More than 140 SEMA members and non-members attended the July 13 Town Hall Meeting at Roush Automotive museum in Livonia, MI. Members had the chance to take a tour of the museum, network with local industry leaders, and be a part of facilitated discussion with SEMA’s CEO and president, Chris Kersting.
Main topics covered during the discussion included:
Chris spoke about the ongoing efforts to combat the EPA’s proposed motorsports regulations which will prohibit vehicles from being modified for racing and performance. Chris reviewed that while over 160,000+ supporters have signed the petition, the next step to keep the motorsports industry thriving is to visit www.SEMA.org/rpm to let your congressmen know where you stand on the issue.
Mike Spagnola, VP of the SEMA Garage, spoke about new resources the garage offers to help members through the E.O. application process. SEMA recently brought on emissions lab manager Peter Treydte, who can help guide members through the long process of E.O. certification. He has helped some members go through the process within 24 hours. Get to know your SEMA Garage benefits and programs by visiting www.semagarage.com.
SEMA Data Co-Op was another topic of discussion. Jim Graven, Director of Membership gave a recap of how SEMA Data Co-Op can help both Manufacturers and Retailers by managing and providing clean product data to better sell and market products. Learn more by visiting: www.semadatacoop.org.
Also addressed during the discussion was one of SEMA’s newest benefits Vehicles in Operation which our Director of Market Research, Gavin Knapp addressed and highlighted that the data is free to SEMA members, they just need to fill out an inquiry found at www.SEMA.org/VIO.
Thank you again to our gracious hosts at Yakima Products Inc. for hosting the 3rd Town Hall Meeting of 2016. If you want to learn more about SEMA’s Town Halls contact AJ Carney at 909-978-6697 or email at andreac@SEMA.org.