New Wes-Coast Marketing team member, Bill Weaver, is based in Texas and covers the territories Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma and Texas.

By Jason Catullo

Wes-Coast Marketing Adds Bill Weaver to Team
Wes-Coast Marketing Inc. is pleased to announce that the company has added Bill Weaver to its team. An avid enthusiast, Weaver has owned many trucks, 4x4s, performance cars and motorcycles over the years, and has been working in the automotive aftermarket for 35 years. He began his career at Dick Cepek as an installer, working his way to upper management in the late ’70s through the ’80s. Holding positions as shop foreman, retail sales, store manager, wholesale sales, retail general manager and credit manager has given Weaver insight and experience across the aftermarket industry. He will be based in Texas and cover the territory that includes Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma and Texas.

CTEK Appoints Jon Hind to CEO
CTEK announced the appointment of the company's new CEO, Jon Hind. He will be based at CTEK's headquarters in Vikmanshyttan, Sweden, for his new role. According to a recent announcement, Hind previously held the position of managing director of Dellner Couplers. In this and other roles at Dellner Couplers during the last 20 years, Hind gained an extensive understanding of sales and product development. As part of the appointment, Hind will also become CEO of CTEK's sister company, Creator, a product-development consultancy that specializes in collaborating with companies to create next-generation products.

The COBB Tuning Car of the Year Award is intended to honor and promote vehicles equipped with COBB Tuning’s products. Entries will be submitted by Pro Tuners and customers, selected by COBB personnel and posted on the company's Facebook page where fans will cast their votes.

COBB Tuning Announces Car of the Year Awards
COBB Tuning recently announced the all-new COBB Tuning Car of the Year award. The award is intended to honor and promote vehicles equipped with COBB Tuning’s products. Entries will be submitted by Pro Tuners and customers, selected by COBB personnel and posted on the company's Facebook page where fans can cast their votes. Winners will receive a $3,000 cash prize, with honorable mentions to receive $500 cash. The first round of the award will honor Nissan GT-R and Subaru brands with BMW, Ford, Mazda and Mitsubishi following later in the year. Starting now through September 15, 2013, Nissan GT-R and Subaru COBB customers and Pro Tuners will be asked to submit entries via e-mail for the first round of the award. Photos, dyno charts, owner information and accomplishments will be reviewed by the COBB Tuning staff and posted on Facebook. Voting will begin September 16 and end September 27. The award will be presented to the owners with the most votes, from each brand. Winners will be notified via e-mail on Monday, September 30, and announced via social media outlets and forums.

David Johnston Named Vice President of Advanced Engineering for ACAT Global
Advanced Clean Air Technologies (ACAT) Global has named David Johnston as vice president of advanced engineering. Johnston joins ACAT from Metalico Corp., formerly known as Totalcat in Newark, New Jersey. He served as vice president of operations and managed engineering, technical and non-technical staff in the recycling and manufacturing of catalytic converters. Previously, Johnston was an operations manager for Evironex Inc. in Devon, Pennsylvania. Johnston is responsible for product development, product-design standards and in-house testing and approval programs. He will also oversee technical quality control, participate in industry events and lead all R&D programs with universities and technical partners.

	Wyotech's newly launched diesel advanced technology education (DATE) program was developed to prepare graduates for entry-level positions servicing and repairing trucks.

WyoTech Offers Diesel Advanced Technology Education
WyoTech is now offering diesel advanced technology education (DATE) for Mack Trucks and Volvo Trucks. The programs will prepare graduates for entry-level positions servicing and repairing trucks. Graduates of the program earn DATE qualifications, accelerating the pace at which a DATE graduate can become a master technician. Students enrolled in this program receive 500 hours of specialized classroom and hands-on training on engines, as well as engine electronics, diagnostics and troubleshooting, SCR emissions, parameter programming, ABS and brake electronic systems, manual and automated manual transmissions, engine, suspension system and differentials. 

Mitchell Opens New Technical Research Center
Mitchell has opened a new Technical Research Center located in San Diego. The company reports that the new research center helps the company expand on its heritage in data collection of vehicle-dimension information to focus on the next generation of accurate vehicle data. The available 3D scanning technology will help Mitchell provide customers with broad sets of dynamic data, rather than just static vehicle-dimension data.

