• John Kilroy, with 21 years of experience at PRI as editor, associate publisher and vice president, continues to lead PRI. • SEMA plans to maintain the hard-core racing identity and heritage of the PRI Trade Show and Performance Racing Industry magazine. • PRI founder Steve Lewis will focus on his son’s racing career.

Performance Racing Industry (PRI), producers of the PRI trade show and Performance Racing Industry business magazine, finalized plans to be purchased by SEMA.

With 20-plus years of publishing and management experience at PRI, John Kilroy will serve as vice president/general manager of PRI and assume day-to-day operations for the group. All of the operations, employees and offices will remain intact at PRI’s current location in Laguna Beach, California.

“Steve Lewis launched the PRI concept a quarter of a century ago as an organization dedicated solely to the racing industry,” said Kilroy. “It was Steve’s dream that PRI continue to serve the racing community and to ‘nest’ PRI with an organization that clearly understands PRI’s heritage and the role we play in how the racing industry conducts business. We are pleased to have found that strategic partner in SEMA.”

Lewis, founder and current CEO of PRI, will now dedicate his time and energy to pursuing his lifelong passion for motorsports, which includes management of his Nine Racing midget team and supporting the racing career of his son Michael—2011 Formula 3 Italia Rookie of the Year.

“We carefully considered all our options, and SEMA was the obvious choice to carry on the legacy of the PRI brand,” Lewis said. “SEMA is financially sound and has an experienced management team. They bring a long-term outlook to the table as well as exceptional insight into the trade-show business overall. I have no doubt that the PRI brand will continue to deliver value to the racing community, and I know John Kilroy and the current management group will keep the basic business themes that have been established as they continue to work out of the current location here in Laguna Beach that has housed the PRI family for all these years.”

Many current and past SEMA Boards of Directors have been involved with PRI through the years as exhibitors and advertisers and bring a keen understanding of how the two organizations complement each other.

“We’re very excited about the continuation of the great business offerings for the performance and racing community from this acquisition,” said Scooter Brothers, SEMA Chairman of the Board. “Having worked with the folks from PRI for many years, I know the show and magazine are appreciated and used by the racing industry to further their marketing efforts and that racing entrepreneurs look upon the PRI Trade Show as a unique event and a valuable voice. The transition will preserve and protect that voice and the show’s unique character and authenticity. We look forward to the PRI team carrying on the legacy and traditions of Steve Lewis.

“We also want to thank Steve Lewis for all he’s done for the racing industry and for creating PRI. Performance Racing Industry magazine and the PRI Trade Show have played a key role in the growth of the racing industry over the past 25 years, and we look forward to its continued success.”

SEMA President Chris Kersting said: “The Performance Racing Industry Trade Show and magazine are great complements to the SEMA mission: They help their customers’ businesses to succeed. SEMA looks forward to providing the PRI team with the resources and support to continue delivering great value to the racing and performance segment.”

The 25th annual Performance Racing Industry Trade Show takes place November 29 through December 1, 2012, in the North/South Building of the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida. It features exhibits from 1,100 racing companies in 3,100 booths, requiring 700,000 square feet to house the event. More than 38,000 buyers will attend from across the U.S. and 72 countries.

There are five open seats within three categories for the 2012–2013 SEMA Board of Directors election. Photos and backgrounds of all of the candidates will be posted on www.sema.org in early May.

Bringing 30 years of automotive specialty-equipment experience to the table, Jon Wyly has been hired to launch and manage the new SEMA Data Cooperative.

“We are pleased and excited to have Jon taking the lead as we roll out this key industry initiative,” said SEMA President and CEO Chris Kersting. “The SEMA Data Co-op will create order from chaos in the world of digital product information. No one understands better than Jon that sales today are driven by complete, accurate and standardized product data, available from a single, affordable and easily accessible source. That makes him the ideal person to bring the SEMA Data Co-op to life; we couldn’t be more thrilled to have him on board.”

