By Juan Torres

Mark Turner and his employees at Daystar Products built a ’58 Jeep FC170 during their free time that was selected as a SEMA Battle of the Builders Top 10 finalist.

As CEO of Daystar Products—an injection and cast polyurethane company in Phoenix founded in 1977—Mark Turner is a very busy person, and to balance his life, he builds cars in his garage with the help of his employees. “Every build that we do is done with our employees,” he said. “After working on the plant, they hang out with us at nights and on weekends.”

The group put together a ’58 Jeep FC170 that they entered into the 2016 SEMA Battle of the Builders competition. The project took six months to complete and features many modifications, including a hidden A/C system, hand-made bed, custom MagnaFlow exhaust, Baer brakes, KC LED headlights, Warn winch, power steering, and ballast tanks in the rear to aid with off-roading. Lamborghini leather covers all of the stock interior parts, and custom step cogs were added to the wheels to allow easy entry.

Turner could not believe that his build made it into the Top 10. “It's astounding that we were recognized for the hard work to make an amazing vehicle without having access to specialized tools,” he said. “This is what we do for fun. This is done in our garage, so we’re not professional builders.”

Behind-the-scenes footage, interviews and stories of the 2016 Battle of the Builders competition will be showcased in an hour-long TV special that will air February 6, 2017, on the Velocity Network, so mark your calendars, set your DVR and tell your friends not to miss the show.

For more information, visit www.SEMAShow.com/botb.

By Juan Torres

Mark Turner and his employees at Daystar Products built a ’58 Jeep FC170 during their free time that was selected as a SEMA Battle of the Builders Top 10 finalist.

As CEO of Daystar Products—an injection and cast polyurethane company in Phoenix founded in 1977—Mark Turner is a very busy person, and to balance his life, he builds cars in his garage with the help of his employees. “Every build that we do is done with our employees,” he said. “After working on the plant, they hang out with us at nights and on weekends.”

The group put together a ’58 Jeep FC170 that they entered into the 2016 SEMA Battle of the Builders competition. The project took six months to complete and features many modifications, including a hidden A/C system, hand-made bed, custom MagnaFlow exhaust, Baer brakes, KC LED headlights, Warn winch, power steering, and ballast tanks in the rear to aid with off-roading. Lamborghini leather covers all of the stock interior parts, and custom step cogs were added to the wheels to allow easy entry.

Turner could not believe that his build made it into the Top 10. “It's astounding that we were recognized for the hard work to make an amazing vehicle without having access to specialized tools,” he said. “This is what we do for fun. This is done in our garage, so we’re not professional builders.”

Behind-the-scenes footage, interviews and stories of the 2016 Battle of the Builders competition will be showcased in an hour-long TV special that will air February 6, 2017, on the Velocity Network, so mark your calendars, set your DVR and tell your friends not to miss the show.

For more information, visit www.SEMAShow.com/botb.

The deadline to submit your company’s Exhibit Space Rental Application and deposit is March 31, 2017, to participate in the 2017 SEMA Show Early Space Selection, which will take place May 1–19, 2017.

The deadline to submit your company’s Exhibit Space Rental Application and deposit is March 31, 2017, to participate in the 2017 SEMA Show Early Space Selection, which will take place May 1–19, 2017.

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.

By Juan Torres

Register for the 2017 MPMC Media Trade Conference, Tuesday–Thursday, January 24–26, 2017, at the Embassy Suites Orange County Airport North in Santa Ana, California.

Hundreds of journalists from throughout the country have already signed up for the 2017 MPMC Media Trade Conference, to be held January 24–26, at the Embassy Suites Orange County North in Santa Ana, California. However, media who have not yet registered can still do so at  www.sema.org/mpmcmediaregister.

Personalized schedules will be sent by January 10, so register today to take advantage of what reporters describe as the year’s best opportunity to interview and connect with motorsports manufacturers.

For questions regarding the event, contact Della Domingo at dellad@sema.org or Juan Torres at juant@sema.org.

By Juan Torres

Register for the 2017 MPMC Media Trade Conference, Tuesday–Thursday, January 24–26, 2017, at the Embassy Suites Orange County Airport North in Santa Ana, California.

Hundreds of journalists from throughout the country have already signed up for the 2017 MPMC Media Trade Conference, to be held January 24–26, at the Embassy Suites Orange County North in Santa Ana, California. However, media who have not yet registered can still do so at  www.sema.org/mpmcmediaregister.

Personalized schedules will be sent by January 10, so register today to take advantage of what reporters describe as the year’s best opportunity to interview and connect with motorsports manufacturers.

For questions regarding the event, contact Della Domingo at dellad@sema.org or Juan Torres at juant@sema.org.

The all-new ’18 Toyota C-HR is almost here, and Toyota is offering SEMA members an exclusive opportunity to explore, measure and learn about this transformational new vehicle. The C-HR was designed as a global platform to meet the evolving needs of future car buyers and sets a new standard with equal parts performance, style, versatility and personalization. Though compact in size, this CUV doesn’t compromise performance for utility with its Nürburgring-tuned handling.

This single-day event will be held at Toyota’s Torrance, California, headquarters, Wednesday, February 1. Attendance is by reservation only, so register now to secure your participation. SEMA members should plan for a full day, as Toyota is flying the C-HR chief engineer in from Japan to answer your questions. Toyota technical staff will also be on hand to assist in vehicle disassembly.

Breakfast and coffee will be served at 8:30 a.m. with a technical presentation starting at 9:30 a.m. Member access to the vehicle will follow through to 4:00 p.m.

The all-new ’18 Toyota C-HR is almost here, and Toyota is offering SEMA members an exclusive opportunity to explore, measure and learn about this transformational new vehicle. The C-HR was designed as a global platform to meet the evolving needs of future car buyers and sets a new standard with equal parts performance, style, versatility and personalization. Though compact in size, this CUV doesn’t compromise performance for utility with its Nürburgring-tuned handling.

This single-day event will be held at Toyota’s Torrance, California, headquarters, Wednesday, February 1. Attendance is by reservation only, so register now to secure your participation. SEMA members should plan for a full day, as Toyota is flying the C-HR chief engineer in from Japan to answer your questions. Toyota technical staff will also be on hand to assist in vehicle disassembly.

Breakfast and coffee will be served at 8:30 a.m. with a technical presentation starting at 9:30 a.m. Member access to the vehicle will follow through to 4:00 p.m.

The all-new ’18 Toyota C-HR is almost here, and Toyota is offering SEMA members an exclusive opportunity to explore, measure and learn about this transformational new vehicle. The C-HR was designed as a global platform to meet the evolving needs of future car buyers and sets a new standard with equal parts performance, style, versatility and personalization. Though compact in size, this CUV doesn’t compromise performance for utility with its Nürburgring-tuned handling.

This single-day event will be held at Toyota’s Torrance, California, headquarters, Wednesday, February 1. Attendance is by reservation only, so register now to secure your participation. SEMA members should plan for a full day, as Toyota is flying the C-HR chief engineer in from Japan to answer your questions. Toyota technical staff will also be on hand to assist in vehicle disassembly.

Breakfast and coffee will be served at 8:30 a.m. with a technical presentation starting at 9:30 a.m. Member access to the vehicle will follow through to 4:00 p.m.