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 SEMA Washington, D.C., Staff

SEMA-supported legislation to provide for the prompt issuance of titles to owners of out-of-state motor vehicles that are 35 years old or older must be signed or vetoed by Governor Pat McCrory by July 26, 2103. If the governor does not act, the bill will become law automatically. Under the bill, if a required inspection and verification is not conducted by the Division of Motor Vehicles within 15 days after receiving a request and the inspector has no probable cause to believe that the ownership documents or vehicle identification number does not match the vehicle being examined, the vehicle will be deemed to have satisfied all requirements and the title will be issued to the owner within 15 days. If an inspection and verification is performed in a timely manner and the vehicle passes the inspection and verification, the title will be issued to the owner within 15 days of the date of the inspection. 

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

By SEMA Washington, D.C., Staff

SEMA-supported legislation to provide for the prompt issuance of titles to owners of out-of-state motor vehicles that are 35 years old or older must be signed or vetoed by Governor Pat McCrory by July 26, 2103. If the governor does not act, the bill will become law automatically. Under the bill, if a required inspection and verification is not conducted by the Division of Motor Vehicles within 15 days after receiving a request and the inspector has no probable cause to believe that the ownership documents or vehicle identification number does not match the vehicle being examined, the vehicle will be deemed to have satisfied all requirements and the title will be issued to the owner within 15 days. If an inspection and verification is performed in a timely manner and the vehicle passes the inspection and verification, the title will be issued to the owner within 15 days of the date of the inspection. 

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

By SEMA Washington, D.C., Staff

SEMA-supported legislation to provide for the prompt issuance of titles to owners of out-of-state motor vehicles that are 35 years old or older must be signed or vetoed by Governor Pat McCrory by July 26, 2103. If the governor does not act, the bill will become law automatically. Under the bill, if a required inspection and verification is not conducted by the Division of Motor Vehicles within 15 days after receiving a request and the inspector has no probable cause to believe that the ownership documents or vehicle identification number does not match the vehicle being examined, the vehicle will be deemed to have satisfied all requirements and the title will be issued to the owner within 15 days. If an inspection and verification is performed in a timely manner and the vehicle passes the inspection and verification, the title will be issued to the owner within 15 days of the date of the inspection. 

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

SEMA News—July 2013

CHRIS KERSTING

SEMA Search: A Bigger Hammer in the Retailer Toolbox

Here’s the big news: The SEMA Data Co-op is currently building SEMA Search, an online product look-up tool powered by the SDC product information library.

Scheduled for roll-out in November of this year, SEMA Search will allow member retailers, including countermen and sales consultants at brick-and-mortar retail outlets, to find and present the digital product information and images of their manufacturer partners for every customer.

Not only will this provide the opportunity for resellers to view more sales options than ever, they will also enjoy this information at a speed to market rarely experienced before.

We bring this up because the SEMA Board has recently been discussing what it means for our industry that distribution and retail are evolving so rapidly. One thing is certain: your business needs to be adapting and evolving as well—and it’s all about adding value. So SEMA is accelerating its efforts to help its members—particularly brick-and-mortar retailers—understand how to add value and thrive as this evolution continues.

The SEMA Search tool is exciting, but just like any good tool, you need to see it, reach out and use it. And there are other tools you should know about. To make it easy, we’re going to put them all in one place on the SEMA website where our retail members can find them. Consider it a Toolbox for Retailers.

Once you visit the online toolbox, you’ll see that we have long worked to put our members in touch with retail experts who are focused on offering business value in today’s retail environment. For example, the SEMA Education Institute (SEI) has a range of webinars and educational sessions specifically aimed at helping retailers tune up their businesses in today’s competitive environment. You can get expert advice on how to use today’s communications and online media tools to bring in new prospects, how to use customer service as a difference-maker and ways to build killer promotional strategies. These webinars and educational sessions are available to SEMA members free—just sign in and download from the Education tab on the sema.org website.

We also have an archive of high-quality articles relevant to retailers that regularly appear in SEMA News. In the past year, this magazine has addressed best practices in trade and consumer advertising (February 2012) and retail store design (December 2012). These articles are also available for download to SEMA members on www.sema.org.

Live seminars and expert roundtables at the SEMA Show are another opportunity for retailers to gain perspective and learn to adapt. Sessions at last year’s Show provided expert advice on how to deal with customers walking into your showroom with loaded weapons—their smartphones. Another seminar showed that training your retail employees to build trust and establish relationships will move merchandise. The 2012 SEMA Show hosted eight educational events addressing sales solutions for retailers in the contemporary retail environment. For the coming year, at the 2013 SEMA Show, attendees can expect a solid menu of compelling educational opportunities relevant to retailers.

