Kevin Robinson, president of TRAC LLC, was named winner of the 2022 SEMA Launch Pad competition for his product, TRAC Tire Jack, a tool designed to make removing or installing a wheel/tire from a vehicle safer, simpler and easier. Robinson walked away with a grand-prize package valued at nearly $100,000.
"Winning SEMA Launch Pad is truly an opportunity of a lifetime," said Myles Kovacs, one of the competition's judges. "Not only does each competitor benefit from the experience, but we are also able to shed light on the products and services that fill a gap in the industry and can inspire future inventors to do the same."
Since 2013, the SEMA Launch Pad has served as the ultimate product-pitching competition for the automotive aftermarket. In addition to competing for a prize package that includes space at the world-renown SEMA Show and promotion on national television, contestants build connections and receive support from established experts who serve as judges and mentors in the program.
The four judges were Chip Foose, award-winning vehicle builder and artist best known from the TV hit series "Overhaulin'"; Jared Hare, an innovator and entrepreneur who founded Addictive Desert Designs in 2007 and has grown the company into one of the leading offroad brands; Kovacs, a trend setter who founded DUB magazine and launched TIS Wheels; and Alex Parker, industry advocate and CMO of the 2020 SEMA Manufacturer of the Year Winner Redline Detection.
"This year's SEMA Launch Pad competitors were among the best that we've ever seen," Kovacs said. "I'm constantly amazed at the ingenuity, passion and drive we see from competitors."
Learn more about SEMA Launch Pad at www.sema.org/launchpad.