Troy Trepanier of Rad Rides by Troy brought in Ryan Root as a summer intern to do renderings for the shop so that he had something tangible to show customers and to help streamline the fabrication process.

One of the benefits of belonging to a community, such as the Hot Rod Industry Alliance (HRIA), is that you have a whole network looking out for you. Not only is council membership a way to make new friends, but it also serves a business well—especially when it comes time to hire new talent. This was absolutely the case for Ryan Root, who was able to deliver his portfolio to HRIA through connections in the industry. Council Chairman John McLeod, who was impressed with Root’s designs, passed the portfolio to Troy Trepanier of Rad Rides by Troy. Trepanier provided Root with an internship, one that was the result of council networking and communication.

Root recently finished his junior year of college at the College for Creative Studies in Detroit, where he is studying automotive design. The love of cars was instilled in him at a young age by his father, who painted sprint cars and midgets. When it came time for Root to look for an internship, he networked his way into a summer job at Rad Rides by Troy that would allow him to contribute his design skills and learn more about the fabrication side of the business. While Root’s portfolio impressed everyone who saw it, the HRIA community helped him land a position perfect for his skills and interests.

“I really want to learn a lot, not only about the design process, but the whole process of building hot rods. I’ve got a small skillset in fabrication and a larger skillset in custom paint because that’s what I started out with. But I would like to learn the whole process from start to finish,” said Root.

Troy Trepanier is a huge proponent of youth engagement in the automotive sphere. From his perspective, one of the main benefits of hosting an intern is a chance to harness the energy and ideas of the next generation. He remembers being mentored by industry veterans, such as Boyd, Baskerville, Posie and others, and he hopes that he can also provide opportunities for future hot rodders.

“I’ll tell you, you get some of the young guys with a little bit of ability and the passion, and you plug into them what our theme or style is and, man, it can really create some special guys,” Trepanier said.

An important part of his internship philosophy is providing the right environment for learning—finding someone with skills the company needs and then finding productive projects for them to work on. Trepanier needed someone to do renderings for the shop so that he had something tangible to show customers and to help streamline the fabrication process. Trepanier also hopes to teach Root some new skills. Because of Root’s background, there are many possibilities.

“In a shop like mine, we have 12 guys. I could have him sit there and draw all day; it would take us 100 years to build everything he drew,” Trepanier explained. “So I need him to be able to do the drawings when we need them, but obviously come down in the shop, whether it’s painting or pinstriping, light fabrication or bouncing ideas off and being a little more useful that way. And I think that’s maybe where we’ll instill some of what we know on some light fabrication, welding and just how we do things in general.”

Trepanier also has a few other projects in mind for the summer, focused on building the business’ brand. Whatever this summer holds, the future is bright for Root. He has big goals for himself, too.

“After college, it’s always been my dream to design hot rods for a living. So if I could get a job at a hot-rod fabrication shop to design hot rods, that would be a good step for me. But I also have a twin brother who is also an automotive designer and he went to the same school that I did, and actually right now he’s interning at Hot Wheels in Los Angeles. So eventually, maybe I would like to do something with him and open up our own shop,” he said.

HRIA hopes to have a hand in many more stories like this one. That’s what the Futures in Hot Rodding initiative is about—recognizing talent and connecting newcomers to opportunities. To learn more about the resources that are available, visit www.sema.org/futures.

By SEMA Washington, D.C., Staff

SEMA’s Government Affairs Office has compiled a comprehensive guide on how motor-vehicle parts are regulated by the federal government. It is presented in two forms. The first is a six-page downloadable brochure that provides a concise overview. The second provides the same information with clickable links for additional background resources. Topics include the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards, emissions standards (EPA and California) and special sections on lighting equipment, wheels and tires and fuel economy.

The guide also answers questions, such as:

• Is my company required to register with NHTSA?
• What are my obligations as an importer?
• What is self-certification?
• Is “DOT-approved” a legal term?
• How is lighting equipment regulated by the federal and state government? 

