 The annual SEMA Installation Gala is where guests can connect with friends and colleagues to honor and celebrate members of the SEMA Board and the newest inductees of the SEMA Hall of Fame. | |
By Jason Catullo
Featuring a cocktail reception, the SEMA Pinewood Drag Races and dinner, SEMA’s annual Installation Gala provides guests the chance to connect with friends and colleagues, as well as SEMA Board members and the SEMA Hall of Fame’s newest inductees.
The gala sets the stage to pay tribute to the outgoing and incoming Board members and serves as the venue to honor and formally introduce the latest Hall of Fame inductees.
Susan Carpenter of JR Products, Laurel Dasher of Powerteq and Dan Kahn of Kahn Media Inc. are the newest members elected to the SEMA Board. In addition to the new volunteers, Jim Bingham of Winner’s Circle Speed & Custom Inc. and Nick Gramelspacher of Meyer Distributing were re-elected, and Wade Kawasaki of the Coker Group was elected SEMA’s chairman-elect.
Joel Ayres, Jim Bingham and Dennis Gage will receive the industry's highest honor and be inducted into the SEMA Hall of Fame. They join a prestigious group of industry icons whose contributions and innovations have shaped and inspired the $33-billion automotive specialty-equipment market.
The Pinewood Drag Races, hosted by SEMA Cares, feature carefully crafted pinewood race cars competing in several classes while onlookers cheer on their favorites. Proceeds benefit SEMA Cares charities. The SEMA Cares Pinewood Drag Races will take place Friday, July 24, at the Millennium Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles. The finals will be held during the cocktail reception shortly before the banquet begins.
Learn more about the SEMA Installation Banquet at www.sema.org/gala. To sponsor a Pinewood race car or to get started building one, sign up at www.sema.org/pinewoood.