SEMA News—April 2023

BUSINESS

Smiles for Success

Leveraging Amazon to Drive Online Sales

By Douglas McColloch

Amazon’s online sales represent some 40% of the e-commerce market—bigger than Wal-Mart, Target, Apple and eBay combined. This presents a potentially lucrative revenue stream to companies that can leverage Amazon’s massive scale to their benefit. Photo credit: Shutterstock.com

It’s a popular nostrum that the COVID-19 pandemic provided the accelerant that enabled the explosion in e-commerce sales that continues unextinguished to this day. Cautious consumers under remain-in-place orders stayed away from brick-and-mortar retail outlets in droves, the story goes, and turned to the convenience of the internet as a shopping and purchasing alternative, turning the conventional point-of-sale business model on its head.

There’s much truth to the narrative, but in reality, e-commerce sales were already booming before the outbreak of COVID, and have continued to grow exponentially since then, with global sales of some $5.7 trillion in 2022, according to e-commerce giant Shopify. That figure is forecast to top $7.5 trillion in 2025 and $8 trillion in 2026, so the “new normal” of online retailing presents a vast and potential lucrative revenue stream for manufacturers and retailers.

But there are right and wrong ways of conducting e-commerce, and it’s not as cut-and-dried as simply setting up an Amazon account, paying a seller’s fee, and creating a few product listings—though that can get you started. A recent SEMA Education seminar, “How to Optimize Amazon,” took a deeper dive into the subject, with a review of some of the pitfalls companies face when working with Amazon to build their brands and sell their products. Moderated by Vanessa Ruminski, president of SupplyKick, an Indiana-based Amazon wholesaler and consulting firm with specialty-equipment clients that include Dometic, Mothers, Eagle Lights and Lock ’Er Down, the session reviewed several challenges aspiring Amazon sellers may encounter, along with recommended best practices to best take advantage of Amazon’s massive customer reach.

Ruminski begins by stressing the importance of maintaining a strong presence on Amazon. For starters:

• 75% of online product searches begin on Amazon. It’s sometimes easy to forget the fact that Amazon isn’t only the world’s biggest online marketplace—it’s also one of the internet’s most powerful search engines. “If you’re searching for a product, 75% of the people out there go right to Amazon and they type in the search bar,” Ruminski notes, “so if you want your products to be found and purchased online, you need to be there. You need to understand how you can leverage those consumers in the right way for your business.”
• 76% of shoppers on Amazon are brand loyal. “And they’re not only Amazon-loyal, they love their Prime shipping,” Ruminski adds. “They love that it’s a very easy checkout, and they love that all their product information is already stored on the platform,” which makes purchasing as easy as clicking on “Buy it Again.” “As long as the customer is satisfied with the product quality and they have a convenient shopping experience, they’ll purchase the same product over and over again.”
• Additionally, 40% of U.S. e-commerce sales are spent on Amazon. “Think about that as a number,” Ruminski advises. “Nearly two out of every $5 spent online in the United States is spent on Amazon. Yes, there are other big players out there—there’s Walmart, Target, Apple, eBay, Costco, Kroger, all big names in the industry. But all of those combined only make up 31% of e-commerce sales. So if you’re not on Amazon, you need to be.”

Often, however, companies that sell on Amazon may wonder if they’re not fully optimizing the power and scale of the site to drive greater brand awareness and consumer loyalty in addition to sales.

At this point, Ruminski pauses to review the top five issues that companies may face when addressing these perceived (and often real) shortcomings. These can potentially include:

Selling directly to Amazon via Vendor Central. It sounds simple and straightforward—Amazon sends you regular purchase orders, you ship the product, and Amazon handles the rest. But in truth, it’s not always so simple.

One potential drawback is flexibility in pricing. “You may have a cost increase on your product,” Ruminski notes. “There’s a lot of that going on in the industry right now with supply-chain constraints and raw material shortages, so you may need to increase pricing on a particular product. You may also want to raise your pricing to a point that other retailers are selling at, but Amazon may or may not accept that. You may want to increase pricing from, say, $60 to $100, and your Amazon rep might answer, ‘No, we’re going to price it at $60.’ So sometimes it’s not easy to leverage these types of conversations to your advantage.”

There is also the issue of chargebacks. “There can be a lot of these,” Ruminski continues, “and while the reasonings vary, it really all comes down to lack of ownership and control.” The solution? Ruminski recommends upgrading your Amazon account. “If you have an Amazon first-party Vendor Central relationship and you want to make a change, switching to three-peer [3P] Seller Central is really the way to go. You can still leverage Prime shipping, you can use FBA [Fulfillment by Amazon], and you can still team up with a single-third party seller. This will gain you time and resources and a considerable amount of expertise—and, specifically, gain back control of your Amazon business.”

Unauthorized Amazon sellers or too many sellers. Ruminski cautions against conflating online sales with traditional brick-and-mortar retail, reminding companies that they follow distinctly different business models. “We all know when selling to brick-and-mortar, more sellers in the old-school way of thinking equals more sales. You’re opening new stores and new distribution channels, and you’ll hit new customers—and as long as you’re doing it with the right brand voice and the right channels of distribution, typically it does equal more sales.

“The issue is, if you’re doing that to your Amazon business, you’re taking one sale and you’re fragmenting it among many, many sellers. So you’re not doing any more business—you’re doing the same amount. But by spreading it out over a larger group of people, you may incur higher shipping costs on those B2B orders that you’re sending. So you may have too many sellers.”

“You may not even know who some of your Amazon sellers are,” Ruminski warns. “You don’t even know who they are and perhaps they’re not authorized to sell your brands. How do you get control of this?”

