By Ashley Reyes
The SEMA Future Leaders Network (FLN) has named Zachary Arlen, car shop supervisor at Detroit Speed and Engineering, as the network's newest spotlight member.
Get to know Arlen in his interview with SEMA News below.
SEMA News: What is the best advice you have ever received?
Zachary Arlen: Fail forward. Failures don't need to be something that we punish ourselves for. We all fail at some point. The most important thing we can do after we fail at something is to learn from the situation and improve in order to prevent the same thing in the future. In a professional setting, both from a technician and a supervisor standpoint, this has always pushed me to look for the solution instead of punishing myself for what went wrong.
SN: What keeps you in the industry?
ZA: The automotive lifestyle is in my blood. I grew up around custom cars and I'm extremely passionate about what I do. There were certain people within the industry that I looked up to early on in my career, and I would love to be someone that another young person getting into the industry can look up to.
SN: Where can you be found on a Saturday?
ZA: If I'm not working, I am probably attending a car show/race, rummaging through a junk yard for parts, or simply spending time with my family. On a Saturday morning, coffee is always first.
SN: How do you prepare for an important meeting?
ZA: I try not to over prepare, but if I know the subject matter ahead of time, I try to gather any notes or materials that I would need to reference during that meeting. The rest of the preparation is simply making sure my appearance is professional and being myself. I always like to have genuine interactions with other people, whether it's during a business meeting or at an event.
SN: If you could go to lunch with one industry leader, living or dead, who would it be?
ZA: It's hard to narrow it down to just one person! I'd love to hear more about Troy Trepanier's story and experiences within the custom car industry. Troy, and Rad Rides as a shop, has always been someone I have looked up to within the custom car industry. When you think of trendsetters in the industry, he's absolutely in my top selection of people.
Fill out an FLN member spotlight form to be eligible to be featured on FLN's social media, SEMA News and FLN member updates.
