Compiled by SEMA Editors
 Erik Nelson |
Stellar Hires New National Accounts Sales Manager
Stellar Industries Inc. has announced Erik Nelson as national accounts sales manager. Nelson will nurture and enhance current business relationships with national accounts, foster new accounts, and help to generate new business for Stellar products and services. His focus will be on providing customer service. He will work closely with Stellar regional sales managers and their respective distribution network in the execution of his sales efforts. Nelson comes to Stellar Industries Inc. with 17 years of industry experience, including 13 years with Wheels Inc., most recently as manager of truck and equipment consulting services.
Roush Opens New Engineering Center in Troy, Michigan
Roush recently opened its first Oakland County-based technical center, bringing expanded engineering design and development services dedicated to hybrid and electric vehicles, electric propulsion and battery systems, autonomous vehicles, advanced software development and data analytics. The 44,000-sq.-ft., state-of-the-art development center will bring nearly 150 new jobs to the area. Currently, about 20 positions are filled. The new facility will service automotive OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers located in Oakland County and surrounding areas. It also puts Roush in closer proximity to existing customers, such as Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, General Motors and the U.S. Army Tank Automotive Research Development and Engineering Center.
 Ellen McKoy |
Mobile Tech News/Detailers Digest Names Ellen McKoy Editor
Ellen McKoy, EMK Marketing, has been named editor of Mobile Tech News and Detailers Digest, publications in the automotive aftermarket’s reconditioning and S.M.A.R.T. repair segments. The appointment comes as part of the purchase of Mobile Tech Expo by ConvExx from Sun King Publications. McKoy will work with ConvExx to strengthen the editorial content of the publications and ensure they stay on top of industry trends. McKoy has been writing and publishing in the automotive aftermarket since the ’80s. She has worked on publications including Restyling & Accessories Marketing magazine, Auto Trim & Restyling News, SEMA News and most recently was editor of Trucking Times. McKoy also worked at SEMA, where she held several management positions. Now, as a marketing consultant, she has been active in SEMA’s PRO council and will assume the role of council chair in July.
 The Automotive Aftermarket Charitable Foundation will host its annual, all-industry Golf Outing to kick-off Industry Week in Las Vegas. |
Automotive Aftermarket Charitable Foundation to Host 27th Annual Golf Outing During Industry Week in Las Vegas
Once again this year the Automotive Aftermarket Charitable Foundation will host its annual, all-industry Golf Outing to kick-off Industry Week in Las Vegas, just prior to the start of the AAPEX/SEMA Shows. The event will take place just off the Strip at the Las Vegas Country Club, Monday, October 30, 2017, with a “shotgun” start at 8:30 a.m. All proceeds help fund the Foundation’s work as the industry’s only charitable organization dedicated to helping aftermarket industry workers at their most critical time of need. Due to increased awareness and expanded coverage into all facets of the aftermarket industry, the AACF is now helping record numbers of people in need, supporting more cases than ever before. But, as the mission grows and the far-reaching aid expands, so does the need for more contributions and support from the industry. In addition to the golf tournament, the event also includes a continental breakfast and award luncheon just prior to and after the golf outing. There’s also a pre-event reception, held Sunday evening, October 29, from 5:30 p.m.–8:30 p.m., also at the Las Vegas Country Club. In addition, there’s a chance to win a new car by making a hole in one at select Par 3s. The golf outing and all event sponsorship opportunities are open to all industry participants. Those who do not golf can still be event sponsors. To learn more about sponsoring at this event, visit the Foundation’s website.
