By SEMA Editors

(L-R): Joel Ayres, Dennis Gage and Jim Bingham were inducted into the SEMA Hall of Fame in 2015.

It’s that time of year for SEMA Hall of Fame nominations. As a SEMA member, you have the opportunity to nominate a person for the 2016 SEMA Hall of Fame—an award established to honor outstanding persons in the automotive specialty-equipment industry whose creativity, dignity, integrity, industriousness and accomplishments on a national basis have enhanced the stature of, and significantly contributed to, the industry’s growth.

A rule of thumb to qualify could be to ask yourself the following question: “If this person had never existed, how would SEMA and the industry be different?”

Please take a moment to review the SEMA Hall of Fame website, SEMA Hall of Fame criteria and listings of past inductees. In order to assist the Hall of Fame Committee in making their selection, please provide a brief statement, including accomplishments and comments as to why, based on the award criteria, the individual is deserving of this honor. Your completed nomination form is confidential and vital to helping the Hall of Fame Committee make their selection for the 2016 SEMA Hall of Fame.

Please submit your 2016 SEMA Hall of Fame form by March 11.

If you have any questions, contact Marcela Ortega at marcelao@sema.org or 909-978-6744.

By SEMA Editors

(L-R): Joel Ayres, Dennis Gage and Jim Bingham were inducted into the SEMA Hall of Fame in 2015.

It’s that time of year for SEMA Hall of Fame nominations. As a SEMA member, you have the opportunity to nominate a person for the 2016 SEMA Hall of Fame—an award established to honor outstanding persons in the automotive specialty-equipment industry whose creativity, dignity, integrity, industriousness and accomplishments on a national basis have enhanced the stature of, and significantly contributed to, the industry’s growth.

A rule of thumb to qualify could be to ask yourself the following question: “If this person had never existed, how would SEMA and the industry be different?”

Please take a moment to review the SEMA Hall of Fame website, SEMA Hall of Fame criteria and listings of past inductees. In order to assist the Hall of Fame Committee in making their selection, please provide a brief statement, including accomplishments and comments as to why, based on the award criteria, the individual is deserving of this honor. Your completed nomination form is confidential and vital to helping the Hall of Fame Committee make their selection for the 2016 SEMA Hall of Fame.

Please submit your 2016 SEMA Hall of Fame form by March 11.

If you have any questions, contact Marcela Ortega at marcelao@sema.org or 909-978-6744.

By SEMA Editors

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

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

By SEMA Washington, D.C., Staff

President Obama has designated three new national monuments located in California’s Mojave Desert. The Mojave Trails, Sand to Snow and Castle Mountains National Monuments total 1.8 million acres, and are located between Palm Springs and the Nevada state border.

SEMA opposes this action since national monuments automatically prohibit new roads or trails for motorized vehicles and require a new land management plan be drafted that could lead to more road closures. SEMA supports a collaborative approach to land-use decisions, including input from local citizens, elected leaders and other stakeholders on national monument designations. Accordingly, SEMA has worked to advance a bill in the U.S. Congress that would curtail the President’s power to unilaterally designate national monuments by requiring their approval by Congress and the impacted state legislature(s).  

For more information on this and other land-use issues, visit the SEMA Action Network (SAN) website. For details, contact Eric Snyder at erics@sema.org.

By SEMA Washington, D.C., Staff

President Obama has designated three new national monuments located in California’s Mojave Desert. The Mojave Trails, Sand to Snow and Castle Mountains National Monuments total 1.8 million acres, and are located between Palm Springs and the Nevada state border.

SEMA opposes this action since national monuments automatically prohibit new roads or trails for motorized vehicles and require a new land management plan be drafted that could lead to more road closures. SEMA supports a collaborative approach to land-use decisions, including input from local citizens, elected leaders and other stakeholders on national monument designations. Accordingly, SEMA has worked to advance a bill in the U.S. Congress that would curtail the President’s power to unilaterally designate national monuments by requiring their approval by Congress and the impacted state legislature(s).  

For more information on this and other land-use issues, visit the SEMA Action Network (SAN) website. For details, contact Eric Snyder at erics@sema.org.

By SEMA Washington, D.C., Staff

President Obama has designated three new national monuments located in California’s Mojave Desert. The Mojave Trails, Sand to Snow and Castle Mountains National Monuments total 1.8 million acres, and are located between Palm Springs and the Nevada state border.

SEMA opposes this action since national monuments automatically prohibit new roads or trails for motorized vehicles and require a new land management plan be drafted that could lead to more road closures. SEMA supports a collaborative approach to land-use decisions, including input from local citizens, elected leaders and other stakeholders on national monument designations. Accordingly, SEMA has worked to advance a bill in the U.S. Congress that would curtail the President’s power to unilaterally designate national monuments by requiring their approval by Congress and the impacted state legislature(s).  

For more information on this and other land-use issues, visit the SEMA Action Network (SAN) website. For details, contact Eric Snyder at erics@sema.org.

By SEMA Washington, D.C., Staff

President Obama has designated three new national monuments located in California’s Mojave Desert. The Mojave Trails, Sand to Snow and Castle Mountains National Monuments total 1.8 million acres, and are located between Palm Springs and the Nevada state border.

SEMA opposes this action since national monuments automatically prohibit new roads or trails for motorized vehicles and require a new land management plan be drafted that could lead to more road closures. SEMA supports a collaborative approach to land-use decisions, including input from local citizens, elected leaders and other stakeholders on national monument designations. Accordingly, SEMA has worked to advance a bill in the U.S. Congress that would curtail the President’s power to unilaterally designate national monuments by requiring their approval by Congress and the impacted state legislature(s).  

For more information on this and other land-use issues, visit the SEMA Action Network (SAN) website. For details, contact Eric Snyder at erics@sema.org.

By SEMA Editors

SEMA-member companies have posted several new listings for job opportunities (view all here) in the Classifieds page of SEMA.org. Working for a SEMA-member company has many advantages. In addition to working for a company that supports and contributes to the success of the overall industry, being employed by a SEMA-member company enables employees to participate in webinars, access free market research, join SEMA committees and more. The newest classified listings posted under Positions Available include:

By SEMA Washington, D.C., Staff

In response to a request made by the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee, the U.S. Copyright Office is undertaking a study on the interplay between copyright law and consumer products that contain software, including motor vehicles. Software is often protected by copyright law, but exceptions in the law allow for use and access to copyright-protected elements for certain purposes. Congress is now considering changes to the law to more adequately address the issue.

In its comments, SEMA made its position clear that any changes to the law should ensure aftermarket companies continue to have access and the ability to reverse engineer the software of modern vehicles to achieve different functionality and interoperability with aftermarket components.  

For more information, contact Ashley Ailsworth at ashleya@sema.org. 

By SEMA Washington, D.C., Staff

In response to a request made by the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee, the U.S. Copyright Office is undertaking a study on the interplay between copyright law and consumer products that contain software, including motor vehicles. Software is often protected by copyright law, but exceptions in the law allow for use and access to copyright-protected elements for certain purposes. Congress is now considering changes to the law to more adequately address the issue.

In its comments, SEMA made its position clear that any changes to the law should ensure aftermarket companies continue to have access and the ability to reverse engineer the software of modern vehicles to achieve different functionality and interoperability with aftermarket components.  

For more information, contact Ashley Ailsworth at ashleya@sema.org.