PEOPLE
Champion of the Aftermarket Industry
State Senator Mark Maynard
By Caroline Fletcher
for State Sen. Mark Maynard. In the last year alone, he has
worked on legislation to create an Office of Outdoor
Recreation in West Virginia, develop a West Virginia Statewide Motorized Trail, encourage public access and use of state
roads and trails, and request the construction of an off-
highway vehicle trail to parallel the Appalachian Hiking Trail.
Although Congress tends to garner the headlines, some of the most important issues that affect the automotive aftermarket are controlled by the states. Issues such as vehicle titling and registration, exhaust noise, optional equipment, inoperable vehicles and many more are regulated on a state-by-state basis. If you want to be able to title and register your vintage Humvee (or HMMWV) but no process currently exists for registering former military vehicles in your state, you can turn to your state legislators to ask for help.
West Virginia State Senator Mark Maynard, an active member of SEMA’s State Automotive Enthusiast Leadership Caucus, is not just a lawmaker who’s willing to listen to the concerns of automotive enthusiasts—he’s an enthusiast himself.
Sen. Maynard was first elected to the West Virginia legislature in 2014, beating the incumbent Democratic candidate (who at that time was the longest-serving member of the West Virginia Senate) by only a few hundred votes. Now serving in his second term, Sen. Maynard has proven himself to be a staunch ally to SEMA.
As a small-business owner and lifelong “gearhead,” Sen. Maynard understands firsthand the struggles SEMA members face. During his time in the West Virginia Senate, he has been the lead sponsor on numerous bills to support and promote off-roading and motorsports in the state. Several of those bills have been supported by the SEMA Action Network.
Promoting outdoor recreation, including OHV use, is a priority for Maynard. In the last year alone, he has worked on legislation to create an Office of Outdoor Recreation in West Virginia, develop a West Virginia Statewide Motorized Trail, encourage public access and use of state roads and trails, and request the construction of an off-highway vehicle trail to parallel the Appalachian Hiking Trail.
It’s clear that, as an avid off-road enthusiast, Sen. Maynard is able to use his passion and knowledge to his advantage as a legislator. He was also awarded the first-ever Stephen B. McDonald Legislator of the Year award at the 2018 SEMA Show.
Sen. Maynard recently took some time to do an interview with SEMA News, which appears below. State lawmakers represent fewer constituents than federal lawmakers, and thus are often more accessible. Sen. Maynard invited readers with questions or comments to contact him at mark.maynard@
wvsenate.gov.
SEMA News: We suspect that any representative at the state or federal level is inundated with information and requests. How can we cut through all the noise and help our representatives better understand our industry?
Mark Maynard: If there is something very important on someone’s mind, they could spend less than 15 minutes and accomplish every method of contact for their legislator: email, phone call, and a letter. Unfortunately, it’s not easy to find a contact database for all of the representatives in your state to allow you to send one email to all legislators, but with copy-and-paste, you can reach many legislators with the same message.
You can also save the email addresses of all of your legislators in a document so that you can copy and paste them using the CC or BCC function whenever you have a message. In West Virginia, for example, you could get your point across in less than five minutes to 134 legislators. But my main recommendation is belonging to an association that can keep you updated and represent you on topics related to your industry.
SN: That is very interesting. To be honest, we’ve often had the sense that our representatives are so overwhelmed with constituent feedback that our single message isn’t going to make any difference, but as we talk about this, our realization is that maybe our messages have more resonance than we realized.
MM: Absolutely! I am not overwhelmed; I have a manageable amount of messages and feedback. I share my email address and phone number readily and have really tried to get it out there. I receive a manageable number of text messages every day. We try hard to keep an eye on feedback, especially when we’re in session. That’s when it’s really important for constituents to contact their legislators, when they are in session. Grassroots efforts can have a big impact on a bill.