By SEMA Washington, D.C., Staff

SEMA’s Government Affairs Office has compiled a comprehensive guide on how motor-vehicle parts are regulated by the federal government. It is presented in two forms. The first is a six-page downloadable brochure that provides a concise overview. The second provides the same information with clickable links for additional background resources. Topics include the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards, emissions standards (EPA and California) and special sections on lighting equipment, wheels and tires and fuel economy.

The guide also answers questions, such as:

• Is my company required to register with NHTSA?
• What are my obligations as an importer?
• What is self-certification?
• Is “DOT-approved” a legal term?
• How is lighting equipment regulated by the federal and state government? 

By SEMA Washington, D.C., Staff

SEMA’s Government Affairs Office has compiled a comprehensive guide on how motor-vehicle parts are regulated by the federal government. It is presented in two forms. The first is a six-page downloadable brochure that provides a concise overview. The second provides the same information with clickable links for additional background resources. Topics include the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards, emissions standards (EPA and California) and special sections on lighting equipment, wheels and tires and fuel economy.

The guide also answers questions, such as:

• Is my company required to register with NHTSA?
• What are my obligations as an importer?
• What is self-certification?
• Is “DOT-approved” a legal term?
• How is lighting equipment regulated by the federal and state government? 

SEMA Hall of Fame member and legendary drag racer “Gentlemen Joe” Schubeck shares stories at SEMA Central during the 2014 SEMA Show.

The SEMA Show is the premier automotive specialty products trade event in the world, drawing the industry’s brightest minds and hottest products to the Las Vegas Convention Center. As part of the AAIW, the SEMA Show attracts more than 100,000 industry leaders from more than 100 countries for unlimited profit opportunities in the automotive, truck and SUV, powersports, and RV markets. SEMA Show 2014 drew more than 60,000 domestic and international buyers. The 2015 SEMA Show will be held Tuesday–Friday, November 3–6.

SEMA Hall of Fame member and legendary drag racer “Gentlemen Joe” Schubeck shares stories at SEMA Central during the 2014 SEMA Show.

The SEMA Show is the premier automotive specialty products trade event in the world, drawing the industry’s brightest minds and hottest products to the Las Vegas Convention Center. As part of the AAIW, the SEMA Show attracts more than 100,000 industry leaders from more than 100 countries for unlimited profit opportunities in the automotive, truck and SUV, powersports, and RV markets. SEMA Show 2014 drew more than 60,000 domestic and international buyers. The 2015 SEMA Show will be held Tuesday–Friday, November 3–6.

SEMA Hall of Fame member and legendary drag racer “Gentlemen Joe” Schubeck shares stories at SEMA Central during the 2014 SEMA Show.

The SEMA Show is the premier automotive specialty products trade event in the world, drawing the industry’s brightest minds and hottest products to the Las Vegas Convention Center. As part of the AAIW, the SEMA Show attracts more than 100,000 industry leaders from more than 100 countries for unlimited profit opportunities in the automotive, truck and SUV, powersports, and RV markets. SEMA Show 2014 drew more than 60,000 domestic and international buyers. The 2015 SEMA Show will be held Tuesday–Friday, November 3–6.

By Chad Simon

	Barry Perlin, CEO of Deluxe Wheel Co., accepts a New Product Award for the company’s Wide Whitewall Tire Rim during the 2014 SEMA Show’s New Product Awards Breakfast. As a result of winning the award, he said people actively sought them out at the Show to talk about their product.
	Scott Bowers, president/owner of Ron Francis Wiring, accepts a New Product Award for the company’s Blackbox Relay System during the 2014 SEMA Show’s New Product Awards Breakfast. He said winning the award was acknowledgement that the company was on the right path.

