Racers and onlookers crowd around the finish line in anticipation at the 2008 SEMA Pinewood Drag Race.

The Light-Truck Accessory Alliance (TORA) has set the spirit of giving by donating a new track to be used at the second annual SEMA Pinewood Drag Race, presented by eBay Motors, held 10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. on August 1, 2009, at the Pasadena Convention Center in Pasadena, California.

The racetrack was purchased with proceeds from the vehicle exhibits displayed in the light-truck area of the 2008 SEMA Show. The racetrack will replace the two tracks used at last year’s event, which were donated to the charities. 

"We are excited that the SEMA TORA council has stepped up to help out this great event by donating a brand-new derby racetrack," said Gregory Parker, 2009 SEMA Pinewood Drag Race committee chair.  "The donation will not only help us out for the event this year but, hopefully, for years to come. All of us involved in the Pinewood committee, SEMA and the kids of Childhelp and Victory Junction Gang whom this event supports, want to thank the TORA for its generosity."

The drag race, held in conjunction with the 2009 SEMA Installation Banquet & Gala Fundraiser, was established last year to raise money for children’s charities Childhelp and Victory Junction Gang Camp. Childhelp is an organization that assists abused and neglected children, and Victory Junction Gang Camp provides life-changing camping experiences to disabled and chronically ill children.

“I was at the first Pinewood Drag Race last year, and it was extremely successful and a lot of fun,” said Tom Brooks, TORA Select Committee member. “I think this year’s race will be even more exciting; there will be a lot more participants, and, most importantly, the two charities will continue to benefit greatly from it.”

About 150 cars were entered in last year’s derby, raising approximately $40,000 for the two charities. Stock cars were built by children at their camps and then sponsored by SEMA-member companies through their donations to the charities. SEMA manufacturers are also allowed to design and build their own entries for the Modified class.

“Regardless of the size of the race car, if you say the word ‘race’ to SEMA members, they are ready to go,” said Brooks.

The day-long event will be followed by the SEMA Installation Banquet & Gala Fundraiser, where the 2009 SEMA Hall of Fame inductees will be announced.

To sponsor a child at the SEMA Pinewood Drag Race, presented by eBay Motors, click here.

For questions about the Pinewood Drag Races and the SEMA Installation Banquet & Gala Fundraiser, contact Lisa Moreno at 909/396-0289, ext. 105 or e-mail lisam@sema.org.

The Pontiac G8 is one the vehicles offered in GM's 2009 SEMA Show project-vehicle lineup.

Ford and General Motors encourage manufacturers, designers and restylers to participate in two new unique project-vehicle programs.

GM is now accepting proposals for 2009 project vehicles, including those for display consideration at the 2009 SEMA Show. GM's 2009 SEMA Show strategy will focus on passenger-car performance accessories and some pickups with full accessory programs from the accessories market.

Key vehicles for consideration include the Chevrolet Camaro, Pontiac G8 and GMC Sierra. Other GM product lines will be available in limited quantities within the scope of this program. Act quickly, as early proposals will be given preferential consideration. Proposals are due no later than May 1, and approved projects must be completed by October 16.

Click here for further details about the GM Project Vehicle Program.

The Fiesta is Ford's best-selling car in Europe. Also on sale in China, Australia and South Africa, the Fiesta is bound for North America early next year.

In another unique project-vehicle opportunity, Ford is offering a first crack at its re-introduced 2010 Fiesta. Long popular in Europe, the Fiesta makes its return to North America. Ford is encouraging project-car builders to take a pre-production Fiesta for one year to create and promote demand for accessories and specialty equipment.

Click here for further details about the Ford Fiesta Project Vehicle Program.

Filler for eNews

Part two of the SEMA Recession Survival Series Webinar program, “Relationship Management Within the Supply Chain: Get the Most from Your Suppliers, Company and Teams,” presented by Nancy McGuire, president of McGuire Consulting Group Inc., demonstrated that building strong supplier relationships through trust, mutual value and a long-term vision is integral to your company’s success.

