The New York Times—This leading newspaper featured countless articles on the 2011 SEMA Show, including this comprehensive write-up on the best new products. As the article stated, the SEMA Show is, after all, a “showcase for automotive products.”			The Las Vegas Review-Journal Reporter—Hubble Smith noted in the local newspaper that “custom car accessories were prominently displayed and passionately discussed at the annual convention.”
The Detroit News—In addition to several articles in printed newspapers, The Detroit News featured dozens of images from the SEMA Show on its website. Each image highlighted just how the products from the Show can help consumers customize their rides.			Road & Track—We agree with Road & Track when it says that those who have never been to the SEMA Show can easily imagine that the event is a place where all sorts of cars are displayed. We also agree with the magazine when it continues to say that “the real show is put on by some 2,000 exhibitors displaying aftermarket parts and accessories.”

	Gregory Parker

Gregory Parker joined the team at Perfect Equipment Inc. as North American marketing manager. According to a recent announcement from Perfect Equipment, Parker has worked with many of the industry’s top brands, helping with market research, branding, media placement and online consultation. Parker is also involved with SEMA, having served as the SEMA’s Young Executives Network chairman, SEMA Silent Auction Committee chairman, SEMA Pinewood Derby Committee chairman and as a member of the SEMA Cares and SEMA Scholarship Committee. Perfect Equipment Inc., Murfreesboro, TN; 615-916-3791.

Radiator Specialty Co.—makers of Liquid Wrench, Gunk, TiteSeal and MotorMedic brands—changed its name to RSC Chemical Solutions. In addition to its separate website for Liquid Wrench, the company announced a new website for the Gunk brand. RSC Chemical Solutions, Indian Trail, NC; 704-821-7643.

Dennis Grau was appointed to the California/Nevada/Arizona Automotive Wholesalers Association’s advisory council, representing Exide Technologies. His office is based in Phoenix, Arizona. He was appointed by Chairman of the Board Mary Davis, NGK Spark Plugs, Sacramento, California.

The Quarter Mile Foundation and its chairman, Traci Hrudka, announced that the Performance Warehouse Association made a generous contribution to the foundation’s Project 1320 effort to compile the history of drag racing and the performance aftermarket. “I guess you can say I was more than pleasantly surprised when John Towle [Performance Warehouse Association president] presented me with the association’s generous contribution,” Hrudka said. More information about Project 1320 is available at www.project1320.com. Quarter Mile Foundation, Parma Heights, OH; 440-888-0088. PWA, Palm Desert, CA; 760-346-5647.

Covercraft Industries Inc. signed a major sponsorship agreement with “MotorzTV.” A program spokesman said that “we could think of no better company than Covercraft to be our car cover sponsor, with their long history of making custom-patterned covers for show cars and OE and aftermarket parts suppliers for more than 45 years.” All-new episodes of “Motorz” air on Sundays at 10:30 p.m. (PST) on DirecTV or Dish Network. Past episodes are also available for download at www.motorz.tv.

	Laurent Lebouder

HRE Wheels added Laurent Lebouder to its sales team as international sales manager to handle customers in Southeast Asia, South America and the Middle East as well as assist with customer support in North America. According to the company, the move complements the rapid expansion of its international sales arm through a new GmbH division in Stuttgart to support Western Europe and new dealers in emerging markets across Southeast Asia and the Middle East. HRE Wheels, Vista, CA; 760-598-1960.

Drag-racing legend Bill “Grumpy” Jenkins will make an appearance at the Motorsports 2012 Show presented by VP’s Small Engine Fuels Race Car & Trade Show at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, Pennsylvania, on Saturday, January 21. Jenkins will be touting his new book, titled Grumpy’s Toy, which offers a full and complete history of Jenkins’ career to date, written by Doug Boyce. The book will be available during the three-day show. The popular drag-racing legend will be meeting fans and signing autographs in the Coastal 181 display area.