But we think the SEMA Search tool will be a game changer, a huge help to retailers in an environment where customers more and more use the Internet to locate and learn about products. Keep in mind, the data will be available to SEMA-member retailers to power their website lookups, counterman displays and internal B2B systems. For free. That’s correct—as part of SEMA membership, retailers will have access to SEMA Search at no additional charge.

Taken all together, we offer these assets as a great toolbox to help our industry’s retail businesses succeed in a changing environment. We can’t predict where technology will take us or exactly when it will settle. But we do believe that knowledge and good tools will help those interested to grow and prosper.

SEMA News—July 2013

CHRIS KERSTING

SEMA Search: A Bigger Hammer in the Retailer Toolbox

Here’s the big news: The SEMA Data Co-op is currently building SEMA Search, an online product look-up tool powered by the SDC product information library.

Scheduled for roll-out in November of this year, SEMA Search will allow member retailers, including countermen and sales consultants at brick-and-mortar retail outlets, to find and present the digital product information and images of their manufacturer partners for every customer.

Not only will this provide the opportunity for resellers to view more sales options than ever, they will also enjoy this information at a speed to market rarely experienced before.

We bring this up because the SEMA Board has recently been discussing what it means for our industry that distribution and retail are evolving so rapidly. One thing is certain: your business needs to be adapting and evolving as well—and it’s all about adding value. So SEMA is accelerating its efforts to help its members—particularly brick-and-mortar retailers—understand how to add value and thrive as this evolution continues.

The SEMA Search tool is exciting, but just like any good tool, you need to see it, reach out and use it. And there are other tools you should know about. To make it easy, we’re going to put them all in one place on the SEMA website where our retail members can find them. Consider it a Toolbox for Retailers.

Once you visit the online toolbox, you’ll see that we have long worked to put our members in touch with retail experts who are focused on offering business value in today’s retail environment. For example, the SEMA Education Institute (SEI) has a range of webinars and educational sessions specifically aimed at helping retailers tune up their businesses in today’s competitive environment. You can get expert advice on how to use today’s communications and online media tools to bring in new prospects, how to use customer service as a difference-maker and ways to build killer promotional strategies. These webinars and educational sessions are available to SEMA members free—just sign in and download from the Education tab on the sema.org website.

We also have an archive of high-quality articles relevant to retailers that regularly appear in SEMA News. In the past year, this magazine has addressed best practices in trade and consumer advertising (February 2012) and retail store design (December 2012). These articles are also available for download to SEMA members on www.sema.org.

Live seminars and expert roundtables at the SEMA Show are another opportunity for retailers to gain perspective and learn to adapt. Sessions at last year’s Show provided expert advice on how to deal with customers walking into your showroom with loaded weapons—their smartphones. Another seminar showed that training your retail employees to build trust and establish relationships will move merchandise. The 2012 SEMA Show hosted eight educational events addressing sales solutions for retailers in the contemporary retail environment. For the coming year, at the 2013 SEMA Show, attendees can expect a solid menu of compelling educational opportunities relevant to retailers.

But we think the SEMA Search tool will be a game changer, a huge help to retailers in an environment where customers more and more use the Internet to locate and learn about products. Keep in mind, the data will be available to SEMA-member retailers to power their website lookups, counterman displays and internal B2B systems. For free. That’s correct—as part of SEMA membership, retailers will have access to SEMA Search at no additional charge.

Taken all together, we offer these assets as a great toolbox to help our industry’s retail businesses succeed in a changing environment. We can’t predict where technology will take us or exactly when it will settle. But we do believe that knowledge and good tools will help those interested to grow and prosper.

SEMA News—July 2013

CHRIS KERSTING

SEMA Search: A Bigger Hammer in the Retailer Toolbox

Here’s the big news: The SEMA Data Co-op is currently building SEMA Search, an online product look-up tool powered by the SDC product information library.

Scheduled for roll-out in November of this year, SEMA Search will allow member retailers, including countermen and sales consultants at brick-and-mortar retail outlets, to find and present the digital product information and images of their manufacturer partners for every customer.

