By Ashley Reyes

The TORA meet-up is an opportunity for industry professionals to connect with select-committee members, discuss the latest council initiatives, learn about new truck and off-road trends and find out what volunteer opportunities are available in the industry.

The SEMA Truck and Off-Road Alliance (TORA) will host its second meetup of the year at the Adventure Expo in Costa Mesa, California, Saturday, March 7, from 5:00 p.m.–7:00 p.m.

All TORA members and truck and off-road professionals are encouraged to attend. This is a great chance for industry professionals to connect with select-committee members, discuss the latest council initiatives, learn about new truck and off-road trends and find out what volunteer opportunities are available in the industry.

If you live in the SoCal area, and you’re a current TORA member or interested in getting more involved, RSVP today and join TORA for an evening of light refreshments and engaging conversation with fellow colleagues.

For more information, contact SEMA Vice President of Councils and Membership Nathan Ridnouer at nathanr@sema.org.

By Ashley Reyes

The TORA meet-up is an opportunity for industry professionals to connect with select-committee members, discuss the latest council initiatives, learn about new truck and off-road trends and find out what volunteer opportunities are available in the industry.

The SEMA Truck and Off-Road Alliance (TORA) will host its second meetup of the year at the Adventure Expo in Costa Mesa, California, Saturday, March 7, from 5:00 p.m.–7:00 p.m.

All TORA members and truck and off-road professionals are encouraged to attend. This is a great chance for industry professionals to connect with select-committee members, discuss the latest council initiatives, learn about new truck and off-road trends and find out what volunteer opportunities are available in the industry.

If you live in the SoCal area, and you’re a current TORA member or interested in getting more involved, RSVP today and join TORA for an evening of light refreshments and engaging conversation with fellow colleagues.

For more information, contact SEMA Vice President of Councils and Membership Nathan Ridnouer at nathanr@sema.org.

Exhibitors interested in getting a jump on SEMA Show planning for 2020 can reserve booth space now.

Exhibitors interested in getting a jump on SEMA Show planning for 2020 can reserve booth space now.

SEMA-member companies have posted several new listings for job opportunities in the Classifieds page of SEMA.org.

SEMA Member News—March 2020

The 2019 Gear-Up Girl event was a smashing success, drawing a record-setting crowd of 250-plus women, including many female students who participated in the SEMA Student Program.

By SEMA Editors

SBN Builds on Past Successes With Launch of New Events

Following on the heels of successful events at the 2019 SEMA Show and elsewhere, the SEMA Businesswomen’s Network (SBN) is geared up for another activity-filled year. Committed to expanding the network’s reach and providing more opportunities for engagement, education and career advancement, SBN has set its sights on a series of events targeted at both its traditional audience of professional industry women and female students to also embrace others within the SEMA community.

Focus on Community Building

Over the years, SBN has kicked off its women-centric program at the SEMA Show with its hallmark Gear-Up Girl networking event. The dynamic, women-only mixer is designed to connect female students with industry-leading women. Through networking, the program aims to inspire students to pursue careers in the automotive aftermarket.

To its credit, Gear-Up Girl has continued to grow, with more and more professional women and students participating every year. Case in point: The 2019 event was a smashing success, drawing a record-setting crowd of 250-plus women, including many female students who participated in the SEMA Student Program.

Not content to rest on past achievements, however, SBN earlier last year held two new off-site events: a Gear-Up Girl mixer at the NASCAR Institute in Mooresville, North Carolina, and a Meet Up during the Keystone Big Show in Dallas. The success of those community-building events has inspired an even broader outreach initiative.

“We held our first off-site Gear-Up Girl event at the NASCAR Institute in 2019, and we plan on adding more events in 2020 to join together students and industry leaders for networking and mentoring opportunities,” said SBN Chair Lana Chrisman. “In addition to doubling up on Gear-Up Girl events, we are adding Meet Ups like the one we held at the Keystone Big Show.”

Meeting Member Needs

The SBN held a Gear-Up Girl mixer at the NASCAR Institute in Mooresville, North Carolina, which has inspired an even broader outreach initiative.

