As chairman, it’s my pleasure to welcome exhibitors and attendees to the 2016 SEMA Show. As we celebrate our 50th anniversary of the Show, I feel we should all take a moment to reflect with pride on how far we have come and what we have built.
It is with great pride that I welcome you, on behalf of the Tire Industry Association (TIA), to the 2016 Global Tire Expo (GTE)—Powered by TIA and the SEMA Show. Our valuable partner SEMA has worked tirelessly to put together a world-class Show that is unmatched in the industry.
In what has become a highly anticipated September tradition, SEMA News is once again pleased to present the annual “35 Under 35” listing of rising industry talent. This marks the fifth anniversary of this special feature, and we think readers will agree that the young trendsetters profiled in the following pages once again prove that the future of the automotive specialty-equipment industry is in extremely capable hands.
Results of the 2016 SEMA Board of Directors election are in, with Chris Douglas from COMP Performance Group, Kyle Fickler of Aeromotive Inc. and Les Rudd from Bob Cook Sales elected to serve on the Board. While Fickler is a current SEMA Board member who was re-elected into the group, Douglas and Rudd will join as the newest members of the Board.
By definition, the SEMA Hall of Fame was created to recognize outstanding persons in the automotive specialty industry whose creativity, dignity, integrity, industriousness and accomplishments, on a national basis, have enhanced the stature of, and significantly contributed to, the industry’s growth. Established in 1969, the award is the automotive aftermarket industry’s highest honor.
It takes dedication, hard work and drive to build and grow an automotive specialty-equipment business. Even more so to grow an entire industry. Yet to help its members succeed and prosper, SEMA relies on individuals from every industry segment to step forward and bring their own vision and initiative. Consequently, it seems only fitting once a year to celebrate an individual whose contributions best embody this SEMA mission. For 2015, that individual is Kathryn Reinhardt of MagnaFlow, who found herself named SEMA Person of the Year at the recent 2015 SEMA Show Industry Banquet in Las Vegas.
BBA Board of Directors, elected by the trade association’s membership at large, governs SEMA. Board members serve three-year terms, with the chairman-elect automatically assuming the role of chairman after completing his or her two-year term. The 2015–2016 Board pictured here was recently empaneled at the annual SEMA Installation Gala, held July 24, 2015, at the Millennium Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles.
Each year, the SEMA Installation Gala gathers the industry together to thank outgoing SEMA Board of Directors members, install newly elected leaders and celebrate the association’s latest Hall of Fame inductees. In addition, daytime events leading up to the banquet include high-level Board and council discussions along with a heavy dose of fundraising for SEMA Cares, the association’s charity initiative. This year, the historic Millennium Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles played host to the July 24 events, with the evening’s gala emceed by the legendary “Voice of the NHRA,” Dave McClelland.
Remember your first SEMA Show? I remember walking into my first SEMA Show more than 30 years ago. I entered the main hall and was amazed that we had actually filled almost half of the hall! I felt like saying, “Somebody pinch me. I am actually getting paid to be here working this Show!”
It is with great pride and pleasure that I welcome you, on behalf of the Tire Industry Association (TIA), to the 2015 Global Tire Expo (GTE)—Powered by TIA. You have traveled from near and far to a world-class show that is unmatched in the industry. Our valuable partner SEMA has worked tirelessly to ensure that this year’s Show will be the most successful to date. From discovering new products to networking, I hope that you will take advantage of all the opportunities that GTE has to offer.
