By Richard Hail

At the heart of Cody Medeisis’ first-gen Camaro lies a Dart SHP Iron Block paired to Frankenstein Monster-Series heads replete with a Crower camshaft and hydraulic lifters, JE Pistons, Holley throttle body and more.

Cody Medeisis of Chicago has been named the winner in the SEMA Battle of the Builders Young Guns virtual regional qualifier for the Great Lakes region.

At the heart of the first-gen Camaro lies a Dart SHP Iron Block paired to Frankenstein Monster-Series heads replete with a Crower camshaft and hydraulic lifters, JE Pistons, Holley throttle body and more. Forced induction is provided by the Vortech V-7 YSi-B Supercharger and exits through the custom stainless-steel exhaust with MagnaFlow mufflers and Granatelli Motorsports Electronic Exhaust Cutouts. A Pro Series Level 5.5 Powerglide transmission and ProTorque converter bolt up to the modified Ford 9-in. rear end.

Mickey Thompson ET Street tires hug the Billet Specialties Comp 7 and Win Lite wheels and are kept in check by Wilwood brakes. The Camaro is finished nicely with PPG Envirobase high-performance paint. The spirit of drag racing was built into this ’68 Chevrolet Camaro. “I just poured my heart and soul into it like I do everything I lay my hands on,” said Medeisis.

The Battle of the Builders competition celebrates the amazing craftsmanship and talents of people who create and build some of the most unique cars in the world. The “Young Guns” classification is exclusive to up-and-coming builders who are 27 and under who have performed the majority of the work on their vehicles.

To enter the 2020 SEMA Battle of the Builders competition or the SEMA Young Guns program, visit www.semabotb.com or www.semayoungguns.com.

By Richard Hail

At the heart of Cody Medeisis’ first-gen Camaro lies a Dart SHP Iron Block paired to Frankenstein Monster-Series heads replete with a Crower camshaft and hydraulic lifters, JE Pistons, Holley throttle body and more.

Cody Medeisis of Chicago has been named the winner in the SEMA Battle of the Builders Young Guns virtual regional qualifier for the Great Lakes region.

At the heart of the first-gen Camaro lies a Dart SHP Iron Block paired to Frankenstein Monster-Series heads replete with a Crower camshaft and hydraulic lifters, JE Pistons, Holley throttle body and more. Forced induction is provided by the Vortech V-7 YSi-B Supercharger and exits through the custom stainless-steel exhaust with MagnaFlow mufflers and Granatelli Motorsports Electronic Exhaust Cutouts. A Pro Series Level 5.5 Powerglide transmission and ProTorque converter bolt up to the modified Ford 9-in. rear end.

Mickey Thompson ET Street tires hug the Billet Specialties Comp 7 and Win Lite wheels and are kept in check by Wilwood brakes. The Camaro is finished nicely with PPG Envirobase high-performance paint. The spirit of drag racing was built into this ’68 Chevrolet Camaro. “I just poured my heart and soul into it like I do everything I lay my hands on,” said Medeisis.

The Battle of the Builders competition celebrates the amazing craftsmanship and talents of people who create and build some of the most unique cars in the world. The “Young Guns” classification is exclusive to up-and-coming builders who are 27 and under who have performed the majority of the work on their vehicles.

To enter the 2020 SEMA Battle of the Builders competition or the SEMA Young Guns program, visit www.semabotb.com or www.semayoungguns.com.

By Ashley Reyes

Micah Anderson

Micah Anderson of T-Rex Truck Products has been recognized as this week’s SEMA Young Executives Network (YEN) spotlight member.  

Anderson is the Brand Manager at T-Rex Products, an aftermarket grille design and manufacturing company, where he oversees all brand, product and marketing development. In addition to working with agencies to coordinate and formulate brand strategy, Anderson maintains multiple websites for the company’s parent organization and is the lead photographer for all product photography. YEN is proud to have members like Anderson lead the future of the automotive specialty-equipment market.

Get to know what keeps Anderson in the industry in his Q&A with SEMA and YEN:

SEMA: What is the best advice you ever received?

Micah Anderson: Stay positive. You define who you are, not the people you work for.

SEMA: What keeps you in the industry?

