SEMA News—May 2022

FROM THE HILL

State Capitol Gains

State Lawmakers Honored at 2021 SEMA Show

By Christian Robinson

Kansas Rep. Leo Delperdang (right) was awarded the SEMA Stephen B. McDonald Lawmaker of Year Award at the 2021 SEMA Show by SEMA Director of State Government Affairs and the SEMA Political Action Committee Christian Robinson.

More than 700 lawmakers comprise SEMA’s State Automotive Enthusiast Leadership Caucus, a bipartisan group of state legislators who share a passion for all things automotive. When you have that many allies in your corner, deciding upon whom to bestow the Stephen B. McDonald Lawmaker of the Year award is no small task. However, there was never any doubt when it came to 2021’s winner.

Kansas Representative Leo Delperdang has routinely gone above and beyond to promote the automotive hobby in his home state. Most recently, Rep. Delperdang championed an effort to restore order to vintage vehicles eligible for antique registration. Until 2021, an antique vehicle was defined by the Kansas Highway Patrol as being “more than 35 years old and as close to the original as possible, without any significant alterations to the major component parts.” The law did not allow the use of non-original materials and did not recognize the limited availability of factory replacement parts. Thus, the overly strict policy prevented the automotive community from lawfully practicing common restoration techniques.

In response, Rep. Delperdang authored legislation (H.B. 2165) to remove the unnecessary registration restrictions for antique vehicles. Having quickly passed the Kansas legislature, the new pro-hobby law took effect last summer with Governor Laura Kelly’s signature.

The new law requires only that the vehicle be more than 35 years old, regardless of the type or age of the component parts installed. Kansas now falls in line with other states that allow antique vehicles to be properly defined by their age. While many would be satisfied to call it a day at that point, Rep. Delperdang went one step further, personally accompanying enthusiasts to the DMV to ensure that their paperwork was processed correctly.

In addition to being a lawmaker, Rep. Delperdang is also an enthusiast with a strong interest in the MOPAR brand. Rep. Delperdang drives a special-order 2019 Dodge Challenger ScatPack 392 Hemi and is a member of the Wichita Area MOPAR Club.

When the Kansas legislature resumed its work in early 2022, Rep. Delperdang wasted no time following up on his award-winning 2021. After learning about the case of a Kansan who had his prized ’59 Chevy Corvette deemed contraband and ordered destroyed under existing law over an issue with the rivets on its vehicle identification number (VIN), Rep. Delperdang introduced legislation to ensure that restorers do not face prosecution for removing a vehicle’s VIN during the restoration process. As of this writing, the House Transportation Committee had passed the bill, and it was awaiting consideration on the House floor.

Changing of the Guard

State Automotive Enthusiast Leadership Caucus Chairman Del. Kevin Hornberger (R-MD) addressed fellow Caucus members at the 2021 SEMA Show.

Rep. Delperdang wasn’t the only state lawmaker recognized for his work in 2021. At a gathering of state lawmakers during the 2021 SEMA Show in Las Vegas, Maryland Delegate Kevin Hornberger was named the new chairman of the State Automotive Enthusiast Leadership Caucus. Del. Hornberger was appointed to the post after West Virginia Del. Gary Howell’s term as caucus chairman was completed. Del. Howell served in the role for eight years and will remain involved with the caucus as chairman emeritus.

Del. Hornberger was elected to the Maryland House of Delegates in 2014 and has continuously demonstrated his commitment to keeping his home state friendly to automotive enthusiasts, including introducing SEMA’s model legislation to ease the process for titling and registering former military vehicles during the state’s 2022 legislative session. He is also personally invested in protecting the hobby as an enthusiast himself. He owns an ’86 Oldsmobile Cutlass 442 T-Top, a ’67 Chevy RSS Camaro, a ’65 GMC, a ’74 Chevy Blazer K5 and a ’77 GMC Jimmy.

“SEMA has had the pleasure of working with Del. Hornberger on several pieces of pro-hobby legislation in recent years and is excited to welcome him as caucus chair,” said Christian Robinson, SEMA’s director of state government affairs and the SEMA political action committee.

