By Ashley Reyes
 Taking place on SEMA360, the Keynote Q&A, powered by OPTIMA Batteries featured Mike Rowe (right), creator and host of the hit TV series “Dirty Jobs,” and Tanner Foust (left), industry celebrity and driver, broadcasting live from their respective locations. |
Mike Rowe and Tanner Foust kicked off the inaugural SEMA360 with an inspiring conversation about the automotive industry and the unique passion that the industry shares.
Taking place on SEMA360, the Keynote Q&A, powered by OPTIMA Batteries featured Rowe, creator and host of the hit TV series “Dirty Jobs,” and Foust, industry celebrity and driver, broadcasting live from their respective locations. During the half-hour episode, the two talked about the state of the automotive aftermarket, their passion for the industry and the need to inspire more people to get involved in the aftermarket trade.
Rowe shared his experience and stories behind the success of his show “Dirty Jobs,” how the mikeroweWORKS Foundation came to be and how it evolved from a PR campaign for skilled labor to a scholarship fund for those willing to learn a trade that’s in demand.
“There is a real shortage of skilled technicians across the country, and real opportunities to prosper in those trades,” said Rowe. “My foundation gave away $1 million in work ethic scholarships this year to people who want to learn a trade and help close the skills gap.”
Foust, who was streaming live from OPTIMA’s event Hi-Performance Expo, gave attendees a sneak peak of the track, shared his insight on the diversity of the industry and talked about how the industry is persevering is this unprecedented time of COVID-19 .
“The enthusiast world and automotive market is healthy,” said Foust. “When you cruise around in SEMA360 and what we’ll do the next couple of days here through this platform, you’ll meet a lot of people who are almost investors. You’ll find people who have innovated. People are tinkering and inventing and putting their passion into physical representation.”
A re-airing of the Q&A session will take place in SEMA360 to all registered SEMA360 attendees on Wednesday, November 4, at 1:00 p.m. (PST).
To attend additional SEMA360 Education seminars happening November 2-6, simply visit the “Industry Education” tab on the SEMA360 home page or register for SEMA360 at www.sema360.com.