Long considered the SEMA Show’s No. 1 destination, the New Products Showcase houses 2,500 of the Show’s latest and most revolutionary products on the market. The Showcase serves as a hub that conveniently brings together exhibitors, buyers and the media in one location.

This year, the 35,000-sq.-ft. New Products Showcase will move from the upper level at the east end of the Las Vegas Convention Center’s South Hall to the Sky Bridge that connects the Central and South Halls at the west end of the Las Vegas Convention Center.

For exhibitors, the Showcase is really a no-brainer. By entering their first new or featured product for free with all subsequent products at $75 each (if entered by October 9), they can allow their innovations to work for them in helping to drive more traffic to their booths. Dividends continue to pay off long after the Show ends, as all products entered into the Showcase are photographed and published in SEMA News. With more than 3,000 media in attendance, many products featured in the Showcase are sure to find their way into other outlets.

Buyers flock to the Showcase when the Show opens to easily sift through and electronically scan the products that are of interest to them. They receive a printout with key information on how to locate and contact the exhibitors who manufacture all the products they scanned. This allows them to save time by pinpointing which booths to visit without having to frantically traverse the 1 million sq. ft. of exhibit space searching for products.

New Products Showcase entries are judged and considered for a New Product Award, which recognizes outstanding achievements in the development of products being introduced to the automotive specialty-equipment market. The winners are announced in front of thousands of New Product Awards Breakfast attendees.

Sixteen award categories recognize the best and most innovative products in the market, and each category features one winner and two runners-up. Winners are selected based on a variety of factors that included quality, marketability, innovation, technology, consumer appeal and more.

Whether they win an award or not, exhibitors who display at least one product in the New Products Showcase definitely have an advantage over those who don’t, gaining more brand exposure and potential product sales.

The following are testimonials from two of last year’s New Product Award winners—Ron Francis Wiring, with its Blackbox Relay System in the Street Rod/Custom Car Product category, and Deluxe Wheel Co., with its Wide Whitewall Tire Rim in the Wheel and Related Product category.

Last year was an amazing experience for us. We were at the 2013 SEMA Show when we thought up the idea for the Wide Whitewall Tire Rim. I spent the next year designing, redesigning and making up prototypes. We finally had the design finalized, and I had my last prototypes shipped to me in time to get a last-minute booth for the 2014 SEMA Show. We flew in Sunday and delivered the wheel to the New Products Showcase.

We went to dinner Monday night after setting up our booth before the start of the Show for Tuesday when we received a phone call letting us know our product had won a New Product of the Year award. We weren't even a company yet. Out inventory wasn't due to arrive until December. We went from being someone with an idea the year before to having people seek us out throughout the course of the Show to talk to us about our ‘great’ product as if we were celebrities.

—Barry Perlin, CEO, Deluxe Wheel Co.

Winning the New Product Award was quite an honor for Ron Francis Wiring. To be recognized as a leader of new-product development in the industry was gratifying. Ron Francis Wiring works very hard to continue innovating and staying current with the needs of the industry. Winning this award is acknowledgement that we are on the right path.

Exhibiting at the SEMA Show is important for building exposure for the Ron Francis Wiring brand. Winning a New Product Award serves a similar purpose by jump-starting exposure for a newly launched product. Entering new products into the Showcase is a key element to successfully introducing new products to the automotive aftermarket. While we do not have any quantitative data, I have to believe that winning the award has helped this product's sales thus far.

—Scott Bowers, president/owner, Ron Francis Wiring

For complete information about the New Products Showcase and how to enter a product, visit the SEMA Show website.

By Chad Simon

	Barry Perlin, CEO of Deluxe Wheel Co., accepts a New Product Award for the company’s Wide Whitewall Tire Rim during the 2014 SEMA Show’s New Product Awards Breakfast. As a result of winning the award, he said people actively sought them out at the Show to talk about their product.
	Scott Bowers, president/owner of Ron Francis Wiring, accepts a New Product Award for the company’s Blackbox Relay System during the 2014 SEMA Show’s New Product Awards Breakfast. He said winning the award was acknowledgement that the company was on the right path.

