Michael Conn was appointed to vice president of the WyoTech campus in Sacramento, California.

WyoTech Appoints Michael Conn to Vice President
WyoTech has appointed Michael Conn to vice president of the campus in Sacramento, California. He will provide administrative and leadership support to the students and staff. Conn joins WyoTech-Sacramento with 25 years of experience in financial planning, personnel management, consulting and business ownership. As CFO of San Francisco Safety Center, Conn managed multiple site managers and locations increasing sales by $2 million. He spent several years as CEO for Geary Automotive Service, where he developed the Big O Tire San Francisco franchisee market. In 2005, Conn used his experience to develop a consulting business where he worked with companies such as Big O Tire, Chevron and Firestone.

State Farm Renews Sponsorship of Lemay
LeMay – America’s Car Museum (ACM) finalized an agreement to retain State Farm—the museum’s largest and longest-running corporate supporter—as presenting sponsor through 2014. ACM will continue to be promoted as “State Farm Presents America’s Car Museum.” Additionally, State Farm will maintain naming rights to the museum’s in-the-round theatre. State Farm also sponsors the Seattle, New York and Chicago Auto Shows, where ACM has a strong annual presence. The two organizations plan to collaborate on efforts at those events in 2013. Additional details regarding America’s Car Museum can be found at www.lemaymuseum.org.

Philips Receives AIA Award for Best New Performance Product
Philips Automotive Lighting North America has received the new performance product award from the 2012 Auto International Association (AIA) Import Product and Marketing Awards. The Philips CrystalVision Ultra Headlight Bulb was voted “Best New Performance Product or Accessory for Import Cars or Trucks” for the 2012 AIA Awards competition. The AIA Awards are held annually to recognize manufacturers and marketers who produce the most innovative products and effective marketing programs designed to serve the import aftermarket. Philips CrystalVision Ultra delivers the blue/white look of HID, adding style to the vehicle and help to deliver unique style for a customized look.

	The Metropolitan Vacuum Cleaner Company opened a new 60,000-sq.-ft. facility located in Oakland, New Jersey.

Metropolitan Vacuum Cleaner Company Opens New Facility
The Metropolitan Vacuum Cleaner Company—maker of Air Force Blaster brand of car and motorcycle dryers—opened a new 60,000-sq.-ft. facility located at 5 Raritan Rd., Oakland, NJ 07436-2709. The building will become Metro’s new corporate headquarters and provide double the administrative, manufacturing, warehousing and distribution capability. “This new facility will not only give us additional physical space” says Metro President, Jules Stern, “it will also provide us with greatly improved efficiencies in raw material purchasing, handling and fabrication; pre-assembly and component storage; final assembly; packaging; warehousing and distribution. These improved efficiencies will allow us to increase production and, at the same time, keep our pricing competitive without compromising any of the product quality or service our dealers and consumers have come to expect.”

Meyer Distributing Inc. Adds New Location in New York
Meyer Distributing Inc. added a new location in Binghamton, New York. The cross-dock will have a direct feed from Meyer's East Hanover, New Jersey, distribution hub. “The Binghamton cross-dock will be a major improvement in delivery times and frequency for our 3PL customers as well as for the automotive accessory division of Meyer Distributing,” stated Fred Sermersheim, fleet manager of Meyer Logistics. "Delivery frequency to upstate New York will increase to cities such as Binghamton, Utica, Syracuse, Auburn, Ithaca and Elmira, and delivery time will be shortened to next day from two day. The new site has already been fully integrated with our distribution system and technology framework and will take service to a new level for customers in this market."

	Ford project-vehicle requests require two components: an e-mail project summary (due February 21, 2013) and a detailed written proposal (due March 1, 2013).

Ford Motor Co. has announced its project-vehicle program for 2013. The automaker requests that project-vehicle proposals be submitted in two parts, and that all proposals meet the Ford Aftermarket Project Vehicle Program Criteria outlined below. 

For more information, contact Sherry Kollien or Mike Nicopolis at semainfo@ford.com. 

2013 Ford Project Vehicle Program

Proposal Submission Deadline: March 1, 2013
Award Recipient Notification Date: by May 1, 2013

All project vehicle requests must be submitted in two parts and meet the following Ford Aftermarket Project Vehicle Program criteria:

Part 1

E-mail a one-page project summary: must be received by February 21, 2013. Include bullet points for:

• Vehicle/theme
• Vehicle modifications
• New product development
• Promotional plan
• Vehicle display location at the 2013 SEMA Show

Part 2

Mail a detailed project proposal: must be received by March 1, 2013. Include detail supporting the one-page project summary on company letterhead, a color rendering and past project vehicle examples.