SN: As electric and hybrid vehicles gain popularity, there will inevitably be some attention from regulators looking at motorsports. How can we make sure that the internal-combustion engine is specifically protected in motorsports applications?
MM: That’s a great question. The idea of the internal-combustion engine not being a part of motorsports, that actually almost brings a tear to my eye. I embrace all forms of motorsports, electric or otherwise, but my first love is the rumble of an internal-combustion engine. It’s going to take a grassroots effort for constituents to say, “No, we will not allow these engines to go away.” I’d hate to see it come to this someday, but it’s one thing if we lose the cars on the street, but we’re going to have to stand firm to not allow the electric engine to ever be exclusive.
SN: Another important issue for segments such as off-road racing is land access. You were recently appointed as a board member of the Blue Ribbon Coalition. How can we make certain we have access to the land needed for different forms of competition?
member of SEMA’s State Automotive Enthusiast Leadership
Caucus. Photo Courtesy: WV Legislative Photography/Will
Price
MM: You know, it once again comes back to your state and federal legislators. They are in control of this land, but when it comes right down to it, they share control.
State and federal agencies are technically in charge, and the legislators can make the greatest arguments in the world [for land usage for motorsports], but if these agencies don’t agree, then it doesn’t happen. They are considered the experts, and their opinion many times outweighs the points made by a legislator or a committee. I can have the greatest ideas in the world for land access, but when the Department of Natural Resources says it’s bad, the idea goes down in flames most of the time.
I’ve talked about contacting your legislators, but in many cases, the head of a state agency actually has much more authority than the legislature—but they are known as bureaucrats for a reason. They are often appointed and in a position to do good things, and sometimes when you think outside the box, it’s not always a good thing. So this bureaucrat could risk his position if he gets a little too radical and tries to make things happen. But for an individual to try to make things happen, contacting your state and federal agency, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and either the U.S. Forest Service or the Department of the Interior (DOI), those are avenues.
The fight for land usage is becoming a pretty big job. I have scheduled meetings in Washington, D.C., with the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the DOI stressing the importance of land access. If I lived closer to D.C., I would be there once a month, knocking on their doors.
And one more thing: Go to the Capitol. I know it’s difficult now with the COVID situation, but go to Washington, set up an appointment with your legislators, and talk to them. Stress to them the importance of land usage for off-road sports. The squeaky wheel gets the grease. That’s still true.
››› Promoting outdoor recreation, including OHV use, is a priority for State Sen. Mark Maynard. In the last year alone, he has worked on legislation to create an Office of Outdoor Recreation in West Virginia, develop a West Virginia Statewide Motorized Trail, encourage public access and use of state roads and trails, and request the construction of an off-highway vehicle trail to parallel the Appalachian Hiking Trail.
››› West Virginia State Senator Mark Maynard is an active member of SEMA’s State Automotive Enthusiast Leadership Caucus.
Courtesy WV Legislative Photography/Will Price
4 Wheel Parts announced the promotion of Kathryn Reinhardt to director of retail marketing. Reinhardt brings more than 15 years of experience in the automotive aftermarket industry. In her new role, she will lead the go-to-marketing strategy, planning and execution of the 4 Wheel Parts retail and house brands marketing. Reinhardt also currently serves on SEMA’s Board of Directors, is the immediate past chair of the Truck & Off Road Alliance and is the current chair of SEMA Cares.
Caliber, parent company to Caliber Collision, Caliber Auto Glass and Caliber Auto Care, announced that Roland Smith joined its board of directors effective April 19. Smith brings more than 30 years of experience in consumer brands and multi-unit operations spanning the hospitality, entertainment, supermarket and office product industries. As a member of Caliber’s board, Smith will provide strategic guidance to support Caliber’s operations, teammates, partners and customers.
ZEV announced the addition of Rick Kreifeldt to its advisory board. Kreifeldt has more than 30 years of technology experience. He serves as the head of American R&D for LG Electronics, where his team specializes in artificial intelligence, Internet of Things, user experience and next-generation automotive platforms. His responsibilities include advanced technology development, new-business incubation, and open innovation. Previously, Kreifeldt was president of Motoforza Inc., a strategy and technology consultancy.