Wyly’s career spans 30 years and has included key roles in sales, marketing, e-commerce, business technology and data management. A lifelong automotive enthusiast, he is well known to the specialty parts industry, having co-founded the SEMA Business Technology Committee and having served six years on the SEMA Board of Directors. His background includes 25 years at Arrow Speed Warehouse, ending as executive vice president, and more recently as vice president of e-commerce at Keystone Automotive Operations Inc. He was named SEMA Person of the Year in 2005.

“While I have enjoyed operating in the WD and e-commerce arenas of the specialty parts aftermarket for over 30 years now,” Wyly said, “the opportunity to point my efforts and experience toward building the SEMA Data Co-op was simply too exciting to pass up.”

Wyly’s immediate priorities will include launching a “beta” phase of the Data Co-op, which will precede a full-scale rollout. The SEMA Board of Directors has identified the Data Co-op as a critical strategic issue and has authorized funding to support the infrastructure necessary to accommodate the system.

• John Kilroy, with 21 years of experience at PRI as editor, associate publisher and vice president, continues to lead PRI. • SEMA plans to maintain the hard-core racing identity and heritage of the PRI Trade Show and Performance Racing Industry magazine. • PRI founder Steve Lewis will focus on his son’s racing career.

Performance Racing Industry (PRI), producers of the PRI trade show and Performance Racing Industry business magazine, finalized plans to be purchased by SEMA.

With 20-plus years of publishing and management experience at PRI, John Kilroy will serve as vice president/general manager of PRI and assume day-to-day operations for the group. All of the operations, employees and offices will remain intact at PRI’s current location in Laguna Beach, California.

“Steve Lewis launched the PRI concept a quarter of a century ago as an organization dedicated solely to the racing industry,” said Kilroy. “It was Steve’s dream that PRI continue to serve the racing community and to ‘nest’ PRI with an organization that clearly understands PRI’s heritage and the role we play in how the racing industry conducts business. We are pleased to have found that strategic partner in SEMA.”

Lewis, founder and current CEO of PRI, will now dedicate his time and energy to pursuing his lifelong passion for motorsports, which includes management of his Nine Racing midget team and supporting the racing career of his son Michael—2011 Formula 3 Italia Rookie of the Year.

“We carefully considered all our options, and SEMA was the obvious choice to carry on the legacy of the PRI brand,” Lewis said. “SEMA is financially sound and has an experienced management team. They bring a long-term outlook to the table as well as exceptional insight into the trade-show business overall. I have no doubt that the PRI brand will continue to deliver value to the racing community, and I know John Kilroy and the current management group will keep the basic business themes that have been established as they continue to work out of the current location here in Laguna Beach that has housed the PRI family for all these years.”

Many current and past SEMA Boards of Directors have been involved with PRI through the years as exhibitors and advertisers and bring a keen understanding of how the two organizations complement each other.

“We’re very excited about the continuation of the great business offerings for the performance and racing community from this acquisition,” said Scooter Brothers, SEMA Chairman of the Board. “Having worked with the folks from PRI for many years, I know the show and magazine are appreciated and used by the racing industry to further their marketing efforts and that racing entrepreneurs look upon the PRI Trade Show as a unique event and a valuable voice. The transition will preserve and protect that voice and the show’s unique character and authenticity. We look forward to the PRI team carrying on the legacy and traditions of Steve Lewis.

“We also want to thank Steve Lewis for all he’s done for the racing industry and for creating PRI. Performance Racing Industry magazine and the PRI Trade Show have played a key role in the growth of the racing industry over the past 25 years, and we look forward to its continued success.”

SEMA President Chris Kersting said: “The Performance Racing Industry Trade Show and magazine are great complements to the SEMA mission: They help their customers’ businesses to succeed. SEMA looks forward to providing the PRI team with the resources and support to continue delivering great value to the racing and performance segment.”

The 25th annual Performance Racing Industry Trade Show takes place November 29 through December 1, 2012, in the North/South Building of the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida. It features exhibits from 1,100 racing companies in 3,100 booths, requiring 700,000 square feet to house the event. More than 38,000 buyers will attend from across the U.S. and 72 countries.