Information on Ford vehicles is available at: www.ford.com.   

Ford Aftermarket Project Vehicle Program Criteria

Aftermarket companies requesting project vehicles should be:

• A Manufacturer or designer/restyler dedicated to supporting new product development.
• Financially capable and willing to spend promotional dollars.
• Actively promoting the vehicle with their product(s) through an established marketing plan.
• A current SEMA member.

Aftermarket companies receiving project vehicles must:

• Feature the vehicle in a booth at the 2013 SEMA Show in Las Vegas.
• Register and keep the vehicle in your company name during the entire contract period.
• Purchase and maintain $3 million in general liability insurance and $1 million in vehicle liability insurance.
• Commit to feature the vehicle with the Ford logo intact and visible.
• Order a California-certified vehicle if you intend to register or use the vehicle primarily in California or any other state that has adopted California emissions standards. Failure to do so may subject you to a state fine. 
• Make vehicles available to Ford or its dealers for display, at the owner's discretion.
• Submit written quarterly status reports for a period of 18 months, as specified in the contract, stating:

1. Product development
2. Modifications to the vehicle
3. Events (including dates, location and type of event)
4. Media exposure (originals or color copies)
5. Company advertising featuring the vehicle
6. Additional exposure
7. A copy of your current vehicle registration
8. E-mail, disc, or fax reports will not be accepted

Submit Ford Project Vehicle proposals to:

Ford Motor Co.
21175 Oakwood Blvd., PDCDC MD579       
Dearborn, MI  48124   
Attn: Sherry Kollien & Mike Nicopolis                     
semainfo@ford.com   

	Ford project-vehicle requests require two components: an e-mail project summary (due February 21, 2013) and a detailed written proposal (due March 1, 2013).

Ford Motor Co. has announced its project-vehicle program for 2013. The automaker requests that project-vehicle proposals be submitted in two parts, and that all proposals meet the Ford Aftermarket Project Vehicle Program Criteria outlined below. 

For more information, contact Sherry Kollien or Mike Nicopolis at semainfo@ford.com. 

2013 Ford Project Vehicle Program

Proposal Submission Deadline: March 1, 2013
Award Recipient Notification Date: by May 1, 2013

All project vehicle requests must be submitted in two parts and meet the following Ford Aftermarket Project Vehicle Program criteria:

Part 1

E-mail a one-page project summary: must be received by February 21, 2013. Include bullet points for:

• Vehicle/theme
• Vehicle modifications
• New product development
• Promotional plan
• Vehicle display location at the 2013 SEMA Show

Part 2

Mail a detailed project proposal: must be received by March 1, 2013. Include detail supporting the one-page project summary on company letterhead, a color rendering and past project vehicle examples.

Information on Ford vehicles is available at: www.ford.com.   

Ford Aftermarket Project Vehicle Program Criteria

Aftermarket companies requesting project vehicles should be:

• A Manufacturer or designer/restyler dedicated to supporting new product development.
• Financially capable and willing to spend promotional dollars.
• Actively promoting the vehicle with their product(s) through an established marketing plan.
• A current SEMA member.

Aftermarket companies receiving project vehicles must:

• Feature the vehicle in a booth at the 2013 SEMA Show in Las Vegas.
• Register and keep the vehicle in your company name during the entire contract period.
• Purchase and maintain $3 million in general liability insurance and $1 million in vehicle liability insurance.
• Commit to feature the vehicle with the Ford logo intact and visible.
• Order a California-certified vehicle if you intend to register or use the vehicle primarily in California or any other state that has adopted California emissions standards. Failure to do so may subject you to a state fine. 
• Make vehicles available to Ford or its dealers for display, at the owner's discretion.
• Submit written quarterly status reports for a period of 18 months, as specified in the contract, stating:

1. Product development
2. Modifications to the vehicle
3. Events (including dates, location and type of event)
4. Media exposure (originals or color copies)
5. Company advertising featuring the vehicle
6. Additional exposure
7. A copy of your current vehicle registration
8. E-mail, disc, or fax reports will not be accepted

Submit Ford Project Vehicle proposals to:

Ford Motor Co.
21175 Oakwood Blvd., PDCDC MD579       
Dearborn, MI  48124   
Attn: Sherry Kollien & Mike Nicopolis                     
semainfo@ford.com   

Continued off-highway vehicle (OHV) access to Johnson Valley, California, has been guaranteed for now by the U.S. Congress.