“In the supply chain, relationship management is moving to the top of the list as a critical requirement and skill,” said McGuire.    

McGuire stated that one of the three foundations to building a strong relationship is trust.

“If you tell someone you are going to return a call within 24 hours, you do it,” said McGuire. “If somebody asks you for something within a certain deadline, you meet it. That stuff matters. Those types of dependability items develop trust in the other person.”

The next key category that McGuire revealed for establishing a solid relationship is mutual value. She stated that in order for a relationship to work well, both parties must be getting value.

“You need to have frequent contact, meaning you don’t just call when you need something,” said McGuire. “Oftentimes I will call when I want to offer help. ‘How are you doing? What do you need? Is there anything I can help you with?’”

The third component of a strong supplier relationship is a long-term horizon. McGuire emphasized how essential it is to think in terms of long-term results. She warned against burning bridges, even if the working relationship is one that you view as short-term.

“You never know when you are going to work with that person again,” said McGuire. “In your industry, people move around. A person who is a supplier today is a client tomorrow.” 

McGuire’s presentation included a template that you can use with internal clients to provide them with updates and also to receive feedback. She stated that this template will solicit and improve your relationship with your clients.

McGuire stressed the importance of applying her practices and establishing a better supplier relationship.

“The number four strategy coming from your industry, from feedback from your vehicle manufacturers, says a trusting long-term relationship with select specialty-equipment suppliers would be beneficial,” said McGuire. “So right in your own industry it’s recognized that this is a crucial part of the way you are going to go forward in your strategies.”

To download an audio or PDF version of the complete webinar, click here. To download all past SEMA webinars, click here.

Don’t miss the upcoming webinars:

• “Job Costing Systems That Will Boost Your Cash Flow,” Thursday, April 2, 2009, 10:00 a.m.–11:00 a.m. (PDT)
• “Tough Times Bring Change: Learn How to Manage and Move Forward,” Thursday, April 9, 2009, 10:00 a.m.–11:00 a.m. (PDT)

To view the entire calendar of the SEMA Recession Survival Series Webinar program, click here.

Participate in SEMA’s webinar on April 2 to learn how to effectively monitor and evaluate your overall operating expenses for your business through job costing. SEMA Accounting Manager Tom Aiono will discuss the basics of job costing and other simple tools that you can use now to manage the cash flow in your company.

Job costing is an effective way to monitor specific jobs or overall business operations to identify factors that aid in analysis, budgeting, forecasting and reporting. Topics that will be discussed include how to identify problems and uncertainties, how to use the Cost-Volume-Profit (CVP) analysis and how to make predictions about the future of your business.

What: "Job Costing Systems That Will Boost Your Cash Flow"
When: Thursday, April 2, 10:00 a.m.–11:00 a.m. (PST)
Presenter: Tom Aiono, SEMA Accounting Manager

This session is part of the 2009 SEMA Recession Survival Series, a collection of online workshops to help member businesses survive the current economic crisis. The new program focuses on topics specific to today’s challenges, including managing cash flow, retaining the best employees, managing inventory and leading your company through 2009 into the new business environment.

To register for this or other upcoming sessions in the 2009 SEMA Recession Survival Series, click here.

SEMA's Webinar Program: The SEMA webinar program brings the world-class business seminars featured during the SEMA Show right to your desktop. Different business-building sessions are constantly added to the program, offering members the latest insight and practices from today’s leading speakers.

All SEMA webinars are conducted live and are open to all employees of SEMA-member companies free of charge. To participate, all you need is a computer with Internet access and a telephone. All previous SEMA webinars are available for download by clicking here. To view upcoming presentations that you can attend via telephone and Internet, click here.

While the conditions weren't ideal, Brenda Priddy's spy photographers caught GMC's new 2010 Terrain SUV nearly camo-free before the engineer behind the wheel made his getaway.