Not only will this provide the opportunity for resellers to view more sales options than ever, they will also enjoy this information at a speed to market rarely experienced before.

We bring this up because the SEMA Board has recently been discussing what it means for our industry that distribution and retail are evolving so rapidly. One thing is certain: your business needs to be adapting and evolving as well—and it’s all about adding value. So SEMA is accelerating its efforts to help its members—particularly brick-and-mortar retailers—understand how to add value and thrive as this evolution continues.

The SEMA Search tool is exciting, but just like any good tool, you need to see it, reach out and use it. And there are other tools you should know about. To make it easy, we’re going to put them all in one place on the SEMA website where our retail members can find them. Consider it a Toolbox for Retailers.

Once you visit the online toolbox, you’ll see that we have long worked to put our members in touch with retail experts who are focused on offering business value in today’s retail environment. For example, the SEMA Education Institute (SEI) has a range of webinars and educational sessions specifically aimed at helping retailers tune up their businesses in today’s competitive environment. You can get expert advice on how to use today’s communications and online media tools to bring in new prospects, how to use customer service as a difference-maker and ways to build killer promotional strategies. These webinars and educational sessions are available to SEMA members free—just sign in and download from the Education tab on the sema.org website.

We also have an archive of high-quality articles relevant to retailers that regularly appear in SEMA News. In the past year, this magazine has addressed best practices in trade and consumer advertising (February 2012) and retail store design (December 2012). These articles are also available for download to SEMA members on www.sema.org.

Live seminars and expert roundtables at the SEMA Show are another opportunity for retailers to gain perspective and learn to adapt. Sessions at last year’s Show provided expert advice on how to deal with customers walking into your showroom with loaded weapons—their smartphones. Another seminar showed that training your retail employees to build trust and establish relationships will move merchandise. The 2012 SEMA Show hosted eight educational events addressing sales solutions for retailers in the contemporary retail environment. For the coming year, at the 2013 SEMA Show, attendees can expect a solid menu of compelling educational opportunities relevant to retailers.

But we think the SEMA Search tool will be a game changer, a huge help to retailers in an environment where customers more and more use the Internet to locate and learn about products. Keep in mind, the data will be available to SEMA-member retailers to power their website lookups, counterman displays and internal B2B systems. For free. That’s correct—as part of SEMA membership, retailers will have access to SEMA Search at no additional charge.

Taken all together, we offer these assets as a great toolbox to help our industry’s retail businesses succeed in a changing environment. We can’t predict where technology will take us or exactly when it will settle. But we do believe that knowledge and good tools will help those interested to grow and prosper.

	Exhibitors can further ensure that buyers will be able to reach them on the 2013 SEMA Show floor, and well after the Show closes, by verifying their directory listings are accurate.

By Della Domingo

Exhibitors have until August 30, 2013, to update their SEMA Show Directory listing. The listing is used by buyers to identify prospective new business partners throughout the year. In addition to being mailed to 18,000 industry professionals in advance of the SEMA Show, the directory is distributed to attendees onsite at the SEMA Show. Exhibitors can ensure that buyers will be able to reach them by verifying their directory listings.
 
“Exhibitors filled out their company description and directory listings when they initially applied for booth space,” said Peter MacGillivray, SEMA VP of events and communications. “Now is the time for exhibitors to go in and verify that the information is still accurate and up-to-date.”
 
Exhibitors are advised to check the following information in their listings:

1. Company Name: Verify that the company name is spelled correctly and appears as you wish for it to appear.
2. Contact Information: Staff may have changed, so make sure that your contact information is correct and current. Don’t forget to check your web address, too.
3. Company Description: Buyers who are not familiar with your company will determine whether or not to look into your company further, based on your company description. There is a character count limit, so choose your words wisely. Include key words pertaining to th markets or niches you target, or products of focus. Avoid marketing jargon or promotions, as such information may be edited out.

Exhibitors can get more tips on how to get the most out of their SEMA Show investment by viewing the first session in a three-part webinar series. The first session covered pre-Show marketing and provided insight on proven ways to drive booth traffic, tactics for getting exposure and attention at the Show, and how to eliminate costly exhibitor mistakes. The webinar, "Develop a Pre-Show Marketing Plan Guaranteed to Make your SEMA Show a Success" is available for SEMA members to view free of charge.

More information on part two and three of series will be made available in upcoming issues of SEMA eNews.