By Ashley Reyes
The SEMA Future Leaders Network (FLN) has named Darek Zygula, marketing strategist at HP Tuners, as its newest spotlight member.
Get to know Zygula in his interview with SEMA News below.
SEMA News: What is the best advice you have ever received?
Darek Zygula: The best advice I have ever received is to always continue learning. When I was younger and going to school, education was not really a priority for me. Everyone would always encourage me to try hard in school, and while I did ok, it was more just to get it over with rather than retaining the material. Eventually, as I got older, I realized that education and understanding are invaluable in any area of life. The more you know about a topic and the better you understand it directly relates to how successful you can be in that area. In the current world, where instant gratification has taken priority and people like things done quickly, it is extremely important not to shy away from training and education and to take the time to learn and become an expert.
SN: What keeps you in the industry?
DZ: Growing up, I didn't really have anyone in automotive or to teach me about cars, but when I was old enough to start driving, the obsession began. My first car was just an old Honda Accord that was handed down from my brother, and of course, as a broke teenager, the only option was to fix things myself. Once I got the hang of oil changes and brake jobs, I moved on to a Subaru WRX and the performance mods began. Since then, cars and racing have always been a part of my life, so it just made sense to work in the industry. No matter where you work there will always be ups and downs but at the end of the day, it is a great feeling to know that the people you work with have a similar passion and that everyone is working towards making a better product for automotive enthusiasts to use.
SN: Where can you be found on a Saturday?
DZ: My weekends have been quite hectic the last few years as I purchased a two-flat in 2021 and have been working on renovating it in my spare time. It has taken a lot of nights and weekends to get it where it needs to be, but I am just about wrapping up my final project. As I get some of my free time back, I would love to get back out to some car shows/meets. I'm also excited to get back out into nature and do some hiking or exploring, and like most people, I love good food so I'm always looking for an excuse to check out a new restaurant.
SN: How do you prepare for an important meeting?
DZ: This question ties back to the best advice I've heard, and I think the best way to prepare is to be educated and informed about the topic at hand. If it is a meeting that I am leading, the preparation would include a short agenda and things that need to be covered along with any required action items post-meeting. If I am just attending a meeting my prep is a bit different, and I would just make sure to have all the latest relevant information and bring notes with questions or input I want to share.
SN: If you could go to lunch with an industry leader, living or dead, who would it be?
DZ: The person that comes to mind with this question is Ken Block. He was an inspiration to a lot of people and his unfortunate accident a couple of years ago affected the entire industry. As an ex-Subaru owner, I've watched many Ken Block rally videos, and his Gymkhana videos were extremely well executed.
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