Randys Worldwide announced the promotion of Neal Hollingsworth to vice president of marketing. Reporting to the president and CEO, Hollingsworth will continue to be responsible for activities related to Randys Worldwide and the network of brands across all sales and marketing channels. Hollingsworth’s marketing group leads Randys’ companies in web, analytics, digital, event and brand management, graphic design, motion graphics, sales channel support and development, and customer marketing support.
Toyo Tire U.S.A. Corp. announced that John Thomas was selected as its next president and CEO. Thomas brings more than 30 years of automotive experience to the role, including extensive knowledge of the North American OEM and aftermarket landscape. In his most recent role, Thomas served as president and CEO of Webasto Charging Systems in Monrovia, California. Thomas will report to Tatsuo Mitsuhata, chairman of the board of Toyo Tire U.S.A. Corp.
Retrac Group announced that experienced automotive and motorsports executive Dan Walmsley was appointed CEO. He will lead the group’s two divisions: Retrac Productions Ltd. and Retrac Composites Ltd. Longstanding co-owner and Retrac Productions Managing Director Andy Carter was appointed chairman of Retrac Group. Walmsley arrives at the company from VentilatorChallengeUK Consortium. Prior, he was the motorsports director at McLaren Automotive from 2016 to 2020, having been team principal at FIA World Sportscar Championship entrant Strakka Racing.
Pylon Manufacturing announced the appointment of Michael Fretwell as president. He brings more than two decades of experience in sales, marketing and product development. He previously served as chief marketing officer at Pylon, where he drove the expansion of retailers and led the company’s launch of several new innovative products and initiatives, including the first-ever BFGoodrich Off Road Wiper Blades and the industry’s first real-time fitment solution.
Mark Lieber joined the team at Maxxsonics USA as project and quality manager. His responsibilities will involve leading the company’s concurrent product development teams in the design and engineering of products. Lieber began his career in 1987 and worked at various positions at Rockford Fosgate, YSI Inc. and Scosche Industries before joining the Maxxsonics team.
Mickey Thompson Tires & Wheels named Jason Moulton director of motorsports. With 23 years of experience in race tire development for the company, Moulton developed several new drag-race tires, wheels and related products, such as Mickey Thompson’s big drag tire program, including the first “Bubba” ET Drag tire for Top Sportsman, Top Dragster, Super Comp and more classes. Moulton will oversee a team of motorsports experts and will attend more than 100 race events each year, providing trackside service to racers at national, divisional and local events across the country.
Oceano Dunes is a major attraction that draws enthusiasts and tourists from across the nation who are eager to ride four-wheel drives, motorcycles, ATVs, Sun Buggies, high mobility multipurpose wheeled vehicles (HMMWV) and UTVs in the park. The activity generates millions of dollars for the local economy—money spent at area stores, motels, restaurants, gas stations, etc. Beyond financial considerations, the joy of motorized recreation at the dunes has been cherished by individuals, friends and families for generations. Its days may be numbered.
In late 1958, the multi-talented illustrator and cartoonist Pete Millar created just the thing for racers who wanted to record their victories like a fighter pilot. These “easy-to-apply” Drag Decals, advertised in the “What’s New” department of the June 1959 issue of Hot Rod, were available in a choice of 15 different domestic cars “plus a new one for karts.” (A close look at the photo reveals a karting magazine in the back pocket of Millar’s trousers.)
Ours is an industry built on imagination, fresh ideas and entrepreneurship, qualities that offer exciting opportunities. While the annual SEMA Show in Las Vegas remains an obvious beacon for industry entrepreneurial activity, awareness of the scale and scope of innovation in the specialty automotive sector—and the opportunities it affords—has mostly been limited to the inner circle of our business community.