Long considered the SEMA Show’s No. 1 destination, the New Products Showcase houses 2,500 of the Show’s latest and most revolutionary products on the market. The Showcase serves as a hub that conveniently brings together exhibitors, buyers and the media in one location.

This year, the 35,000-sq.-ft. New Products Showcase will move from the upper level at the east end of the Las Vegas Convention Center’s South Hall to the Sky Bridge that connects the Central and South Halls at the west end of the Las Vegas Convention Center.

For exhibitors, the Showcase is really a no-brainer. By entering their first new or featured product for free with all subsequent products at $75 each (if entered by October 9), they can allow their innovations to work for them in helping to drive more traffic to their booths. Dividends continue to pay off long after the Show ends, as all products entered into the Showcase are photographed and published in SEMA News. With more than 3,000 media in attendance, many products featured in the Showcase are sure to find their way into other outlets.

Buyers flock to the Showcase when the Show opens to easily sift through and electronically scan the products that are of interest to them. They receive a printout with key information on how to locate and contact the exhibitors who manufacture all the products they scanned. This allows them to save time by pinpointing which booths to visit without having to frantically traverse the 1 million sq. ft. of exhibit space searching for products.

New Products Showcase entries are judged and considered for a New Product Award, which recognizes outstanding achievements in the development of products being introduced to the automotive specialty-equipment market. The winners are announced in front of thousands of New Product Awards Breakfast attendees.

Sixteen award categories recognize the best and most innovative products in the market, and each category features one winner and two runners-up. Winners are selected based on a variety of factors that included quality, marketability, innovation, technology, consumer appeal and more.

Whether they win an award or not, exhibitors who display at least one product in the New Products Showcase definitely have an advantage over those who don’t, gaining more brand exposure and potential product sales.

The following are testimonials from two of last year’s New Product Award winners—Ron Francis Wiring, with its Blackbox Relay System in the Street Rod/Custom Car Product category, and Deluxe Wheel Co., with its Wide Whitewall Tire Rim in the Wheel and Related Product category.

Last year was an amazing experience for us. We were at the 2013 SEMA Show when we thought up the idea for the Wide Whitewall Tire Rim. I spent the next year designing, redesigning and making up prototypes. We finally had the design finalized, and I had my last prototypes shipped to me in time to get a last-minute booth for the 2014 SEMA Show. We flew in Sunday and delivered the wheel to the New Products Showcase.

We went to dinner Monday night after setting up our booth before the start of the Show for Tuesday when we received a phone call letting us know our product had won a New Product of the Year award. We weren't even a company yet. Out inventory wasn't due to arrive until December. We went from being someone with an idea the year before to having people seek us out throughout the course of the Show to talk to us about our ‘great’ product as if we were celebrities.

—Barry Perlin, CEO, Deluxe Wheel Co.

Winning the New Product Award was quite an honor for Ron Francis Wiring. To be recognized as a leader of new-product development in the industry was gratifying. Ron Francis Wiring works very hard to continue innovating and staying current with the needs of the industry. Winning this award is acknowledgement that we are on the right path.

Exhibiting at the SEMA Show is important for building exposure for the Ron Francis Wiring brand. Winning a New Product Award serves a similar purpose by jump-starting exposure for a newly launched product. Entering new products into the Showcase is a key element to successfully introducing new products to the automotive aftermarket. While we do not have any quantitative data, I have to believe that winning the award has helped this product's sales thus far.

—Scott Bowers, president/owner, Ron Francis Wiring

For complete information about the New Products Showcase and how to enter a product, visit the SEMA Show website.

