Strengthen Your Company Through Community
No matter what niche you're in—rods, restoration, racing, restyling, reps, trucks or wheels and tires—there's a SEMA council or professional network that's right for your company. SEMA councils and networks offer members a variety of niche-specific programs and activities designed to provide educational and networking opportunities while promoting their particular market segment.
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| Visit TORA's website. |
Exclusive Media Opportunity for TORA Manufacturers at the 2014 SEMA Show
By SEMA Editors
TORA will host a Media Preview for a limited number of manufacturer members at the 2014 SEMA Show. Participants will have the opportunity to meet with a wide variety of truck and off-road editors and writers in a designated area, Monday, November 3, from 1:00 p.m.–5:00 p.m.
These focused meetings ensure editors and reporters can ask their most pressing questions and photograph new products while manufacturers give the full story.
By participating just before the start of the SEMA Show, media members gain an early scoop on the latest products, and manufacturers have quality time with editors and reporters without sacrificing valuable floor time with customers. Participating manufacturers will be provided with various media training resources through the SEMA Education Institute to help them prepare and maximize their meetings. To give manufacturers the best chance for success, participants will be asked to meet media kit production milestones.
To be considered for participation in the 2014 TORA Media Preview, your company’s application must be received by 5:00 p.m. (PDT), Friday, May 16, 2014. Review the rules and regulations and apply today.
Not yet an TORA member? Join today to become eligible for the 2014 Media Preview.
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| Visit ARMO's website. |
Restoration Parts Registration Open for Hot Products Showcase
Registration is now open for the Automotive Restoration Market Organization’s (ARMO) Hot Products Showcase, which will take place April 23–26, 2014, at Spring Carlisle in Carlisle, Pennsylvania.
This event is an opportunity for council members to display one or more products in front of one of the single largest gatherings of automotive restoration enthusiasts in the world.
In addition to having products on display in the Hot Products tent, a professional photographer will photograph each one. The photos will be available to manufacturers and will also be used in a slideshow at the ARMO booth and reception at the SEMA Show. A gallery on the ARMO webpage also houses each of the photos, along with a product description for those unable to attend the event. This publicity is available to ARMO members for only the cost of shipping the product entries to the Carlisle Fairgrounds.
Product entries must meet the following criteria:
- Must be the product of an ARMO member-company.
- Must be available for sale (market-ready) by the opening of the Showcase, April 23.
- Must demonstrate unique/innovative technology and/or be a benefit to the restoration industry.
Members can register products by filling out the online application. All applications must be received by April 18, 2014. Not an ARMO member? Join today to gain access to this event and other council benefits.
Restoration Professionals Gather for Networking at the Hot Products Showcase
ARMO will host a networking mixer in the Hot Products Tent at the Showcase, Thursday, April 24, from 5:30 p.m.–7:30 p.m. The mixer will be a chance for members to grab a drink and spend some time interacting one-on-one with council leadership and fellow ARMO members. The council leadership believes this event holds enormous potential for new ideas and partnerships to be formed as members network with new and old industry friends. RSVP to save your spot.
Make Your Voice Heard at the ARMO Industry Discussion
This year, the council will also hold an industry discussion, Friday, April 25, from 5:30 p.m.–7:30 p.m. at the Hot Products Tent. The session will allow members and others interested in joining the council to voice their concerns, ask questions and offer input to the group. For members who would like to be a part of shaping future projects and events, this will be a chance to make their voices heard. Send in your RSVP today.
For more information about any of these events, contact Council Director Jim Skelly.
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| Visit SBN's website. |
 Kristin Moore | |
SBN Member of the Month: Kristin Moore, Workshop Hero
Kristin Moore of Workshop Hero is SBN’s Member of the Month.What does your company do?
Workshop Hero produces a cutting-edge line of rust removal and rust preventative products designed to take the work out of workshop! Workshop Hero’s Metal Rescue Rust Remover Bath and Dry Coat Rust Preventative are clean, safe and easy to use. Both products are water-based, non-toxic, non-hazardous, environmentally safe and use no acids.
What is your position?
I manage our consumer division, Workshop Hero. I serve as the primary contact for all retail and aftermarket sales channels and manage our various customer markets, conduct product training, coordinate channel marketing, participate as part of the end-user marketing team and handle technical questions from customers.
What is the most satisfying aspect of your job?
The laughter in the office. It is the most synergistic team I have ever been a part of. Our tag line is “less work, more play” and while we work extremely hard, there is a sense of loving your job, laughing and enjoying what you do. The vibe of the office extends from the president of the company to every individual in each department.
