All SEMA Emerging Trends and Technology Network (ETTN) members are invited to join the upcoming ETTN virtual membership meeting and networking event on December 17, at 9:00 a.m. (PST).

Compiled by SEMA Editors

VP Racing Fuels New Products Beome Part of Road to Indy

VP Racing Fuels Inc. has announced a significant expansion of its partnership with the Road to Indy. Through 2025, VP’s role as the Official Fuel has grown to include designation as the Official Lubricant and Official Coolant for Indy Lights, the Indy Pro 2000 Championship, and the USF2000 Championship. VP is the exclusive fuel supplier for all three levels of the Road to Indy driver development ladder system and will promote through at-track product displays, an expanded social media program, original content featuring Road to Indy drivers, advertisements during live streaming race coverage, and the addition of a season-ending VP cash award. With market competitive pricing, competitors will also see a cost-saving on all Official VP Racing Fuels products.

For more racing news, visit Performance Racing Industry’s (PRI) website.

Compiled by SEMA Editors

CRP Automotive Employs “Virtual Roadshow” to Connect with Customers and Industry Partners

CRP Automotive has launched a “Virtual Roadshow” to connect with key customers and industry partners in response to cancelled trade shows and business conferences in 2020. CRP is using the CRP Virtual Roadshow to take its message about new programs and products during online meetings and workshops with customers, sales representatives and buyers. The virtual initiative, which is being conducted by CRP Automotive sales channel and product managers, also includes a variety of training sessions and debuts a selection of new products from the company’s Hot Products table. CRP Automotive will conduct its Virtual Roadshow with existing customers throughout the balance of 2020 and welcomes the opportunity to meet with any new customers or prospects that may be interested in learning more about CRP’s programs for 2021.

Chad Powszok

Chad Powszok Hired as Production Manager of Power Automedia’s Alloy Studios

Power Automedia has announced the hiring of Chad Powszok as Alloy Studios’ video production manager. Powszok has a breadth of experience in the marketing and advertising industry, and an infatuation with early American trucks and late-model Subarus that inspired several project car builds. Prior to joining the Power Automedia team, Powszok had been working in the video production industry fulfilling a variety of roles from production coordinator to associate producer, and eventually producer. Powszok contributed toward the coordination and production on three generations of Apple’s iPhone campaigns and two iPad campaigns. Additionally, he went on to win a Bronze Lion from Cannes Film Festival for the opening film for the World Wide Developers Conference in 2017 entitled “Appocalypse.” Now, as production manager of Alloy Studios, Powszok is able to draw from his extensive knowledge of video production to help coordinate all of the moving parts that entail Alloy Studio’s list of video projects. He will work to provide leadership and oversight for a team of video production staff and will be working closely with Jonny Mill, focusing on the day-to-day outcomes of his team.

Dan Billie

Plews & Edelmann Appoints Dan Billie as CEO

Plews & Edelmann has announced the appointment of Dan Billie to the position of chief executive officer. The announcement was made by David Rashid, executive chairman for Plews & Edelmann. Prior to the promotion, Billie was the company’s chief commercial officer. Plews & Edelmann has gone through a significant transformation under Billie’s leadership. After divesting its retail business unit and directing its focus on application parts, Plews & Edelmann recently announced a new power steering component program under the Edelmann Elite brand that complements its power steering hose business. A 25-year veteran of the automotive aftermarket, Billie joined Plews & Edelmann in September 2019, bringing a wealth of commercial experience and executive leadership to the company. He previously served as executive vice president of APC Automotive Technologies and as senior vice president of CARDONE Industries.

Jeff Geoffroy

Peterson Manufacturing Names New Director of Marketing, Business Development

Peterson Manufacturing has named Jeff Geoffroy as director of marketing and business development. In his new role, Geoffroy will be responsible for increasing brand awareness, expanding customer engagement and leading all go-to-market activities. He will also work with larger OEM customers, providing strategies to expand Peterson solutions to help solve industry lighting and harness issues. Geoffroy’s position as senior global product marketing manager for IBM’s Watson Commerce Group allowed him to resolve problems by enhancing and improving customer engagement through digital marketing solutions. More recently, he was director, product marketing for ZoomInfo, where he led product marketing for a pre-IPO go-to-market data company.

