By SEMA Washington, D.C., Staff

A version of SEMA-model legislation that would create a vehicle registration classification for street rods and replica custom vehicles and provide for special license plates for these vehicles remains pending in the New Jersey Assembly. Supporters are urged to contact Chairman John Wisniewski of the Assembly Transportation Committee to request an immediate hearing on the bill.

The measure defines a street rod as an altered vehicle manufactured before 1948, and a custom as an altered vehicle at least 25 years old and manufactured after 1948. The bill allows kit cars and replica vehicles to be assigned a certificate of title bearing the same model-year designation the body of the vehicle most closely resembles.  

For more information, visit the SEMA Action Network (SAN) website. For details, contact Steve McDonald at stevem@sema.org.

By Monika Earle

The TORA Media Preview will enable editors and reports to preview products and conduct interviews before the SEMA Show officially opens.

Editors and reporters at the 2016 SEMA Show will be able to preview products and conduct interviews before the Show officially opens by participating in the Truck and Off-Road Alliance (TORA) Media Preview. The media-exclusive event takes place Monday, October 31, the day before the annual SEMA Show opens to buyers and industry professionals in Las Vegas.

“The TORA Media Preview is a chance for the media to get a sneak peek at what exhibitors have planned for the SEMA Show,” said Allan Keefe, SEMA’s senior manager of councils. “The event caters specifically to the needs of the media and gives editors a chance to meet with exhibitors without the distraction of buyers on the Show floor.”

The TORA Media Preview hours are 11:00 a.m.–3:00 p.m. in the SEMA Show Media Center. The 2016 Media Preview will include 25 exhibiting companies, all members of the Truck and Off-Road Alliance (TORA) who manufacture truck-related products.

To attend the preview, media can select the event on the SEMA Show media application at www.SEMAShow.com/register. Those who have already secured media credentials or who have questions about the TORA Media Preview may contact SEMA PR at pr@SEMA.org or 909-978-6722.

By Monika Earle

The TORA Media Preview will enable editors and reports to preview products and conduct interviews before the SEMA Show officially opens.

Editors and reporters at the 2016 SEMA Show will be able to preview products and conduct interviews before the Show officially opens by participating in the Truck and Off-Road Alliance (TORA) Media Preview. The media-exclusive event takes place Monday, October 31, the day before the annual SEMA Show opens to buyers and industry professionals in Las Vegas.

“The TORA Media Preview is a chance for the media to get a sneak peek at what exhibitors have planned for the SEMA Show,” said Allan Keefe, SEMA’s senior manager of councils. “The event caters specifically to the needs of the media and gives editors a chance to meet with exhibitors without the distraction of buyers on the Show floor.”

The TORA Media Preview hours are 11:00 a.m.–3:00 p.m. in the SEMA Show Media Center. The 2016 Media Preview will include 25 exhibiting companies, all members of the Truck and Off-Road Alliance (TORA) who manufacture truck-related products.

To attend the preview, media can select the event on the SEMA Show media application at www.SEMAShow.com/register. Those who have already secured media credentials or who have questions about the TORA Media Preview may contact SEMA PR at pr@SEMA.org or 909-978-6722.

By Monika Earle

The TORA Media Preview will enable editors and reports to preview products and conduct interviews before the SEMA Show officially opens.

Editors and reporters at the 2016 SEMA Show will be able to preview products and conduct interviews before the Show officially opens by participating in the Truck and Off-Road Alliance (TORA) Media Preview. The media-exclusive event takes place Monday, October 31, the day before the annual SEMA Show opens to buyers and industry professionals in Las Vegas.

“The TORA Media Preview is a chance for the media to get a sneak peek at what exhibitors have planned for the SEMA Show,” said Allan Keefe, SEMA’s senior manager of councils. “The event caters specifically to the needs of the media and gives editors a chance to meet with exhibitors without the distraction of buyers on the Show floor.”

The TORA Media Preview hours are 11:00 a.m.–3:00 p.m. in the SEMA Show Media Center. The 2016 Media Preview will include 25 exhibiting companies, all members of the Truck and Off-Road Alliance (TORA) who manufacture truck-related products.

To attend the preview, media can select the event on the SEMA Show media application at www.SEMAShow.com/register. Those who have already secured media credentials or who have questions about the TORA Media Preview may contact SEMA PR at pr@SEMA.org or 909-978-6722.

Compiled by SEMA Editors

“Street Outlaws” TV stars Daddy Dave and Boosted GT will appear at the 11th Annual Nitto Tire NMRA/NMCA Super Bowl of Street Legal Drag Racing.

