According to the 2015 SEMA Market Research Report, the restoration product niche totaled more than $1.4 billion in sales in 2014. The niche has been on a steady market recovery since the 2008 recession, showing strong signs of improvement each year. The following is a compendium of the products that will help extend growth in future years from the 2015 SEMA Show.

According to the 2015 SEMA Market Research Report, the restoration product niche totaled more than $1.4 billion in sales in 2014. The niche has been on a steady market recovery since the 2008 recession, showing strong signs of improvement each year. The following is a compendium of the products that will help extend growth in future years from the 2015 SEMA Show.

By Michael Hart

SEMA Vice President of Vehicle Technology John Waraniak will moderate the Quick Talks session on Vehicle Technology.

Recent SEMA research tells us that 79% of today’s automotive CEOs believe advanced vehicle technologies will transform their businesses over the next five years.

Quick Talks—a new forum this year that is the SEMA Show’s version of TED Talks—will include a very fast but deep dive into new vehicle technologies. On Thursday, November 3, at 9:00 a.m., “Experts Talk Vehicle Technology” will give attendees the opportunity to hear from some of the industry’s visionaries about what their businesses will have to do to thrive in the future.

“The people who own Priuses or Leafs or Teslas, they’re going to want to customize too; they want to be in on the fun,” said Rodney Esteban, one of the Quick Talks organizers and a product procurement and social media manager for PriusChat. “Who’s going to sell to these people? That’s going to be our market someday. Retailers need to learn about these new technologies.”

This is one of three Quick Talks that will take place during the SEMA Show. Four experts will discuss four different emerging technologies, leaving room for questions in a session that will be limited to a single hour.

“We want to offer as much information as we can in a very short amount of time,” Esteban said.

John Waraniak, SEMA vice president of vehicle technology, and another organizer of the session, pointed out that “the top trends are fast, smart, cool and connected.” There are plenty of opportunities at the Show to learn about “fast” and “cool,” so “connected and smart” are the focus.

Each of the experts will spend approximately 10 minutes each on four important emerging automotive trends:

• 3D printing technologies.
• Electronic stability control (ESC) vehicle controls.
• Vehicle connectivity (i.e., connected cars).
• Electric vehicle technologies.

Automakers are already working on these technologies and those in the aftermarket sector who will sell them to consumers in the future need to know about them, too.

“Technology is disruptive by nature,” Waraniak said, “and if you’re not familiar with these technologies, it will eliminate some of the opportunities you may be planning now.”

Reserve your seat today!

For complete information on all the 2016 SEMA Show education tracks, visit SEMA Show Education.

By Michael Hart

SEMA Vice President of Vehicle Technology John Waraniak will moderate the Quick Talks session on Vehicle Technology.

Recent SEMA research tells us that 79% of today’s automotive CEOs believe advanced vehicle technologies will transform their businesses over the next five years.

Quick Talks—a new forum this year that is the SEMA Show’s version of TED Talks—will include a very fast but deep dive into new vehicle technologies. On Thursday, November 3, at 9:00 a.m., “Experts Talk Vehicle Technology” will give attendees the opportunity to hear from some of the industry’s visionaries about what their businesses will have to do to thrive in the future.

“The people who own Priuses or Leafs or Teslas, they’re going to want to customize too; they want to be in on the fun,” said Rodney Esteban, one of the Quick Talks organizers and a product procurement and social media manager for PriusChat. “Who’s going to sell to these people? That’s going to be our market someday. Retailers need to learn about these new technologies.”

This is one of three Quick Talks that will take place during the SEMA Show. Four experts will discuss four different emerging technologies, leaving room for questions in a session that will be limited to a single hour.

“We want to offer as much information as we can in a very short amount of time,” Esteban said.

John Waraniak, SEMA vice president of vehicle technology, and another organizer of the session, pointed out that “the top trends are fast, smart, cool and connected.” There are plenty of opportunities at the Show to learn about “fast” and “cool,” so “connected and smart” are the focus.

Each of the experts will spend approximately 10 minutes each on four important emerging automotive trends:

• 3D printing technologies.
• Electronic stability control (ESC) vehicle controls.
• Vehicle connectivity (i.e., connected cars).
• Electric vehicle technologies.

Automakers are already working on these technologies and those in the aftermarket sector who will sell them to consumers in the future need to know about them, too.

“Technology is disruptive by nature,” Waraniak said, “and if you’re not familiar with these technologies, it will eliminate some of the opportunities you may be planning now.”

Reserve your seat today!

For complete information on all the 2016 SEMA Show education tracks, visit SEMA Show Education.