Prior to joining IBM, Geoffroy spent 15 years at Bose Corp. leading the sales and marketing efforts for one of its emerging business groups. After 5 years in the United States Army, Geoffroy reached the rank of Captain then started his business career working with various OEMs, including semi-conductor, medical, circuit board assembly and automotive accounts including Nissan and Mazda. During his first 10 years in the b2b environment, Geoffroy developed new program pricing models and engaged with departments throughout the companies he served to ensure smooth product development and product launches.

AWE AirGate Carbon Intake

AWE AirGate and S-FLO Carbon Intakes Receive CARB Executive Order

AWE, the precision engineering and manufacturing firm outside Philadelphia, has received California Air Resources Board Executive Order (CARB EO) D-832 for the following products:

• AWE AirGate Carbon Intake for the VW Mk7 Golf R, Audi 8V S3, and Audi 8S TTS, E.O. D-832
• AWE S-FLO Carbon Intake for the Audi RS 7, E.O. D-832

Hypertherm Celebrates 25 Years of Powermax Air Plasma Systems

In December 1995, the first Powermax air plasma system rolled out of Hypertherm’s New Hampshire-based manufacturing plant. Over the last 25 years, the technology has continued to advance. The Powermax family now includes seven professional-grade air plasma systems, with a cut capacity ranging from thin gauge to 2-1/4 in.

Have some company news you would like to share? Let us know and the news may appear in an upcoming issue of SEMA eNews. Send your items for consideration to editors@sema.org.

By SEMA Editors

Latest Jobs Added to SEMA Career Center

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.

Embedded Systems Engineer
Performance Electronics Ltd. is hiring an embedded systems engineer to design, test and validate firmware within embedded electronic control units. This position will support existing products, as well as develop new products to meet customer needs and requirements. This person will be a key part in a small team of engineers at Performance Electronics developing solutions for our clients, as well as the company’s own product line. This position is hands-on with products from first prototype all the way to production. Candidates must have a bachelor’s degree in computer engineering, electrical engineering, computer science or equivalent and experience using C/C++ to develop embedded firmware.

Director of Marketing
Hahn Automotive Warehouse Inc. is hiring a director of marketing to lead the company’s marketing strategies, including the development and tracking of a multi-channel marketing plan, market research and collaborating with the company’s national programmed buying group. The individual selected for the position should be able to reach customers through traditional platforms and develop new digital platforms, integrating marketing efforts across various departments, such as sales and operations. The marketing director will be in the field often, and travel is required. Candidates must have a bachelor's degree, preferably in marketing, and a minimum of five years of experience in marketing or sales. Automotive aftermarket parts industry experience and a love for automobiles is a plus.

Marketing Manager
Annex Tire is hiring a marketing manager to lead the strategic deployment and total profitability of the company as it relates to sales, service, inventory strategies, wholesale and brand awareness. This includes working with customer service, marketing, digital advertising, procurement and quality, product design, wholesale and programming teams to ensure the company’s brands grow more than 60% year over year. This position is responsible for establishing leaders within the divisions through hiring, mentoring and providing guidance that foster forward thinking, critical analysis and sales-driven revenue growth. Candidates must be energetic, well organized and demonstrate the ability to fully understand the scope of product sales from conception to final sale and follow-up opportunities.

By SEMA Editors

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

• ETTN General Membership Meeting, December 17, 2020
• 2021 SEMA Nordic Business Development Conference, September 2–6, 2021, Stockholm, Sweden
• 2021 SEMA Show, November 2–5, 2021, Las Vegas Convention Center, Las Vegas

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

SEMA Editors

SEMA eNews highlights SEMA-member companies’ websites weekly through the Hot Links to Cool Sites section. SEMA members: To be included in Hot Links to Cool Sites, email your company name and website to enews@sema.org. Note: Make sure to include “Hot Links” in the subject line of the email.

• Rubicon Express
• Supersprings
• TorqStorm
• Turbonetics Inc.
• UnderCover
• UWS
• Vision X
• Westin
• XClutch USA
• ZyCoat

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

By Kyle Cheng

Check out the “SEMA Industry Indicators” report each month to learn how movements in the broader economy may impact your business strategy.

The U.S. economy continues to recover, but skyrocketing virus infections and increasing restrictions are moderating growth. Despite this, the auto industry continues to do well. Spending on auto parts has been especially high over the last few months and hit an all-time high in October. The next few months will be key in determining the trajectory of the recovery, especially as vaccines begin to roll out.

