FROM THE HILL
By Dan Sadowski

SPC Select Committee Member Hosts Congressional Caucus Co-Chair in the Motor City

	From left: Motovicity Distribution CEO David Ziozios, Rep. Sandy Levin, Motovicity Distribution Vice President of Sales and Marketing Brian Lounsberry and SEMA Director of Congressional Affairs Dan Sadowski took part in a SEMA Congressional District Site Visit at Motovicity Headquarters in Madison Heights, Michigan.

Representative Sandy Levin (D-MI) has long been a strong supporter of SEMA-member businesses and the automotive specialty-equipment industry. This past summer, Rep. Levin welcomed the opportunity to visit SEMA-member company Motovicity Distribution in his home district as part of the SEMA Congressional District Site Visit Program. The program connects SEMA-member companies with their federal lawmakers and creates working partnerships that continue well beyond the visit.

Motovicity Distribution is a distributor of performance and mobile-electronic parts and accessories. Its 45,000-sq.-ft. facility in Madison Heights, Michigan, contains a range of specialty-equipment products, including intakes, drivetrains, brake systems and exhausts for daily drivers, along with hard-to-find parts for hobbyist cars. Motovicity CEO Dave Ziozios is a member of the Street Performance Council Select Committee. Over the past several years, Motovicity has expanded its business and become a leading supplier of SEMA-member products.

“We were pleased to welcome Representative Levin to Motovicity to demonstrate our company’s growth in the greater Detroit area,” said Ziozios. “The opportunity to discuss our plans for future expansion and available resources with our congressman’s help was invaluable.”

In the process, Motovicity has learned more about available options for local economic development assistance.

Rep. Levin was elected to the U.S. Congress in 1982 and is the founder and House co-chair of the Congressional Automotive Performance and Motorsports Caucus, a bipartisan group of legislators who recognize the important economic impact of the automotive specialty-equipment industry on the American economy. Levin’s caucus leadership has led to an organization of almost 100 members.

	Lounsberry described Motovicity’s product offerings to Rep. Levin during the tour.

Levin served in the Michigan State Senate from 1965–1970, prior to serving in the U.S. Congress. From 1977–1981, Levin was the assistant administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development.

In Congress, Rep. Levin is the ranking member of the House Ways and Means Committee, which has jurisdiction over all tax, trade and economic-growth policies and entitlement spending, including social security, Medicare, welfare and unemployment compensation.

Rep. Levin’s district includes communities in Macomb and Oakland Counties and spans from Clinton Township/Mount Clemens and Lake St. Clair to Southfield near Detroit.

This congressional district site visit could not have come at a better time for Motovicity. Over the past year, Ziozios and Vice President of Sales and Marketing Brian Lounsberry have begun developing strategies to address their company’s growth. During a tour of their warehouse facility, Ziozios and Lounsberry explained the process by which they acquire products and distribute them to end customers.

Throughout the tour, Rep. Levin was impressed with the volume of SEMA-member products in the Motovicity warehouse and the speed with which orders are filled. Motovicity benefits from a dedicated sales staff comprised of automotive enthusiasts who understand the needs of their nationwide clients. For hands-on experience, staff can install company-
supplied parts on a customized vehicle owned by Motovicity in order to learn more about the products they sell and better market them to customers.

	Ziozios spoke with Rep. Levin in the Motovicity Distribution warehouse during the Congressional District Site Visit tour.

At the conclusion of the tour, Rep. Levin met with Ziozios and Lounsberry to discuss the specifics of their future goals. The conversation turned to a discussion of SEMA’s legislative priorities, including the Low Volume Motor Vehicle Manufacturers Act. The bill creates an alternative regulatory framework for companies producing 1,000 or fewer vehicles per year, such as replica street rods, customs and sports cars that are primarily used in exhibitions, parades and for occasional transportation. After hearing the positive developments at Motovicity and its officers’ ideas for continued development, Rep. Levin offered his support and guidance for businesses in his district.

“Small businesses like Motovicity Distribution are critical to the recovery of our economy,” said Rep. Sandy Levin. “It is important that we take action to help small businesses to hire new workers, expand their operations, and invest in the local community.”

The Congressional District Site Visit Program is overseen by SEMA’s government affairs office in Washington, D.C. The program pairs SEMA-member companies with their members of Congress for facility tours and business roundtables in their home districts. These visits provide an opportunity for SEMA members to meet face-to-face with their Washington Congressmen or Senators and to discuss issues impacting the company and its workers. They help establish working relationships that can eventually translate into legislative successes in Washington.

If you are interested in hosting an event at your facility with your federal elected officials, contact Dan Sadowski, congressional affairs director at dans@sema.org or 202-783-6007 x19.