Del. Gary Howell, who was honored with a lifetime achievement award at the 2021 SEMA Show, served as an exemplary caucus chair for the past eight years. Thanks to his determination and hard work, he has contributed to the thriving automotive hobby in West Virginia. From championing bills to recruiting fellow lawmakers to the caucus, Howell upheld the rights of vehicle enthusiasts and raised awareness to the issues facing them. He will continue to be a valued member of the caucus and a steadfast advocate for the industry.

“Del. Howell’s dedication to the specialty automotive aftermarket industry is unparalleled,” Robinson said. “He has been an ardent ally for enthusiasts nationwide. SEMA thanks him for his leadership of the State Automotive Enthusiast Leadership Caucus throughout his term.”

SEMA News—May 2022

INTERNET

Video Conferencing for Power Users

Key Features You’ll Want for Your Business

By Joe Dysart

Video meetings appear destined to be a permanent component of the post-COVID workforce.

Given that remote work is expected to become a permanent component of business culture moving forward, you’ll want to be sure you’re using video meeting software that’s a perfect fit for your company.

“Remote work has proven to be a critical enabler of business and economic continuity, ultimately proving that work really is something that we do and not somewhere that we go,” said Jim Lundy, lead analyst for Aragon Research. “In this next phase, companies have the opportunity to completely rethink how they operate. Collaboration technologies that provide high quality and highly secure video at scale will be key.”

While it’s tempting to simply grab a popular name such as Zoom (https://zoom.us) or Skype (www.skype.com/en) for your videoconferencing needs and call it a day, you’ll be better served if you’re aware of all the key features available from video meeting software providers these days. There is a slew of providers fiercely vying for your business, and you may find that there’s a novel video meeting feature or two on the market that will really make a difference for your company.

Zoom, for example, has become a household name (and even a verb) among its legions of business user fans, but it may turn out that you prefer a lower-profile solution such as Whereby.com (https://whereby.com), given that the solution enables you to bring someone into a video meeting with you with just a single mouse click. Or you may decide that another video meeting solution rings the bell for you because it’s designed to work with Zapier (https://zapier.com)—a software integration solution that enables thousands of apps from thousands of app makers to work together seamlessly.

Toward that end, here’s a roundup of the key power-user’s features you’ll find in video meeting software that you can use to decide on the ultimate solution for your business:

Live Text Transcription: One of the newest features emerging in video meetings, live text transcription enables you to see a real-time voice-to-text record of everything everyone in the meeting is saying. As you might imagine, the tech is not perfect yet, but Zoom, for example, has still promised to offer live text transcription to all users sometime in 2022.

Meeting Recording: Many video meeting software packages already offer an audio/video recording of a meeting that is available right after the meeting ends. This is a great feature for anyone on a team looking to double-check what was said or decided in any given meeting.

Meeting Highlights: This is a handy feature that enables a staffer or other employee to effortlessly put together a video-highlights reel for anyone unable to attend a meeting. For example, Blue Jeans (www.bluejeans.com/products/meetings) offers a meeting-highlights feature that enables a user to click a keyboard button to capture a 40-sec. clip of something important going on in any Blue Jeans meeting.

Any number of 40-sec. highlight clips can be created, and they are subsequently automatically strung together by Blue Jeans in a video-highlight reel that can be emailed to anyone. The recipient also has the ability to toggle ahead past any highlight and toggle back to a highlight they’d like to view again.

Screen Sharing: Most business-grade videoconferencing software offers the ability for one user to share a PC screen with everyone else or collaborate in other ways using a whiteboard or similar collaboration software. For many businesses, the feature is a must-have.

Live Public and Private Text Chat: Text chat is also standard for many videoconferencing packages, enabling people to add a quick thought to everyone while a meeting is in progress. They can also choose to have a private discussion with someone while the main video meeting broadcasts.

Instant Entry: While video meeting software makers have made entry to meetings as easy as clicking on a link and entering an ID and password, video meeting software from Whereby.com has made it a step easier. With this software, you can be invited to a meeting with a link. Simply click on it and you’re there, immediately onscreen and conferencing with the person who invited you.

This is a great feature for someone who may be instant messaging a customer, colleague or business partner and wants to get a video meeting going very quickly with no fuss and no muss.

