After a two-year hiatus, 2,500 automotive icons, professionals, supporters and celebrities reunited to celebrate the winners of the SEMA Person of the Year, Manufacturer of the Year, WD of the Year and Gen-III Innovator of the Year at the 2021 SEMA Industry Awards Banquet, which took place Thursday, November 4, at the Westgate Las Vegas Resort and Casino.

About 2,500 automotive icons, professionals, supporters and celebrities attended the SEMA Industry Awards Banquet in Las Vegas.

In addition, SEMA paid tribute to this year’s SEMA Hall of Fame inductees: Jessi Combs, Rick Love, Bob Moore and Carl Schiefer. Hosted by Jarod DeAnda and Kevin Oeste the event is the automotive specialty-equipment market’s premier awards ceremony where industry excellence and achievements are celebrated.

The evening featured a cocktail hour, formal sit-down dinner, a performance by Light Balance—a Hi-Tech neon and LED show with elements of acrobatic and dance choreography—and comedy by Adam Ferrara.

A performance by Light Balance featured a Hi-Tech neon and LED show with elements of acrobatic and dance choreography.

The following companies and individuals were honored with industry awards:

2021 SEMA Person of the Year
Sara Morosan, LGE-CTS Motorsports

2021 SEMA Manufacturer of the Year
ORACLE Lighting Inc.
(runners up: KW Automotive and CSF Racing & High-Performance)

2021 SEMA WD of the Year
Turn 14 Distribution
(runners up: Meyer Distributing and Keystone Automotive)

2021 SEMA Gen-III Innovator of the Year
Matt Kossoff, Driven Lighting Group
(runners up: Justin Hartenstein and Keith Ferry)

Sara Morosan of LGE-CTS Motorsports was named 2021 SEMA Person of the Year.

Morosan, vice president of LGE-CTS Motorsports and president of BAJA Forged, received the association’s most prestigious award for SEMA Person of the Year. During the pandemic, Morosan formed BAJA Forged, a company specializing in off-road products and custom builds. She also dedicated hours of her time to volunteer for SEMA and the industry, most recently as chair-elect of the SEMA Businesswomen’s Network (SBN), a member of the SEMA Truck & Off-Road Alliance (TORA) select committee, and a SEMA Cares Committee member.

ORACLE Lighting Inc. was recognized as 2021 SEMA Manufacturer of the Year.

The SEMA Manufacturer of the Year honors went to ORACLE Lighting. The company is a nominee for the 2021 Lantern Award (which honors excellence in manufacturing for the entire state of Louisiana), and has been named a Small Business Champion by the U.S. Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, the Louisiana Exporter of the Year by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), Jefferson Parish’s Small Business of the Year by JEDCO, Millennial Business of the Year by the Greater New Orleans Business Alliance and winner of an American Business Award for Consumer Products Company of the Year (Bronze Stevie).

Turn 14 Distribution was honored as 2021 SEMA WD of the Year.

Turn 14 Distribution was named SEMA Warehouse Distributor (WD) of the Year. Turn 14 has grown its business exponentially with technologically advanced, state-of-the-art warehouse facilities. The company makes data-driven decisions and is the first WD to implement a brand equity specialist to ensure they comply with manufacturers that have real pricing policies. 

Matt Kossoff of Driven Lighting Group was named 2021 SEMA Gen-III Innovator of the Year.

The 2021 Gen-III Innovator of the Year award was presented to Kossoff, founder and chief product officer of Driven Lighting Group. With his company, he created an entire market segment by inventing the world’s first commercially available projector retrofit lighting product and he continues to innovate the industry with his products. What started in his basement during college has developed into 80 full-time workers and he owns six of the most well-known lighting brands in the industry.

Attendees watched the top two SEMA Launch Pad finalists compete live on stage and voted for their favorite product.

Attendees also had the opportunity to watch the top two SEMA Launch Pad finalists compete live on stage and vote for their favorite product. Dustin Woolf of Woolfpack Racing was ultimately the winner with his Natural Nitrous product. He walked away with a grand-prize package valued at $100,000.

