Tim Watts, vice president of sales and marketing for Superlift Suspension Systems, as well as Dave Ziozios, CEO of Motovicity Distribution and SEMA Street Performance Council Select Committee member. The audience consisted of SEMA members and non-members from manufacturing, retail, distribution, education and service providers.
Members discussed a variety of topics with the panelists. There were questions and concerns raised about healthcare coverage for small businesses, challenges with integrating aftermarket products at the car dealer level, and the SEMA Data Co-op. As happened at the last Town Hall meeting in St. Charles, Illinois, much discussion focused on youth; from comments about the lack of youth in vocational schools and the need to get the younger generation excited about building aftermarket products to SEMA’s efforts to recognize the top 35 young, talented professionals employed at SEMA-member companies under 35 years old (35 under 35). Legislation was another popular topic of discussion. While SEMA’s government affairs staff continues their work on behalf of SEMA members and the industry in general, attendees were encouraged to join the SEMA Action Network (SAN) to get involved at an individual level. Nearly 10% of the audience indicated that they were already SAN members. SAN membership is free at www.SEMASAN.com.
The next stop on the Town Hall meeting schedule is June 13 at the Hotchkis Performance facility in Santa Fe Springs, California.