Easy Integration With Other Software: Integration with other software is almost considered a prerequisite for any productivity app these days, and most video meeting programs offer some sort of integration. For example, thousands of software programs can be integrated with one another using Zapier (https://zapier.com), an online service specifically designed to enable all of those programs to work together.

Some major video meeting software names (such as Zoom) have their own marketplaces of hundreds of productivity apps that are specifically designed to integrate with their software.

Instant Bios on All Attendees: Warmly (www.warmly.ai) is an app for Zoom that scours the web for biographical information on everyone who is attending a Zoom meeting. It is based on data from the web associated with the attendee’s email address, and it’s a great way to break the ice or find something in common with someone else before you even get the meeting started.

Private Breakout Rooms for Smaller Meetings: Many video software packages also offer attendees the ability to break out into smaller rooms for private meetings while the main meeting is still going on. This feature is especially helpful for meetings featuring hundreds of people.

Virtual Backgrounds: As riveting as the home bookshelf behind you may be, business colleagues at a video meeting may not be interested in peeking into your home or watching your toddler make faces at the camera. Virtual backgrounds solve that problem by superimposing your image over a digitized background of anything you can photograph, illustrate or otherwise image, including a smart-looking office, a backdrop of the Grand Canyon or the captain’s seat on the Starship Enterprise.

Waiting Room: Virtual meeting waiting rooms are another must-have for most businesses. They enable you to get a look at people trying to enter your video meeting and block entrance to those who don’t belong there or ne’er-do-wells who are trying to crash your meeting for grins and giggles.

Gmail Meeting Scheduling: Many video meeting packages that are integrated with Zapier or another integration solution enable you to schedule your video meeting from within Gmail or other popular email programs.

In-Suite Videoconferencing: Before you go looking for video meeting software, double-check any remote productivity software you may be using. Many of these suites (including Microsoft Teams, Slack, and Google Workspace) already include video meeting software that may satisfy all your needs.

Popularity: More often than not, extremely popular video meeting solutions got that way by consistently wowing their users. The top five most popular solutions currently on the market, according to software review site G2Crowd (www.G2crowd.com) are:

• Zoom (https://zoom.us): 4.5 out of 5 stars.
• Microsoft Teams (www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-teams/download-app): 4.3 out of 5 stars.
• Microsoft Skype (www.skype.com/en): 4.3 out of 5 stars.
• Cisco Webex Meetings (www.cisco.com/c/en/us/products/conferencing/webex-meetings/index.html): 4.2 out of 5 stars.
• BlueJeans Meetings (www.bluejeans.com/products/meetings): 4.5 out of 5 stars.

Free Plan: Some of the most popular video meeting packages (including Zoom, Google Meet and the video conferencing found in Microsoft Teams) offer a basic, bare-bones plan you can use for free forever. These free plans offer you the luxury of getting a feel for how video meeting works while simultaneously giving you the time to figure out which features in video conferencing are important to you and which are simply nice-to-haves.

Joe Dysart is an internet speaker and business consultant based in Manhattan. 631-438-1142

joe@joedysart.com

www.joedysart.com

SEMA News—May 2022

SEMA HERITAGE

The Hot Breath of High Performance

By Drew Hardin

Photography Courtesy: Eric Rickman, Petersen Publishing Company Archive

Barney Navarro was best known as a speed-equipment pioneer in the years immediately after World War II. He was a dry-lakes racer before the war, studied Ford engine components while he served in the Army Air Corps, and used that knowledge to produce flathead intake manifolds, cylinder heads and other products sold by Navarro Racing Equipment.

Those who knew him describe Navarro as a talented machinist with a pragmatic mind and a thirst for knowledge. He credited his favorite quote to his high school science teacher: “There’s nothing more fun than learning.” That largely explains why his accomplishments stretch beyond the automotive performance industry to include inventions as diverse as a heart-lung machine and concrete-cutting equipment.

In the early ’60s, Navarro’s inquisitive mind turned to turbocharging, which, at the time, had been used primarily in aircraft and diesel applications.

“The general public did not become aware” of these so-called turbosuperchargers, Navarro wrote, “until World War II, when they appeared in all high-altitude bombers.” He was explaining the concept of “putting your exhaust to work” in a January 1962 Hot Rod article he wrote called “Hot Horsepower.”