SBN has also put other plans in motion, including a series of segmented, female-focused events. Each of them is targeted to a specific demographic, from entry-level employees and middle management to C-suite CEOs and business owners.

At the entry level, for instance, two regional Lunch-and-Learn events are slated to focus on skills development. The events will be held in conjunction with Universal Technical Institute.

The second leg of the SBN initiative is centered on middle management—both men and women. To help foster member engagement and career-advancing connections, middle-management employees will be invited to attend networking events, including the annual SBN reception in Las Vegas as well as Meet Ups at the Big Show
and elsewhere.

The third phase is focused solely on executive-level women—specifically, business owners and CEOs. While details have yet to be finalized, the plan is to present two high-content, SBN-hosted women–centric CEO retreats.

“We are very excited about 2020,” Chrisman said. “In addition to doubling up on Gear-Up Girl events, we are adding Meet Ups as well as Lunch-and-Learn events and women CEO retreats. Our goal for 2020 is to focus on meeting the needs of our members, from entry level to middle management and C-suite, as well as students exploring the automotive aftermarket as a career path.

“Our SheIsSEMA campaign is also doubling up this year, as we are now promoting the accomplishments of women in our industry biweekly rather than just monthly. We encourage all SEMA-member companies to participate and submit their female champions to be recognized by SBN for their passion and dedication to your company’s and our industry’s successes.”

Stay tuned for details on the upcoming slate of SBN events. The SheIsSEMA Spotlight application can be found online at www.sema.org/she-is-sema.

SEMA Member News—March 2020

The 2019 Gear-Up Girl event was a smashing success, drawing a record-setting crowd of 250-plus women, including many female students who participated in the SEMA Student Program.

By SEMA Editors

SBN Builds on Past Successes With Launch of New Events

Following on the heels of successful events at the 2019 SEMA Show and elsewhere, the SEMA Businesswomen’s Network (SBN) is geared up for another activity-filled year. Committed to expanding the network’s reach and providing more opportunities for engagement, education and career advancement, SBN has set its sights on a series of events targeted at both its traditional audience of professional industry women and female students to also embrace others within the SEMA community.

Focus on Community Building

Over the years, SBN has kicked off its women-centric program at the SEMA Show with its hallmark Gear-Up Girl networking event. The dynamic, women-only mixer is designed to connect female students with industry-leading women. Through networking, the program aims to inspire students to pursue careers in the automotive aftermarket.

To its credit, Gear-Up Girl has continued to grow, with more and more professional women and students participating every year. Case in point: The 2019 event was a smashing success, drawing a record-setting crowd of 250-plus women, including many female students who participated in the SEMA Student Program.

Not content to rest on past achievements, however, SBN earlier last year held two new off-site events: a Gear-Up Girl mixer at the NASCAR Institute in Mooresville, North Carolina, and a Meet Up during the Keystone Big Show in Dallas. The success of those community-building events has inspired an even broader outreach initiative.

“We held our first off-site Gear-Up Girl event at the NASCAR Institute in 2019, and we plan on adding more events in 2020 to join together students and industry leaders for networking and mentoring opportunities,” said SBN Chair Lana Chrisman. “In addition to doubling up on Gear-Up Girl events, we are adding Meet Ups like the one we held at the Keystone Big Show.”

Meeting Member Needs

The SBN held a Gear-Up Girl mixer at the NASCAR Institute in Mooresville, North Carolina, which has inspired an even broader outreach initiative.

SBN has also put other plans in motion, including a series of segmented, female-focused events. Each of them is targeted to a specific demographic, from entry-level employees and middle management to C-suite CEOs and business owners.

At the entry level, for instance, two regional Lunch-and-Learn events are slated to focus on skills development. The events will be held in conjunction with Universal Technical Institute.

The second leg of the SBN initiative is centered on middle management—both men and women. To help foster member engagement and career-advancing connections, middle-management employees will be invited to attend networking events, including the annual SBN reception in Las Vegas as well as Meet Ups at the Big Show
and elsewhere.