Thanks to the efforts of SEMA, the Off-Road Business Association (ORBA) and a coalition of other land use groups, continued off-highway vehicle (OHV) access to Johnson Valley, California, has been guaranteed for now by the U.S. Congress. Congress has included a provision with the 2013 Defense Authorization Act that requires the U.S. Marines to study alternative ways to share the area with the OHV community without taking ownership of the land. The Johnson Valley off-road area draws at least 200,000 visitors annually and may generate as much as $191 million annually into the economy.

Johnson Valley is home to “King of the Hammers” and many other OHV events. The land has been controlled for years by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, which provides special-use permits for various motorized recreation activities. The U.S. Marines want to expand their base at Twentynine Palms, California, to include nearly 147,000 acres of adjacent land within Johnson Valley in order to conduct large-scale training exercises for one or two months per year. The land-use coalition is urging the Marines to simply obtain BLM special-use permits. Any transfer of land rights is subject to Congressional approval. Final action on legislation directing the Marines to conduct an OHV study is expected to be completed in the next few days.

For more information, contact Stuart Gosswein at stuartg@sema.org.

Continued off-highway vehicle (OHV) access to Johnson Valley, California, has been guaranteed for now by the U.S. Congress.

Thanks to the efforts of SEMA, the Off-Road Business Association (ORBA) and a coalition of other land use groups, continued off-highway vehicle (OHV) access to Johnson Valley, California, has been guaranteed for now by the U.S. Congress. Congress has included a provision with the 2013 Defense Authorization Act that requires the U.S. Marines to study alternative ways to share the area with the OHV community without taking ownership of the land. The Johnson Valley off-road area draws at least 200,000 visitors annually and may generate as much as $191 million annually into the economy.

Johnson Valley is home to “King of the Hammers” and many other OHV events. The land has been controlled for years by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, which provides special-use permits for various motorized recreation activities. The U.S. Marines want to expand their base at Twentynine Palms, California, to include nearly 147,000 acres of adjacent land within Johnson Valley in order to conduct large-scale training exercises for one or two months per year. The land-use coalition is urging the Marines to simply obtain BLM special-use permits. Any transfer of land rights is subject to Congressional approval. Final action on legislation directing the Marines to conduct an OHV study is expected to be completed in the next few days.

For more information, contact Stuart Gosswein at stuartg@sema.org.

Nominations for the 2013 SEMA Chair-Elect and Board of Directors are now open. Nominations are due Thursday, January 3, 2013.

The following is a message from SEMA President Chris Kersting:

As a member of the Association, we need your recommendation of industry leaders to serve on the SEMA Board of Directors. Our industry has many individuals who would be an asset to the SEMA Board, but oftentimes those individuals are not immediately apparent to the committee that is responsible for selecting the final candidates.

This year, the SEMA elections have the additional importance in selecting our future Chairman of the Board. Please take a moment and tell us about whom you would recommend as a potential nominee for the Chairman-Elect position, and/or for a Board member position. Please include information to help the nominating committee know more about the qualifications of the nominee, such as background, experience and achievements from a leadership standpoint.

Nominations for the 2013 SEMA Chair-Elect and Board of Directors are due Thursday, January 3, 2013. Please complete and submit the nomination form, and be sure to include the qualification information noted above.

SEMA Board of Directors Nomination Form

Your Association is vitally important to the industry and your company. Your participation in helping to ensure strong leadership for the SEMA Board of Directors is essential.

Thank you for your attention to this important request.

Chris Kersting, CAE
SEMA President and CEO

Nominations for the 2013 SEMA Chair-Elect and Board of Directors are now open. Nominations are due Thursday, January 3, 2013.

The following is a message from SEMA President Chris Kersting:

As a member of the Association, we need your recommendation of industry leaders to serve on the SEMA Board of Directors. Our industry has many individuals who would be an asset to the SEMA Board, but oftentimes those individuals are not immediately apparent to the committee that is responsible for selecting the final candidates.