There are five open seats within three categories for the 2012–2013 SEMA Board of Directors election. Photos and backgrounds of all of the candidates will be posted on www.sema.org in early May.

Bringing 30 years of automotive specialty-equipment experience to the table, Jon Wyly has been hired to launch and manage the new SEMA Data Cooperative.

“We are pleased and excited to have Jon taking the lead as we roll out this key industry initiative,” said SEMA President and CEO Chris Kersting. “The SEMA Data Co-op will create order from chaos in the world of digital product information. No one understands better than Jon that sales today are driven by complete, accurate and standardized product data, available from a single, affordable and easily accessible source. That makes him the ideal person to bring the SEMA Data Co-op to life; we couldn’t be more thrilled to have him on board.”

Wyly’s career spans 30 years and has included key roles in sales, marketing, e-commerce, business technology and data management. A lifelong automotive enthusiast, he is well known to the specialty parts industry, having co-founded the SEMA Business Technology Committee and having served six years on the SEMA Board of Directors. His background includes 25 years at Arrow Speed Warehouse, ending as executive vice president, and more recently as vice president of e-commerce at Keystone Automotive Operations Inc. He was named SEMA Person of the Year in 2005.

“While I have enjoyed operating in the WD and e-commerce arenas of the specialty parts aftermarket for over 30 years now,” Wyly said, “the opportunity to point my efforts and experience toward building the SEMA Data Co-op was simply too exciting to pass up.”

Wyly’s immediate priorities will include launching a “beta” phase of the Data Co-op, which will precede a full-scale rollout. The SEMA Board of Directors has identified the Data Co-op as a critical strategic issue and has authorized funding to support the infrastructure necessary to accommodate the system.

In May 1963, Petersen Publishing Company’s Dick Day shot an entire roll of film as Dean Jeffries crawled around—and over—a horseless carriage, pinstriping brush in hand. As far as we know, none of these photos ever made it into any of Petersen’s magazines, but they captured the prolific Jeffries at a pivotal point in his career.

By the early 1960s, Jeffries had made a name for himself as a custom painter and pinstriper. He learned the delicate art of striping by observing Ken “Von Dutch” Howard, and he shared shop space for a number of years with George “King of the Kustomizers” Barris, where his handiwork was applied to a number of famous hot rods, including Barris’ Ala Kart roadster pickup and the blue ’32 Ford that appeared on the cover of the Beach Boys’ “Little Deuce Coupe” album. It was Jeffries who painted the numbers and “Little Bastard” name on James Dean’s ill-fated Porsche 550 Spyder. Jeffries also helped Carroll Shelby promote his first Cobra by painting—and repainting—the prototype car in different colors to make it seem like Shelby had several of the hot sports cars.

Jeffries’ artistic talents weren’t limited to California hot rods and sports cars. A longtime fan of the Indianapolis 500, he striped and painted Indy roadsters prior to the race for years. At one point in the early ‘60s, Jeffries said that he painted 21 of the 33 cars on the Indy grid, and his race-car paint work garnered national attention when he appeared on the cover of the June 1961 issue of Hot Rod magazine lettering A.J. Foyt’s roadster.

But right around the time of Dick Day’s photo session, Jeffries was laying the groundwork for a career change. He was eager to do more than just paint a car; he wanted to create one, a groundbreaking custom car that would elevate him to the stature of Barris and other well-known builders.

It was in 1963 that Jeffries hand-fashioned the Mantaray, a sleek, asymmetrical, bubble-topped styling statement that did, indeed, catapult him into the big leagues of car building. Movie and TV studios took notice, and Jeffries would go on to build the Monkeemobile, the Green Hornet’s Black Beauty and many, many more.

Jeffries was never the public-relations master that Barris was, never blew his own horn about his work, even when others took credit for it. So back then, and even now to some degree, he’s something of an unsung hero among the influential painters and customizers of the ‘60s, despite appearing on magazine covers and in photoshoots like Day’s. 

In May 1963, Petersen Publishing Company’s Dick Day shot an entire roll of film as Dean Jeffries crawled around—and over—a horseless carriage, pinstriping brush in hand. As far as we know, none of these photos ever made it into any of Petersen’s magazines, but they captured the prolific Jeffries at a pivotal point in his career.