The third phase is focused solely on executive-level women—specifically, business owners and CEOs. While details have yet to be finalized, the plan is to present two high-content, SBN-hosted women–centric CEO retreats.

“We are very excited about 2020,” Chrisman said. “In addition to doubling up on Gear-Up Girl events, we are adding Meet Ups as well as Lunch-and-Learn events and women CEO retreats. Our goal for 2020 is to focus on meeting the needs of our members, from entry level to middle management and C-suite, as well as students exploring the automotive aftermarket as a career path.

“Our SheIsSEMA campaign is also doubling up this year, as we are now promoting the accomplishments of women in our industry biweekly rather than just monthly. We encourage all SEMA-member companies to participate and submit their female champions to be recognized by SBN for their passion and dedication to your company’s and our industry’s successes.”

Stay tuned for details on the upcoming slate of SBN events. The SheIsSEMA Spotlight application can be found online at www.sema.org/she-is-sema.

SEMA Member News—March 2020

SEMA’s Emerging Trends and Technology Network has launched a pilot initiative: the ETTN Vehicle Sharing Program, providing a platform for their members to find each other’s vehicles to share.

By SEMA Editors

ETTN Launches New Initiatives

SEMA-member manufacturers are known for their creativity, craftsmanship and innovation, and they go to great lengths to design and engineer their products. To assist with product development, member companies from time to time utilize resources available through the SEMA Garage.

At the garage there are 3-D printing processes that allow manufacturers to quickly produce a physical prototype of their product; a dynamometer for precise emissions measurements; and custom scanning services. There’s the Tech Transfer program that affords access to OEM computer-aided design data from participating automakers, as well as periodic measuring sessions that provide hands-on access to new vehicles furnished by various OEMs.

But there are times when manufacturers need to get their hands on new and other hard-to-get vehicles for more extensive research and development, and that can be challenging, especially for small businesses. With that thought in mind, SEMA’s Emerging Trends & Technology Network (ETTN) has launched a pilot initiative: the ETTN Vehicle Sharing Program. The idea behind the program is for members to connect and help one another.

“The focus of the ETTN Vehicle Sharing Program is to develop an aggregated list of available vehicles among member fleets, which are available to other member companies for their use,” said ETTN Chair Ian Lehn. “Our goal is to lower the hurdle to smaller businesses in developing technology and parts.”

Lehn used an online dating analogy in describing how the program works.

“Think of it as SEMA’s version of Match.com,” he said. “ETTN is providing the platform for members to find each other’s vehicles, but it’s up to the ‘daters’—member companies—to chat, discuss the expectations of the ‘date’ and ultimately meet up.

“Our friends at the SEMA Garage—and the OEMs that participate in Tech Transfer and the measuring sessions—provide a valuable resource to members and the industry. We hope that the ETTN Vehicle Sharing Program will help continue the facilitation and be another component to help grow our industry.”

Six member manufacturers have already expressed interest in the pilot program. Companies willing to offer vehicles to the program, or those that have a need for vehicles to develop and test their products, are encouraged to email ghall@magnaflow.com, ian@boostane.com or bryanh@sema.org.

A Portal to Connect College Students With Member Companies

ETTN has embarked on a new portal program to connect college-level, advanced-engineering students with SEMA-member manufacturers to create a potential pool of valuable, next-generation job candidates.

ETTN has also embarked on a new program to connect college-level advanced engineering students with SEMA-member manufacturers. The purpose is to provide a portal through which students competing in Formula SAE teams at their colleges or universities can reach out to interested member companies for assistance with services, parts, equipment and mentorship.

SAE Formula teams are comprised of bright, educated students with a keen interest in racing and performance, so it stands to reason that many are also interested in seeking careers in engineering, design and innovation across all platforms of today’s—and tomorrow’s—vehicles. That creates a potential pool of valuable, next-generation job candidates.

Unfortunately, the teams are often underfunded and strapped for resources. Member companies willing to assist a team or teams not only earn the satisfaction of lending a helping hand but also have the opportunity to engage with and recruit these highly sought-after innovators.