Since “most of the heat energy liberated by the burning of gasoline within an engine flows out the exhaust pipe without contributing one bit to ‘turning the wheels,’ it is most reasonable to believe that some effort should be made to tap this energy source,” he wrote. His proof of concept was a Corvair to which he fitted an AiResearch turbocharger originally designed for a diesel engine. The caption that ran with this photo in the magazine described Navarro “contemplating mounting possibilities on a spare engine.”

Navarro’s use of a turbo in a Corvair predated Chevrolet’s turbocharged Corsa engine by several years, so his was a completely clean-sheet design. For his first attempt, he mounted the turbo under a fender where the muffler was originally housed, and he piped the boosted air up to the stock air cleaner.

“Though there were skeptics present when the turbo was being fitted to the exhaust system, those who drove the machine rapidly became ‘converts,’” Navarro wrote. The car—equipped with a Powerglide automatic transmission—accelerated to 60 mph in 12.8 seconds instead of the 19 seconds in stock tune.

“A 32-percent grade was climbed at 35 mph as compared to a struggling 15 mph in the stock state,” he said. “This impressive transformation was brought about by a mere 7 pounds inlet boost…by no means the maximum available but was selected arbitrarily when the diaphragm regulator was adjusted.”

In a later iteration, Navarro mounted the turbo on top of a hotter, modified version of the flat-six engine, replacing the carburetor. A Nash side-draft carburetor introduced fuel to a system of ram-induction pipes that fed the cylinders, while piping under the car routed exhaust gas to the turbo. At the dragstrip, this setup “demonstrated a surprising quarter-mile speed of 84.5 mph”—a speed hampered, Navarro noted, by the two-speed Powerglide.

SEMA News—May 2022

FROM THE ASSOCIATION

A New Plan to Invest in the Future

By Nicole Bradle

It’s been 10 years since the SEMA Businesswomen’s Network (SBN) hosted the “SEMA Mustang Build Powered by Women.” That project was a conspicuously successful all-female build that captured the attention of the industry and provided a spotlight for a great number of women working in the aftermarket. Now the current SBN team has conceived of another signature all-female build—this time one that has the potential to engage on an even wider basis and serve as a catalyst on a number of strategic fronts.

As the project comes together over a two-year period, it will highlight the many different professional roles our industry offers to young women, including engineering, industrial design, marketing, media, and a multitude of mechanical and trade specialties. The build will not only tickle the imagination of students considering future career paths but will also serve to put them in touch with builders and get guidance they might not otherwise receive.

The project will also help to create a focal point for participation for successful women already in the industry who can use the build as an opportunity to acquire new professional relationships and guide or mentor younger individuals. Over time, these experiences will build a stronger community and, ultimately, a more diverse, broad-based source of talent.

Significantly, this project will also provide a means to take on the challenges posed by fast-moving and complex vehicle technology. Helping the industry acquire more knowhow when it comes to customizing the newest vehicles without compromising safety features or emissions regulations is an important priority, one that will only become more relevant in the coming years.

The plan is to take full advantage of facilities at the SEMA Garages, where the association has teams working daily behind the scenes. By coordinating with the Garages, builders can explore new possibilities and discover best practices. Sharing that information will come about through videos disseminated via SEMA channels and robust social-media outreach.

The SBN project will also create opportunities for member companies to participate in a variety of ways. For starters, companies can provide a crucial boost just by encouraging their female employees to volunteer and participate. Companies can benefit from including their employees in the program because they will learn new skills, enhance current skills, and bring back a network of contacts to draw upon for years to come. That will tend to increase their ability to contribute and help qualify them for leadership
positions.

Another opportunity for member companies will be to donate products or services. The plan for this project assumes that the bulk of the products and services will come from the industry—companies that will benefit from exposure at the SEMA Show, lifestyle events around the country, plus blogs, articles, podcasts and social media posts. Still to come is the final decision as to which vehicle will be most appropriate for the purpose, but the possibilities are many and varied.