MA: Adventure and fellowship.

SEMA: Where can you be found on a Saturday?

MA: At the races or in the desert.

SEMA: How do you prepare for an important meeting?

MA: By being prompt, ready and informed.

SEMA: If you could go to lunch with one industry leader, living or dead, who would it be?

MA: Barry Meguiar. If you never heard his testimony, you need to.

Are you a YEN member? Fill out this form for a chance to be featured as a SEMA Young Executives Network spotlight member and have the opportunity to be featured on YEN’s social media and SEMA eNews.  

By Ashley Reyes

Micah Anderson

Micah Anderson of T-Rex Truck Products has been recognized as this week’s SEMA Young Executives Network (YEN) spotlight member.  

Anderson is the Brand Manager at T-Rex Products, an aftermarket grille design and manufacturing company, where he oversees all brand, product and marketing development. In addition to working with agencies to coordinate and formulate brand strategy, Anderson maintains multiple websites for the company’s parent organization and is the lead photographer for all product photography. YEN is proud to have members like Anderson lead the future of the automotive specialty-equipment market.

Get to know what keeps Anderson in the industry in his Q&A with SEMA and YEN:

SEMA: What is the best advice you ever received?

Micah Anderson: Stay positive. You define who you are, not the people you work for.

SEMA: What keeps you in the industry?

MA: Adventure and fellowship.

SEMA: Where can you be found on a Saturday?

MA: At the races or in the desert.

SEMA: How do you prepare for an important meeting?

MA: By being prompt, ready and informed.

SEMA: If you could go to lunch with one industry leader, living or dead, who would it be?

MA: Barry Meguiar. If you never heard his testimony, you need to.

Are you a YEN member? Fill out this form for a chance to be featured as a SEMA Young Executives Network spotlight member and have the opportunity to be featured on YEN’s social media and SEMA eNews.  

By Ashely Reyes

Blue Sky Performance has been named as the SEMA Hot Rod Industry Alliance’s (HRIA) first-ever council spotlight member.

Blue Sky Performance dedicated “mud room” for dry sanding.

Storage area for projects that are in production. Future plans are to convert this into a work area.

Blue Sky Performance Down Draft spray booth.

Blue Sky Performance has been named as the SEMA Hot Rod Industry Alliance’s (HRIA) first-ever council spotlight member. In this week’s feature, HRIA spoke to company owner Jesse Barratt to ask him about Blue Sky Performance’s ’66 Pontiac LeMans, winning Autowire’s 2019 American Golden Bolt Award, current and upcoming vehicle projects and advice he has for aspiring professionals in the automotive aftermarket.

SEMA: Tell us the story of your shop. How did you start?

Jesse Barratt: I grew up down the street from Jeff Manzella since we were seven years old—best friends. We worked on cars together when we were kids. I started working at a local auto shop in 2008 and we hired Jeff soon after. After the owner retired and sold the business, we decided we were ready to embark on our own. My father was approaching retirement and partnered with us in 2015.  

Today, Blue Sky is located in the same automotive shop location where they started. Jeff and I have been friends since almost day one—unusual to make that work in business, but we have. We were roommates in college and then best man at each other’s weddings. Heck, we were together with our wives last weekend.”  

SEMA: What was your breakthrough moment?  

JB: I’m not sure if there was ever a “breakthrough moment,” but we always had the same vision and goals for the business. We are primarily self-taught when it comes to working on cars from being head strong in the industry and driven by the passion that comes out from it. We learned how to be businessmen from our previous boss, who, in a way, mentored us to think as businessmen. This has proven very successful for us as we have made a profit and grown since day one as owners.

SEMA: Tell us about your feature build ’66 Pontiac LeMans.

JB: It came from the original owner and was a streetcar, driven by the family, for years. It came into the shop for a paint job and the rest they say is history. The project exploded into what you saw at SEMA 2019. We are beyond proud and fortunate to have customers who allow us to build the kind of cars we dream up with them.

SEMA: What is in your shop this year?  It is the year of the truck? We didn’t see that coming.
 
