By SEMA Editors

Following are dates and locations for several upcoming SEMA-sponsored shows, webinars and activities.

For association-related travel, contact Manya Petropaki (manya.p@travelstoreusa.com) at Travel Store USA, 949-930-9268.

By SEMA Editors

Business and industry experts are invited to submit applications to present a seminar at the 2016 SEMA Show, taking place October 31–November 4, 2016, in Las Vegas.

Interested in sharing expertise, real-world strategies and knowledge with others? We're seeking your best education session ideas geared to automotive professionals and delivered in innovative ways. Business and industry experts are invited to submit applications to present a seminar at the 2016 SEMA Show, taking place October 31–November 4, 2016, in Las Vegas.

The deadline for speaker submissions is March 4, 2016. Apply now!

The annual trade show, which features new products and innovations that enhance a vehicle’s styling and performance, is where more than 140,000 industry professionals gather each year to do business. In addition to connecting buyers and sellers, an important element of the SEMA Show is the education program that takes place during the Show.

Here are a few topics of interest to SEMA Show attendees.

• Build Your Business Through Personal Branding
• Help With Yelp
• Scaling Business Growth
• Hiring in the Social Era
• Best Practices for Retaining Employees
• Vehicle Building and Fabrication
• Generational Workforces
• Customer-Facing Technology
• Will Crowd-Funding Go Mainstream?
• The Next Big Thing: Pinterest
• Mobile Technology for a Mobile Workforce

Apply now!

Questions? Please contact Zane Clark, director of education, at 909-978-6743 or ZaneC@sema.org.

By SEMA Editors

Business and industry experts are invited to submit applications to present a seminar at the 2016 SEMA Show, taking place October 31–November 4, 2016, in Las Vegas.

Interested in sharing expertise, real-world strategies and knowledge with others? We're seeking your best education session ideas geared to automotive professionals and delivered in innovative ways. Business and industry experts are invited to submit applications to present a seminar at the 2016 SEMA Show, taking place October 31–November 4, 2016, in Las Vegas.

The deadline for speaker submissions is March 4, 2016. Apply now!

The annual trade show, which features new products and innovations that enhance a vehicle’s styling and performance, is where more than 140,000 industry professionals gather each year to do business. In addition to connecting buyers and sellers, an important element of the SEMA Show is the education program that takes place during the Show.

Here are a few topics of interest to SEMA Show attendees.

• Build Your Business Through Personal Branding
• Help With Yelp
• Scaling Business Growth
• Hiring in the Social Era
• Best Practices for Retaining Employees
• Vehicle Building and Fabrication
• Generational Workforces
• Customer-Facing Technology
• Will Crowd-Funding Go Mainstream?
• The Next Big Thing: Pinterest
• Mobile Technology for a Mobile Workforce

Apply now!

Questions? Please contact Zane Clark, director of education, at 909-978-6743 or ZaneC@sema.org.

By SEMA Editors

Business and industry experts are invited to submit applications to present a seminar at the 2016 SEMA Show, taking place October 31–November 4, 2016, in Las Vegas.

Interested in sharing expertise, real-world strategies and knowledge with others? We're seeking your best education session ideas geared to automotive professionals and delivered in innovative ways. Business and industry experts are invited to submit applications to present a seminar at the 2016 SEMA Show, taking place October 31–November 4, 2016, in Las Vegas.

The deadline for speaker submissions is March 4, 2016. Apply now!

The annual trade show, which features new products and innovations that enhance a vehicle’s styling and performance, is where more than 140,000 industry professionals gather each year to do business. In addition to connecting buyers and sellers, an important element of the SEMA Show is the education program that takes place during the Show.

Here are a few topics of interest to SEMA Show attendees.

• Build Your Business Through Personal Branding
• Help With Yelp
• Scaling Business Growth
• Hiring in the Social Era
• Best Practices for Retaining Employees
• Vehicle Building and Fabrication
• Generational Workforces
• Customer-Facing Technology
• Will Crowd-Funding Go Mainstream?
• The Next Big Thing: Pinterest
• Mobile Technology for a Mobile Workforce

Apply now!

Questions? Please contact Zane Clark, director of education, at 909-978-6743 or ZaneC@sema.org.

By Ashley Ailsworth

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) will now allow rear license plates to be mounted at an angle of up to 30 degrees beyond vertical rather than the current 15 degree limit. The change is intended to provide additional manufacturer design flexibility and match current European regulations.

The issue is covered under Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 108 (lamps, reflective devices, and associated equipment).

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

By Ashley Ailsworth

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) will now allow rear license plates to be mounted at an angle of up to 30 degrees beyond vertical rather than the current 15 degree limit. The change is intended to provide additional manufacturer design flexibility and match current European regulations.

The issue is covered under Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 108 (lamps, reflective devices, and associated equipment).

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

Bechtloff opened Hank The Crank Inc. in 1971, backed by a reputation for ingenuity and quality.

By SEMA Editors

Henry George Bechtloff went by Hank, which due to his chosen line of work, became known as “Hank The Crank.” Bechtloff, who had recently turned 76, passed away Sunday, January 3, 2016.

Bechtloff grew up in Southern California. It was near the 1950s, and the new craze was all about hot rods and race cars. Bechtloff was inspired by the scene and his interest in racing and speed ignited his passion. He first raced on the streets, and then at such places as the Lions Drag Strip in Long Beach, California, and Famoso Raceway in Bakersfield, California, and home of the March Meet.

Bechtloff and one of his friends had a shop in the bay of a local gas station where the two worked tuning engines. In 1957, Bechtloff went to work for the CrankShaft Company near downtown Los Angeles. The Petersen Publishing building was a 25-minute drive down the road. The magazine's writers were at the shop almost every month going over the latest things Bechtloff was doing, like taking the new V8 265 Chevrolet engine and bore and stroking it to 327 cu./in. long before Chevrolet had a 327.

An editor at Petersen, Terry Cook, wrote a magazine article called “Hank The Crank Betters Ford’s Ideas,” featuring a picture of Hank inside a light bulb. After that, in 1971, Bechtloff opened his own company, which was appropriately named Hank The Crank Inc. Bechtloff was on his way.