As a SEMA member enrolled in the SEMA Freight Savings Plan, you can now save up to 33% on your FedEx Express® shipments and up to 28%* on your outbound and inbound FedEx Express international shipments when you ship online. Enrollment is free, and there are no minimum shipping quotas. The freight program offers the same shipping discounts no matter what size your company is or how much shipping you do.

Online shipping requires very little specialized computer knowledge, and the time-saving benefits will more than outweigh the initial investment of effort. You can process shipments online, get rates and transit times, print your shipping labels, save contacts in your address book, schedule a pickup, track the status of your shipment and view your shipment history.

If you have not already enrolled in the program, make it your New Year’s resolution to save money in 2009. If you are already enrolled, your additional bonus discount will automatically be applied when you create your shipping label using FedEx Ship Manager® at FedEx.com.

Take advantage of this additional 5% electronic shipping bonus discount. If you have any questions about the SEMA Freight Savings Plan, call service providers Siriani & Associates at 800/554-0005 or e-mail info@siriani.com. If you need assistance to ship online, give us a call. We’re here to help.

* Pricing is subject to discount limitations and minimum charges that vary by country of origin. The discount limitations and minimum charges are determined by FedEx and are subject to change without notice. For eligible FedEx® services and rates, contact your freight savings program provider, Siriani & Associates. All FedEx shipments are subject to the applicable FedEx Service Guide. FedEx service marks used by permission. 

The 2009 election cycle, including the choice of next chair-elect, is underway!

Last year at this time, thanks to all of you, the Nominating Committee was deluged with the largest field of potential candidates ever for consideration to serve the industry.

As SEMA members, it is our essential responsibility to provide ourselves with a full and qualified list of candidates to lead the industry through the next two years. Current business and economic climates seem to have slowed the flow of nominees. I do not have to tell you that in these challenging times, continuing to elect highly skilled Board members to provide leadership is more important than ever.

Reach out to qualified people you know, or are associated with, that have the right stuff to lead in challenging times. Nominate those interested folks you discover and assist the process in moving forward! Our businesses and our industry will be better for it.

We boast a membership count of 7,500 companies around the globe, a group rich in talent and skill. You know that as an industry we never back down from a challenge.

So I am issuing a challenge to the membership at large: eclipse the record number of nominees from 2008. Provide the highest level of leadership possible for our industry.

You up to it?

Thanks for your help,

Jim Cozzie
SEMA Chairman of the Board

Take a few minutes now to answer Jim's challenge. Nominate someone you know—even yourself—to SEMA's 2009 Board of Directors. Tell us about a potential nominee and their leadership background.

Nominations are due Tuesday, January 27, 2009. Please complete the nomination form (instructions below), and submit it to Nominating Committee Chairman Mitch Williams at mitchwilliams@pilotautomotive.com or liaison Christine Papavero at christinep@sema.org.

Be sure to include background information and qualifications to the Nominating Committee.

Click here to access the 2009 SEMA Board of Directors nomination form. The form is a writable PDF; please follow the instructions below to complete and return it. 

1: Place your mouse cursor over the text fields, and type in your responses as required.

2: When complete, go to File and select Save As...

3: You can keep the same file name or rename it, then save it to your computer.

4: Open your e-mail program (Outlook, Yahoo! Mail, Gmail, etc.), compose an e-mail to Mitch Williams or Christine Papavero, and locate and attach the file before sending.

Ford's 2009 F-150 won North American Truck of the Year accolades from journalists at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, beating out the Dodge Ram and the Mercedes-Benz ML320 BlueTec diesel.

The selecting journalists reaffirmed what SEMA members, the specialty-equipment market and the enthusiast media already knew when they selected the F-150 as one of 2009's Most Accessory-Friendly vehicles: 

"Trucks are a strong market for accessory sales, and accessory sales cultivate truck sales," says Truck & SUV Editor Steve Stillwell. "Pickup and SUV owners purchase their vehicles with the idea of using them for work and play."

Click here to read the full story on the F-150 and the other vehicles named 2009's Most Accessory-Friendly.  

