Ralph Sheheen (left), owner of Speed Sport magazine;
Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-NC), the lead sponsor of the
RPM Act; and Greg Fornelli (right), owner of SRI
Performance.
Congressional support for the bipartisan Recognizing the Protection of Motorsports Act of 2021 (RPM Act), H.R. 3281, continues to expand as racers and members of the motorsports’ parts industry write their members of Congress and ask them to cosponsor the bill. The RPM Act now has 82 bipartisan cosponsors, as five members of the U.S. House of Representatives recently agreed to publicly support the bill, including U.S. Representatives Elise Stefanik (R-NY), Austin Scott (R-GA), Jay Obernolte (R-CA), Andy Barr (R-KY) and Michael Cloud (R-TX).
While the House has been out of session during the last two weeks, members of Congress have been getting out in the communities they represent to meet with their constituents. Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-NC), the lead sponsor of the RPM Act, recently visited SRI Performance in Mooresville, North Carolina, which sells racing and street performance products. During the visit, Rep. McHenry spoke with Greg Fornelli, owner of SRI Performance; Ralph Sheheen, owner of Speed Sport magazine; and David Miller, executive director of the North Carolina Motorsports Association (NCMA), about the importance of passing the RPM Act.
“It was great to visit SRI Performance,” said Rep. McHenry. “SRI is a leader in providing racing parts for the motorsports industry. Racing has a long and storied history in North Carolina and is an important part of our economy. Recently, I was proud to reintroduce the RPM Act to protect grassroots motorsports and industries that support them.”
The RPM Act must be enacted into law to guarantee your right to modify street cars, trucks and motorcycles into dedicated race vehicles, and ensure that industry can offer parts that enable racers to compete. It is imperative that lawmakers continue to be reminded of the importance of passing the RPM Act. Click here to see the current list of RPM Act cosponsors, and don’t forget to send a letter to your U.S. Representative asking them to support the bill and fight for it to become law.
For details, contact Eric Snyder at erics@sema.org.
Hot Rod Industry Alliance (HRIA) members and businesses in the hot-rod market will connect at the Kentucky Expo Center/National Street Rod Association Nationals in Louisville, Kentucky, for an in-person membership meeting taking place, August 4, from 3:30 p.m.–5:00 p.m. (EDT).
This meeting is open to current HRIA members and businesses in the hot-rod market that are interested in learning more involved with the council. The HRIA Select Committee will be on site to share updates on the council’s latest initiatives, as well as answer questions from attendees on what resources are available.
HRIA members attending National Street Rod Association (NSRA) Nationals are encouraged to RSVP here.
Feature vehicles provide exhibitors the ability to highlight
products and upgrades on cars and trucks positioned in
designated areas away from the company’s SEMA Show
booth.
The deadline to apply for a feature vehicle at the 2021 SEMA Show is July 30. Exhibitors planning a feature vehicle for the Show are encouraged to mark their calendars now to allow ample time to choose the best car to represent their brand and promote its appearance appropriately.
All feature vehicles must be approved and paid for by qualified exhibiting companies. Criteria for placement is based on how the exhibiting company’s products are showcased on the vehicle, whether the car has been featured in the SEMA Show previously, how complete the vehicle build is, and to what degree the vehicle captures all elements of the specialty-equipment market.
Each qualified exhibiting company is guaranteed placement for one feature vehicle. Additional vehicles will be prioritized by the exhibitors, using an electronic form that will be provided by SEMA Show management after July 30.
Feature vehicles provide exhibitors the ability to highlight products and upgrades on cars and trucks positioned in designated areas away from the company’s SEMA Show booth. With unique style and unmatched innovations, feature vehicles are a visual marketing tool to help generate an organic appeal for an exhibitor’s products.
Vdara is among six Las Vegas properties offering more than a 50%
discount per night when booking through onPeak.
Showgoers booking through onPeak—the SEMA Show housing partner—receive guaranteed low rates on a wide range of hotel properties at locations on and off the Las Vegas Strip.
onPeak not only offers discounted nightly rates for SEMA Show participants, but also offers reduced resort fees so you can save even more on your stay.
SEMA has negotiated exclusive, discounted nightly rates at the best hotels in Las Vegas, but you can only get the discounted rates when you book through the SEMA Show’s official hotel provider, onPeak. Save more than 50% per night at the following properties:
Encore
Excalibur
Luxor
The Signature at MGM Grand
Vdara
Wynn
When making your hotel reservations through the SEMA Show Travel & Lodging page, you are receiving the most affordable and convenient hotel options through our partnership with onPeak—the only official hotel provider for the 2021 SEMA Show. All negotiated rates provided by onPeak include resort fees and will allow you to change or cancel your reservation without any financial penalties.
More information about the SEMA Show, Tuesday–Friday, November 2–5, is available on www.SEMAShow.com.