Comedian Adam Ferrara entertained the crowd.

2021 Hall of Fame member Bob Moore was a pioneer in establishing standards for product data in the automotive aftermarket.

Jessi Combs’ mother Nina Darrington accepted the Hall of Fame honors on her behalf. Combs set a land-speed record for women at 522.783 mph.

Carl Schiefer’s son and current SCS Founder and CEO James Schiefer accepted the Hall of Fame honors on Carl’s behalf. Carl founded what has evolved into a thriving marketing agency dedicated to automotive brands.

2021 SEMA Hall of Fame member Rick Love of Vintage Air never wavers to volunteer his time, expertise and energy to helping the industry.

The SEMA Industry Awards recognize outstanding commitment to the industry and a high level of involvement with SEMA committees, task forces, councils and board of directors’ participation. Don’t miss the 2022 SEMA Show, to be held November 1–4 in Las Vegas.

SEMA has announced the Top 12 finalists in the eighth annual SEMA Battle of the Builders competition—the event that determines the builder the aftermarket community considers the best. These builders represent an elite group of individuals who have demonstrated extreme talent, creativity and craftsmanship in modifying cars, trucks and SUVs.

Back row, left to right: Simo Veharanta, Mark Giambalvo, Eddie Pettus, Jeremey Miranda, Bob Matranga, Mike Filion, and Dayton Jacobsen. Front row, left to right: Samantha Frazier, Chelsie Lesnoski, Cole Marten, Bryan Thompson, and Kamaka Pocock.

The 2021 Battle of the Builders Top 12 finalists are:

Hot Rod

• Mike Fillion—’56 Oldsmobile 98    
• Mark Giambalvo—’30 Ford Model A 2-Door Sedan    
• Robert Matranga—’55 Chevrolet Bel Air    

Sport Compact/Import

• Samantha Frazier—’73 Nissan Datsun 240Z    
• Eddie Pettus—’61 Austin Healey Sprite    
• Simo Veharanta—’82 Porsche 911 RSR    

Truck & Off-Road

• Jeremy Miranda—’59 Chevrolet Apache    
• Kamaka Pocock—’67 Chevrolet C10    
• Bryan Thompson—’34 Ford Pickup    

Young Guns

• Dayton Jacobson—’00 Chevrolet S10    
• Chelsie Lesnoski—’93 Mazda RX-7 FD    
• Cole Marten—’91 Nissan Skyline R32 GTR    

Industry experts narrowed the field to select the Top 12 finalists, who will now judge one another on Friday at the SEMA Show and vote to determine who will be named the Ultimate Builder of the 2021 SEMA Battle of the Builders competition.

The SEMA Battle of the Builders winner will be announced before the start of SEMA Ignited, taking place after the trade-only SEMA Show closes, on Friday, November 5, from 3:00 p.m.–10:00 p.m., in the Las Vegas Convention Center (LVCC) West Hall Parking Lot (300 Convention Center Dr., Las Vegas, NV 89109). Hundreds of vehicles will exit the Las Vegas Convention Center after the SEMA Show for the SEMA Cruise and make their way to SEMA Ignited. Formula DRIFT demonstrations, exhibitors, products and celebrities from the SEMA Show will be on-hand, along with food trucks, music and entertainment.

SEMA Ignited is open to the public and allows enthusiasts a chance to see many of the industry’s latest in automotive accessories on several of the 2021 SEMA Show vehicles that were on display during the Show.

To secure a ticket or more information about SEMA Ignited, visit www.semaignited.com. For more information on the competition, visit www.semabotb.com.

Here's a look at several 2021 SEMA Show custom vehicles that attendees will see throughout the Las Vegas Convention Center.

SEMA Ignited, the official after-party of the SEMA Show, returns to Las Vegas, Friday, November 5. Since 2014, SEMA Ignited has taken place at the conclusion of the four-day SEMA Show, providing consumers and the general public an opportunity to see and experience the mystique from the exclusive automotive aftermarket trade event.

This year’s SEMA Ignited takes place Friday, November 5, from 3:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. (PDT), at the Las Vegas Convention Center (LVCC) West Hall parking lot.

