Students preparing for careers in the automotive industry may be eligible to receive financial awards ranging from $1,000–$4,000 through the 2011 SEMA Memorial Scholarship Fund (SMSF). The scholarship application, which is due April 1, 2011, and requires college transcripts and letters of recommendation, is now available at www.sema.org/scholarships.

“Paying for a high-quality education is a challenge for many, particularly in today’s tough economy,” said Jamie Eriksen, SEMA education director. “SEMA is pleased to play a part in helping students prepare for careers in an innovative and exciting industry.”

Unlike financial aid and student loans, the SEMA Memorial Scholarship is a one-time award that does not have to be paid back. Awards are granted to eligible applicants based on academic achievements, work experience, community involvement, essay content and recommendations. Students may re-apply each year, provided that they still meet the eligibility criteria. A loan forgiveness award is also available to recent graduates who are working for SEMA-member companies and paying off existing student loans. Details and applications for both the scholarship and the loan-forgiveness awards are available at www.sema.org/scholarships.

Winners will be notified in the summer of 2011. Scholarship payments are sent directly to the student’s college, university, trade or vocational school to help offset the cost of tuition. Loan-forgiveness payments are sent directly to the financial institutions.

For complete details, visit www.sema.org/scholarships or contact Juliet Marshall at julietm@sema.org or 909/978-6655.

Students preparing for careers in the automotive industry may be eligible to receive financial awards ranging from $1,000–$4,000 through the 2011 SEMA Memorial Scholarship Fund (SMSF). The scholarship application, which is due April 1, 2011, and requires college transcripts and letters of recommendation, is now available at www.sema.org/scholarships.

“Paying for a high-quality education is a challenge for many, particularly in today’s tough economy,” said Jamie Eriksen, SEMA education director. “SEMA is pleased to play a part in helping students prepare for careers in an innovative and exciting industry.”

Unlike financial aid and student loans, the SEMA Memorial Scholarship is a one-time award that does not have to be paid back. Awards are granted to eligible applicants based on academic achievements, work experience, community involvement, essay content and recommendations. Students may re-apply each year, provided that they still meet the eligibility criteria. A loan forgiveness award is also available to recent graduates who are working for SEMA-member companies and paying off existing student loans. Details and applications for both the scholarship and the loan-forgiveness awards are available at www.sema.org/scholarships.

Winners will be notified in the summer of 2011. Scholarship payments are sent directly to the student’s college, university, trade or vocational school to help offset the cost of tuition. Loan-forgiveness payments are sent directly to the financial institutions.

For complete details, visit www.sema.org/scholarships or contact Juliet Marshall at julietm@sema.org or 909/978-6655.

	Scooter Brothers (left) with Speedway Illustrated senior writer Bones Bourcier. Photo Credit: Lukens Photography.

Paul “Scooter” Brothers, co-owner of the Comp Performance Group, received the “Outstanding Contribution to Racing” award presented by Dick Berggren’s Speedway Illustrated magazine as part of the annual RPM Promoters Workshops in Daytona Beach, Florida.

The honor paid tribute to the years of service Brothers has devoted to the racing industry with the various companies under the Comp umbrella, particularly Comp Cams, a brand he helped shepherd to prominence in many forms of motorsports. Key to his selection were the close ties between Brothers and the 150-plus sanctioning bodies and individual speedways his firm works with across the racing spectrum, many of which were represented at the RPM gathering.

“Racers, promoters and fans all benefit from dynamic, enthusiastic and robust producers of aftermarket race parts,” said Speedway Illustrated publisher Karl Fredrickson. “Through their efforts and the competition that results, racers enjoy higher-quality components at lower costs. Plus, the involved nature of the aftermarket companies means that regional series and individual tracks can make specific component requests to better fit the racers in their area.”

A drag racer in his youth, Brothers joked that he was “poisoned” by the racing bug early in life. A stint with Racing Head Service (RHS) led to his involvement with Comp Cams in the ’80s, and since then, his name and face—as well as the Comp logo—have become familiar to drivers, mechanics, race organizers and his fellow captains of the motorsports industry.

“Recently, the efforts of Scooter Brothers and the entire team at Comp Performance Group have been dedicated to the concept of maintaining a healthy race industry first,” said Fredrickson. “It is our privilege at Dick Berggren’s Speedway Illustrated to recognize Scooter and the entire team at Comp Performance Group.”

The award was presented by Speedway Illustrated senior writer Bones Bourcier, who praised Brothers as one of the unseen but much-appreciated faces behind the decals that adorn America’s race cars.

Brothers, a native of Memphis, Tennessee, is no stranger to being honored by his motorsports peers. Among his past laurels was a 2005 induction into the SEMA Hall of Fame—the highest honor bestowed by SEMA.

	Scooter Brothers (left) with Speedway Illustrated senior writer Bones Bourcier. Photo Credit: Lukens Photography.