Too many sellers can also translate into price inconsistencies, which can inhibit sales and damage your brand. “This is a problem that we see a lot—and if you think about it, all those sellers could have different pricing for your products. They’re all trying to get into the coveted ‘buy box,’ and they’re doing it in a way that hurts your brand.”

How to mitigate this problem? Ruminski suggests “ways such as Amazon Brand Registry, consolidating sellers, consistent monitoring, controlling your distribution and registering your brand. You need to take back that control and leverage your brand in the right way.”

Inaccurate forecasting and inventory flow. This is a subject deserving of greater attention when selling on Amazon, according to Ruminski.

“Say someone wants to purchase your product and it’s not there. It’s money on the table you can’t access, and it drives you crazy,” she says. Conversely, “you have so much product, you don’t know what to do with it. Then you’re incurring fees. Then you’re looking at yourself and asking, ‘Should I drop the price?’”

The key to avoiding these traps, then, is to have “the right inventory at the right time, really making sure that you’re using the data and the seasonality to lead where your inventory should be going and flowing it appropriately.” Analyzing and optimizing Amazon logistics should be done on a daily basis, if possible, and investing in either inventory optimization software and/or dedicated employees to monitor inventory is advisable. Finally, excess inventory stocks should be purged to avoid unnecessary fees. “Either you’re flowing your inventory correctly or you have stock-outs or overstocks—and either way, you’re losing business.

“In general, the concept of ‘set it and forget it’ doesn’t exist on Amazon.”

Overspending on Amazon advertising. “We encounter many people who are overspending on Amazon advertising,” Ruminski asserts, adding that “Amazon is ‘pay-to-play’ and advertising is a must.” Amazon offers numerous channels for advertising, including Amazon Sponsored Products, Amazon Sponsored Brands and Amazon DSP [demand-side platform].

How to navigate these varied platforms to maximize your brand’s Amazon presence? To Ruminski, the key is to identify what your advertising objective is at any given time in the business cycle and let that be the determining factor in your decision-making. “The first thing we say to customers is, ‘What is your goal at the end of the day with your Amazon business? Is it to build brand awareness? Are you launching a new product? Are you focused on margin? Working through budget constraints?”

Once that question has been answered to your satisfaction, Ruminski advises constant monitoring and revising of advertising strategies as your business’s needs evolve throughout the cycle. “Maybe I want to improve my profit efficiency in the fourth quarter, and then I’m looking to improve brand efficiency in the first quarter,” she cites as an example. “Then, what are those KPIs that are important on each side of those decisions? Say if you’re building brand awareness, what’s that KPI that’s driving your decision making? The same goes with efficiencies.

“We look at our KPIs daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, yearly. They can really change over time, and they’ll obviously help you in future decision-making and future seasonality standpoints.”

One other thing to remember: Organic and paid advertising should be working together with one voice. “You have to use those together to leverage your future strategy.”

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) should be checked daily, with advertising strategies adjusted accordingly to meet shifts in consumer preferences. As a rule, “set it and forget it” doesn’t work with Amazon. Photo credit: Shutterstock.com

Lack of brand presence and building trust. Many brands don’t succeed on Amazon because they haven’t established a brand presence—one that builds a connection with the consumer and converts them at a higher rate than their competitors. The way to overcome this obstacle, Ruminski advises, is by creating a narrative—an online brand identity that tells a story about your products, which builds interest in your brand, and which facilitates a more convenient shopping experience. Tools to deploy to that end can include keywords, targeted messaging, video and photography, setting up an Amazon Storefront or a combination thereof. Each company will have its own needs and requirements in this area, but one thing that’s crucial across all platforms is that your brand messaging contains “A+ content.”

“It needs to be well designed,” she says in closing, “and it needs to be in your brand voice. A customer is looking for transparency and trust, and you only have seconds to get them to convert. You have a very, very limited amount of time in order to get your message across.

“It’s all about that journey of the customer and making sure that you are consistent and that you’re really focused on success. Just as marketing and branding are important in all your other retail channels, it’s just as important on Amazon. Whenever you launch a product in-store, you want to make sure it was branded appropriately. You want to make sure your Amazon listings look the same way.”

SOURCE

SupplyKick

11793 Technology Ln.

Fishers, IN 46038

317-653-2755

www.supplykick.com

About SEMA Virtual Education

Accessing SEMA’s industry-leading education is easier than ever. With dozens of live and on-demand offerings—and more debuting during the year—SEMA Virtual Education includes comprehensive presentations, insightful discussions, and short videos that teach, inform, inspire and entertain automotive specialty equipment professionals. From builders and engineers to marketers and sales staff, participants will become more educated and prepared for success through SEMA’s Virtual Education. To learn more and to register for future webinars, visit www.sema.org/virtual-education.

SEMA News—April 2023

BUSINESS

SEMA Launches New Membership Portal

For Member Businesses, Their Employees and Individuals, Accessing SEMA Programs and Benefits Is Easier Than Ever

By Mike Imlay

As a trade association, SEMA offers business members and their employees a broad range of personal and professional enrichment programs, along with other benefits and perks. Now a newly launched membership portal lets you find and access them all in one place.

As a specialty-equipment market trade association, SEMA’s mission is to help its business members succeed and prosper. To this end, it offers a broad variety of programs. Some are designed to help a business as a whole, while others are tailored toward employees or individuals. Combined, all SEMA programs and benefits offer powerful opportunities to grow brands, careers and industry enthusiasm. But how can members discover and access them all?

Enter the recently launched SEMA Member Portal at www.SEMA.org. Now a simple login takes members directly to an exclusive area highlighting and tracking all the benefits open to them. Members can also build a personal profile to help promote themselves and their businesses. To learn more about the new portal and association benefits, SEMA News turned to Andrea (“AJ”) Carney, the association’s director of membership. The following is our interview, edited for clarity.