By Michael Hart

SEMA Vice President of Vehicle Technology John Waraniak will moderate the Quick Talks session on Vehicle Technology.

Recent SEMA research tells us that 79% of today’s automotive CEOs believe advanced vehicle technologies will transform their businesses over the next five years.

Quick Talks—a new forum this year that is the SEMA Show’s version of TED Talks—will include a very fast but deep dive into new vehicle technologies. On Thursday, November 3, at 9:00 a.m., “Experts Talk Vehicle Technology” will give attendees the opportunity to hear from some of the industry’s visionaries about what their businesses will have to do to thrive in the future.

“The people who own Priuses or Leafs or Teslas, they’re going to want to customize too; they want to be in on the fun,” said Rodney Esteban, one of the Quick Talks organizers and a product procurement and social media manager for PriusChat. “Who’s going to sell to these people? That’s going to be our market someday. Retailers need to learn about these new technologies.”

This is one of three Quick Talks that will take place during the SEMA Show. Four experts will discuss four different emerging technologies, leaving room for questions in a session that will be limited to a single hour.

“We want to offer as much information as we can in a very short amount of time,” Esteban said.

John Waraniak, SEMA vice president of vehicle technology, and another organizer of the session, pointed out that “the top trends are fast, smart, cool and connected.” There are plenty of opportunities at the Show to learn about “fast” and “cool,” so “connected and smart” are the focus.

Each of the experts will spend approximately 10 minutes each on four important emerging automotive trends:

• 3D printing technologies.
• Electronic stability control (ESC) vehicle controls.
• Vehicle connectivity (i.e., connected cars).
• Electric vehicle technologies.

Automakers are already working on these technologies and those in the aftermarket sector who will sell them to consumers in the future need to know about them, too.

“Technology is disruptive by nature,” Waraniak said, “and if you’re not familiar with these technologies, it will eliminate some of the opportunities you may be planning now.”

Reserve your seat today!

For complete information on all the 2016 SEMA Show education tracks, visit SEMA Show Education.

By Michael Hart

SEMA Vice President of Vehicle Technology John Waraniak will moderate the Quick Talks session on Vehicle Technology.

Recent SEMA research tells us that 79% of today’s automotive CEOs believe advanced vehicle technologies will transform their businesses over the next five years.

Quick Talks—a new forum this year that is the SEMA Show’s version of TED Talks—will include a very fast but deep dive into new vehicle technologies. On Thursday, November 3, at 9:00 a.m., “Experts Talk Vehicle Technology” will give attendees the opportunity to hear from some of the industry’s visionaries about what their businesses will have to do to thrive in the future.

“The people who own Priuses or Leafs or Teslas, they’re going to want to customize too; they want to be in on the fun,” said Rodney Esteban, one of the Quick Talks organizers and a product procurement and social media manager for PriusChat. “Who’s going to sell to these people? That’s going to be our market someday. Retailers need to learn about these new technologies.”

This is one of three Quick Talks that will take place during the SEMA Show. Four experts will discuss four different emerging technologies, leaving room for questions in a session that will be limited to a single hour.

“We want to offer as much information as we can in a very short amount of time,” Esteban said.

John Waraniak, SEMA vice president of vehicle technology, and another organizer of the session, pointed out that “the top trends are fast, smart, cool and connected.” There are plenty of opportunities at the Show to learn about “fast” and “cool,” so “connected and smart” are the focus.

Each of the experts will spend approximately 10 minutes each on four important emerging automotive trends:

• 3D printing technologies.
• Electronic stability control (ESC) vehicle controls.
• Vehicle connectivity (i.e., connected cars).
• Electric vehicle technologies.

Automakers are already working on these technologies and those in the aftermarket sector who will sell them to consumers in the future need to know about them, too.

“Technology is disruptive by nature,” Waraniak said, “and if you’re not familiar with these technologies, it will eliminate some of the opportunities you may be planning now.”

Reserve your seat today!

For complete information on all the 2016 SEMA Show education tracks, visit SEMA Show Education.

Utah’s Bonneville Salt Flats are a unique land formation that beckon visitors from around the world. For racers, the surface is unequaled. The hard salt crust is perfect for both speed and safety. For SEMA members, it is our heritage. Member products and sponsored race teams have helped set scores of world records.

For more than 50 years, the land speed racing community has sounded the alarm that the Bonneville Salt Flats were being destroyed by U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) mismanagement. The BLM’s traditional response has been to call for studies. There have been six to date. When the racing community proposed a comprehensive restoration plan this past May, the BLM said no action should be undertaken pending the results of yet another study. Frankly, Bonneville has been studied to death.

