Pacey’s 55 years of industry experience began in 1969 when he opened National Carburetor Exchange in a 600 sq. ft. building, rebuilding and installing carburetors in South Florida. Over a five-year period, the business evolved into a retail parts store handling many performance lines in addition to the carburetor line. In 1974, the business became a warehouse distributor carrying all performance lines and selling wholesale only. The business’s name changed to National Auto Parts Warehouse Dba National Performance Warehouse (NPW), and in the early 1980s it continued to expand into traditional auto parts, with additional warehouses in Orlando and West Palm Beach, Florida. 

Pacey’s vision united many regional distributors under one larger, more sustainable umbrella. Today, NPW operates in over 1,500,000 square feet of warehouse space with 23 distribution centers. NPW services over 30,000 accounts in North America and several international markets. Pacey served on the SEMA Board of Directors from 1994 to 1996.  

“After giving what I have given to this amazing industry, it feels like a full circle moment for me,” said Pacey. “I am also elated to be able to share it with my wife and my sons because I could not have done it without them. I would also like to thank SEMA for this prestigious award and all the great employees at NPW that have helped me for 56 years.”

McLeod has been actively involved in the automotive and SEMA community for over 23 years, starting from his earliest days working with Classic Instruments in custom automotive builds in the late 1990s, culminating with his acquisition of the company in 2001. Under his leadership, Classic Instruments evolved from a small niche operation into an industry cornerstone, continually pushing boundaries of design, technology, and quality standards in automotive instrumentation. 

McLeod’s personal ethos—founded on quality, integrity, and community service—shaped his influential tenure volunteering within and leading the SEMA Hot Rod Industry Alliance (HRIA). His Education Days and Builders Panel initiatives fostered a culture of continuous learning and knowledge sharing, as well as provided industry veterans an opportunity to pass on critical insights, enhancing the professionalism and knowledge base of the automotive community. 

“When you look at the list of members like Dave McClelland, Smokey Yunik, Brian Applegate, Carroll Shelby, and so many more amazing people that are my heroes – people I have looked up to for so long – I am honored to share this space with them,” said McLeod. “I am hopeful that I can inspire at least one young person to be part of such an amazing industry like so many of them did for me.”