SEMA News—March 2014

CHRIS KERSTING

Involving the Next Generation

Organizations such as SEMA put a good deal of attention on long-range, strategic planning. One truly long-range initiative at SEMA is about engaging with the younger members—and future members—of our industry. The next generation really is the future of the industry. But let’s face it: If the association doesn’t pay close attention and evolve, it’s like asking the next generation to drive their father’s Oldsmobile—and folks in our industry know exactly how that doesn’t always work out!

Among SEMA’s most prominent youth programs are the SEMA Memorial Scholarship Fund, the Young Executive Network (YEN) and the “35 Under 35” recognition program—all examples of well-received association programs.

Less visible are a number of other association activities aimed at creating opportunities—programs that even the most involved SEMA members might not be aware of.

For example, there is the student program at the SEMA Show, which gives SEMA-member companies an opportunity to interact with the future workforce of the automotive aftermarket. To make that happen, we bring scholarship winners and other graduating students to the SEMA Show so they can meet with key players and identify companies they may want to send résumés to. The program had record participation this past year, involving more than 400 students from 45 colleges and technical institutions.

Another SEMA youth-development activity will take place this summer when SEMA will embed a team of 10 YEN members into the Hot Rod Power Tour to give them the opportunity to connect with students, enthusiasts and SEMA members on a national, grassroots level. The young people in this group will spend their days visiting local vocational and technical schools and their afternoons with enthusiasts and SEMA members gathered on the tour. They will share insights with students about careers in our industry and gain a chance to build a broader network of contacts.

Another new initiative came to fruition at the 2013 SEMA Show: the SEMA Launch Pad. The Launch Pad gives us a way to spotlight the commercial aspirations of young SEMA entrepreneurs so they may more easily acquire the resources needed to move their inventions forward.

It was also encouraging to find ways to see that students from technical schools were included in vehicle builds for the SEMA Show. The WD-40 F-150 buildup allowed students from the Alex Xydias Center of Automotive Arts to meet with factory reps who guided them through the installation of performance parts on this year’s SEMA Cares charity vehicle. The WD-40 F-150 will be raffled off in April (purchase your raffle ticket here). Another build, this one at the Show, allowed students from technical colleges across the country to completely customize a Jeep over three days under the guidance of Omix-ADA employees. In both cases, these interactions provided students with the opportunity to learn how to work with performance parts as well as give them quality time with member companies that may want to hire them in the future.

Through these efforts and others, we are making progress in meeting the next generation of SEMA members and helping to attract qualified young talent to work in our industry. And we’re also working on how to stoke these next generations as consumers of our industry’s products.

There is currently an open Key Initiative at the board level that seeks to identify an effective role for the association in kindling excitement for performance aftermarket lifestyle products. Our initial research suggests that the most productive consumers to court would be in the 26–34 “millennial” age range, so the goal of reaching younger consumers overlaps with our goal of connecting our industry to consumers on a broader scale. This is an area that will take some time to assess and decide how to deploy resources, but the advent of social media leaves us encouraged that some good work might yield progress on this front as well.

—Chris Kersting, SEMA President and CEO

SEMA News—March 2014

CHRIS KERSTING

Involving the Next Generation

Organizations such as SEMA put a good deal of attention on long-range, strategic planning. One truly long-range initiative at SEMA is about engaging with the younger members—and future members—of our industry. The next generation really is the future of the industry. But let’s face it: If the association doesn’t pay close attention and evolve, it’s like asking the next generation to drive their father’s Oldsmobile—and folks in our industry know exactly how that doesn’t always work out!

Among SEMA’s most prominent youth programs are the SEMA Memorial Scholarship Fund, the Young Executive Network (YEN) and the “35 Under 35” recognition program—all examples of well-received association programs.

Less visible are a number of other association activities aimed at creating opportunities—programs that even the most involved SEMA members might not be aware of.