Matt Jones Takes Operations Helm at Art Morrison Enterprises
With the untimely passing of Art Morrison Enterprises (AME) Vice President Craig Morrison, long-time AME employee Matt Jones will take over a number of responsibilities he had shared with Morrison since 2019 as operations manager. Jones joined AME in 2005. He worked hand-in-hand with company founder Art Morrison, and as the company grew, Jones ascended to the roll of lead engineer, ultimately supervising a trio of other chassis and suspension experts. Jones was the prime motivator in the development of the AME Multi-Link I.R.S.
An automotive enthusiast all his life, Jones’ silver ’69 Camaro became the development “mule” for many of AME’s suspension components. Jones participated in several “suspension shootouts” held by leading enthusiast publications and scored high marks. Prior to the Camaro, Jones road raced a Mazda Miata. Jones and his wife, Lisa, live in nearby Auburn, Washington, and have two daughters, Ashlynn, 12, and Cailee, 7.
After working with RADwood vehicle owners to develop a line
of products specifically for ‘80s and ‘90s cars, Motul has
become an official partner of the RADwood automotive event
series for the 2021 show season.
Motul Named Official Partner of RADwood
Motul has joined RADwood as an official partner for the 2021 show season. RADwood events highlight cars from the post-emissions, pre-digital decades and celebrate the lifestyles and fashions of the ’80s and ’90s. Motul helped kick off RADwood’s 2021 return at RADwood NorCal, held at the San Mateo County Event Center in San Mateo, California, on July 10.
XLerate Group Acquires Liquid Motors
The XLerate Group has added Liquid Motors to its offerings serving consignors and buyers, both digitally and in-lane. Liquid Motors is a critical service provider to independent auctions, dealers, marketplaces and key industry participants.
LSI Chemical Announces China-Based Distributor
LSI Chemical has announced Anna ChemTech Co. Ltd. (Shanghai) as its international distributor to sell and market LSI Chemical and Hot Shot’s Secret oil and fuel additives in China. As part of the agreement, LSI Chemical’s state-of-the-art R&D facility in Ohio will be used to develop custom formulations for the Chinese market. Anna ChemTech is an international trading company with a product portfolio that includes lubricants, coatings, metalworking fluids and more. In addition to the full line of LSI Chemical fuel and oil additives, Anna ChemTech will market and sell Hot Shot’s Secret complete line of fuel and oil additives and specialty oils for gas and diesel-powered vehicles.
Attendees will see how QA1’s products are designed and
manufactured in the Lakeville, Minnesota facility and will be
able to explore the 100,000-plus-sq.-ft. building.
QA1 to Host First Open House at New Lakeville, Minnesota, Facility
QA1 has announced the company will host its first open house event since the completion of its state-of-the-art facility in 2020. The company’s space will be available to visitors from 7:00 a.m.–9 a.m. local time, Friday, July 16. Guided tours of the facility will be followed by a #goDRIVEit cruise to the Street Machine Summer Nationals at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds. The open house will allow enthusiasts to see QA1’s development center, manufacturing floor and more. Attendees will see how QA1’s products are designed and manufactured in the Lakeville, Minnesota facility and will be able to explore the 100,000-plus-sq.-ft. building. QA1’s upcoming open house marks the return of the company’s annual event after a two-year hiatus due to the transition to the new building in 2019 and COVID-19 precautions in 2020. To take part in the free cruise from QA1 to Street Machine Summer Nationals, drivers can register via QA1’s Eventbrite page.
Acme Manufacturing Unveils New Logo and Branding
Acme Manufacturing has unveiled its new logo to symbolize its modern focus. With the new logo, Acme wanted to preserve its legacy by retaining similar elements of their past designs. The globe shape stands out from the text, serving as a modern representation of Acme’s expanding global footprint. During the past year, Acme made many internal process changes that led to increased efficiency and more innovative solutions. This forward motion instigated the need for a new logo and branding to reflect the focus on perpetual innovation in a global market.
Kian Capital’s The Eastwood Company Completes Add-on Acquisition of Yost Vises
The Eastwood Company completed the acquisition of Yost Vises, a specialized provider of high-quality vises. The Yost Vises brand has a 100-year-old history as an industry-leading provider of rugged, durable and dependable workholding tools sold at DIY price points. It offers a range of bench vises, drill press vises, woodworking vises and clamps and accessories sold via e-commerce to automotive enthusiasts, metalworkers, woodworkers and other DIYers and hobbyists.
“Like Eastwood, Yost Vises is a storied company with a loyal following and we are excited to welcome the brand into the Eastwood family,” commented Brian Huck, CEO of Eastwood. “Vises are an essential device in the arsenal of tools that our customers need to finish their DIY project and do the job right. The Yost Vises acquisition offers us another high-quality product line that complements our existing capabilities and enables us to continue providing a broader set of solutions to our customers.”
Yost Vises has been owned by the Nelis family for more than four decades, over which time they have grown the brand, innovated within the category and built a strong reputation for quality and customer service. “Yost Vises has been owned by our family since 1979, and we were very selective with potential buyers during this process,” said Pat Nelis, Co-Owner at Yost Vises. “Eastwood was the ideal fit for Yost Vises, and we are confident that Brian and his team will uphold its high standards of quality and service and be great stewards of its legacy.”