Izmocars named auto industry veteran and process training expert Vince Tunzi the company’s national field operations manager. According to izmocars, Tunzi will oversee the company’s national consulting team, which is dedicated to the successful implementation and execution of Izmocars solutions at auto dealerships across the country. Tunzi previously served as a national process consultant for Toyota. Izmocars, San Francisco, CA; 415-694-6000.

	Mike and Jim Ring

Musclecar and street machine designers and builders Mike and Jim Ring were dual recipients of the Goodguys Trendsetter Award, which is presented annually to rising talents in rod and custom car building. Projects, such as the “Reactor” ’67 Mustang and the “Razor” ’69 Camaro, have brought the Ring brothers international acclaim and top awards, including the Goodguys Street Machine of the Year two consecutive years and the Mother’s Shine and Ford Design awards. They received the “Golden Builder” award at the Hotrod & Restoration Trade show as well as being named Car Craft’s Pro Builder of the Year. Ringbrothers, Spring Green, WI; 608-588-7399.

CJ’s Tire & Automotive Services was presented with the Jeremy Carroll Award at the Muscular Dystrophy Association’s (MDA) Black and Blue Ball at Classic Harley-Davidson in Leesport for its continued support of the MDA. According to the Jeremy Carroll Foundation, the award is given annually to a company or individual who has “kept Jeremy’s indomitable spirit alive by supporting the fight against muscle diseases.” CJ’s Tire
& Automotive Services, Birdsboro, PA; 610-404-0224.

Edge Products partnered with United Pullers to act as the title sponsor of the Edge Pulling Series for the 2012 season. The series will include all of United’s events held in the Rocky Mountain region. According to Edge Products, Weekend on the Edge will become an official United Pullers event in 2012 and will serve as the flagship national show within the Edge Pulling Series. Edge Products and United Pullers hope to continue growing the sport in the Rocky Mountain region and provide pullers from across the nation with a sanctioned series that can accommodate competitors within a variety of categories. Edge Products, Ogden, UT; 801-476-3343.

Carlisle Events announced a business and sponsorship partnership with Gumout Performance Products (a division/brand of ITW Global Brands) that begins with Spring Carlisle (April 25–29) and continues through Fall Carlisle (October 3–7). By partnering with Carlisle Events, Gumout becomes the official performance products for all 10 Carlisle-based events in 2012. Additionally, Gumout has agreed to be the presenting sponsor of the Carlisle Ford Nationals, June 1–3, at the Carlisle, Pennsylvania, Fairgrounds. Carlisle Events, Carlisle, PA; 717-243-7855.

	Audra Fordin
	Deborah Bjorklu

The Car Care Council Women’s Board announced that Deborah Bjorklund, president/principle owner of The Main Resource (TMR), was chosen as the Aftermarket Woman of the Year, and Audra Fordin of Great Bear Auto Shop was named the first Female Service Shop Owner of the Year. Bjorklund began her career in the automotive aftermarket more than 17 years ago as a general manager for Will-Fix Automotive. She purchased TMR in Sarasota, Florida, in December 2005. Fordin is the fourth-generation and the first female owner/operator of her family’s automotive repair business, Great Bear Auto Shop in Flushing, New York.

Konig American President and CEO Ricardo Guevara announced his retirement. Joseph Schaefer, who has served as Konig’s general manager for the past 15 years, assumes the role and responsibilities of president, and Raymond Chan of YHI International, Singapore takes Schaefer’s place as Konig American’s general manager. Guevara remains chairman of the company, which he founded in 1981 as the exclusive North American importer of Konig Racing Seats from Germany. In 1991, Guevara expanded the company’s product lines to import wheels, including the popular Tuner wheel model, which Konig hails as its first major success. Konig, Plainview, NY; 516-822-5700.

Toyo Tires of Osaka, Japan, announced the appointment of Tatsuo Mitsuhata as president and CEO of Toyo Tire USA Corp. Most recently serving as general manager of sales strategy in the Toyo Tire Overseas Sales Division, Mitsuhata previously worked at TTC from 1994–1998 as the company’s coordination manager. Mitsuhata replaces current President and CEO Yasushi Takagi, who returned to Japan as general manager of corporate planning for Toyo Tires in January.