For example, there is the student program at the SEMA Show, which gives SEMA-member companies an opportunity to interact with the future workforce of the automotive aftermarket. To make that happen, we bring scholarship winners and other graduating students to the SEMA Show so they can meet with key players and identify companies they may want to send résumés to. The program had record participation this past year, involving more than 400 students from 45 colleges and technical institutions.

Another SEMA youth-development activity will take place this summer when SEMA will embed a team of 10 YEN members into the Hot Rod Power Tour to give them the opportunity to connect with students, enthusiasts and SEMA members on a national, grassroots level. The young people in this group will spend their days visiting local vocational and technical schools and their afternoons with enthusiasts and SEMA members gathered on the tour. They will share insights with students about careers in our industry and gain a chance to build a broader network of contacts.

Another new initiative came to fruition at the 2013 SEMA Show: the SEMA Launch Pad. The Launch Pad gives us a way to spotlight the commercial aspirations of young SEMA entrepreneurs so they may more easily acquire the resources needed to move their inventions forward.

It was also encouraging to find ways to see that students from technical schools were included in vehicle builds for the SEMA Show. The WD-40 F-150 buildup allowed students from the Alex Xydias Center of Automotive Arts to meet with factory reps who guided them through the installation of performance parts on this year’s SEMA Cares charity vehicle. The WD-40 F-150 will be raffled off in April (purchase your raffle ticket here). Another build, this one at the Show, allowed students from technical colleges across the country to completely customize a Jeep over three days under the guidance of Omix-ADA employees. In both cases, these interactions provided students with the opportunity to learn how to work with performance parts as well as give them quality time with member companies that may want to hire them in the future.

Through these efforts and others, we are making progress in meeting the next generation of SEMA members and helping to attract qualified young talent to work in our industry. And we’re also working on how to stoke these next generations as consumers of our industry’s products.

There is currently an open Key Initiative at the board level that seeks to identify an effective role for the association in kindling excitement for performance aftermarket lifestyle products. Our initial research suggests that the most productive consumers to court would be in the 26–34 “millennial” age range, so the goal of reaching younger consumers overlaps with our goal of connecting our industry to consumers on a broader scale. This is an area that will take some time to assess and decide how to deploy resources, but the advent of social media leaves us encouraged that some good work might yield progress on this front as well.

—Chris Kersting, SEMA President and CEO

SEMA News—March 2014

CHRIS KERSTING

Involving the Next Generation

Organizations such as SEMA put a good deal of attention on long-range, strategic planning. One truly long-range initiative at SEMA is about engaging with the younger members—and future members—of our industry. The next generation really is the future of the industry. But let’s face it: If the association doesn’t pay close attention and evolve, it’s like asking the next generation to drive their father’s Oldsmobile—and folks in our industry know exactly how that doesn’t always work out!

Among SEMA’s most prominent youth programs are the SEMA Memorial Scholarship Fund, the Young Executive Network (YEN) and the “35 Under 35” recognition program—all examples of well-received association programs.

Less visible are a number of other association activities aimed at creating opportunities—programs that even the most involved SEMA members might not be aware of.

For example, there is the student program at the SEMA Show, which gives SEMA-member companies an opportunity to interact with the future workforce of the automotive aftermarket. To make that happen, we bring scholarship winners and other graduating students to the SEMA Show so they can meet with key players and identify companies they may want to send résumés to. The program had record participation this past year, involving more than 400 students from 45 colleges and technical institutions.

Another SEMA youth-development activity will take place this summer when SEMA will embed a team of 10 YEN members into the Hot Rod Power Tour to give them the opportunity to connect with students, enthusiasts and SEMA members on a national, grassroots level. The young people in this group will spend their days visiting local vocational and technical schools and their afternoons with enthusiasts and SEMA members gathered on the tour. They will share insights with students about careers in our industry and gain a chance to build a broader network of contacts.

Another new initiative came to fruition at the 2013 SEMA Show: the SEMA Launch Pad. The Launch Pad gives us a way to spotlight the commercial aspirations of young SEMA entrepreneurs so they may more easily acquire the resources needed to move their inventions forward.

