 The 2014 SEMA Launch Pad finalists: Samuel Giles, managing director, Intellectual Capital Consulting Ltd.; Ian Lehn, president, BOOSTane Octane Engineering; Sarah Park, co-founder and president, The Hybrid Haven; Roger Peterson, founder and CEO, MG Research LLC; Jack Zampolin, vice president of business development, RightPSI Inc. | |
By SEMA Editors
The 2014 SEMA Launch Pad, powered by the Young Executives Network (YEN), features another lineup of all-star industry veterans. This year’s event was hosted by Matt D’Andria, CEO of Motorator.com and co-host of the “CarCast” podcast.
The judging panel included: designer and marketer Mark Arcenal of Illest Brand and Fatlace; lawyer and business leader Ron Coleman of COMP Performance Group; fabricator and TV personality Jessi Combs of “Overhaulin’” and “All Girls Garage”; publisher and SEMA Board of Directors Chair-elect Doug Evans of The Enthusiast Network; and marketer Glenn Rogers of Cascadia Capital LLC.
The event took place November 5 in the North Hall. Five finalists pitched their business concepts in competition for the grand prize—a package of business resources designed to extend the winning company’s reach and boost exposure.
After carefully considering all the presentations and delving deeper into each of the contestants’ proposals with a series of questions, the judges noted that this year’s competition had been exceptionally tight.
In the end, however, Ian Lehn walked away with top honors for his BOOSTane racing-fuel octane additive. His prize package includes a booth at next year’s SEMA Show to formally introduce his product to the industry.