Strengthen Your Company Through Community
No matter what niche you're in—rods, restoration, racing, restyling, trucks or wheels and tires—there’s a SEMA council or professional network that's right for your company. SEMA councils and networks offer members a variety of market-specific programs and activities designed to provide educational and networking opportunities while promoting their particular industry segment.
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| Visit ETTN's website |
 At this year’s ETTN roundtables, attendees can talk with top industry talent and innovative minds on emerging technical trends in the motorsports industry. |
ETTN to Host Motorsports Tech Roundtable at MPMC Media Trade Conference
By Kent Bradley
The Emerging Trends and Technology Network (ETTN) will host the second annual Motorsports Tech Roundtable event, January 23, at the 2017 SEMA Motorsports Parts Manufacturers Council (MPMC) Media Trade Conference (MTC) in Santa Ana, California.
This year’s roundtables will offer open conversations that can impact current and future product development and testing. Attendees can talk with top industry talent and innovative minds on emerging technical trends in the motorsports industry. The roundtables will offer a chance for participants to meet with five experts to discuss a variety of topics, including:
- The Fundamental Principles of Intake Manifold Design
- Emissions Compliance for Street Performance Products
- Advancements in Product Design, From Idea to Prototype
- Current Technology Transfer Trends from Track to Street
- Obtaining Patents to Protect Motorsports Technology
The Motorsports Tech Roundtable will be held Monday, January 23, 2017, from 2:00 p.m.–4:30 p.m.
For more information, contact SEMA Director of Networks Bryan Harrison at bryanh@sema.org or 909-978-6691.
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| Visit SBN's website. |
SBN Launches “She Is” Awareness Campaign
The SEMA Businesswomen’s Network (SBN) launched an awareness campaign at the 2016 SEMA Show entitled “She Is.” The campaign brings awareness and highlights successful female professionals in all aspects of the automotive aftermarket industry. Share who “She Is” by using #SHEIsSEMA
Meet Lana Chrisman, executive vice president of McLeod Racing, who is one of the women featured in the video above.
SEMA eNews: What is your story? How did you get into this industry?
 Lana Chrisman |
Lana Chrisman: I’m a single mom with two daughters, Shelby and Amanda, and the vice president of McLeod Racing. I grew up in my family’s garage, where my father Jack Chrisman built some of drag racing’s most famous race cars, including Chrisman’s Comet, the first Nitro Blown Funny cars. In 1971, my father retired from racing and founded Jack Chrisman Enterprises. I had a front-row seat watching my dad change the course of driveline engineering from OEM to high-performance driveline components able to withstand the horsepower being created by aftermarket manufacturers across the country. My father was seriously injured when the rearend broke in the front engine dragster he was driving, nearly ending his life. Because of that incident, he dedicated himself to making sure that it didn’t happen to another driver. That motivation and focus on safety that I witnessed watching my dad build and improve the parts that racers depend on continues to influence my own commitment to manufacturing parts without compromising the safety element.
SEMA eNews: Was the automotive industry always your passion?
Chrisman: The manufacturing of high-performance products, being a part of the process from early development, testing, marketing, to finished product is exciting. However, I didn’t expect that I was going to make it my career. I worked for Chrisman Driveline Components while in high school, and in my senior year, my dad encouraged me to partner with my brother Steve on the development of a business model he and I brainstormed while bike riding. With dad’s support, we created California Gear—a mail-order parts company specializing in gears and differentials. Timing was right and the idea succeeded, but at this point, I was attending college and I didn’t see the family business in my future. The experience of starting the new company and building its structure, working with our attorneys and accountants, led me to turn my focus in college to business law. My ambition was to help people restructure and build successful businesses.
SEMA eNews: What are you most proud of?
Chrisman: Personally, I’m most proud of my children. But professionally, I am proud of my time with McLeod Racing. The growth in the last four years is remarkable, and I attribute that to our dedicated team and their personal commitment to providing the highest-quality products to our clients. California Gears was probably the most satisfying achievement because of the connection to my dad and his faith and belief in me. During my time with CalGear, I was met with daily challenges of being a female selling products typically sold by men. Numerous times, customers would request to speak with a man, only to have the phone turned back to me to close the sale. It took some time for clients to finally realize I really did know the parts and application.
SEMA eNews: What inspires you?
Chrisman: Achieving goals that appear beyond reach. It’s so satisfying to face a challenge and push through it. It must be the competitive element of my DNA.
SEMA eNews: What does SEMA/SBN/“She Is” mean to you?
Chrisman: Until I became a SEMA member and joined the SBN, I never realized the reach that SEMA had and its dedication as an organization not only to serve and protect the interests of SEMA-member companies, but also to offer tools to build and strengthen our industry. The SBN, in particular, provides women in our industry an opportunity to network, which often leads to receiving mentoring and support. The SBN gives women like myself a venue to stand together and work toward solutions to empower the next generation of women to become engineers, technicians, fabricators, etc. The “She Is” campaign, sponsored by the SBN, reaches out to women behind the scenes and recognizes that everyone has an important role, and they share in our industry’s success and future. I strongly encourage others working for a SEMA-member company to get more involved and volunteer. I guarantee you will be pleasantly surprised as I was to recognize the value of SEMA and its specialized councils.
SEMA eNews: If you had one piece of advice to pass on, what would it be?
Chrisman: Don’t settle into a “job”; find a career or element of it that you can be passionate about. That passion will drive you to be successful.