Paul “Scooter” Brothers, co-owner of the Comp Performance Group, received the “Outstanding Contribution to Racing” award presented by Dick Berggren’s Speedway Illustrated magazine as part of the annual RPM Promoters Workshops in Daytona Beach, Florida.

The honor paid tribute to the years of service Brothers has devoted to the racing industry with the various companies under the Comp umbrella, particularly Comp Cams, a brand he helped shepherd to prominence in many forms of motorsports. Key to his selection were the close ties between Brothers and the 150-plus sanctioning bodies and individual speedways his firm works with across the racing spectrum, many of which were represented at the RPM gathering.

“Racers, promoters and fans all benefit from dynamic, enthusiastic and robust producers of aftermarket race parts,” said Speedway Illustrated publisher Karl Fredrickson. “Through their efforts and the competition that results, racers enjoy higher-quality components at lower costs. Plus, the involved nature of the aftermarket companies means that regional series and individual tracks can make specific component requests to better fit the racers in their area.”

A drag racer in his youth, Brothers joked that he was “poisoned” by the racing bug early in life. A stint with Racing Head Service (RHS) led to his involvement with Comp Cams in the ’80s, and since then, his name and face—as well as the Comp logo—have become familiar to drivers, mechanics, race organizers and his fellow captains of the motorsports industry.

“Recently, the efforts of Scooter Brothers and the entire team at Comp Performance Group have been dedicated to the concept of maintaining a healthy race industry first,” said Fredrickson. “It is our privilege at Dick Berggren’s Speedway Illustrated to recognize Scooter and the entire team at Comp Performance Group.”

The award was presented by Speedway Illustrated senior writer Bones Bourcier, who praised Brothers as one of the unseen but much-appreciated faces behind the decals that adorn America’s race cars.

Brothers, a native of Memphis, Tennessee, is no stranger to being honored by his motorsports peers. Among his past laurels was a 2005 induction into the SEMA Hall of Fame—the highest honor bestowed by SEMA.

	Scooter Brothers (left) with Speedway Illustrated senior writer Bones Bourcier. Photo Credit: Lukens Photography.

Paul “Scooter” Brothers, co-owner of the Comp Performance Group, received the “Outstanding Contribution to Racing” award presented by Dick Berggren’s Speedway Illustrated magazine as part of the annual RPM Promoters Workshops in Daytona Beach, Florida.

The honor paid tribute to the years of service Brothers has devoted to the racing industry with the various companies under the Comp umbrella, particularly Comp Cams, a brand he helped shepherd to prominence in many forms of motorsports. Key to his selection were the close ties between Brothers and the 150-plus sanctioning bodies and individual speedways his firm works with across the racing spectrum, many of which were represented at the RPM gathering.

“Racers, promoters and fans all benefit from dynamic, enthusiastic and robust producers of aftermarket race parts,” said Speedway Illustrated publisher Karl Fredrickson. “Through their efforts and the competition that results, racers enjoy higher-quality components at lower costs. Plus, the involved nature of the aftermarket companies means that regional series and individual tracks can make specific component requests to better fit the racers in their area.”

A drag racer in his youth, Brothers joked that he was “poisoned” by the racing bug early in life. A stint with Racing Head Service (RHS) led to his involvement with Comp Cams in the ’80s, and since then, his name and face—as well as the Comp logo—have become familiar to drivers, mechanics, race organizers and his fellow captains of the motorsports industry.

“Recently, the efforts of Scooter Brothers and the entire team at Comp Performance Group have been dedicated to the concept of maintaining a healthy race industry first,” said Fredrickson. “It is our privilege at Dick Berggren’s Speedway Illustrated to recognize Scooter and the entire team at Comp Performance Group.”

The award was presented by Speedway Illustrated senior writer Bones Bourcier, who praised Brothers as one of the unseen but much-appreciated faces behind the decals that adorn America’s race cars.

Brothers, a native of Memphis, Tennessee, is no stranger to being honored by his motorsports peers. Among his past laurels was a 2005 induction into the SEMA Hall of Fame—the highest honor bestowed by SEMA.

On February 8, a fire started in one of four buildings at ATC Truck Covers in Garnett, Kansas. No one was injured, and the company hopes to be back to full production in a new facility within 90 days.

On February 8, ATC Truck Covers—a fiberglass truck cap and tonneau cover manufacturer in Garnett, Kansas—had a fire start in one of its four buildings around 1:00 a.m. ATC builds fiberglass truck caps, tonneau covers, sliding-bed systems and other fiberglass products.

“We’re incredibly thankful that no one was injured,” said ATC Truck Covers President and former TCAA (now TORA) Chairman Bobby Combs. “From what we can tell at this point in time, the safety features of our chemical storage area appear to have worked as designed, preventing any chemicals from being released into the environment.”