SEMA News: Why was the new web portal developed and what is its main advantage for SEMA-member businesses?

AJ Carney: The portal is a one-stop entry point for seeing and taking advantage of all SEMA’s member benefits. In the past, business members inquiring about our many programs were referred to a variety of websites, email addresses or phone numbers. Recently, the SEMA Board of Directors tasked us with simplifying the member experience on www.SEMA.org. This is a major step in that ongoing process and our first-ever hub where members can find and access everything all from one dashboard. It’s a much more user-friendly experience for our members.

Also, the portal experience is individualized for our business members. When a business or company joins SEMA, there are a range of benefits available to its leadership and employees, some of which are based upon their position within the business. Each individual will be able to login through their own personalized account and view the specific programs and benefits open to them.

SN: You’ve focused here on SEMA business members. Is there a distinction between them and SEMA individual members?

AJC: Yes. As you know, we recently launched a SEMA Individual Membership (SIM) program for individual consumer enthusiasts. To avoid confusion, we should clarify that the new portal accommodates both our business members and our individual members. As we continue to develop our SIM program, this portal will also grow and expand its services to all members, regardless of type. When someone logs in, the portal will know whether they’re a business or an individual member and display the benefits unique to their type of membership. It will all be automated from the back end. So regardless of whether you are a business member or an individual member, this portal would serve you either way.

SN: So for the business members who will be reading this article, can you briefly take us through the process of accessing their specific benefits through the portal?

AJC: It’s very simple. Now when a member goes to www.SEMA.org, they’ll see a login icon at the upper right of the landing page. Once they’re registered and logged in, they can click on the “My Profile” icon, which takes them to their profile page. That page displays their image, all their company information, and a “My Benefits” column to the right. That column is their portal. And within that portal, that’s where members can take advantage of savings on parts purchases, SEMA Garage and SEMA Data [formerly the SEMA Data Co-op], and much more.

All they have to do is select a benefit or perk they’re interested in and hit the “Claim” button. They’ll learn more about that benefit, any applicable cost, and all the information needed to engage with it quickly and easily.

A simple three-step process is now all it takes for SEMA business members and their employees to take advantage of their benefits.

SN: You just mentioned a few of the benefits open to our business members. Perhaps we should go a little deeper into all that’s available to them.

AJC: Definitely. I can list several important examples right off the bat. Our manufacturing members have access to numerous SEMA Garage programs, such as Tech Transfer, rapid prototyping, measuring sessions and laser scanning, to list some of the most popular ones.

Another SEMA Garage perk we want members to be aware of is the training facility. Any SEMA business member can book our training room. Manufacturers can use it to educate their staff, consultants, the media and other partners about their products—or pretty much anything else. Retail members can book it, bring in vehicles or products from their shops, and train their employees. The Garage also has work bays equipped complete with tools and lifts.

Participation in SEMA Data is also a major service for member businesses, and they can access that program through the portal as well. If they’re a manufacturer logging in, they’ll see the filtered SEMA Data services that pertain only to them. If they’re a retailer or reseller, they’ll see SEMA Data services filtered for their needs. The portal is very intuitive.

In addition, many members take frequent advantage of SEMA Market Research, and the portal will give them direct access to our association reports. These are a huge advantage for businesses of all types.

SN: You also alluded to other perks. Can you give some examples?

AJC: We’re building our discount program for SEMA business members, which also is an ongoing process. I’ll highlight a couple examples. Right now, business members can redeem SEMA Gear online-only apparel discounts at 15% off through the portal, 40% off at 5.11 Tactical, and 20% parts discounts through Trader Tim’s Tie Downs. Then there’s an exclusive discount from Oakley, Costa and other fashion brands; and a 35% discount on digital ad placements on My Race Pass, to name just a few.

Of course, the portal also provides discount access to our benefit partners, including UPS, First Data and Alliant Insurance Services, among others. We’ll be rolling out more discount partnerships in the coming year. We’ll also reach out to potential partners directly on a member’s behalf when they suggest or inquire about them. Our goal is to greatly expand our perks, and we’re putting a lot of effort into delivering a full range of first-class discounts and benefits. If your business or company is interested in becoming a Benefits Partner, reach out to Mike Kirks, our membership benefits manager, at mikek@
sema.org.

SN: How about access to SEMA Education?

AJC: That is also available now through the portal. Business members can register and pay for select education events and seminars, and access free content as well, including SEMA on-demand education videos. This is another great member benefit. Our education topics are presented by subject-matter experts and cover a variety of subjects for business and personal
enrichment. Regardless of who you are or what you do in the industry, there’s something for everyone.

SN: SEMA council and networks are also important to many of our association members. Do they have a place in the new portal too?

AJC: Yes, SEMA has council and networks addressing a variety of industry segments, and we hope the new portal will increase member engagement with them. They’re a great way to tackle common industry issues, advance your business and even your personal career. But in the past, many members didn’t fully understand what our councils and networks were all about, what they could do for them, or even how to connect with them.

Now members no longer have to go searching for contacts or information about each council or network. The portal explains council and network benefits in one place. When an employee hits the “Claim Benefits” feature, all their council and network options are presented to them, and they can apply for membership right there. It’s a much easier way for business members to start their networking journey within SEMA.

SN: Speaking of networking, how about the full SEMA Member Directory? Is that available online?

AJC: We do have an online Member Directory, which is extremely robust. When members log in to their profile, they’ll see a link to it in the menu. When they click on that link, they’ll be able to filter results. Say, for instance, they want to find retailer members in their radius or manufacturers within a certain category. Boom! They can filter them quickly in the directory. That’s a function we’ve never had before. Previously, members only had access to a PDF copy of a printed directory that they had to sift through themselves. Now it’s automated and much less cumbersome. They can sort members by all types of fields.

