Passion: If a person can be described in a single word, it would be hard to find one more apt for Barry Meguiar, president and third-generation leader of the car care products company that bears his family name.

Of all the members of the automotive specialty-equipment industry who have influenced the growth of SEMA since the turn of the millennium, few have left a greater impression, and done so with more dedication, than outgoing SEMA Board Chairman Doug Evans. From his work on behalf of the SEMA Action Network to the SEMA Businesswomen’s Network and the SEMA Launch Pad, to name only a few, there’s scarcely been an initiative within SEMA during the past two decades that Evans hasn’t worked to promote.

“I was only doing my job.” That’s how 2017 Hall of Fame inductee GiGi Carleton described her 50-plus years of working for Petersen Publishing Company and, more recently, the Margie and Robert E. Petersen Foundation.

Dedicated Mentor and Association Ambassador

A native of Phoenix, Arizona, Chris Thomson’s first introduction to racing was at age nine, when he began to hang around a speed shop owned by a schoolmate’s parents, Everett and Thelma Goosic. From his home, Thomson could hear when they’d fire up a car. He’d jump on his bike and pedal over as fast as he could to watch the tuning. The first time he was invited to join the Goosics at a race, he was hooked, and the same family gave Thomson his first job as a teenager, working in their warehouse at Arizona Performance Equipment.

Establishing Race-Winning Standards

By Tony Thacker, Courtesy of American Hot Rod Foundation

There is a good reason Ed Pink is known as The Old Master: The man’s command over automotive engineering is legendary and in a league of its own. Engines and high performance have been in his blood right from the start. He didn’t have his first car 24 hours before he had the engine out and apart.

Tenacious Leader and Enthusiastic Advocate

Donnie Eatherly’s career path hasn’t always taken him in a straight line, but each experience shaped the second-generation co-owner and president of P&E Distributors in Goodlettsville, Tennessee. His father, J.D. Eatherly, founded the company in the mid 1950s, first as a retail operation and then later expanding into distribution. Today, it’s one of the longest-running speed and truck-accessory shops in the region.

A passionate enthusiast who grew up helping her dad rebuild cars, Moore is among the industry’s most active volunteers and leaders. She has chaired countless SEMA councils and committees and spearheaded numerous special projects that have helped to advance the industry. In 2012, Moore was instrumental in guiding an all-female Mustang build that received national coverage on the CBS Evening News, as well as local news coverage, a feature in Times Square, and an award for Best PR on a Shoestring Budget from PR Daily.

To know Crower’s story is to know the history and essence of the automotive specialty-equipment market. Growing up in the ’30s, Crower was captivated by cars and speed from an early age. Whether it was the Moto-Scoot he modified at the age of 13, the Harley he got when he was 17 or the ’36 Ford coupe or ’32 Ford roadster that followed, Crower was always looking for ways to improve speed. After a brief period in the Air Force, Crower headed to San Diego, where hot rodding was flourishing. In 1955, he opened Crower Racing Cams & Equipment Co. and began manufacturing race products.

Chandler is the creator and owner of one of the most iconic vehicles to have ever graced the planet: Bigfoot—the Ford F-250 pickup that is credited with starting the monstertruck craze nearly 45 years ago. Chandler created Bigfoot in 1975 when his personal off-roading passion led him to a series of truck modifications, including bigger tires, bigger axles and rear steering. At the time, monster trucks didn’t exist, and Bigfoot gained national attention at car shows, making television appearances and eventually spawning 20 clones that continue to tour the country today.

Joe St. Lawrence started RTM, the industry's first production company for auto how-to shows in the mid-1980s. He created PowerBlock, television’s first two-hour, auto theme-block featuring how-to shows that introduced SEMA-member products to million of viewers. St. Lawrence’s shows sparked parts-buying on Monday, and gave DYIers the confidence to bolt-on aftermarket parts and customize their vehicles. He introduced broad audiences to cool cars and helped change the image of the backyard mechanic into a tool-wielding expert.