No guaranteed grandstand seating. 2021 SEMA Show attendees get in free with their badges.

Need a PCR test before you travel home?

We got you covered with onsite testing available in the North Hall, room N116. Photo ID is required for the test. Visit www.labport.app/sema or scan the QR Code below.

Dates and Times of Testing:

• Wednesday, November 3, 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
• Thursday, November 4, 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
• Friday, November 5, 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Here’s a quick look at just some of the vehicles attendees will see staged out front of the Las Vegas Convention Center.

The Toyo Treadpass, located between the Central and South Halls of the Las Vegas Convention Center, acts as a stage to debut and highlight new and unique custom vehicles at the SEMA Show.

Here is a sample of the vehicles attendees will see.

Be among the thousands of attendees who pass through the exhibit each day, as Toyo mixes it up with a 35-car lineup of off-road vehicles next to exotics, various Japanese favorites, European classics and domestic muscle, along with a pair of art installations.

There’s a lot going on in the West Coast Customs (WCC) SEMA Show booth #7100. For starters, WCC and LMCT+ have teamed up to launch an automotive rewards program to benefit auto suppliers and service providers. Consumer members of the program will be rewarded with inclusive sweepstakes to win customized vehicles, including a Ford Raptor Trophy Truck, which is on display at the WCC booth.

Also on display are exclusive WCC Edition wide-body kits on both a Dodge Charger and Dodge Challenger. In addition, WCC is debuting never-seen-before car artwork minted into NFTs. Booth visitors can learn about the NFT world and have a chance to take home exclusive SEMA NFTs from the Porsche RSR, which WCC has on display. CEO Ryan Friedlinghaus and celebrity guests are available for meet and greets, photo opportunities and autograph sessions.

Finally, WCC is introducing the auto world to Display Social—a new social-media platform designed to help brands and content providers monetize their content and drive merchandise sales.

The famed NHRA Breakfast was held Wednesday morning at the 2021 SEMA Show at the Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino Paradise Events Center.

This year’s breakfast, hosted by NHRA on FOX’s Brian Lohnes, highlighted NHRA’s next generation of team owners, and featured live interviews and autograph sessions with Antron Brown, Josh Hart and Krista Baldwin. In addition, NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series Top Fuel, Funny Car, Pro Stock and Pro Stock Motorcycles were on display.

More NHRA action can be found at the NHRA on FOX stage, booth #10000.

The best new vehicles for personalization were announced at the SEMA Show in Las Vegas. Voted on by exhibiting manufacturers, the SEMA Awards are presented annually to recognize the top trending vehicle models in five categories:

• Car of the Year: Ford Mustang
• Sport Compact of the Year: Toyota Supra
• 4x4/SUV of the Year: Ford Bronco
• Full-Size Truck of the Year: Ford F-Series
• Mid-Size Truck of the Year: Toyota Tacoma

“The SEMA Award celebrates the industry’s unique ability to identify and set trends that influence automotive enthusiast worldwide,” said Chris Kersting, SEMA president and CEO. “Consumers are able to look to SEMA Award winners for guidance on which vehicles offer the greatest opportunities for customization.”

The 2021 SEMA Award winners (L–R): Lisa Materazzo, group vice president, Toyota Marketing; Dave Pericak, engineering director, unibody applications, Ford; Chris Kersting, president and CEO, SEMA; Jackie DiMarco, F-Series chief program manager, Ford; Phil Collaraeno, executive director for global programs, Ford.

The 2021 SEMA Award-winning models are featured throughout the 1.25 million sq.-ft. Las Vegas Convention Center, each uniquely customized to highlight the many aftermarket products and accessories that are available for the vehicles.

Aftermarket manufacturers are investing more in the Ford Mustang, Toyota Supra, Ford F-Series, Toyota Tacoma and Ford Bronco than any other vehicles. Consumers, therefore, can expect to find greater options for accessorizing these vehicles.

To learn more about the SEMA Show, award winners and the products that are available for them, visit www.semashow.com.