News | Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA)

The U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee held a hearing on SEMA-supported legislation to protect off-highway vehicle (OHV) access to public lands. The committee reviewed legislation already approved by the U.S. House of Representatives to reopen the 75,000-acre Clear Creek National Recreation Area (NRA) in California’s San Benito and Fresno counties for recreational use.

Clear Creek was closed by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management in 2008 due to concerns about exposure to asbestiform minerals that occur naturally in the area’s rock and soil. However, an independent asbestos risk assessment study requested by the California Off-Highway Motor Vehicle Recreation Commission concluded that it was possible to allow OHV use while shielding the public from unacceptable exposure risks. The “Clear Creek National Recreation Area and Conservation Act” (HR 1838) would reopen more than 240 miles of public trails.

The committee also reviewed two bills that would reform the process for designating a “national monument,” which automatically prohibits new roads and trails and requires a new land management plan be drafted that could lead to more road closures. While current law provides the president with unilateral power to designate a national monument, the committee reviewed a bill that would also require approval by Congress and the impacted state legislature(s). The committee also considered a bill that would specifically prohibit the president from declaring a national monument in the state of Utah without Congressional approval—a restriction already enacted for Wyoming and Alaska.

For more information, contact Eric Snyder at erics@sema.org.

U.S. Senate Committee Considers Bills to Protect OHV Roads and Trails

Thu, 09/22/2016 - 08:30

By SEMA Washington, D.C., Staff

The U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee held a hearing on SEMA-supported legislation to protect off-highway vehicle (OHV) access to public lands. The committee reviewed legislation already approved by the U.S. House of Representatives to reopen the 75,000-acre Clear Creek National Recreation Area (NRA) in California’s San Benito and Fresno counties for recreational use.

Clear Creek was closed by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management in 2008 due to concerns about exposure to asbestiform minerals that occur naturally in the area’s rock and soil. However, an independent asbestos risk assessment study requested by the California Off-Highway Motor Vehicle Recreation Commission concluded that it was possible to allow OHV use while shielding the public from unacceptable exposure risks. The “Clear Creek National Recreation Area and Conservation Act” (HR 1838) would reopen more than 240 miles of public trails.

The committee also reviewed two bills that would reform the process for designating a “national monument,” which automatically prohibits new roads and trails and requires a new land management plan be drafted that could lead to more road closures. While current law provides the president with unilateral power to designate a national monument, the committee reviewed a bill that would also require approval by Congress and the impacted state legislature(s). The committee also considered a bill that would specifically prohibit the president from declaring a national monument in the state of Utah without Congressional approval—a restriction already enacted for Wyoming and Alaska.

For more information, contact Eric Snyder at erics@sema.org.

U.S. Senate Committee Considers Bills to Protect OHV Roads and Trails

Thu, 09/22/2016 - 08:30

By SEMA Washington, D.C., Staff

The U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee held a hearing on SEMA-supported legislation to protect off-highway vehicle (OHV) access to public lands. The committee reviewed legislation already approved by the U.S. House of Representatives to reopen the 75,000-acre Clear Creek National Recreation Area (NRA) in California’s San Benito and Fresno counties for recreational use.

Clear Creek was closed by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management in 2008 due to concerns about exposure to asbestiform minerals that occur naturally in the area’s rock and soil. However, an independent asbestos risk assessment study requested by the California Off-Highway Motor Vehicle Recreation Commission concluded that it was possible to allow OHV use while shielding the public from unacceptable exposure risks. The “Clear Creek National Recreation Area and Conservation Act” (HR 1838) would reopen more than 240 miles of public trails.

The committee also reviewed two bills that would reform the process for designating a “national monument,” which automatically prohibits new roads and trails and requires a new land management plan be drafted that could lead to more road closures. While current law provides the president with unilateral power to designate a national monument, the committee reviewed a bill that would also require approval by Congress and the impacted state legislature(s). The committee also considered a bill that would specifically prohibit the president from declaring a national monument in the state of Utah without Congressional approval—a restriction already enacted for Wyoming and Alaska.

For more information, contact Eric Snyder at erics@sema.org.

Haven’t Registered to Vote? Now’s the Time!

Thu, 09/22/2016 - 08:20

By SEMA Washington, D.C., Staff

Election Day is just around the corner. With just 46 days until Americans head to the polls to pick the next president, the deadline to register to vote is rapidly approaching in many states. With the finish line in sight, it’s time to make our voices heard.

The SEMA Action Network’s voter information tool provides information on each state’s voting dates and deadlines. Those who cannot make it to the polls on November 8 will likely have the option to vote early or by absentee ballot.