By the early 1960s, Jeffries had made a name for himself as a custom painter and pinstriper. He learned the delicate art of striping by observing Ken “Von Dutch” Howard, and he shared shop space for a number of years with George “King of the Kustomizers” Barris, where his handiwork was applied to a number of famous hot rods, including Barris’ Ala Kart roadster pickup and the blue ’32 Ford that appeared on the cover of the Beach Boys’ “Little Deuce Coupe” album. It was Jeffries who painted the numbers and “Little Bastard” name on James Dean’s ill-fated Porsche 550 Spyder. Jeffries also helped Carroll Shelby promote his first Cobra by painting—and repainting—the prototype car in different colors to make it seem like Shelby had several of the hot sports cars.

Jeffries’ artistic talents weren’t limited to California hot rods and sports cars. A longtime fan of the Indianapolis 500, he striped and painted Indy roadsters prior to the race for years. At one point in the early ‘60s, Jeffries said that he painted 21 of the 33 cars on the Indy grid, and his race-car paint work garnered national attention when he appeared on the cover of the June 1961 issue of Hot Rod magazine lettering A.J. Foyt’s roadster.

But right around the time of Dick Day’s photo session, Jeffries was laying the groundwork for a career change. He was eager to do more than just paint a car; he wanted to create one, a groundbreaking custom car that would elevate him to the stature of Barris and other well-known builders.

It was in 1963 that Jeffries hand-fashioned the Mantaray, a sleek, asymmetrical, bubble-topped styling statement that did, indeed, catapult him into the big leagues of car building. Movie and TV studios took notice, and Jeffries would go on to build the Monkeemobile, the Green Hornet’s Black Beauty and many, many more.

Jeffries was never the public-relations master that Barris was, never blew his own horn about his work, even when others took credit for it. So back then, and even now to some degree, he’s something of an unsung hero among the influential painters and customizers of the ‘60s, despite appearing on magazine covers and in photoshoots like Day’s. 

In May 1963, Petersen Publishing Company’s Dick Day shot an entire roll of film as Dean Jeffries crawled around—and over—a horseless carriage, pinstriping brush in hand. As far as we know, none of these photos ever made it into any of Petersen’s magazines, but they captured the prolific Jeffries at a pivotal point in his career.

By the early 1960s, Jeffries had made a name for himself as a custom painter and pinstriper. He learned the delicate art of striping by observing Ken “Von Dutch” Howard, and he shared shop space for a number of years with George “King of the Kustomizers” Barris, where his handiwork was applied to a number of famous hot rods, including Barris’ Ala Kart roadster pickup and the blue ’32 Ford that appeared on the cover of the Beach Boys’ “Little Deuce Coupe” album. It was Jeffries who painted the numbers and “Little Bastard” name on James Dean’s ill-fated Porsche 550 Spyder. Jeffries also helped Carroll Shelby promote his first Cobra by painting—and repainting—the prototype car in different colors to make it seem like Shelby had several of the hot sports cars.

Jeffries’ artistic talents weren’t limited to California hot rods and sports cars. A longtime fan of the Indianapolis 500, he striped and painted Indy roadsters prior to the race for years. At one point in the early ‘60s, Jeffries said that he painted 21 of the 33 cars on the Indy grid, and his race-car paint work garnered national attention when he appeared on the cover of the June 1961 issue of Hot Rod magazine lettering A.J. Foyt’s roadster.

But right around the time of Dick Day’s photo session, Jeffries was laying the groundwork for a career change. He was eager to do more than just paint a car; he wanted to create one, a groundbreaking custom car that would elevate him to the stature of Barris and other well-known builders.

It was in 1963 that Jeffries hand-fashioned the Mantaray, a sleek, asymmetrical, bubble-topped styling statement that did, indeed, catapult him into the big leagues of car building. Movie and TV studios took notice, and Jeffries would go on to build the Monkeemobile, the Green Hornet’s Black Beauty and many, many more.