This year, the SEMA elections have the additional importance in selecting our future Chairman of the Board. Please take a moment and tell us about whom you would recommend as a potential nominee for the Chairman-Elect position, and/or for a Board member position. Please include information to help the nominating committee know more about the qualifications of the nominee, such as background, experience and achievements from a leadership standpoint.

Nominations for the 2013 SEMA Chair-Elect and Board of Directors are due Thursday, January 3, 2013. Please complete and submit the nomination form, and be sure to include the qualification information noted above.

SEMA Board of Directors Nomination Form

Your Association is vitally important to the industry and your company. Your participation in helping to ensure strong leadership for the SEMA Board of Directors is essential.

Thank you for your attention to this important request.

Chris Kersting, CAE
SEMA President and CEO

Nominations for the 2013 SEMA Chair-Elect and Board of Directors are now open. Nominations are due Thursday, January 3, 2013.

The following is a message from SEMA President Chris Kersting:

As a member of the Association, we need your recommendation of industry leaders to serve on the SEMA Board of Directors. Our industry has many individuals who would be an asset to the SEMA Board, but oftentimes those individuals are not immediately apparent to the committee that is responsible for selecting the final candidates.

This year, the SEMA elections have the additional importance in selecting our future Chairman of the Board. Please take a moment and tell us about whom you would recommend as a potential nominee for the Chairman-Elect position, and/or for a Board member position. Please include information to help the nominating committee know more about the qualifications of the nominee, such as background, experience and achievements from a leadership standpoint.

Nominations for the 2013 SEMA Chair-Elect and Board of Directors are due Thursday, January 3, 2013. Please complete and submit the nomination form, and be sure to include the qualification information noted above.

SEMA Board of Directors Nomination Form

Your Association is vitally important to the industry and your company. Your participation in helping to ensure strong leadership for the SEMA Board of Directors is essential.

Thank you for your attention to this important request.

Chris Kersting, CAE
SEMA President and CEO

Nominations for the 2013 SEMA Chair-Elect and Board of Directors are now open. Nominations are due Thursday, January 3, 2013.

The following is a message from SEMA President Chris Kersting:

As a member of the Association, we need your recommendation of industry leaders to serve on the SEMA Board of Directors. Our industry has many individuals who would be an asset to the SEMA Board, but oftentimes those individuals are not immediately apparent to the committee that is responsible for selecting the final candidates.

This year, the SEMA elections have the additional importance in selecting our future Chairman of the Board. Please take a moment and tell us about whom you would recommend as a potential nominee for the Chairman-Elect position, and/or for a Board member position. Please include information to help the nominating committee know more about the qualifications of the nominee, such as background, experience and achievements from a leadership standpoint.

Nominations for the 2013 SEMA Chair-Elect and Board of Directors are due Thursday, January 3, 2013. Please complete and submit the nomination form, and be sure to include the qualification information noted above.

SEMA Board of Directors Nomination Form

Your Association is vitally important to the industry and your company. Your participation in helping to ensure strong leadership for the SEMA Board of Directors is essential.

Thank you for your attention to this important request.

Chris Kersting, CAE
SEMA President and CEO

Nominations for the 2013 SEMA Chair-Elect and Board of Directors are now open. Nominations are due Thursday, January 3, 2013.

The following is a message from SEMA President Chris Kersting:

As a member of the Association, we need your recommendation of industry leaders to serve on the SEMA Board of Directors. Our industry has many individuals who would be an asset to the SEMA Board, but oftentimes those individuals are not immediately apparent to the committee that is responsible for selecting the final candidates.

This year, the SEMA elections have the additional importance in selecting our future Chairman of the Board. Please take a moment and tell us about whom you would recommend as a potential nominee for the Chairman-Elect position, and/or for a Board member position. Please include information to help the nominating committee know more about the qualifications of the nominee, such as background, experience and achievements from a leadership standpoint.

Nominations for the 2013 SEMA Chair-Elect and Board of Directors are due Thursday, January 3, 2013. Please complete and submit the nomination form, and be sure to include the qualification information noted above.

SEMA Board of Directors Nomination Form

Your Association is vitally important to the industry and your company. Your participation in helping to ensure strong leadership for the SEMA Board of Directors is essential.

Thank you for your attention to this important request.

Chris Kersting, CAE
SEMA President and CEO