It was also encouraging to find ways to see that students from technical schools were included in vehicle builds for the SEMA Show. The WD-40 F-150 buildup allowed students from the Alex Xydias Center of Automotive Arts to meet with factory reps who guided them through the installation of performance parts on this year’s SEMA Cares charity vehicle. The WD-40 F-150 will be raffled off in April (purchase your raffle ticket here). Another build, this one at the Show, allowed students from technical colleges across the country to completely customize a Jeep over three days under the guidance of Omix-ADA employees. In both cases, these interactions provided students with the opportunity to learn how to work with performance parts as well as give them quality time with member companies that may want to hire them in the future.

Through these efforts and others, we are making progress in meeting the next generation of SEMA members and helping to attract qualified young talent to work in our industry. And we’re also working on how to stoke these next generations as consumers of our industry’s products.

There is currently an open Key Initiative at the board level that seeks to identify an effective role for the association in kindling excitement for performance aftermarket lifestyle products. Our initial research suggests that the most productive consumers to court would be in the 26–34 “millennial” age range, so the goal of reaching younger consumers overlaps with our goal of connecting our industry to consumers on a broader scale. This is an area that will take some time to assess and decide how to deploy resources, but the advent of social media leaves us encouraged that some good work might yield progress on this front as well.

—Chris Kersting, SEMA President and CEO

SEMA News—March 2014

CHRIS KERSTING

Involving the Next Generation

Organizations such as SEMA put a good deal of attention on long-range, strategic planning. One truly long-range initiative at SEMA is about engaging with the younger members—and future members—of our industry. The next generation really is the future of the industry. But let’s face it: If the association doesn’t pay close attention and evolve, it’s like asking the next generation to drive their father’s Oldsmobile—and folks in our industry know exactly how that doesn’t always work out!

Among SEMA’s most prominent youth programs are the SEMA Memorial Scholarship Fund, the Young Executive Network (YEN) and the “35 Under 35” recognition program—all examples of well-received association programs.

Less visible are a number of other association activities aimed at creating opportunities—programs that even the most involved SEMA members might not be aware of.

For example, there is the student program at the SEMA Show, which gives SEMA-member companies an opportunity to interact with the future workforce of the automotive aftermarket. To make that happen, we bring scholarship winners and other graduating students to the SEMA Show so they can meet with key players and identify companies they may want to send résumés to. The program had record participation this past year, involving more than 400 students from 45 colleges and technical institutions.

Another SEMA youth-development activity will take place this summer when SEMA will embed a team of 10 YEN members into the Hot Rod Power Tour to give them the opportunity to connect with students, enthusiasts and SEMA members on a national, grassroots level. The young people in this group will spend their days visiting local vocational and technical schools and their afternoons with enthusiasts and SEMA members gathered on the tour. They will share insights with students about careers in our industry and gain a chance to build a broader network of contacts.

Another new initiative came to fruition at the 2013 SEMA Show: the SEMA Launch Pad. The Launch Pad gives us a way to spotlight the commercial aspirations of young SEMA entrepreneurs so they may more easily acquire the resources needed to move their inventions forward.

It was also encouraging to find ways to see that students from technical schools were included in vehicle builds for the SEMA Show. The WD-40 F-150 buildup allowed students from the Alex Xydias Center of Automotive Arts to meet with factory reps who guided them through the installation of performance parts on this year’s SEMA Cares charity vehicle. The WD-40 F-150 will be raffled off in April (purchase your raffle ticket here). Another build, this one at the Show, allowed students from technical colleges across the country to completely customize a Jeep over three days under the guidance of Omix-ADA employees. In both cases, these interactions provided students with the opportunity to learn how to work with performance parts as well as give them quality time with member companies that may want to hire them in the future.

Through these efforts and others, we are making progress in meeting the next generation of SEMA members and helping to attract qualified young talent to work in our industry. And we’re also working on how to stoke these next generations as consumers of our industry’s products.