Utah’s Bonneville Salt Flats are a unique land formation that beckon visitors from around the world. For racers, the surface is unequaled. The hard salt crust is perfect for both speed and safety. For SEMA members, it is our heritage. Member products and sponsored race teams have helped set scores of world records.

For more than 50 years, the land speed racing community has sounded the alarm that the Bonneville Salt Flats were being destroyed by U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) mismanagement. The BLM’s traditional response has been to call for studies. There have been six to date. When the racing community proposed a comprehensive restoration plan this past May, the BLM said no action should be undertaken pending the results of yet another study. Frankly, Bonneville has been studied to death.

By Michael Hart

Engineering students attended a Career Day at the SEMA Garage in February.

A recent SEMA Industry Employment Perspective Study found that 95% of companies in the automotive aftermarket industry will need to hire new employees with specific skills in the next five years. The No. 1 problem, according to the study, is that companies don’t know where to look for the highly skilled employees they will need in the future.

SEMA is here to help.

This year, in support of SEMA’s Career Paths initiative, the SEMA Show will launch its first-ever Student Career Day. On Monday, October 31, from 1:00 p.m.–3:00 p.m., SEMA Show exhibitors will have the chance to meet with about 600 high school and college students who will attend the Show and introduce them to their companies and the career opportunities available to them.

While not technically a job fair (although students may come with their résumés in hand), it is an opportunity to pique the interest of bright, talented young people and for exhibitors to begin relationships that may lead students to begin their careers in the aftermarket industry with their companies.

“We’re always looking for new talent,” said Albert Lucero, talent acquisition manager for Transamerican Auto Parts. “It was just too good of an opportunity to pass up, if we can put our footprint out there with the youth and let them know what we’re all about.”

The event’s goal is to introduce high school and college students to the diversity of careers available to them in the aftermarket industry. SEMA Show exhibitors can still sign up to participate.

“Maybe there’s an accounting major out there who has a passion for cars,” said Chris Douglas, vice president of marketing for the COMP Performance Group and a SEMA Board member. “We might be able to show them that there’s a pathway for them in this industry.”

Or, Douglas added, maybe it’s a marketing major or somebody involved in the IT and web-related fields.

“We’re all companies that sell products,” he said, “but they’re run by people with talent. Without the talent, your company will eventually stall out and be bypassed by the companies that do have the talent.”

Each participating exhibitor will be assigned a table with their company name, logo, industry segment and primary business function. They will be asked to have company representatives staff the table, interact with the student attendees and tell them about what they do and what kinds of careers could be available to them.

For more information or to register to participate, contact SEMA’s Senior Director of Education Zane Clark at ZaneC@sema.org.

By Michael Hart

Engineering students attended a Career Day at the SEMA Garage in February.

A recent SEMA Industry Employment Perspective Study found that 95% of companies in the automotive aftermarket industry will need to hire new employees with specific skills in the next five years. The No. 1 problem, according to the study, is that companies don’t know where to look for the highly skilled employees they will need in the future.

SEMA is here to help.

This year, in support of SEMA’s Career Paths initiative, the SEMA Show will launch its first-ever Student Career Day. On Monday, October 31, from 1:00 p.m.–3:00 p.m., SEMA Show exhibitors will have the chance to meet with about 600 high school and college students who will attend the Show and introduce them to their companies and the career opportunities available to them.

While not technically a job fair (although students may come with their résumés in hand), it is an opportunity to pique the interest of bright, talented young people and for exhibitors to begin relationships that may lead students to begin their careers in the aftermarket industry with their companies.

“We’re always looking for new talent,” said Albert Lucero, talent acquisition manager for Transamerican Auto Parts. “It was just too good of an opportunity to pass up, if we can put our footprint out there with the youth and let them know what we’re all about.”

The event’s goal is to introduce high school and college students to the diversity of careers available to them in the aftermarket industry. SEMA Show exhibitors can still sign up to participate.

“Maybe there’s an accounting major out there who has a passion for cars,” said Chris Douglas, vice president of marketing for the COMP Performance Group and a SEMA Board member. “We might be able to show them that there’s a pathway for them in this industry.”

Or, Douglas added, maybe it’s a marketing major or somebody involved in the IT and web-related fields.

“We’re all companies that sell products,” he said, “but they’re run by people with talent. Without the talent, your company will eventually stall out and be bypassed by the companies that do have the talent.”

Each participating exhibitor will be assigned a table with their company name, logo, industry segment and primary business function. They will be asked to have company representatives staff the table, interact with the student attendees and tell them about what they do and what kinds of careers could be available to them.

For more information or to register to participate, contact SEMA’s Senior Director of Education Zane Clark at ZaneC@sema.org.