Rich Barsamian, Jack Chisenhall, John Gaines, and Joe St.Lawrence will receive the specialty-equipment industry’s highest honor as the newest members of the SEMA Hall of Fame. The four are the latest representatives of an esteemed group of industry icons who have influenced and inspired the $44.6 billion automotive specialty-equipment industry.
The majority of businesses in the specialty automotive industry continues to operate during the Coronavirus pandemic. Even with “shelter in place” rules in effect in many states, more than two-thirds of industry businesses have not closed any of their facilities during this time.
The Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA), in partnership with eight other automotive trade associations, urged the National Governors Association and Governors of all 50 states to standardize the definition of essential businesses and workers. The groups recommend adoption of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) March 28 directive, “Guidance on the Essential Critical Infrastructure Workforce: Ensuring Community and National Resilience in COVID-19 Response,” which identifies essential workers and business operations throughout the economy. DHS guidance clarifies that automotive repair, maintenance, and transportation equipment manufacturing and distribution facilities are “essential services” that are critical to ensuring the safe and ongoing operations of our nation’s transportation and logistics sector.
Now in its seventh year, the program provides emerging business leaders the opportunity to pitch their business idea to a panel of iconic industry judges and compete for a prize that includes $10,000 to be used for the benefit of their business, and exhibit space at the industry-leading SEMA Show.
Voting will take place online between May 12 and May 26 and is open to current SEMA-member companies. Votes must be cast by each company’s primary contact. Details on the upcoming election will be sent to the member company’s designated primary contact beginning April 30. Winners will be announced by May 29 and formally inducted into the SEMA Board of Directors at the SEMA Installation Gala on July 24, 2020.
Independent retailers in the automotive aftermarket remain the most used sales channel for getting parts to consumers, according to the new SEMA Industry Perspectives Report, the latest resource for SEMA members to gain insight on the health of the industry on a wide range of business metrics.
The SEMA Battle of the Builders® Young Guns Regional Competition makes its 2020 debut at the Heat Wave Spring Break Jam, March 7-8, in South Padre Island, Texas.
The Specialty Equipment Market Association has hired Jeff Dahlin as an industry sales director to help oversee a portfolio of client accounts and create partnerships for the SEMA Show, Performance Racing Industry (PRI) Trade Show, and their accompanying monthly publications and media channels. Staff member Brendan Gillespie was promoted to industry sales manager and Reham Gharib to the newly created position of sales operations project manager.
The UTV Student Build Pilot Program, a program launched by the SEMA Young Executives Network (YEN) to connect young aftermarket professionals with aspiring automotive students, will showcase the completed 2019 Honda Talon in a multi-city tour before being auctioned off at the world’s largest collector car auction, the Mecum Auction, in November. One hundred percent of the proceeds will go towards benefiting the SEMA Scholarship Fund, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit charity.
Manufacturers in the automotive aftermarket can now apply for booth space at the 2020 SEMA Show by visiting www.semashow.com/buyabooth [11]. Taking place Nov. 3-6 in Las Vegas, Nevada, the SEMA Show is where the specialty aftermarket industry gathers every year to conduct business.
Links
[1] https://www.sema.org/news/2020/05/15/sema-inducts-four-industry-icons-into-hall-of-fame
[2] https://www.sema.org/news/2020/04/20/specialty-aftermarket-industry-largely-open-for-business
[3] https://www.sema.org/news/2020/04/02/at-this-time-the-sema-show-is-set-to-take-place-as-scheduled-in-november-were
[4] https://www.sema.org/news/2020/03/25/sema-supports-young-entrepreneurs-in-automotive-industry
[5] https://www.sema.org/news/2020/03/23/2020-sema-board-of-directors-election-candidates-announced
[6] https://www.sema.org/news/2020/03/02/independent-retailers-are-the-most-common-sales-channel-for-specialty-automotive
[7] https://www.sema.org/news/2020/02/26/2020-sema-battle-of-the-builders%C2%AE-young-guns-competition-kicks-off-during-spring
[8] https://www.sema.org/news/2020/02/19/sema-welcomes-jeff-dahlin-as-sales-director
[9] https://www.sema.org/news/2020/02/19/student-utv-build-tours-off-road-events
[10] https://www.sema.org/news/2020/02/05/2020-sema-show-booth-space-now-available
[11] https://click.message.sema.org/?qs=80e59f46529d610adfb87c16965e5142e9ab7d7013437461e68192c663bf2cdbba706710d171970e4f773cfd38ddffdb20c5a21afc8fbaec
[12] https://www.sema.org/categories/keywords/media?page=1
[13] https://www.sema.org/categories/keywords/media?page=2
[14] https://www.sema.org/categories/keywords/media?page=3
[15] https://www.sema.org/categories/keywords/media?page=4
[16] https://www.sema.org/categories/keywords/media?page=5
[17] https://www.sema.org/categories/keywords/media?page=6
[18] https://www.sema.org/categories/keywords/media?page=7
[19] https://www.sema.org/categories/keywords/media?page=8
[20] https://www.sema.org/categories/keywords/media?page=43