Jeffries was never the public-relations master that Barris was, never blew his own horn about his work, even when others took credit for it. So back then, and even now to some degree, he’s something of an unsung hero among the influential painters and customizers of the ‘60s, despite appearing on magazine covers and in photoshoots like Day’s. 

In May 1963, Petersen Publishing Company’s Dick Day shot an entire roll of film as Dean Jeffries crawled around—and over—a horseless carriage, pinstriping brush in hand. As far as we know, none of these photos ever made it into any of Petersen’s magazines, but they captured the prolific Jeffries at a pivotal point in his career.

By the early 1960s, Jeffries had made a name for himself as a custom painter and pinstriper. He learned the delicate art of striping by observing Ken “Von Dutch” Howard, and he shared shop space for a number of years with George “King of the Kustomizers” Barris, where his handiwork was applied to a number of famous hot rods, including Barris’ Ala Kart roadster pickup and the blue ’32 Ford that appeared on the cover of the Beach Boys’ “Little Deuce Coupe” album. It was Jeffries who painted the numbers and “Little Bastard” name on James Dean’s ill-fated Porsche 550 Spyder. Jeffries also helped Carroll Shelby promote his first Cobra by painting—and repainting—the prototype car in different colors to make it seem like Shelby had several of the hot sports cars.

Jeffries’ artistic talents weren’t limited to California hot rods and sports cars. A longtime fan of the Indianapolis 500, he striped and painted Indy roadsters prior to the race for years. At one point in the early ‘60s, Jeffries said that he painted 21 of the 33 cars on the Indy grid, and his race-car paint work garnered national attention when he appeared on the cover of the June 1961 issue of Hot Rod magazine lettering A.J. Foyt’s roadster.

But right around the time of Dick Day’s photo session, Jeffries was laying the groundwork for a career change. He was eager to do more than just paint a car; he wanted to create one, a groundbreaking custom car that would elevate him to the stature of Barris and other well-known builders.

It was in 1963 that Jeffries hand-fashioned the Mantaray, a sleek, asymmetrical, bubble-topped styling statement that did, indeed, catapult him into the big leagues of car building. Movie and TV studios took notice, and Jeffries would go on to build the Monkeemobile, the Green Hornet’s Black Beauty and many, many more.

Jeffries was never the public-relations master that Barris was, never blew his own horn about his work, even when others took credit for it. So back then, and even now to some degree, he’s something of an unsung hero among the influential painters and customizers of the ‘60s, despite appearing on magazine covers and in photoshoots like Day’s. 

Since its beginning 24 years ago, the PRI Trade Show has become a key asset to race teams, engine builders, track owners, fabricators and retailers in every form of motorsports. Last year, more than 1,100 companies came to the PRI Trade Show to exhibit, and nearly 40,000 motorsports professionals attended. PRI has its own unique constituency and culture, and it has a history of helping build businesses through face-to-face meetings between exhibitors and attendees.

Likewise, the Performance Racing Industry publication has enjoyed a circulation of 25,500 and is viewed as providing the hard-core racing segment with outstanding editorial content. In terms of providing great value to PRI’s customers, there really hasn’t been much missing!

That’s why SEMA was eager to take the hand-off from Steve Lewis as he prepared the transition of these two great industry institutions. Now that the acquisition has been formalized, we can say that we are very pleased to carry forward the spirit and culture of PRI so that it can continue to flourish. Our goals in this acquisition are simple:

1. Provide PRI with resources and support so that the show and magazine can continue to be leaders in returning great value to the hard- core racing segment.
2. Build the association’s relationship with the businesses in the PRI segment so that more companies will tap into the great services and benefits SEMA provides.
3. Establish a collaborative relationship between the talented folks in SEMA and PRI to innovate and improve the key offerings of each.

The current team at PRI will continue to serve its customers and produce the PRI Trade Show—only now with the resources of SEMA to boost its capabilities. John Kilroy, a 20-year veteran of Laguna Coast Publishing, has been promoted to the role of Vice President/General Manager and will oversee day-to-day operations.