SEMA manufacturing members have access to numerous SEMA Garage programs.

SN: And how about keeping their SEMA membership current?

AJC: Once they log in, they’ll see tools for that as well. They can view their annual invoice (90 days before membership expires) and pay it by clicking on “My Invoices” from their profile page. The system even keeps track of all the separate services or benefits they’ve paid for, including any benefit claim codes they’ve previously gotten. Some perks can be accessed multiple times using a single claim code. So if they ever forget or misplace that claim code, they can easily go back to their portal under “My Benefits” and retrieve it from their claimed area.

SN: Up to now, we’ve spoken about business members, but are there also benefits currently available to SEMA Individual Members when they log in to the portal?

AJC: Absolutely! When a SEMA Individual Member logs into SEMA.org and clicks on “Benefits,” they will be presented with a list of benefits/perks. For example, there’s a $10 off a $100 a Summit Racing Equipment purchase; discounts on Oakley, Costa and other fashion brands; 10% off online-only SEMA Gear purchases; 15% off at Hypertech; $15 off a $75 purchase through 5.11 Tactical; and 10% off any two- or five-day welding workshop through PIT Instruction and Training, among others.

SEMA Individual Membership

Employees of SEMA-member businesses and SEMA Individual Members wishing to make use of the portal should go to www.sema.org. At the upper right of the webpage, there are icons to join SEMA and/or log in. Selecting “Login” will take members to a page where they can sign in with their email and password.

If your business is not currently a SEMA member, you can gain member portal access, start saving and growing your business today at www.sema.org/join.

In addition, if you are not yet a SEMA Individual Member, you can join today and get immediate access to membership perks and more by visiting www.sema.org/individual-membership.

Start saving today!

By Jason Catullo

At last year's Industry Awards Banquet, SEMA introduced SEMA Fest, an enthusiast-focused experience that connects automotive enthusiasts with the aftermarket industry for a celebration of car culture and automotive lifestyle. Combined with the SEMA Show and officially called SEMA Week, the goal of the expansion is to create the most exciting automotive event in the world.

2023 SEMA Show, Tuesday–Friday, October 31–November 3, Las Vegas Convention Center

During the planned five-year rollout period and beyond, SEMA will remain dedicated to producing the annual SEMA Show—the premier automotive trade show that puts the latest products from top companies in front of tens of thousands of qualified buyers representing every segment of the specialty-equipment industry. Companies that would like to exhibit at the 2023 SEMA Show can get started at SEMAShow.com/buyabooth.

Held at the Las Vegas Convention Center, the SEMA Show provides exhibitors with the aftermarket’s most valuable venue for creating more business, expanding brand awareness, introducing new products and engaging with automotive professionals.

Open to the automotive trade, the 2023 SEMA Show will take place Tuesday–Friday, October 31–November 3. For more information on the 2023 SEMA Show or to exhibit, visit www.SEMAShow.com.

SEMA Fest, Friday–Saturday, November 3–4, Las Vegas Festival Grounds

SEMA Fest is an enthusiast-focused event that is open to everyone, including automotive enthusiasts and professionals. The two-day celebration will be held at a separate venue—the Las Vegas Festival Grounds—Friday and Saturday, November 3–4.

The festival will feature music and entertainment, craft food, automotive celebrities, drifting competitions, freestyle motocross and the world’s most innovative and advanced custom vehicles.

To register for SEMA Fest or for more information, visit www.SEMAFest.com.

RealTruck Revs Up Easter Jeep Safari With Launch of New Apparel Line

RealTruck Inc. has recently launched its first-ever apparel line, which will be available for purchase at Easter Jeep Safari during the last two days of the Moab, Utah, event. RealTruck, a Safari sponsor, recently dropped the collection online to celebrate the passion truck owners have for their way of life.

The apparel and accessories collection includes five T-shirts, three hats and one hoodie, as well as an assortment of custom-designed graphic stickers for outdoor enthusiasts. Each T-shirt option will be offered in both male and female styles. Many of the items are already on RealTruck’s apparel page and all will be available upon the conclusion of Easter Jeep Safari.

The nine-day event is hosted by local off-roading group, Red Rock 4-Wheelers Inc. It consists of day-long trail rides departing from Moab, Utah, in which participants provide their own vehicles, safety equipment and needs. RealTruck will leverage Easter Jeep Safari as a platform to showcase the new clothing line while connecting with consumers. The brand’s booths will be located inside and outside of Old Spanish Trail Arena during the vendor show.

Tread Lightly! Announces OVR: Outdoor Vehicle Recreation @OVRmag as Official Partner

Tread Lightly! has announced Outdoor Vehicle Recreation (OVR) magazine its newest official partner along with a new gift for all Tread Lightly! members. As an official partner of Tread Lightly!, OVR will support Tread Lightly!’s mission to protect off-road trail access and public lands through stewardship projects and responsible recreation education.

OVR is a print and digital magazine that is all about Outdoor, Vehicle, Recreation. OVR serves the needs of vehicle-based outdoor enthusiasts. As a partner of Tread Lightly!, OVR  will present a gift one-year digital subscription to every Tread Lightly! member with no credit card required. Details can be found on Tread Lightly! Member Benefits page.

For more information on OVR, visit www.ovrmag.com. To learn more about Tread Lightly!, visit www.treadlightly.org.

320hp Acura Integra Type S Full Reveal Coming Next Month

Acura has announced the ’24 Integra Type S will launch this summer with 320 hp, 310 lb.-ft. of torque and class-leading power-to-weight ratio, taking Integra performance to its highest levels yet. With power derived from a race-proven, high-revving 2.0L VTEC turbocharged engine and paired exclusively with a precise, short-throw six-speed manual transmission, the Integra Type S promises ultimate street performance delivered with premium appointments. Geared for a new generation of enthusiast drivers, the ’24 Integra Type S will be officially revealed next month ahead of the 48th annual Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach.