JB: We have a ’39 Ford TCI Chassis with Coyote—“ready to tow;” a ’72 F-250—period-correct “day 2 old-school lifted pickup; a ’78 F1-50—“California Sunrise;” a ’66 C10 – “the Christmas tree delivery truck;” a ’70 C10, which we are completing for a very good friend of ours who has always been a huge supporter; a ’68 Firebird 400 HO—numbers matching, four-speed, Meridian Turquoise with a white vinyl top and white deluxe interior; a ’69 442—numbers matching triple black convertible; and a ’90 Mustang LX—750 hp turbo streetcar. We have a constant rotation of at least 20 projects in the shop.

SEMA: What new and exciting projects do you foresee in the future?  

JB: We recently purchased a chassis dyno from Dynocom, so we can now provide dyno services and tuning to our customers. It was a bucket list item we dreamed of when we became owners. Future projects include a ’62 Impala—“Low Touring”—Pro-touring build with low-rider inspirations, which we are working on with Brian at Problem Child Kustoms. We have a goal to have it at SEMA 2021. We also plan to work on a ’76 Gran Torino—original limited-edition “Starsky and Hutch” car that was one of the 1,300 cars that Ford sold through select dealerships, and a ’70 Mustang Convertible—TCI chassis, Coyote, wrapped in an “as-if” BOSS 302 convertible paint scheme.

SEMA: What advice do you have for young folks contemplating a career in the automotive aftermarket?  

JB: You have to have passion for this work. You can’t fake it or hide it. Never give up and focus on what you need to do to be successful. Never let anyone tell you that you can’t be successful.  

By Ashely Reyes

Blue Sky Performance has been named as the SEMA Hot Rod Industry Alliance’s (HRIA) first-ever council spotlight member.

Blue Sky Performance dedicated “mud room” for dry sanding.

Storage area for projects that are in production. Future plans are to convert this into a work area.

Blue Sky Performance Down Draft spray booth.

Blue Sky Performance has been named as the SEMA Hot Rod Industry Alliance’s (HRIA) first-ever council spotlight member. In this week’s feature, HRIA spoke to company owner Jesse Barratt to ask him about Blue Sky Performance’s ’66 Pontiac LeMans, winning Autowire’s 2019 American Golden Bolt Award, current and upcoming vehicle projects and advice he has for aspiring professionals in the automotive aftermarket.

SEMA: Tell us the story of your shop. How did you start?

Jesse Barratt: I grew up down the street from Jeff Manzella since we were seven years old—best friends. We worked on cars together when we were kids. I started working at a local auto shop in 2008 and we hired Jeff soon after. After the owner retired and sold the business, we decided we were ready to embark on our own. My father was approaching retirement and partnered with us in 2015.  

Today, Blue Sky is located in the same automotive shop location where they started. Jeff and I have been friends since almost day one—unusual to make that work in business, but we have. We were roommates in college and then best man at each other’s weddings. Heck, we were together with our wives last weekend.”  

SEMA: What was your breakthrough moment?  

JB: I’m not sure if there was ever a “breakthrough moment,” but we always had the same vision and goals for the business. We are primarily self-taught when it comes to working on cars from being head strong in the industry and driven by the passion that comes out from it. We learned how to be businessmen from our previous boss, who, in a way, mentored us to think as businessmen. This has proven very successful for us as we have made a profit and grown since day one as owners.

SEMA: Tell us about your feature build ’66 Pontiac LeMans.

JB: It came from the original owner and was a streetcar, driven by the family, for years. It came into the shop for a paint job and the rest they say is history. The project exploded into what you saw at SEMA 2019. We are beyond proud and fortunate to have customers who allow us to build the kind of cars we dream up with them.

SEMA: What is in your shop this year?  It is the year of the truck? We didn’t see that coming.
 
JB: We have a ’39 Ford TCI Chassis with Coyote—“ready to tow;” a ’72 F-250—period-correct “day 2 old-school lifted pickup; a ’78 F1-50—“California Sunrise;” a ’66 C10 – “the Christmas tree delivery truck;” a ’70 C10, which we are completing for a very good friend of ours who has always been a huge supporter; a ’68 Firebird 400 HO—numbers matching, four-speed, Meridian Turquoise with a white vinyl top and white deluxe interior; a ’69 442—numbers matching triple black convertible; and a ’90 Mustang LX—750 hp turbo streetcar. We have a constant rotation of at least 20 projects in the shop.