Priddy notes that the Terrain will follow the styling cues of the larger Acadia. The badges also denote that it's an all-wheel-drive variant. Don't expect to see the generic five-spoke wheels in production, though. The Terrain will essentially replace the Pontiac Torrent and shares the Theta chassis with Chevy's Equinox.

Production will start in the third or fourth quarter of 2009 at the Ingersoll, Ontario, plant, with an official debut later this year.


Photos copyright Brenda Priddy & Company. Reuse or reproduction without copyright holder's consent is prohibited.

While the conditions weren't ideal, Brenda Priddy's spy photographers caught GMC's new 2010 Terrain SUV nearly camo-free before the engineer behind the wheel made his getaway.

Priddy notes that the Terrain will follow the styling cues of the larger Acadia. The badges also denote that it's an all-wheel-drive variant. Don't expect to see the generic five-spoke wheels in production, though. The Terrain will essentially replace the Pontiac Torrent and shares the Theta chassis with Chevy's Equinox.

Production will start in the third or fourth quarter of 2009 at the Ingersoll, Ontario, plant, with an official debut later this year.


Photos copyright Brenda Priddy & Company. Reuse or reproduction without copyright holder's consent is prohibited.

SEMA-model legislation that would create a vehicle registration classification for street rods and custom vehicles was approved overwhelmingly by the Utah State Legislature and now awaits the signature of the governor before becoming law. 

H.B. 143 defines a street rod as an altered vehicle manufactured before 1949 and a custom as an altered vehicle at least 25 years old and manufactured after 1948. The bill allows kit cars and replica vehicles to be assigned a certificate of title bearing the same model-year designation as the production vehicle they most closely resemble. 

For more information, click here. For details, contact Steve McDonald at stevem@sema.org.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) may soon require all new passenger cars be equipped with a means for alerting the driver if a child is behind the vehicle when it is being backed-up. Under a law passed in early 2008, the NHTSA has three years (until February 28, 2011) to implement a regulation, and up to four more years to phase-in the rule. The specialty-equipment aftermarket has been at the forefront of offering cameras and sensors to address the issue. 

The 2008 law is intended to protect children from injuries or death in non-traffic vehicle incidents. In order to draft the regulation, the NHTSA is requesting public input (due Monday, May 4) on the effectiveness of various rear-visibility systems (mirrors, video, etc.) and a cost/benefit analysis on the countermeasures.

The NHTSA also wants guidance on developing technical specifications and tests for evaluating the performance of four countermeasures—direct view, rear-mounted convex mirrors, rear-object detection sensors (such as ultrasonic or radar-based devices) and rearview video (RV) systems.
 
While all passenger vehicles are involved in backover accidents, the NHTSA has found that some vehicles, such as pickups and SUVs, have a higher rate of incidents. Based on these findings, the NHTSA is considering three regulatory approaches for revising Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 111 (Rearview Mirrors):

1. Require a countermeasure be installed on all vehicles by establishing a blind zone size of “0 square feet;
2. Limit the countermeasure mandate to light trucks as a vehicle class (since they are disproportionately responsible for most backover fatalities); or
3. Establish a maximum rear blind-zone area that all vehicles, or light trucks as a class, would have to meet, thus tying the regulatory mandate to the crash rate.

SEMA is interested in gathering feedback from its members on this topic. Questions or comments should be directed to Stuart Gosswein stuartg@sema.org. 

The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services has revised the list of documents acceptable for the Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification: www.uscis.gov/i-9. Employers will be required to use the revised form for all new hires as of April 3, 2009. The previous edition dated 06/05/2007 in the lower left-hand corner will no longer be valid. 

All employers are required to verify the identity and employment authorization of each person they hire. There were three major changes to the revised Form I-9. First, all documents presented during the verification process must be unexpired.

Second, a Temporary Resident Card and outdated Employment Authorization Cards (Forms I-688, I-688A and I-688B) are no longer acceptable documentation. Third, foreign passports containing certain machine-readable immigrant visas have been added to List A.

For further information, contact Stuart Gosswein at stuartg@sema.org.