How long have you been involved in the aftermarket industry?
Since 2013.
What brought you to the industry?
I saw the company name and had to learn more. My first phone call was with the vice president of sales and I was sold. The idea of working in a fast-paced, multi-faceted role within an industry with such extreme growth was enticing. Thus far, the best professional decision I have ever made.
Who is your industry mentor?
My industry mentor is David Yancho, vice president of Armor Protective Packaging, because of his combination of industry knowledge, business savvy and ethical standards. I trust his opinion and look for his advice because I know he is not just looking for the most successful approach to any situation but also the best moral decision.
What would someone meeting you for the first time be surprised to learn?
While I eat incredibly organic with most food homemade, I can put down a two-liter of Diet Pepsi in an afternoon. Everyone has a vice and mine is a love of Diet Pepsi.
What is your dream car?
Any Jeep Wrangler, any year—loaded with kayaks and my family, headed for an adventure.
What is your favorite pastime?
Running, lifting weights, yoga—if it involves being physically active, I am in.
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| Visit YEN's website |
Launch Pad Competition to Return for 2014 SEMA Show
By Bryan Harrison
After the success of last year’s Launch Pad competition, SEMA has announced that it will return for a second year.
This competition offers innovators under the age of 40 an industry platform to showcase their business for marketing a new automotive product or service.
Industrywide Awareness
The top 10 competitors will compete for top votes on SEMA’s official Facebook/YouTube voting platform. The top five competitors will receive an invitation to pitch their businesses in front of an industry-packed crowd during a live event at the SEMA Show.
Tools to Fuel Your Biz
The winner’s prize package will take their business to the next level, including a 10x10 booth at the 2015 SEMA Show, a one-page ad in SEMA News, an ad in Hot Rod magazine or 4-Wheel & Off Road magazine, a rep consultation with the Manufacturers’ Representative Network (MRN), public relations and social media consultation from Kahn Media, an event-level sponsorship package to either a Family Events truck and off-road group property or a Family Events performance car group property and much more.
Access to Decision Makers
This year’s event will feature another judging panel composed of industry experts who will offer coaching and advice to the contestants. Returning from the 2013 event will be Doug Evans, executive vice president and group publisher at Source Interlink Media, and SEMA’s chairman-elect of the Board, and Ron Coleman, president & CEO of COMP Performance Group. Joining them will be Tracie Nunez, president of the Performance Warehouse Association (PWA); Todd Ballard, director of sports marketing at GoPro; and Glenn Rogers, partner at Beyond Marketing.
Interested? It’s time to launch the next young automotive entrepreneur. For more information and to fill out an application, visit www.sema.org/launch-pad. If you have questions, please contact Bryan Harrison at bryanh@sema.org.
 SEMA’s Young Executives Network (YEN) will send 10 network members on the Hot Rod Magazine Power Tour this summer. | |
By Lindsay Hubley
SEMA’s Young Executives Network (YEN) will send 10 network members on the Hot Rod Magazine Power Tour this summer as ambassadors for the industry and the network. These YENsters will represent different niches in the specialty-equipment market as they interact with tour attendees and visit schools along the seven-city, seven-day journey to share about their careers with the next generation of industry executives. The participants will also take the tour online through the YEN Facebook page, Twitter and other social media outlets.
With a dedication for cultivating young talent in the industry, YEN provides educational and networking opportunities for employees of SEMA-member companies who are under the age of 40. The Hot Rod Power Tour attracts more than 5,000 vehicles. YEN’s leadership believes the Power Tour is a way to engage these professionals and create consumer awareness by educating young enthusiasts about the diversity of the industry, and highlighting the variety of automotive career paths available in the specialty-equipment market.
"The YEN Power Tour is about more than hitting the road in your musclecar or hot rod; it's about forging relationships and making connections,” said YEN Chair Dan Kahn. “There are literally thousands of job opportunities in the automotive aftermarket for young people across the nation—we want to tell that story and show that in our high-performance family, young people aren't afraid to get their hands dirty."
Participants in the YEN Power Tour will be awarded a prize package, including hotel accommodations for the trip, airfare, complimentary meals, a gas allowance, an iON Air Pro Wi-Fi Lite, free entry into the tour, gifts from the tour and sponsors, premier parking at each stop and a variety of SEMA swag items.
Learn more and apply today to join the YEN Power Tour as a participant. Applications will be accepted through April 11, 2014. All members of YEN are eligible to apply. Not yet a member? Join today.