Looking back, we can see that the original 2012 SBN Mustang build created an opportunity for many women in the industry, establishing new networks and boosting opportunities for female participation within the automotive aftermarket. Many of the alumnae of that effort have since earned visible leadership roles, a development sparked—at least in part—by the simple opportunity to contribute. The current SBN project is likely to do the same and pay off for years to come, and not just for women in our industry. As a long-term investment, we can expect that it will work to broadly promote the automotive enthusiast lifestyle and help expand the overall talent pool in our industry.

SOURCE

Nicole Bradle is SEMA council director and the council liaison for SBN. She can be contacted at nicoleb@sema.org.

By Ashley Reyes

Profit sharing can be a powerful tool for attracting and keeping talented employees, building a strong and healthy foundation for your business and creating a customer-friendly environment.

Automotive service companies, particularly those in the wheel and tire industry, often struggle with customer trust and loyalty. Giving employees a stake in the company is a great way to motivate staff to improve customer service and build trust, and consequently sales and profits as well.

Aftermarket wheel and tire companies are invited to a live webinar on May 19, at 12:30 p.m. (PDT) to learn the ins and outs of offering a profit-sharing program. Dick Erickson, founder of Sun Tire, will share how his company went from good to great after introducing a profit-sharing program. Erickson will break down how offering a well-defined and transparent program resulted in reduced payroll, improved customer relations, less employee turnover and reduced shrinkage.

“I think profit-sharing is the catalyst that separates great companies from good companies. The boost in sales and profits gives employees a stakeholder mentality, which will have a positive effect on sales and profit,” says Erickson. “In most businesses, employees are not stakeholders. When all employees became stakeholders at Sun Tire, our business rose to a whole new level.”

Register for the live webinar “Building Your Business through Profit Sharing”, presented by the SEMA Wheel & Tire Council (WTC), here.

By Ashley Reyes

The SEMA Truck & Off-Road Alliance (TORA) named BedWood & Parts as the council’s latest member spotlight company. In this week’s feature, company founder and CEO Jeffrey Major shares what inspired him to launch his company—a manufacturer of custom-fit and restoration wood kits for truck beds—and his breakthrough moment.

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

Jeffrey Major: BedWood & Parts LLC was founded in 2006 out of my desire to create choices, unique as the truck owners themselves, that would meet the personal needs of their build.  

SEMA: What was your breakthrough moment?

JM: When I realized the business potential of a quality product and exceptional customer service in the automotive aftermarket.

SEMA: Tell us about your business now in 2022 and what projects you are working on.

JM: Our business is strong in 2022. You can check www.bedwood.com for our latest products. They are only getting better.

SEMA: Tell us about a build you are proud of.

JM: We’re proud to support all of our customers’ builds.

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

JM: Buy the ticket; take the ride!

Fill out a TORA-member spotlight form to highlight how your company is contributing to the truck and off-road specialty-equipment industry. Selected candidates are eligible to be featured on TORA’s social media, SEMA News, and future TORA member updates.

By Ashley Reyes

Chris Turgeon is the SEMA Professional Restylers Organization’s (PRO) newest volunteer spotlight member. Turgeon is the owner of On The Rocks 4x4, a retailer and distributor of lights, lift kits, wheels, tires and accessories for the automotive aftermarket.

Get to know Turgeon in his interview with SEMA below.

SEMA: What inspired you to pursue a career in restyling/manufacturing?

Chris Turgeon: I liked the ability to be creative with what I am passionate about. It’s like taking a builder-grade house and adding all the details that make it feel custom but making it affordable for a broad range of buyers.

SEMA: Why did you decide to volunteer for PRO? How has it or will it impact you?

CT: It’s a great opportunity to learn and grow from networking with others who have more industry experience than me. It has already pushed us out of our comfort zone, and we have seen doors open into a new and promising direction going forward.

SEMA: What advice do you have for someone pursuing a career in the automotive aftermarket?

CT: Start with what you know and are familiar with, then dream bigger.

SEMA: What is your dream vehicle? Where would we find you in it on any weekend?

CT: A one-ton crew cab dually, all dressed up. You would find me tooling around some scenic back roads.

SEMA: What is the best advice you have ever received?

CT: 2 Samuel 22:2—The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer.

SEMA: What keeps you in the industry?

