By Ashley Reyes
SEMA members have until Friday, July 19, to submit their nominations for the prestigious SEMA Industry Awards at sema.org/awards.
Comprised of Person of the Year, Manufacturer of the Year, Channel Partner of the Year, Gen-III Innovator of the Year and Content Creator of the Year, the awards honor leading companies and individuals who have made significant contributions to the specialty-equipment industry.
Ian Lehn, founder of BOOSTane, was named 2023 SEMA Person of the Year for his outstanding contributions to the automotive specialty-equipment industry over a year-long-period.
Nominations are open for:
- Person of the Year: Established to honor a person for their outstanding contributions to the automotive specialty-equipment market.
- Manufacturer of the Year: Honors a manufacturing company for its outstanding contributions and innovations.
- Channel Partner of the Year: Honors a sales channel partner for its outstanding service to the sales, distribution, retail and/or e-commerce channel(s) of the industry. This includes maintaining proper inventories to service its respective channel and exceeding standards in providing suppliers with input and regular communication to help their products and programs succeed.
- Gen-III Innovator of the Year: Honors a young, entrepreneurial individual, 40 years old or younger, who is creating innovative breakthroughs within the area(s) of industry opportunities, advancement, best business practices, technology and/or trends.
- Content Creator of the Year: Honors a content creator for their outstanding contributions to the automotive culture and for creating a positive impact with automotive enthusiasts.
In 2023, Ian Lehn of BOOSTane was named 2023 SEMA Person of the Year for having exhibited professionalism, service, integrity and ethics that propelled the industry forward; Lehn recently spoke with SEMA News to share his reflections of receiving the prestigious honor:
"Since the SEMA Show, I've felt a sense of responsibility to live up to what I believe it means to be our industry's Person of the Year, and hopefully make all the incredible people that have been bestowed the same honor, proud. So much of who I am is thanks to the people and experiences here at SEMA and the automotive aftermarket. I want to make sure that the next group of dreamers that want to make their way in our industry have one to go to."
If you are, or know of, a deserving candidate that has enhanced the automotive specialty-equipment in extraordinary ways over the past year, submit an award nomination today to ensure your entry is considered in the award selection process.
Winners will be announced and celebrated during SEMA Show week, November 5-8, 2024. The SEMA Show Kick-Off Breakfast, held on Tuesday, November 5, will award both Channel Partner of the Year and Manufacturer of the Year. On Thursday, November 7, the SEMA Show Industry Awards Banquet will recognize Gen-III Innovator of the Year, Person of the Year and Content Creator of the Year. Entries for Best Engineered Vehicle of the Year--a SEMA Industry Award that recognizes exceptional quality of engineering on a vehicle build--will open in September.
Visit sema.org/awards to submit your nomination before the July 19 deadline! Your participation is crucial in highlighting and celebrating the leaders and innovators who make a difference.