ATC has assessed the damage to its 70,000-sq.-ft. main production building, and it appears to be a total loss. However, the company's goal is to minimize any interruption of service to its customers. ATC has made arrangements to move its production to one of the three other buildings it has on the same property. Production will be limited while the company searches for another facility at or near its Garnett location.

ATC has a long history in the SEMA community and the automotive aftermarket and is committed to rebuilding. In as little as 90 days time, ATC hopes to return to full production with a better facility, equipment and systems that will allow the company to produce an even higher-quality product. It also plans to introduce new products to the automotive aftermarket.

The company would like to thank the community, employees, customers, vendors and its competitors for the support it has received during this period.

On February 8, a fire started in one of four buildings at ATC Truck Covers in Garnett, Kansas. No one was injured, and the company hopes to be back to full production in a new facility within 90 days.

On February 8, ATC Truck Covers—a fiberglass truck cap and tonneau cover manufacturer in Garnett, Kansas—had a fire start in one of its four buildings around 1:00 a.m. ATC builds fiberglass truck caps, tonneau covers, sliding-bed systems and other fiberglass products.

“We’re incredibly thankful that no one was injured,” said ATC Truck Covers President and former TCAA (now TORA) Chairman Bobby Combs. “From what we can tell at this point in time, the safety features of our chemical storage area appear to have worked as designed, preventing any chemicals from being released into the environment.”

ATC has assessed the damage to its 70,000-sq.-ft. main production building, and it appears to be a total loss. However, the company's goal is to minimize any interruption of service to its customers. ATC has made arrangements to move its production to one of the three other buildings it has on the same property. Production will be limited while the company searches for another facility at or near its Garnett location.

ATC has a long history in the SEMA community and the automotive aftermarket and is committed to rebuilding. In as little as 90 days time, ATC hopes to return to full production with a better facility, equipment and systems that will allow the company to produce an even higher-quality product. It also plans to introduce new products to the automotive aftermarket.

The company would like to thank the community, employees, customers, vendors and its competitors for the support it has received during this period.

Are you hunting for a new job? The “Positions Available” section in the SEMA Member Classifieds lists more than 50 job openings around the country. Here are some of the latest classifieds posted to the website.

• Pro Comp, Smittybilt and G2 Axle & Gear is seeking a sales/tech/customer service representative for its Compton, California, office. The successful candidate will be responsible for answering heavy incoming sales/tech/customer service calls; completing warranty, tech and call logs; and traveling to all necessary trade shows as a sales representative. Requirements include knowledge of light-truck suspension, tires, wheels, axle and gear components. A minimum of two years of sales support experience is a plus.

• Anzo USA is seeking a product manager for its Chino, California, office. This position will be responsible for managing inventory levels relating to mass-merchant plan-o-gram items, along with the development of new products and licensed products. The successful candidate should have a minimum of three years of experience, a proven track record of maintaining at least five turns per year on in-house inventory and more than five years of experience working with an Asian supply chain.

• Mid America Motorworks, located in Effingham, Illinois, is hiring a web programmer/developer. The successful candidate will be responsible for building, developing and improving multiple web sites; working with the web team, marketing and merchandisers to build and grow a world-class automotive e-commerce site; and developing new web applications as identified by management through packaged and customized applications. Requirements include four to six years of experience working in a fast-paced environment for a medium- to large-sized company.

• Keystone Automotive Operations (KAO) is hiring an inside sales representative to drive sales growth and profitability in a defined territory, sell the KAO portfolio of products and related services, identify target customers and manage the product mix to increase profitability and market share. The ideal candidate must have experience in establishing customer relationships, be proficient in Microsoft Office, have an automotive background and possess a four-year college degree or equivalent work experience.

The California Supreme Court ruled that merchants can no longer ask their customers for ZIP codes during credit-card purchases since the request violates the state’s consumer-protection law. The 1990 law prohibits businesses from requesting and recording the cardholder's "personal identification information." The court ruled that the prohibition includes a ZIP code.

The court distinguished between merchants that send the ZIP code to its own company database and merchants, such as gas stations that verify a customer’s identity by sending the ZIP code directly to a bank or credit card company. The latter practice is still legal; however, the former is not because the court contends that companies can use the information to market its own product or sell to other businesses. Retailers can still request ZIP codes when selling and shipping products online or for in-store cash purchases.

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

The California Supreme Court ruled that merchants can no longer ask their customers for ZIP codes during credit-card purchases since the request violates the state’s consumer-protection law. The 1990 law prohibits businesses from requesting and recording the cardholder's "personal identification information." The court ruled that the prohibition includes a ZIP code.

The court distinguished between merchants that send the ZIP code to its own company database and merchants, such as gas stations that verify a customer’s identity by sending the ZIP code directly to a bank or credit card company. The latter practice is still legal; however, the former is not because the court contends that companies can use the information to market its own product or sell to other businesses. Retailers can still request ZIP codes when selling and shipping products online or for in-store cash purchases.

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