SEMA Education Institute (SEI) Partners with Harvard Business School

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(December 14, 2009)

Contact: Della Domingo
909-396-0289, ext. 130
dellad@sema.org

DIAMOND BAR, Calif. (Dec. 14, 2009) – The SEMA Education Institute (SEI) has enhanced its professional online training courses through a new agreement with Harvard Business Publishing. The agreement provides SEMA members access to world-class business management training through the Harvard ManageMentor®10 program.

“Training is critical, especially during today’s challenging economy. Everyone needs to do more with less in these tough times,” said Bob Price, SEI executive director. “The Harvard program offers the most practical and engaging online resources available today for fostering management skills. The series addresses the full spectrum of issues faced by new and experienced managers alike. Interactive audio and video exercises encourage attentive participation—and this training can help our Members apply their improved skills on the job—today.”

“Harvard has collaborated with recognized business leaders, practitioners, and experts on the development of each training module,” said Tom Myroniak, SEMA VP of membership and research. “We’re truly excited to offer this exclusive program to our SEMA members—practical step-by-step tools--the same training used by many Fortune 500 companies.”

Details about the courses, which are not available to individuals, can be found at www.sema.org/harvard. Typically, this curriculum is only offered to large companies that invest thousands of dollars to provide training for their managers. SEMA has negotiated an agreement with Harvard to offer its smallest member companies the opportunity to receive the same access provided to Fortune 500 firms. Harvard Business School Publishing is the leading resource for management practices, programs and content and is a wholly-owned, not-for-profit subsidiary of Harvard University. The corporate learning development team capitalizes on its access to the best thinking available from many of the world's foremost subject experts-many from Harvard Business School.

The ManageMentor®10 program offers a variety of topics including; business plan development, crisis management, finance essentials, hiring, marketing essentials, strategic planning, performance measurement and many more. Each learning module contains tips, tools, downloadable forms and worksheets for continuous use and flexible application. The modules are structured to guide the learner through the key ideas and concepts, reinforced with interactive participation. Learners are then provided with real-world, interactive scenarios and self tests to check the manager’s understanding of the concepts; they can then hone their new skills and receive instant feedback in a safe environment.

About SEMA
SEMA, the Specialty Equipment Market Association founded in 1963, represents the $31.85 billion specialty automotive industry of 7,144 member-companies. It is the authoritative source for research, data, trends and market growth information for the specialty auto parts industry. The industry provides appearance, performance, comfort, convenience and technology products for passenger and recreational vehicles. For more information, contact SEMA at 1575 S. Valley Vista Dr., Diamond Bar, CA 91765, tel: 909/396-0289, or visit www.sema.org or www.enjoythedrive.com.