Bosal North America appointed Brent Raschke as product engineer for its automotive carriers and protection systems division. Raschke is responsible for product and vehicle application development and testing for Bosal’s tow-hitch program. He will also be responsible for development of the company’s aftermarket exhaust and windstop programs. He has been a project engineer at Bosal since early 2010 and is based out of Bosal International North America’s research and development facility in Ypsilanti, Michigan. Bosal USA Inc., Budd Lake, NJ; 973-428-9822.

Jon Titman, whose industry background spans nearly three decades, opened Prestige Automotive Accessories, according to a company announcement. The New Carrollton, Maryland-based, restyling center is a full-line automotive accessory installation and distribution facility. The company serves new-car dealerships throughout the Washington, D.C., northern Virginia and Baltimore markets. In addition to his experience in manufacturing, distribution, installation and sales, Titman has long been involved with SEMA and its Professional Restylers Organization (PRO). Titman received the PRO Lifetime Achievement Award in 2004 in recognition of his service on the PRO Select Committee and contributions to the restyling industry. Prestige Automotive Accessories, Landover Hills, MD; 301-459-1755.

	S. Kellie Colf

eTool Developers hired S. Kellie Colf as its director of sales and marketing. Colf will work collaboratively with all team members in the areas of business development, account management and marketing. “Kellie was a natural pick for our team,” said Luanne Brown, president of eTool Developers. “Kellie has an incredible grasp of the industry and of the work that we do here. She brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to her new position, and we are confident that her contribution is going to help us take our company to the next level.” eTool Developers, Grand Haven, MI; 616-451-2335.

Wilwood Disc Brakes hired Joe Kubiak and Robert Roese as sales and technical consultants. According to Wilwood, Kubiak has an exceptional background in the automotive racing and performance aftermarket industry, which includes working at BMR Suspension, Braille Battery and Summit Racing’s Atech Motorsports. At Wilwood, Kubiak will focus on sales development activities and participation in Wilwood’s trade show events. Roese has more than 20 years of experience in the automotive racing and performance aftermarket industry, including time at Magnuson Products and Vortech Engineering. He will be involved in Wilwood’s sales development activities and support of Wilwood’s participation in trade events. Wilwood Engineering, Camarillo, CA; 805-388-1188.

McCullough Public Relations was retained as the public relations firm representing the automotive and manufacturing divisions of GOJO Industries. GOJO manufactures products and programs to kill germs on hands and solve skin-care-related problems in a variety of markets, including manufacturing, automotive, construction, healthcare, food service, food processing, education, government and military. McCullough Public Relations, Uniontown, OH; 330-244-9980.

Covering Your Assets

As significant numbers of businesses migrate to outside-the-enterprise services, such as cloud computing and social media, legal experts say they should consult with their attorneys to ensure that far-flung data is protected, trackable and accessible. Indeed, data generated by cloud computing is especially rife with risk, given that data is stored offsite and under the control of a third-party vendor—a vendor who may not be as awestruck over the importance of a company’s crown data jewels as its officers are.

“The significantly lower cost of using the cloud is driving data migration beyond the firewall,” said Nick Brestoff, M.S., J.D., and principal of e-Discovery Legal. “The data is leaving the building.”

The solution? e-Discovery experts said that grilling your cloud service provider (CSP) regarding its policies and practices for managing and protecting data—before your contract with the firm—is Job One if you plan to get any sleep. Key to that research is getting crystal clear on who’s liable for stolen data, according to Matthew Knouff, Esq., general counsel for Complete Discovery Source. Incredibly, many cloud providers now limit or simply disclaim any liability for data that is stolen either physically or via web break-ins on their servers.

“To the extent that you are unable to negotiate a CSP’s standard terms and conditions, you may just have to make an informed risk assessment and then take your chances if you want to benefit from the cloud,” Knouff said.

Added Debora Motyka Jones, Esq., client services manager for Lighthouse Document Technologies: “Ultimately, it is the firm’s data, so the firm is liable. This is an important area to address in the contract between the firm and the cloud provider. If possible, the firm should include an indemnification provision for losses that are the fault of the cloud provider.”