Learn several ways that the right marketing plan can increase your company's website traffic. Presenter Aaron Kahlow, chairman and founder of Online Marketing Summit and managing partner of Business Online, will show you the best practices in search engine optimization (SEO), web analytics and social media (Web 2.0) to build a winning online marketing plan.

Kahlow has delivered more than 170 seminars nationwide and is frequently quoted by online marketing publications.

What: "Social Media: A New Way to Take Your Business to the Top"
When: Thursday, January 22, 2009, 10:00 a.m.–11:00 a.m. (PST)
Presenter: Aaron Kahlow, CEO and Founder, Online Marketing Summit (OMS)
To register: Click Here

Also, don't forget to mark your calendar for SEMA's upcoming webinar, "Business Efficiency 101: Using Product Information to Increase Sales, Boost Image and Reduce Costs."

Participants will learn the basics of standardized retail product eCataloging formats and sections of the data standards (Aftermarket Catalog Exchange Standard and Product Information Exchange Standard) in easy-to-understand layman’s terms during this webinar sponsored by the SEMA Business Technology Committee (BTC).

Presenter Scott O'Toole will demonstrate the importance of accurate product eCataloging information, and the problems that inaccurate information can cause for your specialty parts and accessories business.

What: "Business Efficiency 101: Using Product Information to Increase Sales, Boost Image and Reduce Costs"
When: Thursday, February 5, 2009, 10:00 a.m.–11:00 a.m. (PST)
Presenter: Scott O’Toole, Manager, Product Pricing and PIES Compliance, Motor State Distributing

SEMA's Webinar Program: The SEMA webinar program brings the world-class business seminars featured during the SEMA Show right to your desktop. Different business-building sessions are constantly added to the program, offering members the latest insight and practices from today’s leading speakers.

All SEMA webinars are conducted live and are open to all employees of SEMA-member companies free of charge. To participate, all you need is a computer with Internet access and a telephone. All previous SEMA webinars are available for download by clicking here. To view upcoming presentations that you can attend via telephone and Internet, click here.

In these tough economic times, it is important to remember that SEMA has an array of benefit programs designed to help its members succeed. Your SEMA membership involves more than the benefits of the annual SEMA Show, and there is no better time than now to take advantage of potential savings and to put your money where it belongs—back into your business.

The list of benefits includes the SEMA Credit Reporting Group (SCRG). For a low annual fee, the SCRG provides monthly credit reports, which provide up-to-date information on the credit status and payment history of numerous companies in the specialty-equipment industry.

“The SEMA Credit Reporting Group allows our manufacturing member companies to determine their customers' credit worthiness,” said Monica Terlouw, SEMA senior director of membership outreach. "Especially during these tough times, it is important to decrease your losses and increase your account receivables." Participating manufacturers have the opportunity to submit names of all companies whose credit information they seek. 

The SCRG also offers quarterly credit exchange meetings that allow you to network with other SCRG members, hear expert speakers, receive credit updates and participate in warehouse tours. A minimum of two meetings of credit managers are held each year and feature seminars covering effective credit management and related subjects.

Implemented in response to the many requests from the association membership, the SCRG is proof that SEMA is listening to its members’ needs. Participation in SCRG is available to manufacturing member companies at a substantially-discounted annual fee.

Additional resources include the SEMA Freight Savings Plan, the property and liability insurance savings program and the CarCareONE retail credit card program. Your membership provides at no cost the SEMA Membership Directory and the option to post industry classified ads on the SEMA website. You can also obtain mailing labels for more than 7,000 companies for a nominal fee.

Terlouw encourages member companies to take advantage of the many business resources that SEMA makes available. "In these uncertain times, I think it is critical that members take action and really plug into the benefits that the association offers," she said. "I'm confident that members who decide to take advantage will see the value in the many cost-saving resources their SEMA membership affords them."

For more information, contact the SEMA Membership Department at 909/396-0289 or email member@sema.org.

The March 2009 issue of SEMA News will now include the updated 2009 SEMA Membership Directory. Additionally, the 2009 SEMA Membership Directory will be viewable throughout the year at www.sema.org.

Increased distribution, a new digital edition and enhanced video-advertising options are all available now. Reserve your ad today by contacting MOTOR MEDIA Inc. at 818/248-4900 or e-mail sales@motormediainc.com.

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