Polaris Launches Polaris Xchange Powersports Marketplace

Polaris Inc. has launched Polaris Xchange—a one-stop online marketplace provides customers the ability to shop, research and start the buying process on thousands of off-road vehicles, snowmobiles, motorcycles, side-by-sides, auto-cycles and ATVs from participating Polaris dealers nationwide.

Polaris Xchange is designed to offer consumers the tools they need to start the buying process from the comfort of their homes, including: finding the vehicle, viewing used vehicle history and condition reports, shopping for accessories, indicating interest in protection products, determining trade-in value and prequalifying for a loan. From there, the customer needs to complete the purchase and pick up the vehicle from a dealer or have it delivered.

Polaris Xchange also provides value to Polaris dealers who can publish their new and used inventory online increasing visibility, reach and awareness to shoppers.

With JoyDrive as a technology partner, Polaris Xchange will showcase used powersports inventory from all powersports manufacturers as well as available inventory of new Polaris vehicles at participating dealers. For more information, visit www.polarisxchange.com.

NASA Names Replacement for Retiring Jerry Kunzman

Officials with the National Auto Sport Association (NASA) have announced co-founder and executive director Jerry Kunzman will retire in 2023. He will continue to serve as the regional director of NASA’s Northern California region. Jeremy Croiset, current COO, will replace Kunzman as CEO. NASA was founded by Kunzman and Ali Arsham in 1991. Croiset joined the organization in 2005 to help manage sponsorship and marketing duties. In 2010, he was promoted to director of business development before being named vice president in 2018. In April 2020, he was named COO.

FASTRAK and Ultimate Series Sold to Bill and Stacy Lupinos

Stan Lester—the founder of the Carnesville, Georgia-based FASTRAK Racing Series and the ULTIMATE Super Late Model Series—has sold both series to Bill and Stacy Lupinos. Bill, currently the FASTRAK vice president, also owns and operates FASTRAK’s Heart of America USLMS (ULTIMATE HoA) and Richmond Speedway in Richmond, Kentucky, with his wife Stacy. For more information, visit the FASTRAK announcement here.

All Star Circuit of Champions Promote Kevin Nouse as Series Director

Officials with the Brownsburg, Indiana-based Tezos All Star Circuit of Champions presented by Mobil 1 organization have announced Kevin Nouse has been promoted to the position of series director for 2023 and beyond. Nouse is a sprint-car racing veteran who joined All Star as a technical official in 2022, when he also served as a point of contact between the pit area and scoring tower. Nouse will maintain responsibilities on the grounds before transitioning to the scoring tower in 2024.

In addition, longtime scorer and current operations director Ross Paulson will assume the race director role in 2023. Brad Hockaday will serve as the scorer for most events. The voice of the All Stars Blake Anderson will continue as the series announcer. The All Stars will also welcome back technical officials: Ken Osborne, John Menear, and Steve Topper. Erin Noel returns as pit steward and social media content creator. Jeffry “Gooch” Patterson will drive the official series pace truck.

The All Star Circuit of Champions points season begins at Attica Raceway Park (Attica, Ohio) for the Core & Main Spring Nationals on April 7–8.

NHRA Names Mike Eames Northwest Division Director

Officials with the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) have announced the addition of Mike Eames as the division director of the Northwest Division, also known as Division 6. Eames will oversee NHRA member tracks in Alaska, Alberta (Canada), British Columbia (Canada), Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Washington.

Before the announcement, Eames served as the general manager at Rocky Mountain Raceways (West Valley City, Utah), awarded NHRA Division 7 Track of the Year in 2018 under his leadership. He also has spent time in the NHRA announcer’s booth at NHRA divisional and national events.

Eames joins a team of division directors who oversee the seven NHRA divisions throughout the United States and internationally. The Northwest Division sees several Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series events throughout the season and the Flav-R-Pac NHRA Northwest Nationals at Pacific Raceways in Seattle as part of the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series.

The US Department of Energy and Stellantis Announce the Battery Workforce Challenge

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and Stellantis have announced the launch of the Battery Workforce Challenge, which includes a three-year collegiate engineering competition; vocational training; youth education in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM); and career and technical education.

DOE has set a bold target to address climate change, and puts the United States on a path to achieve net-zero emissions, economy-wide, by 2050. Key to this target goal are the design and development of advanced batteries to electrify the transportation and energy sectors and a highly skilled domestic workforce with the hands-on experience and knowledge needed for in-demand positions throughout the electric-vehicle/battery industry.

Managed by Argonne National Laboratory for DOE and co-sponsored by Stellantis, this government and industry partnership is designed to build the next generation of engineers, technicians and workers to address the unprecedented demand for a domestic electric-vehicle/battery workforce.

Kicking off in fall 2023, the Battery Workforce Challenge includes an advanced battery design and development student competition series that invites universities and vocational schools from across North America to design, build, test and integrate an advanced electric-vehicle battery into a future Stellantis vehicle. Teams will follow real-world industry milestones focused on battery design, simulation, controls development, testing and vehicle integration and demonstration.

Argonne is now accepting applications from colleges and universities to select up to 11 teams that will participate in the Battery Workforce Challenge collegiate and vocational program. Proposals may be submitted from four-year universities located in the continental United States that are accredited by the Accreditation Board of Engineering Technology (ABET), and four-year universities located in Canada that are accredited by the Canadian Engineering Accreditation Board (CEAB). Non-accredited schools, such as community colleges, trade schools and apprenticeship programs, may participate as a partner to an accredited university as part of the vocational collaboration requirement. For more background about the Battery Workforce Challenge, visit www.battchallenge.org.