“Street Outlaws” TV Stars Daddy Dave & Boosted GT to Appear at the NMRA/NMCA Super Bowl of Street Legal Drag Racing

“Street Outlaws” TV stars Daddy Dave and Boosted GT will appear at the 11th Annual Nitto Tire NMRA/NMCA Super Bowl of Street Legal Drag Racing, July 30–31, in Joliet, Illinois. Daddy Dave will bring his Goliath 2.0 nitrous-gulping ’63 Chevy Nova. Boosted GT will be available for autographs and pictures, Saturday, July 30, in front of his bright-yellow turbocharged ’03 Ford Mustang SVT Cobra. 

Turn 14 Distribution Adds Retrax and EBC Brakes to Line Card

Turn 14 Distribution has included Retrax Retractable Bed Covers and EBC Brakes to the company’s warehousing operations. Retrax manufactures polycarbonate and aluminum manual and motorized retractable bed covers for pickups from domestic and import manufacturers. EBC Brakes manufactures cast-iron brake rotors in four different styles along with aramid, sintered, ceramic and carbon brake pads for every vehicle on the road today.

Mile Marker Announces New Ownership and Expansion Plans

Mile Marker Industries has confirmed its acquisition by private equity firm HRH Boca LLC. The new ownership comes with a strategic vision, building upon the company’s heritage of professional quality products. Mile Marker will retain its name and headquarters in Pompano Beach, Florida. The announcement promises developments for Mile Marker’s base of off-road enthusiasts and wholesale distributors, bringing with it new business leadership, product development and global expansion.

B.R.A.K.E.S. has named Kahn Media as its agency of record. B.R.A.K.E.S. is a non-profit aimed at providing teens and their parents a free, four-hour safe driving class to prevent injuries and save lives.

B.R.A.K.E.S. Chooses Kahn Media as Agency of Record

Kahn Media has been named the agency of record for Top Fuel drag racer Doug Herbert’s Be Responsible and Keep Everyone Safe (B.R.A.K.E.S.) Teen Pro-Active Driving School—a non-profit aimed at providing teens and their parents a free, four-hour safe driving class to prevent injuries and save lives. The Concord, North Carolina-based company was founded in 2008 after Herbert lost his two young sons, Jon and James, in a tragic car crash. Although devastated by his loss, Herbert decided to turn his grief into something positive and created the driving program in the hopes of preventing other families from experiencing similar tragedy. Kahn Media will handle public and media relations for B.R.A.K.E.S. while developing dynamic media engagement strategies to increase awareness of the program and its mission. Kahn will also engage with the B.R.A.K.E.S. social media, event promotion and relationship management programs.

I-CAR Announces Launch of Production Management ProLevel 2 Curriculum for Collision Repair Professionals

I-CAR unveiled the second level of its new Production Management curriculum. Ten new courses have been launched that build knowledge in areas such as learning culture, talent, processes, controls and business skills. Individuals can register for Production Management courses now online or by calling I-CAR customer care at 800-ICAR USA. All new ProLevel 2 courses, as well as the ProLevel 1 courses launched in 2015, have now been configured to allow for more flexible access supporting customized learning paths. Training paths can now be tailored to the role-specific knowledge needs of collision-repair professionals involved in shop-wide production processes, as well as for those responsible only for sub-elements of the process. The key to this new level of accessibility and flexibility is the increased number of classes collision-repair professionals can take without prerequisites. This creates more curriculum entry points for a variety of professionals such as shop owners, managers, estimators and technicians. The newly launched ProLevel 2 curriculum includes the following courses: Implementing a Learning Culture, Hiring to Support Your Shop’s Learning Culture, Developing New Talent, Improving Your Shop’s Cycle Time Process, Gaining Efficiencies Through Blueprinting, Strengthening Your In-Process Quality Control, Speaking the KPI Language, Understanding Your Part in Profit and Loss, Building Effective Vendor and Insurer Relationships, and Understanding the Cycle Time Process.

PPG is hosting two-day certification courses, held at 16 PPG business development centers and various field locations across North America, where technicians receive classroom and hands-on training in the paint booth.

