Nate Shelton of B&M Automotive Group begins his role as chairman-elect of the SEMA Board of Directors at the Association’s Board meeting in July.

Nate Shelton of B&M Automotive Group was elected chairman-elect of SEMA and will join five newly elected Board of Directors members to help lead the association in the 2011–2012 term. Shelton fills the position that was held for the past two years by Scooter Brothers of Comp Performance Group. Brothers begins serving as chairman at the association’s summer Board meeting in July. The newly elected Board volunteers include Tim Martin of K&N Engineering; Steve Wolcott of ProMedia LLC; Jim Chick of Bestop Inc.; J.R. Moore of Performance Warehouse; and Greg Adler of Transamerican Auto Parts.

OFFICERS

• Chairman: Scooter Brothers, Comp Performance Group
• Chairman-Elect: Nate Shelton, B&M Automotive Group
• Immediate Past Chairman: Rick Rollins, Rollins Performance Marketing/Consulting
• Secretary/Treasurer: Dan Gresham, Coutant Capital
• General Counsel: Russ Deane, Trainum, Snowdon & Deane

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

The 2011–2012 SEMA Board of Directors roster is as follows:

The newly elected members will be recognized at the SEMA Installation Banquet & Gala Fund-raiser to be held Friday, July 29, 2011, at the Renaissance Long Beach Hotel. Also during the event, outgoing Board members Laurel Dasher of Superchips, Zan Martin of Martin & Company Advertising, Tony Napoli of American Speed Centers, Doug Evans of Source Interlink Media and Ernie Silvers of Egge Machine Co. Inc. will be recognized and thanked for their substantial contributions to the industry. A special tribute will be held for the late Gray Baskerville in addition to Art Chrisman, Chris Economaki and John Towle as they are introduced as the 2011 SEMA Hall of Fame inductees. Details and tickets are available here.

Goodguys “Sunday Get-Together” Welcomes All American-Made Vehicles

	Through the Goodguys’ Sunday Get-Together promotion, late-model American-made or -powered musclecars and hot rods will share the spotlight with their classic, old-school counterparts.

The three upcoming Sunday Get-Together events will be held at the Goodguys 5th Peak Chicagoland Nationals (August 12–14) at Chicagoland Speedway; the Goodguys 10th Midwestern Nationals (September 2–4) at Kansas Speedway; and the 18th Southeastern Nationals (October 28–30) at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Goodguys says that through the new format, and with some of the newer musclecars and hot rods available, car lovers will enjoy seeing classics parked next to their late-model brethren.

To register and for more information, visit www.good-guys.com or call Goodguys at 925/838-9876.

SEMA Launches New Show Website

	The new SEMAShow.com website helps exhibitors and attendees make the most of their SEMA Show experience.

Companies seeking to secure booth space can get the process started from the homepage by simply clicking on the “Buy a Booth” link. Attendees will also find it simple to register by accessing the “Attend Show” button, which makes it easier than ever to sign up.

Quick access to a virtual map of the Las Vegas Convention Center and an exhibitor list helps attendees easily find the company booths and locations they need to see, helping to boost their SEMA Show return on investment while simplifying pre-Show planning.

The site is now live, and there will be a continuous rollout of new features and updated content in the months leading up to the Show. Exhibitors and attendees looking to stay informed on all things Show-related are encouraged to visit www.SEMAShow.com today.

Nominations Open for the Prestigious 2011 SEMA Awards

Fast Facts

AC Propulsion CEO Tom Gage was selected as one of Automotive News’ Electrifying 100, a list of what the publication calls “the most influential people leading the global transformation of the automobile to an electrified fleet.” According to a press release, AC Propulsion is widely credited with playing a seminal role in the modern electric vehicle era. As CEO for the past 10 years, Gage led the company toward commercialization of the proprietary electric propulsion technologies it has developed since 1992. AC Propulsion, San Dimas, CA; 909/592-5399.

Ingersoll Rand was awarded TechShop magazine’s 2010 Top 5 Tools Award. On a monthly basis, readers of
TechShop reported on the top five tools used in their shops. Award winners were based on the number of times a company or its products were mentioned in the previous six issues of the magazine’s Top 5 Favorite Tools section by shop owners and technicians. Ingersoll Rand, Annandale, NJ; 908/238-7000.

For the fourth consecutive year, WyoTech-Laramie was named to the 2010 President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll by the Corporation for National and Community Service. According to WyoTech, the honor roll recognizes higher-education institutions that reflect the values of exemplary community service and achieve meaningful outcomes in their communities. More than 1,000 students from the WyoTech-Laramie campus engaged in varied community-service efforts in 2010, including assistance during an unexpected flood in July, which put dozens of homes at risk in the West Laramie area. WyoTech-Blairsville, Blairsville, PA; 724/459-9500.

Centric Parts has acquired an additional 25,000 sq. ft. of floor space adjacent to the company’s existing facility in City of Industry, California. The facility handles customer service, shipping and receiving of finished goods. With the new space, the company now has more than 500,000 sq. ft. of combined floor space at its three locations.

