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.
Senior PHP/Magento Developer Quadratec is currently recruiting and interviewing for a knowledgeable and reliable senior PHP developer to join its fast-paced team. The ideal candidate will be a key point of contact for all technology related issues and projects and maintain the company’s networks and set users up for success both onsite and remotely. Responsibilities include writing clean, maintainable and performant PHP code and working with the technology team to create integrations between systems. This position will be involved in the entire product lifecycle including the design, development, deployment and maintenance of new and existing features. Candidates must have at least five years of IT-related experience and a bachelor’s degree in a related field.
Technician Boden Autohaus is hiring atechnician responsible for installation of aftermarket accessories, including suspension kits, spoilers, diffusers, mount and balance wheels/tires, grilles, bumper replacements, fiberglass products, and disassembly and reassembly of interior/exterior panels. Candidates must have three years’ experience in a related field.
Shipping/Receiving/Warehouse Motorsports Industries has immediate opening in its shipping/receiving department. The ideal candidate will have experience in picking and packing UPS, FedEx and LTL parcels. General knowledge of auto parts is a big plus. Applicants must have basic computer and keyboarding skills, and be able to speak and write English fluently. Position includes health and dental insurance and 401K program with company contributions.
Company acquisitions can be exciting times, but they can also create concerns about job security and the culture of the new management.
To help SEMA-member company employees thrive during corporate climate change, the SEMA Businesswomen’s Network (SBN) is hosting a live webinar focused on gaining a better understanding of the acquisition process on June 27, at 11:00 p.m. (PDT).
“Thriving During Corporate Climate Changes – For Employees” features speaker Wade Kawasaki, managing partner of Legendary Companies, sharing:
Key challenges that that employees face during acquisitions.
How acquisitions impact the morale of the organization.
How employees can create a positive impact and maintain a team environment and sense of unity.
Kawasaki has successfully led his own team through an acquisition and will share his best-kept secrets for what employees need to know. Register today to engage with Kawasaki live.
The nomination period for the 2022 SEMA Person of the Year award is open and runs until July 15 at www.sema.org/awards.
Honoring individuals for their outstanding contributions to SEMA and the automotive aftermarket, the award is one of the most prestigious recognitions that is bestowed on any one individual by the association. Industry members are encouraged to submit a nomination for whom they feel deserves to be honored, as it’s a great way to express gratitude for the nominee’s proactive leadership in helping the industry succeed.
Sara Morosan was named 2021 SEMA Person of the Year.
If you know an individual who has gone the extra mile and stands out among all the others, don’t miss your chance to have a voice in the nomination process and bring their contributions to the forefront.
Candidates should be nominated for their outstanding contributions during the past 12 months corresponding with the SEMA fiscal year, July 1, 2021–June 30, 2022, and must be employed by a SEMA-member company. The award winner will be announced and celebrated Thursday evening during the SEMA Show Industry Awards Banquet.
SEMA Manufacturer of the Year, Channel Partner of the Year, and GEN-III Innovator nominations are also being accepted at www.sema.org/awards.
MotorTrend Group Doubles Down on Hot Rods, EVs, Car Testing and Video With Two High-Powered Digital Storytellers
MotorTrend Group has announced that respected automotive media industry veterans Eric Tingwall and Mike Galimi have joined the company as MotorTrend testing director and HOT ROD network director, respectively. The announcement was made by Ed Loh, head of editorial for MotorTrend Group, to whom both will report.
As testing director, award-winning journalist Tingwall is responsible for leading MotorTrend’s vehicle-testing team and overseeing all testing, data collection and related reporting as the company evolves to meet the demands of the industry’s electrified and software-driven future. With 15 years of experience in automotive publishing, Tingwall is a proven, creative storyteller who brings an extensive background of testing and evaluating new vehicles and emerging technologies. Most recently, he led a content marketing program for Capital One Auto Finance, managing more than 20 freelance writers and editors. Prior to that, Tingwall served as technical director and print director over a span of eight years for Car and Driver. He will be based at MotorTrend’s Detroit office.
Mike Galimi
As part of a strategy to expand premium storytelling across MotorTrend Group’s digital platforms, Galimi, HOT ROD’s network director, will guide the editorial direction of HOT ROD toward broader and deeper connections between the video content and online, print and social-media platforms. Galimi brings 15 years of experience managing editorial teams, most recently as director of content and marketing at ProMedia, the parent company of National Mustang Racers Association and National Muscle Car Association. He will be based in New York.
Bosch Plans Acquisition of the MoTeC Group
Bosch Engineering GmbH—the manufacturer of electronics for automotive and more applications based in Abstatt, Germany—has announced plans to acquire MoTeC Group, headquartered in Melbourne, Australia. Following approval, MoTeC will become an integral part of Bosch Motorsport, a business unit of Bosch Engineering GmbH, but will continue to operate as a separate entity under its own brand. The acquisition will allow Bosch Motorsport to extend its product portfolio and distribution.