There is currently an open Key Initiative at the board level that seeks to identify an effective role for the association in kindling excitement for performance aftermarket lifestyle products. Our initial research suggests that the most productive consumers to court would be in the 26–34 “millennial” age range, so the goal of reaching younger consumers overlaps with our goal of connecting our industry to consumers on a broader scale. This is an area that will take some time to assess and decide how to deploy resources, but the advent of social media leaves us encouraged that some good work might yield progress on this front as well.

—Chris Kersting, SEMA President and CEO

SEMA News—April 2014

HERITAGE
By Drew Hardin
Photo Courtesy Petersen Archives

The Kiss

You could say that much of Anthony “Andy” Granatelli’s life had been leading up to this day, this moment. The man known as “Mr. 500” seemed irresistibly drawn to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. In 1946, he and his brothers Vince and Joe sponsored a car in the first Indy 500 after World War II but watched it sputter to a stop, out of fuel, before completing the race. Two years later Andy tried driving at Indy but crashed hard in practice. Grancor, the speed shop and warehouse-distribution business the brothers formed in Chicago, sponsored Indy roadsters in the ’50s, and the Granatellis brought Novi roadsters back to run the Brickyard for several years in the early and mid ’60s.

While campaigning the Novis, the Granatelli brothers were also working on a project to win at Indy using turbine power. And they came so close. Parnelli Jones was within three laps of winning the 1967 race in the futuristic, four-wheel-drive, turbine-powered STP Oil Treatment Special before a $10 transmission bearing failed, bringing the “whooshmobile” to a stop. The Granatellis came back to Indy in 1968 with another turbine-powered car but again had to watch a late-race lead disappear, this time due to a fuel pump failure.

For the 1969 race, the Granatellis returned to conventional piston power, commissioning a four-wheel-drive Ford/Lotus for driver Mario Andretti. During practice, Andretti crashed hard and suffered burns to his face when a wheel hub failed. Undaunted, he went on to qualify second fastest in a year-old backup car and led the race for most of its second half, despite an overheating engine and slipping clutch. He finished a full lap ahead of second-place Dan Gurney at an average speed of 156.867 mph.

It’s no wonder, then, that a jubilant Andy Granatelli, finally victorious at Indianapolis after so many years of trying, pushed his way up to Andretti in Victory Circle and planted the kiss seen ’round the world.

The iconic photo of the kiss was taken by Petersen Publishing photographer Bob D’Olivo. The original negative has long since disappeared from the Petersen photo archive, but we did find a print of the famous shot, as well as a proof sheet of the original photo job. Look closely at the frames and you can see Andretti waving to the crowd and Granatelli approaching him before smacking him on the cheek.

Granatelli passed away in December at age 90 due to heart failure. During his “supercharged” life (as he called it), he would famously turn two businesses into household names—STP and Tuneup Masters. He and his brothers set speed records on the dry lakes and Bonneville driving Paxton-supercharged cars. He himself turned over 241 mph at Bonneville at age 62. Could he have been any happier, though, than at this moment in May 1969?

SEMA News—April 2014

HERITAGE
By Drew Hardin
Photo Courtesy Petersen Archives

The Kiss

You could say that much of Anthony “Andy” Granatelli’s life had been leading up to this day, this moment. The man known as “Mr. 500” seemed irresistibly drawn to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. In 1946, he and his brothers Vince and Joe sponsored a car in the first Indy 500 after World War II but watched it sputter to a stop, out of fuel, before completing the race. Two years later Andy tried driving at Indy but crashed hard in practice. Grancor, the speed shop and warehouse-distribution business the brothers formed in Chicago, sponsored Indy roadsters in the ’50s, and the Granatellis brought Novi roadsters back to run the Brickyard for several years in the early and mid ’60s.

While campaigning the Novis, the Granatelli brothers were also working on a project to win at Indy using turbine power. And they came so close. Parnelli Jones was within three laps of winning the 1967 race in the futuristic, four-wheel-drive, turbine-powered STP Oil Treatment Special before a $10 transmission bearing failed, bringing the “whooshmobile” to a stop. The Granatellis came back to Indy in 1968 with another turbine-powered car but again had to watch a late-race lead disappear, this time due to a fuel pump failure.

