By Ashley Reyes
As the March 19 deadline to submit nominations for the 2021 SEMA Hall of Fame quickly approaches, many Hall of Fame members are reflecting on what the awards and the program mean to not just themselves, but also the industry.
“Some of the younger members in SEMA look at these awards as ho hum and [something that is just] for insiders, but that is not true,” said 1997 SEMA Hall of Fame inductee Chuck Blum. “Someday they will be older members and they will recognize why some individual in their peer group should be recognized.”
Blum, who worked in sales and marketing at Keystone Wheels before serving as SEMA president for 22 years, urges industry members to share their thoughts and recommendations for future SEMA Hall of Fame members. It’s a way to give back, recognize and thank those who have gone the extra mile to make the automotive specialty-equipment industry so great.
“Those who have been installed into the Hall of Fame worked hard both for their companies and the industry,” Blum continued. “They spent hours of their free time working for the industry in activities such as pouring over new regs that impact us, meeting in peer groups to create strategy on how to deal with them and, at times, making sacrifices for themselves for the benefit for the group as a whole.”
“We know that submitting a nomination can be another task on someone’s to-do list, but we rely on the industry to share their thoughts and experiences as to who deserves to be inducted each year,” added Lindsay Bianco, SEMA senior manager, membership projects. “The SEMA Hall of Fame is not something that is taken lightly, and we strive to and recognize the industry’s best. We can only do this through the help and input from the industry.”
To learn more about the SEMA Hall of Fame or view a list of inductees and their bios, visit www.semahof.com or contact Bianco at lindsayb@sema.org or 909-978-6692.