Likewise, the SEMA Show will continue in its quest to return value through its unique gathering of all aspects of the automotive specialty-equipment market. The SEMA Show will be the SEMA Show, and the PRI Show will be the PRI Show—with the unique and distinct nature of each event. Of course, we wouldn’t have pursued the acquisition unless we believed that this would also create an opportunity to better serve the businesses that make up the industry. SEMA has always had strong support from the performance racing market, and this gives us a chance to deepen and improve our relationships.

Many previous and current SEMA board members have been instrumental in helping to build PRI. They appreciate the legacy of the brand, so we can expect to receive good guidance as we move forward, with every opportunity to make both shows and publications the best they can be long into the future.

Earlier this month, it was announced that SEMA has acquired the highly successful PRI Trade Show and Performance Racing Industry magazine. I’d like to share with SEMA News readers some of the thinking behind this move and highlight the benefits and value it will provide for the industry.

Since its beginning 24 years ago, the PRI Trade Show has become a key asset to race teams, engine builders, track owners, fabricators and retailers in every form of motorsports. Last year, more than 1,100 companies came to the PRI Trade Show to exhibit, and nearly 40,000 motorsports professionals attended. PRI has its own unique constituency and culture, and it has a history of helping build businesses through face-to-face meetings between exhibitors and attendees.

Likewise, the Performance Racing Industry publication has enjoyed a circulation of 25,500 and is viewed as providing the hard-core racing segment with outstanding editorial content. In terms of providing great value to PRI’s customers, there really hasn’t been much missing!

That’s why SEMA was eager to take the hand-off from Steve Lewis as he prepared the transition of these two great industry institutions. Now that the acquisition has been formalized, we can say that we are very pleased to carry forward the spirit and culture of PRI so that it can continue to flourish. Our goals in this acquisition are simple:

1. Provide PRI with resources and support so that the show and magazine can continue to be leaders in returning great value to the hard- core racing segment.
2. Build the association’s relationship with the businesses in the PRI segment so that more companies will tap into the great services and benefits SEMA provides.
3. Establish a collaborative relationship between the talented folks in SEMA and PRI to innovate and improve the key offerings of each.

The current team at PRI will continue to serve its customers and produce the PRI Trade Show—only now with the resources of SEMA to boost its capabilities. John Kilroy, a 20-year veteran of Laguna Coast Publishing, has been promoted to the role of Vice President/General Manager and will oversee day-to-day operations.

Likewise, the SEMA Show will continue in its quest to return value through its unique gathering of all aspects of the automotive specialty-equipment market. The SEMA Show will be the SEMA Show, and the PRI Show will be the PRI Show—with the unique and distinct nature of each event. Of course, we wouldn’t have pursued the acquisition unless we believed that this would also create an opportunity to better serve the businesses that make up the industry. SEMA has always had strong support from the performance racing market, and this gives us a chance to deepen and improve our relationships.

Many previous and current SEMA board members have been instrumental in helping to build PRI. They appreciate the legacy of the brand, so we can expect to receive good guidance as we move forward, with every opportunity to make both shows and publications the best they can be long into the future.

Earlier this month, it was announced that SEMA has acquired the highly successful PRI Trade Show and Performance Racing Industry magazine. I’d like to share with SEMA News readers some of the thinking behind this move and highlight the benefits and value it will provide for the industry.

Since its beginning 24 years ago, the PRI Trade Show has become a key asset to race teams, engine builders, track owners, fabricators and retailers in every form of motorsports. Last year, more than 1,100 companies came to the PRI Trade Show to exhibit, and nearly 40,000 motorsports professionals attended. PRI has its own unique constituency and culture, and it has a history of helping build businesses through face-to-face meetings between exhibitors and attendees.

Likewise, the Performance Racing Industry publication has enjoyed a circulation of 25,500 and is viewed as providing the hard-core racing segment with outstanding editorial content. In terms of providing great value to PRI’s customers, there really hasn’t been much missing!