For the 1969 race, the Granatellis returned to conventional piston power, commissioning a four-wheel-drive Ford/Lotus for driver Mario Andretti. During practice, Andretti crashed hard and suffered burns to his face when a wheel hub failed. Undaunted, he went on to qualify second fastest in a year-old backup car and led the race for most of its second half, despite an overheating engine and slipping clutch. He finished a full lap ahead of second-place Dan Gurney at an average speed of 156.867 mph.

It’s no wonder, then, that a jubilant Andy Granatelli, finally victorious at Indianapolis after so many years of trying, pushed his way up to Andretti in Victory Circle and planted the kiss seen ’round the world.

The iconic photo of the kiss was taken by Petersen Publishing photographer Bob D’Olivo. The original negative has long since disappeared from the Petersen photo archive, but we did find a print of the famous shot, as well as a proof sheet of the original photo job. Look closely at the frames and you can see Andretti waving to the crowd and Granatelli approaching him before smacking him on the cheek.

Granatelli passed away in December at age 90 due to heart failure. During his “supercharged” life (as he called it), he would famously turn two businesses into household names—STP and Tuneup Masters. He and his brothers set speed records on the dry lakes and Bonneville driving Paxton-supercharged cars. He himself turned over 241 mph at Bonneville at age 62. Could he have been any happier, though, than at this moment in May 1969?

SEMA News—April 2014

HERITAGE
By Drew Hardin
Photo Courtesy Petersen Archives

The Kiss

You could say that much of Anthony “Andy” Granatelli’s life had been leading up to this day, this moment. The man known as “Mr. 500” seemed irresistibly drawn to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. In 1946, he and his brothers Vince and Joe sponsored a car in the first Indy 500 after World War II but watched it sputter to a stop, out of fuel, before completing the race. Two years later Andy tried driving at Indy but crashed hard in practice. Grancor, the speed shop and warehouse-distribution business the brothers formed in Chicago, sponsored Indy roadsters in the ’50s, and the Granatellis brought Novi roadsters back to run the Brickyard for several years in the early and mid ’60s.

While campaigning the Novis, the Granatelli brothers were also working on a project to win at Indy using turbine power. And they came so close. Parnelli Jones was within three laps of winning the 1967 race in the futuristic, four-wheel-drive, turbine-powered STP Oil Treatment Special before a $10 transmission bearing failed, bringing the “whooshmobile” to a stop. The Granatellis came back to Indy in 1968 with another turbine-powered car but again had to watch a late-race lead disappear, this time due to a fuel pump failure.

For the 1969 race, the Granatellis returned to conventional piston power, commissioning a four-wheel-drive Ford/Lotus for driver Mario Andretti. During practice, Andretti crashed hard and suffered burns to his face when a wheel hub failed. Undaunted, he went on to qualify second fastest in a year-old backup car and led the race for most of its second half, despite an overheating engine and slipping clutch. He finished a full lap ahead of second-place Dan Gurney at an average speed of 156.867 mph.

It’s no wonder, then, that a jubilant Andy Granatelli, finally victorious at Indianapolis after so many years of trying, pushed his way up to Andretti in Victory Circle and planted the kiss seen ’round the world.

The iconic photo of the kiss was taken by Petersen Publishing photographer Bob D’Olivo. The original negative has long since disappeared from the Petersen photo archive, but we did find a print of the famous shot, as well as a proof sheet of the original photo job. Look closely at the frames and you can see Andretti waving to the crowd and Granatelli approaching him before smacking him on the cheek.

Granatelli passed away in December at age 90 due to heart failure. During his “supercharged” life (as he called it), he would famously turn two businesses into household names—STP and Tuneup Masters. He and his brothers set speed records on the dry lakes and Bonneville driving Paxton-supercharged cars. He himself turned over 241 mph at Bonneville at age 62. Could he have been any happier, though, than at this moment in May 1969?