Ensuring that your data remains in a form that can be used by your in-house computers is also critical.

“Many CSPs reserve the right to modify any content that you put in the cloud,” Knouff said. “Understanding how you might lose control over data through proprietary data formats is an important consideration. The ability to modify or alter content can impact your ability to remove data from a cloud or switch to another CSP.”

Moreover, while any reputable cloud provider should be making continual backups of your data, companies should also negotiate for additional physical copies to be provided for storage, either at company headquarters or with another third party.

“Backing up your data should not be viewed as a best practice but as a requirement,” Knouff said.

For best results, you’ll also want to create a map of how data travels through your firm’s network and how that data interacts with the remote systems of your cloud provider.

“When addressing these issues, make sure to form a cross-functional team, including members from IT, legal, human resources and various business units to achieve the most comprehensive and cohesive results,” Knouff said. “Ultimately, the elements of your data security plan are going to be based on a thorough, enterprise-level risk assessment.”

Cloud newbies are also often dismayed to learn that current law allows cloud providers to simply roll over and release your company data without so much as a hint of sweet talk when officials in a government lawsuit make demands.

“A service provider cannot be held liable for disclosing information pursuant to a legitimate government order, and a civil suit cannot be brought against the U.S. government for disclosure violations,” Knouff said. “To make the cloud environment even more risky, disclosure of sensitive data occurs in many cases without the cloud service subscriber receiving advance or even prompt notice.”

Unfortunately, a law firm’s only recourse in this case is to negotiate a notice provision with the cloud provider, which is triggered when any entity, including the government, is seeking release of your private information, Knouff said.

Meanwhile, companies looking to get a handle on data generated by mobile phones will want to investigate a raft of vendors who specialize in backing up those bits and bytes. Verizon Wireless’ V Cast Media Manager will do the trick, as will numerous third-party service providers that offer mobile phone management, on and off the cloud, Knouff said. “Bloove.com and Memotoo.com are examples of cloud-based mobile phone/desktop synchronization tools,” he added.

Today’s backup software also enables businesses to create a forensic image of every mobile phone used in the company.

“Guidance Software’s EnCase Neutrino is one of the most widely used and accepted tools to forensically collect data from mobile devices,” Knouff said. “Other tools include AccessData’s Mobile Phone Examiner, Paraben’s Device Seizure and Logicube’s CellDEK and CellDEK TEK.”

There are even solutions for mobile phones that have been lost or stolen.

“One such product, Lookout, is a third-party application that allows users to locate a missing or stolen phone and wipe it remotely, prevent viruses and outside intrusion, manage content and back up data,” Knouff said.

Companies can also save themselves a great deal of potential legal headaches by engineering everyday e-mails that disappear immediately after they are viewed by the intended recipient.

“For example, if I send an e-mail to a colleague confirming a lunch appointment, my employer may incur needless costs associated with recording and storing this communication,” said Cathy Duplissa-Lopez, project manager for electronic data and e-discovery at Fennemore Craig, P.C.. It makes more sense to simply make such e-mails disappear, she said.

Long term, companies also need to prepare for the possibility that they could get hit with a lawsuit that mandates e-discovery or the court-ordered retrieval of company electronic data that resides in the cloud, in cell-phone accounts and across all social media. Instead of viewing an e-discovery request as a five-alarm fire to be handled on the fly, e-discovery programs and best practices need to be integrated into a company’s day-to-day operations, according to Dara Scott, senior project manager for Excelerate Discovery.

Scott said that company legal teams will utilize workflow-based project management technology and practices to move from a reactive approach to e-discovery to a measurable, repeatable business process. “This effort will be driven by e-discovery legal practitioners with broad knowledge bases in both law and technology,” he said.

Bottom-line: With a bit of thoughtful planning, your company can go a long way toward insulating itself from most of the risks associated with working with the increasing volume of data and applications residing on computer systems outside the enterprise.

Joe Dysart is an Internet speaker and business consultant based in Manhattan, New York.