Moreover, for the cost of providing a part or service, manufacturers can request research or dissertations that take a deep dive into the part or service provided and basically receive free research and development in exchange for their support of the ETTN initiative.

“To secure our future in the industry, we need to bring new, innovative ideas into the halls of the SEMA Show and continually push the boundaries of technology in the automotive aftermarket,” Lehn said. “To do that, in my opinion, we must foster relationships with the next generation of innovators and thinkers. Let them know that there’s an exciting future with our member companies.”

To learn more about the program or to offer services or parts, email ghall@magnaflow.com, ian@boostane.com or bryanh@sema.org.

SEMA Member News—March 2020

SEMA’s Emerging Trends and Technology Network has launched a pilot initiative: the ETTN Vehicle Sharing Program, providing a platform for their members to find each other’s vehicles to share.

By SEMA Editors

ETTN Launches New Initiatives

SEMA-member manufacturers are known for their creativity, craftsmanship and innovation, and they go to great lengths to design and engineer their products. To assist with product development, member companies from time to time utilize resources available through the SEMA Garage.

At the garage there are 3-D printing processes that allow manufacturers to quickly produce a physical prototype of their product; a dynamometer for precise emissions measurements; and custom scanning services. There’s the Tech Transfer program that affords access to OEM computer-aided design data from participating automakers, as well as periodic measuring sessions that provide hands-on access to new vehicles furnished by various OEMs.

But there are times when manufacturers need to get their hands on new and other hard-to-get vehicles for more extensive research and development, and that can be challenging, especially for small businesses. With that thought in mind, SEMA’s Emerging Trends & Technology Network (ETTN) has launched a pilot initiative: the ETTN Vehicle Sharing Program. The idea behind the program is for members to connect and help one another.

“The focus of the ETTN Vehicle Sharing Program is to develop an aggregated list of available vehicles among member fleets, which are available to other member companies for their use,” said ETTN Chair Ian Lehn. “Our goal is to lower the hurdle to smaller businesses in developing technology and parts.”

Lehn used an online dating analogy in describing how the program works.

“Think of it as SEMA’s version of Match.com,” he said. “ETTN is providing the platform for members to find each other’s vehicles, but it’s up to the ‘daters’—member companies—to chat, discuss the expectations of the ‘date’ and ultimately meet up.

“Our friends at the SEMA Garage—and the OEMs that participate in Tech Transfer and the measuring sessions—provide a valuable resource to members and the industry. We hope that the ETTN Vehicle Sharing Program will help continue the facilitation and be another component to help grow our industry.”

Six member manufacturers have already expressed interest in the pilot program. Companies willing to offer vehicles to the program, or those that have a need for vehicles to develop and test their products, are encouraged to email ghall@magnaflow.com, ian@boostane.com or bryanh@sema.org.

A Portal to Connect College Students With Member Companies

ETTN has embarked on a new portal program to connect college-level, advanced-engineering students with SEMA-member manufacturers to create a potential pool of valuable, next-generation job candidates.

ETTN has also embarked on a new program to connect college-level advanced engineering students with SEMA-member manufacturers. The purpose is to provide a portal through which students competing in Formula SAE teams at their colleges or universities can reach out to interested member companies for assistance with services, parts, equipment and mentorship.

SAE Formula teams are comprised of bright, educated students with a keen interest in racing and performance, so it stands to reason that many are also interested in seeking careers in engineering, design and innovation across all platforms of today’s—and tomorrow’s—vehicles. That creates a potential pool of valuable, next-generation job candidates.

Unfortunately, the teams are often underfunded and strapped for resources. Member companies willing to assist a team or teams not only earn the satisfaction of lending a helping hand but also have the opportunity to engage with and recruit these highly sought-after innovators.

Moreover, for the cost of providing a part or service, manufacturers can request research or dissertations that take a deep dive into the part or service provided and basically receive free research and development in exchange for their support of the ETTN initiative.