Want more information on the trends affecting the specialty-equipment industry? Check out the “SEMA Industry Indicators” report each month to learn how movements in the broader economy may impact your business strategy. In this report, published monthly, you’ll find:

• Overall Economic Outlook
• New Vehicle Sales and Statistics on Auto Parts Production
• Consumer Sentiment and Spending
• Economic Growth and Unemployment
• Other Important Industry Insights

Download the November “SEMA Industry Indicators” report for free today at www.sema.org/research.

By Kyle Cheng

Check out the “SEMA Industry Indicators” report each month to learn how movements in the broader economy may impact your business strategy.

The U.S. economy continues to recover, but skyrocketing virus infections and increasing restrictions are moderating growth. Despite this, the auto industry continues to do well. Spending on auto parts has been especially high over the last few months and hit an all-time high in October. The next few months will be key in determining the trajectory of the recovery, especially as vaccines begin to roll out.

Want more information on the trends affecting the specialty-equipment industry? Check out the “SEMA Industry Indicators” report each month to learn how movements in the broader economy may impact your business strategy. In this report, published monthly, you’ll find:

• Overall Economic Outlook
• New Vehicle Sales and Statistics on Auto Parts Production
• Consumer Sentiment and Spending
• Economic Growth and Unemployment
• Other Important Industry Insights

Download the November “SEMA Industry Indicators” report for free today at www.sema.org/research.

SEMA News—December 2020

SDC Product News

By Gigi Ho

The products featured below are from SEMA Data Co-op (SDC) member companies that have attained Gold- or Platinum-level data, which means that their product data is robust and complete—likely to drive customer purchase decisions. SDC members meeting data scorecard requirements are invited to submit product releases for consideration to enews@semadatacoop.org.

The SDC is “data central” for the specialty-equipment segment, containing millions of products and vehicle fitments from performance and accessories brands. Created by SEMA, the SDC is the definitive, industry-owned and -operated centralized data warehouse, complete with comprehensive online tools, and a team of dedicated data and technology experts to assist manufacturers and resellers with product data needs. Learn more about the SDC at www.semadatacoop.org.

JMS Chip

JMS PedalMax

PedalMax was designed to improve the throttle response and driving characteristics of modern vehicles equipped with electronic throttle-control systems. Throttle response and acceleration are improved and turbo applications see a big lag reduction, all leading to more power and torque. Taking only minutes to install, the unit plugs inline between the vehicle’s pedal-position sensor and the vehicle harness, utilizing OEM connectors with a control knob to make performance adjustable on the fly. PedalMax units are fully waterproof, backed by a lifetime guarantee, and made in the U.S.A. Information: www.jmschip.com.

Rigid Industries

Adapt LED Light Bar

The Adapt LED Light Bar has eight selectable beam patterns and accent lighting that can be programmed to display any color. The Adapt features an integrated optics design with spot, flood and driving zones. Horizontal beam patterns range from 90-degree slow- or moderate-speed broad beam to a highly focused 15-degree high-speed spot beam in a single fixture. It also includes Rigid’s new Active View Technology, which allows the beam pattern to automatically adjust based on the vehicle’s speed when set to adaptive mode. There is traditional side-mounting or underside low-profile stealth. Available in 10-, 20-, 30-, 40- and 50-in. lengths. The kit includes one light, a GPS module, a dash controller, an underdash module, a complete wiring harness and switch, mounting hardware and an installation guide. Information: www.rigidindustries.com.

Truck Covers USA

American Roll Cover

The American Roll Cover for the new Jeep Gladiator was launched by Truck Covers USA at the 2019 SEMA Show. In keeping with the revolutionary style of the Truck Covers USA brand, this hard, retractable tonneau cover boasts a 25% smaller canister and lid, optimizing the Jeep’s truck-bed space and allowing for maximum cargo capacity. Specially designed brackets create a perfect fit specific to the Jeep Gladiator. Truck Covers USA offers the roll cover in both a matte and the original textured-finish powdercoating. The versatile unit allows for the seamless addition of the American Rack System and Yakima Component Kit to increase the ability to carry greater loads while still looking good. Information: www.truckcoversusa.com.