That’s why SEMA was eager to take the hand-off from Steve Lewis as he prepared the transition of these two great industry institutions. Now that the acquisition has been formalized, we can say that we are very pleased to carry forward the spirit and culture of PRI so that it can continue to flourish. Our goals in this acquisition are simple:

1. Provide PRI with resources and support so that the show and magazine can continue to be leaders in returning great value to the hard- core racing segment.
2. Build the association’s relationship with the businesses in the PRI segment so that more companies will tap into the great services and benefits SEMA provides.
3. Establish a collaborative relationship between the talented folks in SEMA and PRI to innovate and improve the key offerings of each.

The current team at PRI will continue to serve its customers and produce the PRI Trade Show—only now with the resources of SEMA to boost its capabilities. John Kilroy, a 20-year veteran of Laguna Coast Publishing, has been promoted to the role of Vice President/General Manager and will oversee day-to-day operations.

Likewise, the SEMA Show will continue in its quest to return value through its unique gathering of all aspects of the automotive specialty-equipment market. The SEMA Show will be the SEMA Show, and the PRI Show will be the PRI Show—with the unique and distinct nature of each event. Of course, we wouldn’t have pursued the acquisition unless we believed that this would also create an opportunity to better serve the businesses that make up the industry. SEMA has always had strong support from the performance racing market, and this gives us a chance to deepen and improve our relationships.

Many previous and current SEMA board members have been instrumental in helping to build PRI. They appreciate the legacy of the brand, so we can expect to receive good guidance as we move forward, with every opportunity to make both shows and publications the best they can be long into the future.

Earlier this month, it was announced that SEMA has acquired the highly successful PRI Trade Show and Performance Racing Industry magazine. I’d like to share with SEMA News readers some of the thinking behind this move and highlight the benefits and value it will provide for the industry.

Since its beginning 24 years ago, the PRI Trade Show has become a key asset to race teams, engine builders, track owners, fabricators and retailers in every form of motorsports. Last year, more than 1,100 companies came to the PRI Trade Show to exhibit, and nearly 40,000 motorsports professionals attended. PRI has its own unique constituency and culture, and it has a history of helping build businesses through face-to-face meetings between exhibitors and attendees.

Likewise, the Performance Racing Industry publication has enjoyed a circulation of 25,500 and is viewed as providing the hard-core racing segment with outstanding editorial content. In terms of providing great value to PRI’s customers, there really hasn’t been much missing!

That’s why SEMA was eager to take the hand-off from Steve Lewis as he prepared the transition of these two great industry institutions. Now that the acquisition has been formalized, we can say that we are very pleased to carry forward the spirit and culture of PRI so that it can continue to flourish. Our goals in this acquisition are simple:

1. Provide PRI with resources and support so that the show and magazine can continue to be leaders in returning great value to the hard- core racing segment.
2. Build the association’s relationship with the businesses in the PRI segment so that more companies will tap into the great services and benefits SEMA provides.
3. Establish a collaborative relationship between the talented folks in SEMA and PRI to innovate and improve the key offerings of each.

The current team at PRI will continue to serve its customers and produce the PRI Trade Show—only now with the resources of SEMA to boost its capabilities. John Kilroy, a 20-year veteran of Laguna Coast Publishing, has been promoted to the role of Vice President/General Manager and will oversee day-to-day operations.

Likewise, the SEMA Show will continue in its quest to return value through its unique gathering of all aspects of the automotive specialty-equipment market. The SEMA Show will be the SEMA Show, and the PRI Show will be the PRI Show—with the unique and distinct nature of each event. Of course, we wouldn’t have pursued the acquisition unless we believed that this would also create an opportunity to better serve the businesses that make up the industry. SEMA has always had strong support from the performance racing market, and this gives us a chance to deepen and improve our relationships.

Many previous and current SEMA board members have been instrumental in helping to build PRI. They appreciate the legacy of the brand, so we can expect to receive good guidance as we move forward, with every opportunity to make both shows and publications the best they can be long into the future.

Earlier this month, it was announced that SEMA has acquired the highly successful PRI Trade Show and Performance Racing Industry magazine. I’d like to share with SEMA News readers some of the thinking behind this move and highlight the benefits and value it will provide for the industry.