Atlanta Motorsports Park Becomes First Race Track to Install Level 3 Fast Chargers for High-Performance EVs

In partnership with Indigo Energy, Atlanta Motorsports Park (AMP) has become the first race track in the United States to install five brand-new Autel MaxiCharger DC Fast Level 3 Chargers. These EV “superchargers” offer up to 180kW of charging, providing up to 125 miles of range in 10 minutes with a maximum 400A output current. A total charge requires just 20–30 minutes for most vehicles.

Located close to member garages, the five Autel MaxiCharger DC Fast charging stations provide ease-of-access when both coming to and getting off the track. Manufacturer Autel promises that the chargers will provide continued software compatibility with new vehicles, and the chargers are already compatible with all vehicles of IEC standards.

The addition of the chargers is the latest move AMP has made in an effort to act as a pioneer to EV motorsports. Looking to the future, the track anticipates that many states could soon follow California’s lead, with plans to phase out the sale of internal combustion vehicles totally or completely within the next 50 years. Many AMP members have been early adopters of EV powertrains, with some banding together to form EV-focused garages specifically designed to bring the most performance out of any electric vehicle.

K&N Repositions for Growth With New Intake System Pricing and Line Extension

K&N Engineering has announced a series of changes designed to make its products more accessible and affordable for customers. Effective immediately, K&N will reduce prices across intake products within the K&N brand family, including AEM, Airaid and Spectre. This decision comes after two years of challenges due to the labor, material costs and supply-chain disruptions that have driven up pricing for the industry as a whole.

K&N has been able to reduce some operational costs through increased efficiencies in manufacturing, including improved performance from its new plant in Grand Prairie, Texas, and greater efficiencies in the supply chain.

Furthermore, the company has announced new development of more than 50 intakes with both Dryflow synthetic and oiled cotton options on new and top-selling applications in the coming months. Additionally, K&N is bringing back discontinued SKUs to offer additional options for less-popular vehicles.

Have some company news you would like to share? Let us know and the news may appear in an upcoming issue of SEMA News. Send your items for consideration to editors@sema.org.

By Ashley Reyes

SEMA members are invited to connect with Daryl Sampson, vice president of marketing at Turn 14 Distribution, during the FLN Facebook and Instagram live chat, Wednesday, April 12, at 12:00 p.m. (PDT).  

Sampson’s career has encompassed a multitude of roles throughout the aftermarket in the past 20 years—from sales manager of a prominent retail performance and sales installation facility to his current role at Turn 14 Distribution.  

During this live chat, Sampson will share his perspective on landscape shifts in the industry, particularly as they pertain to warehouse distributors. SEMA members will learn what the company is doing well to remain successful, changes that have impacted business and how EVs are affecting WDs.  

This is a great chance to hear from an aftermarket expert who has been on the cusp of industry-leading marketing and sales programs, and to learn about the state of the industry with WDs. Get your questions ready and join the live chat to tap into Sampson’s expertise.  

Live chat location:  

• FLN Facebook page (www.facebook.com/semafln)  
• FLN Instagram live (@fln_sema)

By Della Domingo

The SEMA and PRI legislative team will be providing the industry with an update on the association’s advocacy efforts during an open virtual meeting on Friday, March 31, at 1:00 p.m. (PDT)/4:00 p.m. (EDT).

All members and industry professionals are invited to join the meeting, where they will gain an understanding of how the government affairs team in Washington, D.C., is advocating for the industry and its businesses.

Attendees will receive both federal and state updates, specifically on the RPM Act, as well as an overview of the advocacy communications strategy they aim to utilize.

To register and/or receive a recording of the meeting after the event, sign up here.

  By Eric Colby

Chris Stewart was walking out of a concert in Grand Rapids, Michigan, in 2003 when a lowered white Honda Civic ES hatchback caught his eye. He was running a car club for import-car owners out of the house he rented while attending college and thought the car’s owner could be a good fit.

The self-taught Formula Drift champion racer Chris Forsberg (and his 2,000hp, Valvoline-sponsored Nissan Altima “Altimaniac” drift car) is among the big-name heroes of car culture to be found at GRIDLIFE events.

“I left a note on this white Civic, and every January we would borrow a buddy’s dad’s stake truck and drive from Grand Rapids to bring imported motors into Michigan,” said Stewart.

It turned out that the owner of that white Civic was Adam Jabaay, who joined Stewart’s club called West Michigan Honda. The two shared a love of modifying and racing import cars and got into road racing and autocross. In 2004, they rented the GingerMan Raceway in South Haven, Michigan, for the first time, inviting their friends to come out for a day at the track. “If you were trying to get into track racing or autocross, you didn’t have many paths forward,” said Stewart.

They attended other track days held by more “traditional” organizations, but “it didn’t “feel like our people or our scene,” explained Stewart. “We started to organically grow a group of younger individuals to get into the track scene.”

In addition to being car enthusiasts, Stewart and Jabaay had moved to Chicago while working for an advertising agency. Stewart spent many evenings at local clubs enjoying a variety of musical performers.

Oftentimes the simplest ideas can lead to the greatest success. Stewart and Jabaay started talking about how to bring together three elements: young people who enjoy various auto-racing disciplines, car-culture enthusiasts and those with similar musical interests.

The result is #GRIDLIFE, a grassroots racing organization that invites car and music enthusiasts to a track for weekend-long festivals and track days. The events feature a diverse collection of on-track competition, car culture and sometimes a Saturday-night concert all in one place. Think of it as Lollapalooza meets Nitro Circus.

“GRIDLIFE was birthed out of the intersection of my passions,” said Stewart. “How do I create a community that glues together all my friends,” he asked. “It’s not just a track event with drifting in the corner. Our mission statement is motorsports inclusion.”