Kian’s continued progress with buy-and-build strategies at its three automotive aftermarket platform investments reinforces the firm’s focus on investing in branded/enthusiast DTC companies with a differentiated strategy, a robust e-commerce presence and superior product lines that result in a highly engaged customer base. NuVescor Group acted as financial advisor to Yost Vises. Robinson, Bradshaw & Hinson, P.A. acted as legal advisor to Eastwood.
Have some company news you would like to share? Let us know and the news may appear in an upcoming issue of SEMA eNews. Send your items for consideration to editors@sema.org.
With exhibits included in the LVCC’s newly constructed West Hall,
the entire SEMA Show floorplan will be optimized and offers room
for new features and enhancements for an improved overall
attendee experience.
The 2021 SEMA Space Allocation process was completed in late-June, with more than 1,700 companies selecting their booth locations at the Las Vegas Convention Center (LVCC). The LVCC's halls are nearly full of exhibits, but booth space is still being reserved, and more exhibitors are expected to secure space until the Show opens on November 2.
Attendees planning on joining the industry at the 2021 SEMA Show can see who's exhibiting and where through the updated floorplan. If you have not yet registered for the SEMA Show, taking place Tuesday-Friday, November 2-5, visit www.SEMAShow.com/attendee to register.
For 2021, the Show will include exhibit space in the Las Vegas Convention Center’s newly constructed West Hall, a 1.4-million-sq.-ft. facility completed in January. The new facility includes exhibitors from the Restyling & Car Care Accessories, Powersports & Utility Vehicles, and Truck, SUV & Off-Road sections.
Earlier in June, the visitors of the World of Concrete convention were the first to use the new hall, and the event marked the first large-scale convention and tradeshow to be held in Las Vegas in 15 months.
In addition to the new hall, the newly constructed Loop—a high-speed, people-mover system that runs 40 ft. under the LVCC—will transport visitors between South, Central and West Halls. The World of Concrete successfully used the system to shuttle visitors through the 200-acre convention center.
For more information on the 2021 SEMA Show, visit www.SEMAShow.com.
The 2021 SEMA Show Space Allocation process wrapped up earlier this week, and more than more than 1,700 companies are confirmed to exhibit, and many more are expected before the event takes place in November.
The SEMA Show floorplan is live, and buyers are currently examining the event's layout to see who will be there for 2021.
Companies that would like to exhibit at this year's SEMA Show to reconnect with customers and generate new business, can get started at www.SEMAShow.com.
Exhibiting at the SEMA Show puts your latest products in front of thousands of qualified buyers from every segment of the specialty-equipment industry, including buyers looking for your products. This year's Show offers even more opportunities for exhibitors reach new buyers. SEMA Show management recently announced that buyer registration for the Show has started at the fastest pace they have seen in the event's 54-year history.
SEMA Show exhibitor Cometic Gaskets is ready to reunite with customers in person, and reach out to more buyers outside of the company's local region.
“We are most looking forward to face-to-face conversations and reconnecting with our customers old and new. Cometic is located in the midwest, and exhibiting at SEMA allows us to connect with our West Coast customers and industry segments, such as desert racing.”
Registration for the 2021 SEMA Show is offered in three categories—attendee, exhibitor, and media—and everyone must qualify to receive a badge and attend.
SEMA eNews highlights SEMA-member companies’ websites weekly through the Hot Links to Cool Sites section. SEMA members: To be included in Hot Links to Cool Sites, email your company name and website to enews@sema.org. Note: Make sure to include “Hot Links” in the subject line of the email.
Are you hunting for a new job? The SEMA Career Center has a comprehensive listing of automotive-related job openings around the country. Here are some of the latest jobs posted to the website.
Sourcing Specialist Original Parts Group is hiring a sourcing specialistresponsible for introducing new products into the company’s integrated supply chain while also working closely with marketing on product development and expansion. Candidate’s primary function is to research and acquire new products relevant to Original Parts Group’s business model. Automotive aftermarket/auto parts experience is required.
B2B Sales Representative Keystone Automotive Operations is hiring a B2B sales representativewith exceptional customer service skills to provide potential and current customers a world-class experience through outstanding customer service skills and knowledge of the company’s business systems. Candidates must have a high school diploma or GED equivalent. Strong time management and organizational skill are required.
Compliance Center Project Coordinator SEMA is hiring a compliance center project coordinator to aid the director of emissions compliance and/or emissions compliance supervisor in matters related to obtaining California Air Resources Board Executive Orders (CARB E.O.s) for aftermarket automotive products and automotive emissions lab functions. This primarily includes assistance in the preparation of all documents and supporting information that is required for assisting member companies in achieving Executive Orders. This position nterfaces with the SEMA Emissions Lab and other labs during the execution of CARB EOs testing, related to both R&D and certification efforts.
Hot Rod Industry Alliance (HRIA)
Acme Manufacturing Unveils New Logo and Branding