By Chad Simon

	Barry Perlin, CEO of Deluxe Wheel Co., accepts a New Product Award for the company’s Wide Whitewall Tire Rim during the 2014 SEMA Show’s New Product Awards Breakfast. As a result of winning the award, he said people actively sought them out at the Show to talk about their product.
	Scott Bowers, president/owner of Ron Francis Wiring, accepts a New Product Award for the company’s Blackbox Relay System during the 2014 SEMA Show’s New Product Awards Breakfast. He said winning the award was acknowledgement that the company was on the right path.

Long considered the SEMA Show’s No. 1 destination, the New Products Showcase houses 2,500 of the Show’s latest and most revolutionary products on the market. The Showcase serves as a hub that conveniently brings together exhibitors, buyers and the media in one location.

This year, the 35,000-sq.-ft. New Products Showcase will move from the upper level at the east end of the Las Vegas Convention Center’s South Hall to the Sky Bridge that connects the Central and South Halls at the west end of the Las Vegas Convention Center.

For exhibitors, the Showcase is really a no-brainer. By entering their first new or featured product for free with all subsequent products at $75 each (if entered by October 9), they can allow their innovations to work for them in helping to drive more traffic to their booths. Dividends continue to pay off long after the Show ends, as all products entered into the Showcase are photographed and published in SEMA News. With more than 3,000 media in attendance, many products featured in the Showcase are sure to find their way into other outlets.

Buyers flock to the Showcase when the Show opens to easily sift through and electronically scan the products that are of interest to them. They receive a printout with key information on how to locate and contact the exhibitors who manufacture all the products they scanned. This allows them to save time by pinpointing which booths to visit without having to frantically traverse the 1 million sq. ft. of exhibit space searching for products.

New Products Showcase entries are judged and considered for a New Product Award, which recognizes outstanding achievements in the development of products being introduced to the automotive specialty-equipment market. The winners are announced in front of thousands of New Product Awards Breakfast attendees.

Sixteen award categories recognize the best and most innovative products in the market, and each category features one winner and two runners-up. Winners are selected based on a variety of factors that included quality, marketability, innovation, technology, consumer appeal and more.

Whether they win an award or not, exhibitors who display at least one product in the New Products Showcase definitely have an advantage over those who don’t, gaining more brand exposure and potential product sales.

The following are testimonials from two of last year’s New Product Award winners—Ron Francis Wiring, with its Blackbox Relay System in the Street Rod/Custom Car Product category, and Deluxe Wheel Co., with its Wide Whitewall Tire Rim in the Wheel and Related Product category.

Last year was an amazing experience for us. We were at the 2013 SEMA Show when we thought up the idea for the Wide Whitewall Tire Rim. I spent the next year designing, redesigning and making up prototypes. We finally had the design finalized, and I had my last prototypes shipped to me in time to get a last-minute booth for the 2014 SEMA Show. We flew in Sunday and delivered the wheel to the New Products Showcase.

We went to dinner Monday night after setting up our booth before the start of the Show for Tuesday when we received a phone call letting us know our product had won a New Product of the Year award. We weren't even a company yet. Out inventory wasn't due to arrive until December. We went from being someone with an idea the year before to having people seek us out throughout the course of the Show to talk to us about our ‘great’ product as if we were celebrities.

—Barry Perlin, CEO, Deluxe Wheel Co.

Winning the New Product Award was quite an honor for Ron Francis Wiring. To be recognized as a leader of new-product development in the industry was gratifying. Ron Francis Wiring works very hard to continue innovating and staying current with the needs of the industry. Winning this award is acknowledgement that we are on the right path.

Exhibiting at the SEMA Show is important for building exposure for the Ron Francis Wiring brand. Winning a New Product Award serves a similar purpose by jump-starting exposure for a newly launched product. Entering new products into the Showcase is a key element to successfully introducing new products to the automotive aftermarket. While we do not have any quantitative data, I have to believe that winning the award has helped this product's sales thus far.

—Scott Bowers, president/owner, Ron Francis Wiring

For complete information about the New Products Showcase and how to enter a product, visit the SEMA Show website.