Overall, GRIDLIFE had 14 events around the country last year, mostly at road courses where drifters get a unique opportunity because they run on the same track as the sporting categories.

“The barrier between road racers and drifting has been there for a long time,” said Stewart. “A road-race driver can look at the brake marker and see where they initiate the turn.”

You can’t deny that the group is growing—and introducing a fresh demographic of enthusiast consumers to the racing-performance and specialty-equipment industries. Last summer, GRIDLIFE celebrated the 10th anniversary of its flagship Midwest festival, and the company held events around the country in 2022. Partners include some of the best-known names in motorsports, car culture and the aftermarket, including MOMO, Valvoline, Falken Tires, eBay Motors, Sta-Bil, Advance Auto Parts and more. The organization has also exhibited at the recent SEMA Show and Performance Racing Industry Trade Show.

GRIDLIFE is the largest time-attack organization with more competitors than any group in the United States. GRIDLIFE held events in California the last two years and another in Texas. In addition, 2022 was the first year that GRIDLIFE held an event in New England, at Connecticut’s legendary Lime Rock Park. The Midwest Festival drew 2,200 people 10 years ago, but last summer 20,000 people attended with well-known EDM performer Kaskayde entertaining the crowd Saturday night. Other noteworthy musical guests have included rappers Waka Flocka and T Pain and alternative-band Taking Back Sunday.

Drift car racer and Youtube influencer TJ Hunt (center) has gained a huge following among the young crowds at GRIDLIFE events.

“Almost all of our events are sold out,” said Stewart. The GRIDLIFE website encourages guests to spend the weekend camping onsite for the full experience. The average cost for a weekend is $550, including track time and the concert. For smaller events, a single track day can cost as little as $110 per day. “We punch above our weight in terms of experience within the category of club racing,” said Stewart. “We’re looked at and compared to a Formula Drift or an IMSA—that’s not what we are.” Between on-track racing, drifting, interactive experiences and the concerts, GRIDLIFE has 17 hours of programming per day during a festival weekend.

Falken has two time-attack classes that GRIDLIFE wrote the rules for, and Stewart said the corporate sponsorships are evolving. “We’re still trying to figure out partnerships. It’s kind of an ever-flowing thing,” he said. “We don’t do a lot of presented-by or series titling.”

Cheralyn Smith, director of motorsports marketing for MW Company, the parent of MOMO, Weld and other brands, called GRIDLIFE the best of both worlds. “One of the things that’s really unique is the motorsports festival,” she said. “It’s nice to have car enthusiasts and non-enthusiasts at one event.”

For MW, which is based in Gardena, California, GRIDLIFE events present the possibility to revive interest in the MOMO name, which is well-known to sportscar enthusiasts, as well as Forgestar, a newer company.

“MOMO is a brand that’s been around 60 years and GRIDLIFE lets us relaunch the brand in the United States to many different consumer bases,” she said. “We’ve seen growth with Forgestar through partnerships with events like GRID.”

Through Forgestar, the company is reaching a new customer base with the drifters. “One of the things we can make is wheels to the spec they need without spacers,” she explained. “We’re finding traction within that area because we offer a product that makes sense to them.”

In addition to product, companies like MW and Valvoline can put their professional drivers in front of their fans in the informal environment that GRIDLIFE provides. Beyond the racing and product displays, there are also other attractions and activations, including ride-alongs and iRacer simulators.

The simulators represent an especially novel immersive-racing concept also aimed at stoking grassroots enthusiasm. According to Stewart, the simulator competitions open motorsports to a gaming audience while instilling valuable track skills. Ultimately, that can build newcomer confidence to join in the racing lifestyle at live GRIDLIFE track days and programs.

Names known to the car-culture world who appear at GRIDLIFE events include Robert Thorne, who also just won the Pro Drift championship, Chris Forsberg and Rob Dahm, who is one of YouTube’s best-known influencers with his quad-rotor Mazda.

There are no membership charges for GRIDLIFE, but drivers must be licensed. The lack of a membership fee is by design; it ensures the racing remains affordable. Stewart said there were 1,600 licensed competitors in 2022 and most ranged from 23–36 years old.

Don’t let the casual atmosphere and the weekend-capping concerts make you think the competition isn’t serious, though. Pro drivers come in to compete in various classes and everyone wants to win. “If you look at any of our events from 20,000 ft. in the air, it would still look like cars going around a racetrack,” said Stewart.

Because Stewart spent time in advertising, he understands the importance of social media and a variety of outlets for people who can’t attend in person. “We livestream and present and broadcast six races per year,” said Stewart. “These aren’t IMSA teams. They are people building their programs. We bring in partners so we can do that broadcast so they can bring in sponsors and continue in the hobby.”

In addition to welcoming myriad racing disciplines, GRIDLIFE is one of the most inclusive motorsports organizations. More than 25% of the attendees and competitors are women, and the group works with LGBTQ organizations like Racing Pride and Out Motorsports.

“We just try to be allies to groups to make them feel welcome,” said Stewart. “It’s not just general acceptance, it’s celebration of those groups.”

Perhaps no one can fully understand the value of the audience that GRIDLIFE draws more than Patrick Daugherty, associate brand manager/sponsorships at Valvoline. In addition to bringing in influencers sponsored by the lubrication giant like TJ Hunt, Forsberg and Dahm, Daugherty gets the viewpoint of GRIDLIFE racers because he’s one of them. Daugherty competes in Street Class with a ’21 Honda Civic Type R. “It’s fun to be one of them and see things from a different perspective,” said Daugherty.

He’s been competing in sports cars since 2008, starting in Autocross, and he has run a time-attack car.