Meyer Distributing Inc. added a new hub warehouse in Dallas/Ft. Worth, Texas. The company announced that the new warehouse will provide daily automotive accessories route delivery to the Dallas/Ft. Worth metroplex and will offer will-call pickup Monday–Friday. Meyer Distributing, Jasper, IN; 800/MEYERUSA.

Yokohama Tire Corp. (YTC) announced that Yasushi Tanaka is the company’s new president and CEO. Tanaka succeeded Takao Oishi, who had been at the helm of YTC since April 2008. Tanaka was with The Yokohama Rubber Co. Ltd. (YRC) in Tokyo, Japan, where he was the corporate officer in charge of the corporate planning department, secretariat and GD100 promotion department. Tanaka, who joined YRC in 1982, will now be based at YTC’s corporate headquarters in Fullerton, California. His promotion also includes being named president of Yokohama Corp. of America and president of Yokohama Corp. of North America. Tanaka remains a YRC corporate officer. The company also announced that it hired United Future to assist with an overall corporate strategy to enhance customer engagement and manage its brand digitally. With the goal of making communicating with Yokohama’s customers stronger, United Future will incorporate Yokohama strategies with implementation tactics and business analytics. Yokohama Tire Corp., Fullerton, CA; 714/870-3800.

Speedway Motors was named the 2011 Corporate Marketer of the Year by the Lincoln, Nebraska, chapter of the American Marketing Association (AMA). The company also received top honors for social marketing during the Lincoln AMA’s recent awards ceremony. The company was honored for its full spectrum of marketing efforts, including its website, print and direct-mail and online advertising for the street-rod and racing markets. Speedway Motors accepted the Lincoln AMA’s Prism Award for social marketing for its Facebook page, which has attracted more than 37,000 fans in just two years since 2009, putting it in the top 4% of all Facebook pages, according to the company. Speedway Motors, Lincoln, NE; 402/323-3200.

The NHRA Snap-On Funny Car featured a special paint scheme in an effort to build awareness for the Wounded Warrior Project—an organization dedicated to helping wounded veterans returning from Afghanistan and Iraq. The Wounded Warriors Snap-On Funny Car, driven by two-time NHRA champion Cruz Pedregon, raced at the Chicago NHRA Nationals, July 8–10, in Joliet, Illinois.

Line-X Protective Coatings presented Valley Line-X with its 2011 Excellence Award. Located in North Hollywood, California, Valley Line-X was selected for demonstrating dedication to the brand, a commitment to excellence and for accomplishments within the community, according to Line-X Protective Coatings. Line-X, Anaheim, CA; 714/850-1662.

Hopkins Manufacturing Corp. has partnered with Toronto, Canada-based private equity firm OnCap. According to a press release, Hopkins management and OnCap have invested in the company by purchasing shares from an affiliate of Friend and Skoler & Co. Inc.—a private equity investor in Saddle Brook, New Jersey, that has been an investor in Hopkins since 2004. The investment by OnCap was completed in connection with Hopkins recapitalization and new bank financing. Hopkins Manufacturing, Emporia, KS.

Duke Networks LLC, producers of the automotive television show “Motorz TV,” announced that AMP Research will be the title sponsor of the upcoming fifth season of the program. Hosted by Chris Duke, the show airs on the Pursuit Channel Wednesday nights at 10:00 p.m. (PDT) to 40 million homes nationwide, according to Duke Networks. Duke Networks, San Diego, CA; 858/935-7300.

AutoWare Technologies has added a new brake feature as part of its NextWheels Online Program featuring MGP Caliper Covers. Users can now preview MGP caliper covers in various colors as well as how different custom wheels and tires will look on their cars. Details are available at www.calipercovers.com. AutoWare Technologies, Panama City, FL; 877/230-9695. 

At its 2011 Supplier Summit, Carquest Auto Parts named East Penn Manufacturing as its 2010 Supplier of the Year. The annual award was renamed the Larry McCurdy Award in memory of Larry McCurdy, an industry leader and former board member of General Parts International Inc. McCurdy passed away in 2010. According to Carquest, the award recognizes a supplier’s contribution to its success through quality products and outstanding marketing support. Carquest Corp., Raleigh, NC; 919/573-2500.

Through a partnership with Orange County Choppers (OCC) and its founder Paul Teutul Sr., Wyotech students will help construct an OCC custom-built, WyoTech-branded motorcycle under the guidance of Teutul. In addition, WyoTech, the official technical school of OCC, has arranged for students to intern at the world-renowned bike-building facility in upstate New York. Students will be selected from all WyoTech campuses, including Daytona and Fremont, where motorcycle mechanic training is offered. The bike will be revealed in an episode of the TV program “American Chopper” that will air this fall on the Discovery Channel.

AST Suspension acquired all Moton Suspension Technology B.V. assets. AST Suspension and Moton Suspension Technology will continue to be produced as two separate brands using two different design philosophies. AST will keep Moton headquarters in Uden, Netherlands. Over the next few weeks, North American service and sales will move from Cumming, Georgia, to AST USA’s headquarters in Plano, Texas. Further information about the acquisition of Moton assets will be made available in the near future on the AST–USA website at www.ast-usa.com. AST Suspension, Plano, TX; 972/424-3700 .