“To secure our future in the industry, we need to bring new, innovative ideas into the halls of the SEMA Show and continually push the boundaries of technology in the automotive aftermarket,” Lehn said. “To do that, in my opinion, we must foster relationships with the next generation of innovators and thinkers. Let them know that there’s an exciting future with our member companies.”

To learn more about the program or to offer services or parts, email ghall@magnaflow.com, ian@boostane.com or bryanh@sema.org.

SEMA Member News—March 2020

WTC has focused its sights on delivering high-value educational programming by introducing a new educational platform, The STAGE at last year’s SEMA Show.

By SEMA Editors

WTC Hails the Success of Its New Educational Platform

In the 22 years since SEMA’s Wheel Industry Council burst on the scene, the group—now known as the Wheel & Tire Council (WTC)—has stayed true to its core mission: namely to identify industry challenges, deliver educational solutions, and provide networking opportunities.

From the council’s “Wheel Care Guide” and “Ride Guide” publications to its Wheel Measurement Kit, Wheel Measurement Database as well as the WTC Coffee & Conversation meet-up at the SEMA Show and the group’s annual awards reception, the council has built a reservoir of tools and resources.

More recently, WTC has focused its sights on delivering high-value educational programming. To address the topic of tariffs, for instance, the council sponsored two seminars—“Tariffs, Technology and Trends” and “Legal and Regulatory”—which were held during the 2018 SEMA Show.

But given that the Lower South Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center during the SEMA Show is home to the Global Tire Expo (GTE), which serves as a magnet for Showgoers engaged in this market niche, WTC has long been anxious to create a more engaging and easy-access format. Thanks to a collaborative effort between SEMA education and WTC, a new educational platform was introduced in the South Hall at last year’s Show.

One on One With Industry Influencers

The new initiative, known as The Stage, was centered in the heart of the GTE. Emceed by noted entrepreneur and speaker Myles Kovacs (publisher and cofounder of DUB magazine), The Stage featured daily interviews and conversations with some of the industry’s leading influencers.

“We were extremely excited to a launch a new educational platform,” said WTC Chair Tyson Boyer. “We’ve always wanted an educational presence in the GTE, and to have it centered in the South Hall was outstanding. The dedicated area provided educational interviews with experts and leaders throughout the week. Each one was hosted by Kovacs—a natural speaker with an extraordinary pulse on the hottest trends in our market segment.

“The Stage provided Showgoers with upfront and personal access to influencers and leaders in the wheel and tire industry,” Kovacs said. “The candid conversations and storytelling really showcased important trends, business best practices and industry insights that you couldn’t get anywhere else.”

The impressive roster of luminaries included Sean P. Holman of Motor Trend Group’s “The Truck Show Podcast”; Brittany and Kevin Williams of Lite Brite Studios; Wade Kawasaki, president and CEO of Legendary Companies; Bud Brutsman, CEO of BCII; Gary Ruede, product and quality management technologist for Discount Tire; and SEMA Director of Market Research Gavin Knapp.

Other headliners were Chip Foose of Foose Design; Ken Johnson, founder of MuscleKingz; Dill Air Controls’ Tyson Boyer; Todd Steen of Jackson Marketing Group; Marla Moore, marketing director for Legendary Companies; Stewart Peregrine, western regional sales manager for Hennessy Industries; Matt Peak, director of mobility for Energy Network Systems; Michael Welch, president and CEO of Tirescanner; Bob Day, sales director for Fury OffRoad Tires; and Ken Rohlwing, senior vice president of training for the Tire Industry Association.

“Our goal was to provide an engaging platform to address some of the hot topics and issues,” Boyer said. “Best of all, The Stage was inspired by our members. Their feedback and requests for an educational presence in the GTE enabled WTC to partner with SEMA education and deliver a new experience and knowledge-sharing platform.

“On behalf of WTC, a huge shout out to all of the interviewees who graced The Stage with their presence, and a heavy high-five to Myles Kovacs for his commitment to making this a super success. Our hats off as well to SEMA staff for the endless hours behind the scenes that made this event possible.”