“When we first started sponsoring GRIDLIFE, I was already in time attack and I started competing at the events I could drive my car to,” said Daugherty.

Valvoline kicked off its sponsorship with GRIDLIFE in 2012, and Daugherty says the group “renewed a lot of excitement around car culture and motorsports.” He added, “Their concept to marry music and these automotive festivals is pretty awesome.”

From the Valvoline side, Daugherty said GRIDLIFE events let fans interact with influencers like Hunt and Forsberg. “There will be a huge line to meet with T.J. and he’ll spend however long the fan wants to chat with him,” said Daugherty. “They’re not only getting the GRIDLIFE experience, they’re getting content.”

GRIDLIFE iRacing simulator competitions open motorsports up to a gaming audience, instilling newcomers with the confidence to join real-life track days and other events.

The influencers also give attendees the chance to experience the crazy machines they see on YouTube. Hunt is building a quad-rotor Mazda for time attack and has a huge following on the video-hosting site. Forsberg built the Valvoline-sponsored Altimaniac, a 2,000hp four-seat Nissan Altima drift car. Show attendees can enter a lottery to go for a ride with him at a GRIDLIFE event.

While he couldn’t put a number on the “value” of Valvoline’s participation in GRIDLIFE, Daugherty did say, “Event-wise, it’s the best place for us to gain exposure and brand awareness with our influencers. The events tick all the boxes. It’s engagement, reach and their content is the best.”

Moving forward, Stewart said that GRIDLIFE is looking at electric propulsion and Mountain Pass Performance that caters to vehicles that compete in events like the Pikes Peak Challenge.

“We have so many facets to our world. The competitors make the series,” said Stewart. “All we do is provide structure, experience and friendships.”

By SEMA Editors

The road to the 2023 SEMA Show begins with the annual Priority Selection Process—where companies choose a Show floor location based on exhibitor seniority. The process literally builds the SEMA Show section by section, booth by booth.

“It is like the order of a pro sports draft; we rank each exhibitor by seniority, determined by how many SEMA Shows an exhibitor has participated in and by Show section,” said Andy Tompkins, SEMA’s trade show director. “To do this, we call every single exhibitor; we speak to brands that are just starting out, all the way to established companies that have been part of the Show for years.”

Every approved exhibitor that submits their Exhibit Space Rental Application (ESRA) and deposit prior to the April 3 deadline has the opportunity to select their booth space. During the exhibitor’s time to pick, a SEMA Show account representative will call the primary SEMA Show contact and help locate and assign the exhibit space that best suits the company’s needs.

“This is a fair and equitable way for companies to select their best possible location—part of our commitment to providing the best exhibit experience possible,” Tompkins said. “We even have tie-breakers built into the system in case companies have the same seniority. The process is never the same, which is one of the ways we keep the SEMA Show so cool, exciting and new each year.”

One of the most important aspects for having a successful Show is pre-Show marketing and promotion. The Priority Selection Process allows exhibitors to understand their Show floor location and how large their exhibit is going to be so they can begin to envision their display design, product presentation, staffing and promote their presence at the Show.

“This process creates the Show floorplan that we publish each year, which buyers, media and other Show attendees preview, helping to promote participating brands to a world of buying power and getting thousands of people ready to attend and work the Show like a pro,” Tompkins said.

To date, nearly 1,500 companies have committed to exhibiting at the 2023 SEMA Show. Organizers expect the number to increase to more than 2,000 by Show time. See who is exhibiting.

There is still time to get involved in this process; submit your ESRA application by April 3! Don’t miss this opportunity to connect with the world’s most iconic buying organizations, media, manufacturers and influencers.

The 2023 SEMA Show will  be held October 31–November 3 in Las Vegas. For more information about exhibiting, visit www.SEMAShow.com/exhibitor or check out the exhibitor brochure.

Are you hunting for a new job? The SEMA Career Center has a comprehensive listing of automotive-related job openings around the country. Here are some of the latest jobs posted to the website.

Latest Jobs Added to SEMA Career Center

Sales/Customer Service Rep
Original Parts Group

Original Parts Group (OPGI) is hiring a sales/customer service representative responsible for providing effective customer service for all OPGI customers with excellent, in-depth knowledge of company products and exemplary, responsive customer service. This position will also process orders for merchandise received by mail, telephone, fax, email or personally from customer or company employee. A high school diploma or GED and more than five years of experience in the field or a related area are required. 

Brand Manager
Mickey Thompson Performance Tires

Mickey Thompson Performance Tires is hiring a brand manager to lead all brand marketing strategy, including managing all external communication and marketing partnerships, driving a deep understanding of consumer segmentation and working cross-functionally to develop and execute go-to-market strategies. This position develops and executes the creative development, media strategy, event and sponsorship activation and digital media strategy. This position will eventually manage a direct report and will be responsible for managing several marketing and PR agencies to ensure seamless campaign execution and consistent consumer-facing communication. A bachelor’s degree in business, marketing or a related field and a minimum of five years of relevant marketing/product management experience are required.

Embedded Firmware Engineer
Gale Banks Engineering

Gale Banks Engineering is hiring an embedded firmware engineer to design and develop automotive firmware solutions. In this position, you will gather requirements, define system functionality and write code in C language. You are comfortable working on undefined things and love experimenting and finding solutions. Ultimately, your role is to help build high-quality, innovative and performance-oriented products. You will report to electrical engineer group manager and work out of the company’s 12-acre campus in Azusa, California, five days a week. Candidates must have a bachelor’s degree in computer science, electrical engineering or similar with more than five years of experience designing and developing embedded firmware, or an equivalent combination of work experience and education, preferably within the automotive industry.

By SEMA Editors

Dates and locations have been scheduled for several upcoming SEMA-sponsored shows, measuring sessions and activities.