CT: My lifelong love of cars and wanting to keep that passion alive for future generations.

SEMA: Where can you be found on a Saturday?

CT: In the shop!

Fill out a PRO member spotlight form to highlight how you or your company are contributing to the automotive restyling industry. Selected candidates are eligible to be featured on PRO’s social media, SEMA News and future PRO-member updates.

By Ashley Reyes

Wendy Miles of THE SHOP magazine is no stranger to working on multiple passion projects at once. In fact, when it comes to long and diverse resumes, Miles will jokingly ask people if they would like to see hers in paperback or hardcover.

She will join the SEMA Businesswomen’s Network (SBN) for a Facebook and Instagram live chat on Wednesday, May 4, at 12:00 p.m. (PDT), to share tips on “Balancing Striving to Be the Best at What You Do While Avoiding Burnout.”

In addition to her job responsibilities as eastern territory sales manager at THE SHOP, Miles is a select committee member with SEMA’s Truck& Off-Road Alliance (TORA), has served on the board of the Colorado Off-Highway Vehicle Coalition (COHVCO) and helped start the National Trail Clean Up Day to emphasize the importance of trail maintenance and stewardship. Miles also takes Automotive Service Excellence courses at her local community college, and as a military veteran she enjoys volunteering with The Mission Continues and Team Rubicon.

During the live Q&A, viewers will get an opportunity to ask Miles questions, learn tips from her own experience on how to avoid burnout following one’s passion and join in on a lively discussion with other attendees on how to control stress and enjoy a healthy and successful career.

Live Chat Location: SBN Facebook page and SBN Instagram live (@sbn_sema)

By Ashley Reyes

Emerging entrepreneurs and innovators of new automotive products are invited to enter their companies and brand-new inventions through the 2022 SEMA Launch Pad competition at www.sema.org/launchpad.  

Dustin Woolf, owner, Woolfpack Racing, won the 2021 SEMA Launch Pad competition with his product, Natural Nitrous.

SEMA Launch Pad is a premier product-pitching competition for budding entrepreneurs in the automotive aftermarket industry. Through the program, selected applicants will be hand-picked to receive brand exposure, access to business resources and the chance to win a grand-prize package valued at $92,000 to launch their product or service into the marketplace.

“The automotive aftermarket is comprised of countless entrepreneurs who are extremely passionate in creating new products and providing solutions for enthusiastic car owners who love to modify, maintain, restore or personalize their vehicles,” said RJ de Vera, SEMA vice president of marketing. “SEMA Launch Pad helps bring these emerging inventors to the forefront by providing a platform for them to potentially take their new creations to the next level.”

Fifteen semifinalists will be selected in June to participate in the first round of pitching and be invited to exhibit at the 2022 SEMA Show in Las Vegas in November. The top five finalists will pitch their products to a panel of industry judges during the SEMA Show, where a final winner will be selected.

SEMA Launch Pad is open to business owners or company-leading executives (president, CEO, CFO, COO or vice president) over the age of 18. Applicants must offer a product or service that is a functioning prototype, functioning concept or currently for sale.

Applications to participate in SEMA Launch Pad must be submitted online at www.sema.org/launchpad by June 13, 2022.

Audi is working on an all-electric A6, which is expected to be called the A6 E-tron, and it is even set to be offered in a wagon body style. The latter has been teased in concept a couple weeks ago, but our spy photographers have now caught the production version of the sedan on the German Nürburgring race track.

While this is only the second sighting of a prototype, it still reveals a few things despite being covered in camouflage. First, the headlights have an entirely different design from what can be seen on the A6 today. Instead of a single element headlight, the A6 E-tron prototype comes with split headlights.

The concept behind the A6 E-tron had a sleek look, and it was unveiled back in April 2021. It had a sloping roofline, as well as a fastback design for its rear, which will be interesting to see in production form.

If you look at the prototype, the model is impressively close to the concept if we consider shape alone, while the split headlight part is the biggest surprise in that department.

The upcoming Audi A6 E-tron is set to be built on the new PPE platform, which it will share with the future Porsche Macan EV, but also with the Q6 E-tron, not to mention other models from Audi and Porsche that we know nothing about today.

Photo credit: Brian Williams, SpiedBilde