PPG Certification Program Aims to Keep Technicians Up to Date

Advancements in auto refinish technologies, combined with the growing number of OEM special effects vehicle finishes, make it critical that collision refinish technicians stay current with available training. That’s what’s driving PPG’s ongoing commitment to its comprehensive technician certification training program. The two-day certification courses are held at 16 PPG business development centers and various field locations across North America, where technicians receive classroom and hands-on training in the paint booth. Courses are tailored for each of PPG’s premium brand collision and fleet refinishing systems and cover a full range of topics from product selection, equipment and color tools to surface preparation and paint application best practices. Once a technician becomes certified, this qualifies the respective collision center to offer the PPG lifetime limited paint performance guarantee. For more information about automotive refinish training classes, schedules, locations and course descriptions, visit www.ppgrefinish.com or call 800-647-6050.

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 Jason Catullo

Jessi Combs (left) and Dennis Pittsenbarger will serve as hosts for the SEMA Installation Gala, July 29, in Pomona, California.

SEMA invites industry members to join Dennis Pittsenbarger and Jessi Combs as they host the 2016 SEMA Installation Gala, Friday, July 29.

The annual SEMA Installation Gala, held  this year at the Sheraton Fairplex Conference Center in Pomona, California, is an evening of celebration, charity and enjoying festivities with friends and colleagues.

The event honors the hard work and dedication of the SEMA Board volunteers who act as the collective voice of the membership. The outgoing members are recognized for their service, and the newly elected board members are formally introduced. In addition to the Board, the celebration also includes a tribute to the new inductees to SEMA’s Hall of Fame. The newest members of the SEMA Hall of Fame are Matt Agosta, Chip Foose and Gary Hooker.

The gala also features the SEMA Cares Pinewood Drag Races, which will begin at 12:00 p.m. on the day of the event. The finals will be held during the cocktail reception shortly before the banquet begins.

All members are invited to the join the celebration, and the proceeds from the event benefit charities supported by SEMA Cares.

Tickets, which are available online, include delicious meal prepared by Executive Chef Adam Haverland. For more information about the SEMA Installation Gala, visit www.sema.org/gala.

By Jason Catullo

Jessi Combs (left) and Dennis Pittsenbarger will serve as hosts for the SEMA Installation Gala, July 29, in Pomona, California.

SEMA invites industry members to join Dennis Pittsenbarger and Jessi Combs as they host the 2016 SEMA Installation Gala, Friday, July 29.

The annual SEMA Installation Gala, held  this year at the Sheraton Fairplex Conference Center in Pomona, California, is an evening of celebration, charity and enjoying festivities with friends and colleagues.

The event honors the hard work and dedication of the SEMA Board volunteers who act as the collective voice of the membership. The outgoing members are recognized for their service, and the newly elected board members are formally introduced. In addition to the Board, the celebration also includes a tribute to the new inductees to SEMA’s Hall of Fame. The newest members of the SEMA Hall of Fame are Matt Agosta, Chip Foose and Gary Hooker.

The gala also features the SEMA Cares Pinewood Drag Races, which will begin at 12:00 p.m. on the day of the event. The finals will be held during the cocktail reception shortly before the banquet begins.

All members are invited to the join the celebration, and the proceeds from the event benefit charities supported by SEMA Cares.

Tickets, which are available online, include delicious meal prepared by Executive Chef Adam Haverland. For more information about the SEMA Installation Gala, visit www.sema.org/gala.

SEMA Heritage—Craig Breedlove’s Spirit of America

In January 1965, Petersen Publishing photographer Pat Brollier set up his camera to get as much depth of field as possible to capture the goings-on at the Winternationals Custom Auto Fair in the cavernous Pan Pacific Auditorium in Los Angeles. That small aperture resulted in a long exposure, blurring many of the visitors as they passed by what had to be one of the most dramatic exhibits in the show.

https://www.sema.org/sema-news/2016/07/thats-the-spirit

SEMA Heritage—Craig Breedlove’s Spirit of America

In January 1965, Petersen Publishing photographer Pat Brollier set up his camera to get as much depth of field as possible to capture the goings-on at the Winternationals Custom Auto Fair in the cavernous Pan Pacific Auditorium in Los Angeles. That small aperture resulted in a long exposure, blurring many of the visitors as they passed by what had to be one of the most dramatic exhibits in the show.

https://www.sema.org/sema-news/2016/07/thats-the-spirit

The annual gala is a special evening for the industry to thank exiting SEMA Board members, welcome those newly elected and honor the newest SEMA Hall of Fame inductees.

The annual SEMA Installation and Gala serves as the venue where our association thanks its outgoing Board members and welcomes those newly elected. It is also the setting in which we announce Matt Agosta, Chip Foose and Gary Hooker as the newest inductees for the SEMA Hall of Fame, who represent not only our industry's history but also its members' dedication, service and devotion to their businesses.