MoTeC specializes in developing, manufacturing, and distributing motorsport technology for teams in numerous racing series. MoTeC’s portfolio includes vehicle and engine control units, displays, data loggers and onboard power supply-control units for conventional and electrified racing series. The company serves its customers in Australia, Asia-Pacific, Europe, the United States and Japan through a global network of around 250 dealers. For more information, visit bosch-engineering.com and motec.com.au.
Kurt Miller
SCORE Names Kurt Miller Marketing Sales Manager
SCORE International Off-Road Racing—the off-road racing sanctioning body based in Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico—has appointed Kurt Miller to the newly created role of marketing sales manager. Miller is a longtime industry veteran, recently serving as the director of marketing and sales for Westin Automotive/Superwinch. Previously, he was a key accounts manager for Mickey Thompson Tires and Mickey Thompson Entertainment Group (MTEG). In his new position, Miller will be involved in every aspect of SCORE marketing programs, including sponsorships, the SCORE Journal publication, live streams, race-day tracking, hospitality, special programs and more.
Melanie Henry
Martin & Company Announces New Communications and Traffic Manager
Martin & Company (M&C)—the full-service marketing solutions firm specializing in national automotive aftermarket brand building based in Whites Creek, Tennessee—has announced Melanie Henry as the company’s new communications and traffic manager. Prior, Henry was creative marketing manager for Red Goat Marketing, an automotive marketing company. A self-proclaimed car enthusiast, Henry is the founder of Mel’s Car Shows and, in 2022, was named Ms. Motorama and honored as WTAJ’s Remarkable Woman of Central Pennsylvania.
Universal Technical Institute Announces 15 New Programs
Universal Technical Institute (UTI)—the technical training college with locations throughout the United States—has announced 15 new programs across its campus footprint. The new programs, including aviation, HVACR, robotics, industrial maintenance, and wind energy technician training, will be added to UTI and NASCAR Technical Institute (NTI) branded campuses. The announcement follows UTI’s acquisition of MIAT College of Technology in May 2021. UTI also announced efforts to add auto and diesel essential programs to the MIAT Canton, Michigan campus.For more information, visit uti.edu.
Have some company news you would like to share? Let us know and the news may appear in an upcoming issue of SEMA News. Send your items for consideration to editors@sema.org.
Colorado, Illinois, New York, Oklahoma and Utah will hold their 2022 primary elections on Tuesday, June 28, and it’s important to know which candidates support racing when going to the polls or voting early. For information on voting in the primary (including absentee and early voting), registering to vote and identifying your lawmakers and the candidates running in 2022, visit SEMA’s vote racing page.
The Recognizing the Protection of Motorsports Act (RPM Act), H.R. 3281 and S. 2736, enjoys strong support from Colorado, Illinois, New York, Oklahoma and Utah members of Congress. The bipartisan RPM Act guarantees the right to modify street cars, trucks and motorcycles into dedicated race vehicles and safeguards the industry’s right to offer parts that enable racers to compete. For more information on the RPM Act, click here.
Below is a list of federal lawmakers who have co-sponsored the RPM Act in the 2021–2022 session of Congress and are running for re-election in 2022.
Oklahoma’s congressional primary is scheduled for Tuesday, June 28, and U.S. Representative Markwayne Mullin (R-OK), an automotive enthusiast and longtime ally of the aftermarket, is leading the field in the Republican primary for U.S. Senate. Rep. Mullin is anything but a traditional politician, which is one of the many reasons why SEMA has worked so well with him. He first decided to run for office in 2012 as a result of government overreach that threatened his business. During his time in Washington, Rep. Mullin has been a top advocate for passing the Recognizing the Protection of Motorsports Act (RPM Act), serving as an original cosponsor of the bill. He was also the lead sponsor of a 2015 law, the “Low Volume Motor Vehicle Manufacturers Act,” which created a simplified regulatory system for small automotive businesses looking to manufacture classically styled replica vehicles.
Rep. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) and his ’72 Chevy C-10.
When Rep. Mullin is not meeting with his constituents in eastern Oklahoma or advocating for their interests in our nation’s capital, chances are he is either spending time with his wife and six children, coaching wresting (he’s a member of the Oklahoma Wrestling Hall of Fame), working cattle on his ranch or engaged in one of his many hobbies, including snake hunting, working out or hitting the backroads for a drive. His vehicle collection includes a ’67 Shelby Cobra, ’72 Chevy C-10 and ’21 Mustang. Before running for Congress, Rep. Mullin competed professionally in rock crawling and mixed martial arts (MMA).