SEMA: What new and exciting projects do you foresee in the future?  

JB: We recently purchased a chassis dyno from Dynocom, so we can now provide dyno services and tuning to our customers. It was a bucket list item we dreamed of when we became owners. Future projects include a ’62 Impala—“Low Touring”—Pro-touring build with low-rider inspirations, which we are working on with Brian at Problem Child Kustoms. We have a goal to have it at SEMA 2021. We also plan to work on a ’76 Gran Torino—original limited-edition “Starsky and Hutch” car that was one of the 1,300 cars that Ford sold through select dealerships, and a ’70 Mustang Convertible—TCI chassis, Coyote, wrapped in an “as-if” BOSS 302 convertible paint scheme.

SEMA: What advice do you have for young folks contemplating a career in the automotive aftermarket?  

JB: You have to have passion for this work. You can’t fake it or hide it. Never give up and focus on what you need to do to be successful. Never let anyone tell you that you can’t be successful.  

By SEMA Editors

Dan Kahn, founder of Kahn Media, 2019 SEMA Person of the Year.

The SEMA Industry Awards celebrate accomplishments from the previous fiscal year (July 1, 2019 to June 30, 2020). Each year the winners embody a commitment to excellence and for 2020 this award truly acknowledges a year of hard work and perseverance.

Do you know of a company or a person who has made a significant impact on the specialty-equipment market industry within the past year? Perhaps even responding to the early months of the coronavirus pandemic with innovative ways to help others.

SEMA is now accepting nominations for its Industry Awards:

• Person of the Year
• Manufacturer of the Year
• Rep Agency of the Year
• Warehouse Distributor of the Year
• Gen-III Innovator of the Year

To nominate an honoree and learn more about the SEMA Industry Awards, visit sema.org/awards or contact Lindsay Bianco at lindsayb@sema.org.

"The SEMA Industry Awards are presented to a highly distinguished group of people and companies who have demonstrated proven contributions, leadership and integrity," says Chris Kersting, SEMA president and CEO. "We look forward to recognizing this year’s winners who have helped to inspire and motivate the entire industry to greatness."

The award winners will be celebrated for their accomplishments at the 2020 SEMA Industry Awards Banquet on Thursday, November 5, during the SEMA Show in Las Vegas.

By SEMA Editors

Dan Kahn, founder of Kahn Media, 2019 SEMA Person of the Year.

The SEMA Industry Awards celebrate accomplishments from the previous fiscal year (July 1, 2019 to June 30, 2020). Each year the winners embody a commitment to excellence and for 2020 this award truly acknowledges a year of hard work and perseverance.

Do you know of a company or a person who has made a significant impact on the specialty-equipment market industry within the past year? Perhaps even responding to the early months of the coronavirus pandemic with innovative ways to help others.

SEMA is now accepting nominations for its Industry Awards:

• Person of the Year
• Manufacturer of the Year
• Rep Agency of the Year
• Warehouse Distributor of the Year
• Gen-III Innovator of the Year

To nominate an honoree and learn more about the SEMA Industry Awards, visit sema.org/awards or contact Lindsay Bianco at lindsayb@sema.org.

"The SEMA Industry Awards are presented to a highly distinguished group of people and companies who have demonstrated proven contributions, leadership and integrity," says Chris Kersting, SEMA president and CEO. "We look forward to recognizing this year’s winners who have helped to inspire and motivate the entire industry to greatness."

The award winners will be celebrated for their accomplishments at the 2020 SEMA Industry Awards Banquet on Thursday, November 5, during the SEMA Show in Las Vegas.

By Ashley Reyes

SEMA estimates that with the impact of COVID-19, industry retail sales will likely be down 12% in 2020. However, most economists think that the recession hit its lowest point in mid-April, and companies within the specialty-equipment industry are optimistic about sales moving forward.

Even though 2020 has altered the vehicle landscape for many, the specialty-equipment market had shown impressive growth over the past 10 years with industry retail sales climbing nearly 4% to a new high of $46.2 billion in 2019, according to the new “2020 SEMA Market Report.” The report provides a comprehensive review of the automotive specialty-equipment market, market-sizing by vehicle segment, purchasing channels and trends to help SEMA-member companies make better business decisions.