 Best of Show Concours d’Elegance, Stan Lucas – ’29 Lincoln Aero-Phaeton. Photo Credit: Michelle A. H. Cousineau. |
Greystone Mansion Concours d’Elegance Winners Announced
The eighth annual Greystone Mansion Concours d’Elegance in Beverly Hills, California, hosted a full complement of 125 vintage automobiles. Best of Show Concours d’Elegance went to Stan Lucas for his ’29 Lincoln Aero-Phaeton and Best of Show Concours de Sport was awarded to A&A Premier Classics for their ’54 Ferrari 500 Mondial. The Concours honored Ferrari’s 70th anniversary and Lincoln’s 100th anniversary. Beverly Hills Mayor Lili Bosse selected the ’35 Adler Trumpf, Junior Sports Roadster. Eugene Garcin’s ’34 Cotton was named Best Vintage Motorcycle. Other Concours winners included Jaime Gesundheit’s ’64 Chevrolet Corvette, which received the Fédération Internationale des Véhicules Anciens (FIVA) Preservation Award, and Petersen Automotive Museum’s ’48 Lincoln Continental received the National Automotive Heritage Award. The ninth annual Greystone Mansion Concours d’Elegance is scheduled for Sunday, May 6, 2018, and occurs annually on the first Sunday of May.
 Team Comp Cams, from Calabasas High School in Calabasas, California, qualified for the Dual National Championship with a time of 25:05. |
Double Header Events Net Seven New Qualifying Teams for Hot Rodders of Tomorrow Dual National Championship
The Hot Rodders of Tomorrow (HROT) Engine Challenge held two qualifying events last weekend. On the West Coast at the Edelbrock Car Show, 16 teams competed, of which three new teams qualified for the Dual National Championship to be held at the SEMA Show and PRI Trade Show later this year. To qualify, teams must disassemble and then reassemble a small-block Chevrolet engine in less than 33 minutes, including penalties. Team Performance Quotient from Loara High School in Anaheim, California, qualified with an average time of 32:14. Team FAST from Rancho Alamitos High School from Garden Grove, California, qualified with a time of 30:02. Team Comp Cams, from Calabasas High School in Calabasas, California, made it to the Dual National Championship with a time of 25:05. In Champaign, Illinois, at the Parkland College Car Show, nine teams competed with four new teams qualifying for the Championship. Team Hooker Blackheart from North Boone High School in Poplar Grove, Illinois, qualified in fifth place with the time of 30:31. Parkland College from Champaign, Illinois, had two teams qualify—fourth-place Team RHS Heads (27:22) and second-place Team Taylor (25:42). Finishing in first place was Team Speed Pro, from Belvidere North High School in Belvidere, Illinois, with an average time of 20:57. So far, 37 teams have qualified for the Dual National Championship. Those students will compete for scholarships ranging from $5,000 to $10,000 from five different colleges: Ohio Technical College, University of Northwestern Ohio, School of Automotive Machinists & Technology, Universal Technical Institute and WyoTech. For more information, visit www.HotRoddersofTomorrow.com.
 The Hypertherm 2017 Spark Something Great Educational Grant aims to get the latest plasma technology into schools so the next generation of metalworkers can train on the equipment they will find once entering the workforce. |
Hypertherm Announces Spark Something Great Education Grant Recipients for 2017 and Continuing Support for Schools in North America
Hypertherm has announced the recipients of its 2017 Spark Something Great Educational Grant. The winners, selected from a record 119 grant applications, represent 10 high schools, vocational schools and community colleges from throughout North America. In its third year, the grant program aims to get the latest plasma technology into schools so the next generation of metalworkers can train on the equipment they will find once entering the workforce. Each school will receive a Hypertherm Powermax45 XP plasma system, Hypertherm’s AWS SENSE approved “Plasma Cutting Technology: Theory and Practice” curriculum kit and in-person training from a Hypertherm industrial cutting expert. The 2017 Spark Something Great grant recipients are as follows:
- Judith Nyman Secondary School – Brampton, Ontario (Canada)
- Universidad Tecnológica del Centro de Veracruz – Cuitláhuac, Veracruz (Mexico)
- Escambia County High School – Atmore, Alabama
- Magazine High School – Magazine, Arkansas
- Alamosa High School – Alamosa, Colorado
- Zane Trace High School – Chillicothe, Ohio
- Central High School – Independence, Oregon
- Salt Lake Community College – Salt Lake City, Utah
- Auburn High School – Auburn, Washington
- Magnolia High School – New Martinsville, West Virginia
Have some company news you would like to share? Let us know and the news may appear in an upcoming issue of SEMA eNews. Send your items for consideration to editors@sema.org.