Growing up the youngest of seven children on his family’s farm in Westville, Oklahoma, Mullin learned the value of hard work from a young age. He attended Missouri Valley College on a wrestling scholarship, although he left school at the age of 20 to run his family’s plumbing business when his father became ill. At the time, Mullin Plumbing was $500,000 in debt and employed six people. Rep. Mullin and his wife Christie worked tirelessly over the next three years to turn around the business before he returned to college and graduated from Oklahoma State University’s Institute of Technology in 2010. Today, Mullin Plumbing is one of the largest service companies in the region, employing more than 150 workers. Rep. Mullin went on to open and operate several other businesses, including Mullin Environmental, Mullin Plumbing West Division, Mullin Services, Mullin Properties and Mullin Plumbing New Construction.
Rep. Mullin, an automotive enthusiast and longtime ally of the aftermarket, is leading the field in the Republican primary for U.S. Senate.
Polls show that Rep. Mullin is the leading candidate in a crowded field of candidates to be the Sooner State’s Republican nominee for U.S. Senate, although Oklahoma requires the winner to garner more than 50% of the vote. If no candidate receives a majority of the votes cast, the top two candidates will compete in an August 23 runoff election to determine who will be their party’s nominee for Senate.
To learn more about the upcoming elections in your state and how to register to vote, visit www.semasan.com/semavotes.
Bob McJannett, founder of Performance Improvements—a performance products warehouse distributor in Canada—passed away June 20.
McJannett was named the SEMA Person of the Year in 1990 and was inducted into the SEMA Hall of Fame in 2003. He also served as a select committee member for several SEMA councils and networks, including the Motorsports Parts Manufacturers Council.
As an automotive enthusiast, business founder, and volunteer, McJannett shared his experience and wisdom with others throughout the industry. He was dedicated to offering guidance for the next generation of enthusiasts and entrepreneurs entering the aftermarket. His valuable insight was featured through articles he penned for SEMA News magazine, including a regular column that covered topics from sales tips for new employees, to ways for employers to enhance staff morale.
In place of flowers, donations can be made to one of McJannett's favorite charities, barthsyndrome.ca.
The SEMA Professional Restylers Organization (PRO) named Nia Body Kits as the council’s newest spotlight member. Get to know the story of the company in SEMA’s interview with Nia Body Kits president Kevin Abril below.
SEMA: Tell us the story of your shop.
Kevin Abril: It started out as a hobby making a custom body kit for my personal high school car. I wanted something different and went to a local manufacturer with some sketches and started sculpting it. I got hooked and started designing body kits for friends’ cars and selling them online. Little by little, I began investing in machinery, hiring people and now we are able to scan a vehicle, create a mold on our five-axis machine, produce the kits in our vacuum-forming machine, color match them to a vehicles OEM color and ship them to a customer’s door step anywhere in the world.
SEMA: What was your breakthrough moment?
KA: There were so many, but the one that is most memorable is when a local Scion dealership used our body kit in their showroom vehicle when we were barely starting. That gave us the confidence we needed to keep going.
SEMA: Tell us about your business in 2022 and projects that you are working on.
KA: In 2022, we are planning on making our kits in carbon fiber in-house. It will be a long road but we are hoping it will be perfected this year, along with getting into more German vehicles like BMW, Mercedes, etc.
SEMA: Tell us about a package/product that you are proud of.
KA: We offer a full body kit for the ’21+ Lexus IS350, which includes, front, sides, rears (and coming soon a diffuser) available with all the hardware and color matched to the vehicle.
SEMA: What advice do you have for young professionals contemplating a career in the automotive aftermarket?
KA: It’s a small niche market, but we use that to your advantage. Learn your craft, perfect it and put yourself out there. Businesses will compete for your talent.
Fill out a PRO member spotlight form to highlight how you or your company are contributing to the automotive restyling industry. Selected candidates are eligible to be featured on PRO’s social media, SEMA News and future PRO-member updates.
The SEMA Truck & Off-Road Alliance (TORA) named David Page as the council’s newest spotlight volunteer. Page is the product manager of Forced Induction at Edelbrock Group.
Get to know Page in his Q&A with SEMA below.
SEMA: What inspired you to pursue a career in the truck and off-road industry?
David Page: My passion for anything with an engine inspired to me to pursue a career in the industry.
SEMA: Why did you decide to volunteer for TORA?
DP: I get to network and promote healthy growth of our industry.
SEMA: What advice do you have for someone pursuing a career in the automotive aftermarket?
DP: Get your foot in the door, never stop learning, push yourself beyond your comfort zone, and never set limits for yourself.
SEMA: What is your dream truck or off-road vehicle?
DP: My dream truck is a classic late ’70s square-body Chevrolet truck.
Fill out a TORA-member spotlight form to highlight how you or your company are contributing to the truck and off-road specialty-equipment industry. Selected candidates are eligible to be featured on TORA’s social media, SEMA News and future TORA member updates.
Bosch Plans Acquisition of the MoTeC Group
Bob McJannett, founder of Performance Improvements—a performance products warehouse distributor in Canada—passed away June 20.