SEMA estimates that with the impact of COVID-19, industry retail sales will likely be down 12% in 2020. However, most economists think that the recession hit its lowest point in mid-April, and companies within the specialty-equipment industry are optimistic about sales moving forward. By Q4 of 2020, nearly 50% of industry businesses expect their sales to be the same as or even better than 2019.

“While this year has presented its challenges, the SEMA Market Report can help our member companies identify the key areas of interest for consumers and prepare for the growth that we expect in 2021,” said Gavin Knapp, SEMA director of Market Research. “It’s still early to predict exactly how things will play out over the next couple years, but the positive news is that as the country re-emerges from the shutdown, we can expect that sales should rise back toward previous levels.”

In-store purchases accounted for the largest share of 2019 retail sales, representing almost 60% of the total. It is highly likely that online purchases will spike in 2020 due to COVID-19, but SEMA expects that many consumers will return to in-store shopping once restrictions are loosened. Word-of-mouth and the web were important sources of ideas and information for consumers researching potential upgrades. Forty-four percent of consumers used search engines or review websites; 40% went directly to manufacturers’ own websites; and 37% sought advice or recommendations from friends or relatives.

Pickup upgrades are the largest sector of the specialty-equipment industry, accounting for 31% of 2019 retail sales, although mid-range cars, CUVs and SUVs (including the Jeep Wrangler) are also major components of the market. Fifty-nine percent of specialty-automotive consumers are under the age of 40, and younger drivers are more likely than older drivers to buy performance parts or accessories and make heavier modifications to their vehicles.

To learn more about where the opportunity is for your business and to get the latest research on market sizing, consumer profiles and 2020 industry indicators, download the report for free today.

By Ashley Reyes

SEMA estimates that with the impact of COVID-19, industry retail sales will likely be down 12% in 2020. However, most economists think that the recession hit its lowest point in mid-April, and companies within the specialty-equipment industry are optimistic about sales moving forward.

Even though 2020 has altered the vehicle landscape for many, the specialty-equipment market had shown impressive growth over the past 10 years with industry retail sales climbing nearly 4% to a new high of $46.2 billion in 2019, according to the new “2020 SEMA Market Report.” The report provides a comprehensive review of the automotive specialty-equipment market, market-sizing by vehicle segment, purchasing channels and trends to help SEMA-member companies make better business decisions.

SEMA estimates that with the impact of COVID-19, industry retail sales will likely be down 12% in 2020. However, most economists think that the recession hit its lowest point in mid-April, and companies within the specialty-equipment industry are optimistic about sales moving forward. By Q4 of 2020, nearly 50% of industry businesses expect their sales to be the same as or even better than 2019.

“While this year has presented its challenges, the SEMA Market Report can help our member companies identify the key areas of interest for consumers and prepare for the growth that we expect in 2021,” said Gavin Knapp, SEMA director of Market Research. “It’s still early to predict exactly how things will play out over the next couple years, but the positive news is that as the country re-emerges from the shutdown, we can expect that sales should rise back toward previous levels.”

In-store purchases accounted for the largest share of 2019 retail sales, representing almost 60% of the total. It is highly likely that online purchases will spike in 2020 due to COVID-19, but SEMA expects that many consumers will return to in-store shopping once restrictions are loosened. Word-of-mouth and the web were important sources of ideas and information for consumers researching potential upgrades. Forty-four percent of consumers used search engines or review websites; 40% went directly to manufacturers’ own websites; and 37% sought advice or recommendations from friends or relatives.

Pickup upgrades are the largest sector of the specialty-equipment industry, accounting for 31% of 2019 retail sales, although mid-range cars, CUVs and SUVs (including the Jeep Wrangler) are also major components of the market. Fifty-nine percent of specialty-automotive consumers are under the age of 40, and younger drivers are more likely than older drivers to buy performance parts or accessories and make heavier modifications to their vehicles.

To learn more about where the opportunity is for your business and to get the latest research on market sizing, consumer profiles and 2020 industry indicators, download the report for free today.