Stay informed and up to date on the latest election news by visiting www.SEMAPAC.com and becoming SEMA PAC Approved today. Those who do will automatically be signed up for “Campaign Spy Shots,” a bimonthly newsletter that offers the latest news from the campaign trail. There is no obligation to contribute to SEMA PAC when becoming PAC Approved.

To learn more, contact SEMA PAC and Congressional Relations Director Christian Robinson at christianr@sema.org.

Haven’t Registered to Vote? Now’s the Time!

Thu, 09/22/2016 - 08:20

By SEMA Washington, D.C., Staff

Election Day is just around the corner. With just 46 days until Americans head to the polls to pick the next president, the deadline to register to vote is rapidly approaching in many states. With the finish line in sight, it’s time to make our voices heard.

The SEMA Action Network’s voter information tool provides information on each state’s voting dates and deadlines. Those who cannot make it to the polls on November 8 will likely have the option to vote early or by absentee ballot.

Stay informed and up to date on the latest election news by visiting www.SEMAPAC.com and becoming SEMA PAC Approved today. Those who do will automatically be signed up for “Campaign Spy Shots,” a bimonthly newsletter that offers the latest news from the campaign trail. There is no obligation to contribute to SEMA PAC when becoming PAC Approved.

To learn more, contact SEMA PAC and Congressional Relations Director Christian Robinson at christianr@sema.org.

Haven’t Registered to Vote? Now’s the Time!

Thu, 09/22/2016 - 08:20

By SEMA Washington, D.C., Staff

Election Day is just around the corner. With just 46 days until Americans head to the polls to pick the next president, the deadline to register to vote is rapidly approaching in many states. With the finish line in sight, it’s time to make our voices heard.

The SEMA Action Network’s voter information tool provides information on each state’s voting dates and deadlines. Those who cannot make it to the polls on November 8 will likely have the option to vote early or by absentee ballot.

Stay informed and up to date on the latest election news by visiting www.SEMAPAC.com and becoming SEMA PAC Approved today. Those who do will automatically be signed up for “Campaign Spy Shots,” a bimonthly newsletter that offers the latest news from the campaign trail. There is no obligation to contribute to SEMA PAC when becoming PAC Approved.

To learn more, contact SEMA PAC and Congressional Relations Director Christian Robinson at christianr@sema.org.

Update Your LinkedIn Profile Via the SEMA Career Center

Thu, 09/22/2016 - 08:18

By Michael Hart

Kathy Bernard, CEO of WiserU, will offer free consultations to SEMA Show attendees.

Companies that don't update their LinkedIn profiles and employees who don’t completely fill out their personal profiles could be missing out on untold business opportunities and potential customer interactions.

Get up-to-date with today’s most important business network at the 2016 SEMA Show. WiserU CEO Kathy Bernard will be on-site at the SEMA Career Center to provide personalized LinkedIn profile consultations. The ability to work one-on-one with a LinkedIn expert is just one of the services that will be available at the Career Center, which, for the first time, has a physical presence at the SEMA Show.

Bernard also will present an education session on Tuesday, November 1, entitled “Generating Leads on LinkedIn.”

“LinkedIn has incredible power for the aftermarket industry,” Bernard said, “but not everybody knows how to use it. It’s like having a Ferrari in the driveway, but no key to start it.”

LinkedIn dwarfs Facebook in terms of lead generation and, with 430 million online profiles—nearly a quarter million of them in the United States—it is the No. 1 online channel for connecting to potential business opportunities.

“You can find potential prospects on the site,” Bernard said. “You can find potential employees, and it can act as your online Yellow Pages.”

In her free consultations at the SEMA Career Center and the Tuesday education session, Bernard will help attendees understand how to maximize their presence on the business-focused social network, how to establish their online brands and how to generate solid leads from LinkedIn.

According to WiserU statistics, LinkedIn is 277% more effective for lead generation than Facebook, and for good reason.

“On LinkedIn, your message is not competing with baby pictures, cat videos and political positions,” Bernard explained.

Her number-one piece of advice for anybody looking to enhance their LinkedIn presence?

“Establish your profile and then fill in every single box,” Bernard said.

Too often, people and companies merely put their names at the top and forget about it. Meanwhile, millions of people each day are using the social network to find products and services, looking for people to hire and creating business partnerships.

“There’s no reason why everybody shouldn’t have a great LinkedIn profile by the time they leave the Show,” she said.

Register now to attend the LinkedIn session.

To set up a business or personal LinkedIn consultation with Bernard during the 2016 SEMA Show, visit the Career Center during Show hours, located in the upper North Hall of the Convention Center, outside the SEMA Members Lounge (N251).