It Didn’t Kill Us; It Made Us Stronger
It’s been about a decade since our industry last coped with a serious recession. Some say there will be a downturn in the next year or two, although that sentiment has been in the forecast for several years now. Current economic indicators are still pointing in the right direction, and a recent SEMA poll found that most member businesses are predicting that 2019 will be another successful year. Our industry and the association learned much from the last downturn. The lessons learned are worth highlighting, because they represent opportunities even today.
The SEMA 2019 Business Resource Guide features contact information and descriptions of SEMA member-companies offering services specific to the automotive aftermarket industry. The guide, which is available electronically at 
The impact of advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) is already being felt by the automotive specialty-equipment and collision-repair industries, raising new challenges and opportunities. In this interview, SEMA Vice President of Vehicle Technology John Waraniak shares some frontline insights regarding the current state of aftermarket preparedness, along with association efforts to educate and ready businesses for the rapid changes they face.
In January, George Poteet’s 1936 Ford, nicknamed the 3-Penny Roadster, was voted America’s Most Beautiful Roadster (AMBR) at the 70th annual Grand National Roadster Show. Its subtle styling changes and impeccable workmanship by the crew at Pinkee’s Rod Shop in Windsor, Colorado, were accented by a subdued, warm-gray paint job meant to evoke chocolate milk. The color was the inspiration for the hot rod’s name, as that’s what the creamy treat cost when Poteet was growing up.
The Racing & Performance section of the SEMA Show encompasses carburetors, filters, exhaust systems and many other parts designed to add performance in motorsports applications and beyond. It’s the largest section of the annual trade show, with more than 500 companies exhibiting their offerings for the segment. Within the 2018 New Products Showcase, entries that piqued the most buyer interest were Chevy’s LT5 crate engine, Digipower’s DPW Cutout exhaust system and Comp Performance Group’s FAST LSXHR 103mm intake manifold.
For a while, it seemed that American muscle had seen its heyday. By the ‘80s its so-called glory years had faded, displaced by growing consumer demand for compact fuel-sippers and practical sedans. But with recent advancements in turbocharging and other mileage-enhancing technologies, modern muscle is now ironically turning the tables on the traditional passenger car.
When the story of Ingenuity Fab & Speed (IFS) began five years ago, Joshua Boucher was building chassis for a local shop. Like many, he was creating custom designs and fabricating parts for each job, pouring his creativity into them. His parents, aftermarket veterans, convinced him that he was giving his genius away. He realized that he had everything he needed to take ownership of his abilities and work for himself, so he incorporated IFS as an LLC in Montgomery, Texas, and hired his parents soon thereafter.