SEMA News—November 2019

INDUSTRY NEWS

Fast Facts

Vantage Mobility International (VMI) announced an exclusive agreement with Mobility Networks that will make VMI the sole provider of Mobility Networks’ global products for WAVs now sold in the United States, Canada and Mexico. Under the agreement, VMI will offer Mobility Networks’ products for installation on many of the most popular vehicles on the road today for both consumer and commercial applications.

Continental named Gary P. Mercer western sales manager. In that role, Mercer will manage Continental’s aftermarket program for the traditional warehouse distributor network. Mercer will work with all of Continental’s aftermarket product lines, including TPMS sensors and service parts, blower motors, fan assemblies, door systems, OE replacement parts, wiper blades and brake system parts.

Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) announced that longtime Solo competitor and club member Mike King was selected to serve as SCCA’s next director of Solo and Rally. King, a multi-time Solo champion, will officially take on his new role October 1. In the new position, King will be tasked with planning, directing and coordinating the activities of the Rally and Solo competition departments.

1-800EveryRim OEM Wheels has unveiled EveryRim.com as an original-equipment wheel tool for industry professionals. The site incorporates special notations aiding in the identification of easily confused wheels. Additionally, EveryRim.com features a 12-tier approach to grading new and reconditioned wheels down the scale to used and core inventory. Wheel grading was designed to be useful when customers do not necessarily need a new-looking wheel for an older vehicle, the company states. Customers may click to request a picture of the exact factory original steel or alloy wheel from the company’s live inventory. In order to view the site’s wholesale pricing, shops will receive login credentials after registration.

DEI named Rosana Del Rio the company’s international account manager. According to the company, the all-new position was filled to ensure that DEI becomes a global leader in thermal and acoustic control products. Del Rio joined DEI in May and brings to the company a diverse background in account management and sales. She is tasked with working with existing clients and growing new international sales, with a primary focus on Latin America and the Middle East. She reports directly to Tom Miller, DEI’s vice president of sales and marketing.

Holley has announced that Geoff M. Turk has joined its executive management team as COO. Turk has extensive senior-level experience in operations, R&D and acquisitions with U.S. Steel, Caterpillar and General Motors. Turk also has a record of success on the race track with both the NHRA and NMCA drag-racing series. For 2019, Turk switched to a Ford Cobra Jet where he won NMCA Memphis—the first event he raced in with his new car.

Champion Oil will display a special continuation Ford Shelby GT350 at the 2019 SEMA Show in booth #24629. The limited-edition car will feature a 331ci aluminum engine supplied by the Carroll Shelby Engine Co. It will be coupled to a Tremec five-speed transmission with an authentic Shelby shifter. The suspension is period correct, as are the brakes. The car bodies are fully reconditioned and built to ’65 specs to be finished with Ford’s Wimbledon White paint. Only 25 of the cars will be built, each getting a special Shelby serial number for inclusion in the official Shelby Registry.

Aeromotive has added new space to its headquarters in Lenexa, Kansas. Until recently, the fuel-delivery company housed sales, tech and office personnel in one building, while engineering and R&D were in a neighboring building shared with the SEMA Data Co-op. The additional square footage allows Aeromotive to move all sales, tech, office and engineering personnel into one building, increasing ease of communication between departments. Additionally, Aeromotive has combined the sales and marketing teams into one department. The new sales and marketing department is led by Johnson Barrick, who was previously Aeromotive’s sales director. The company also hired Sumner Hylton in a new marketing coordinator role.

Neapco announced it was the only supplier to receive two awards at the 2019 Yamaha Supplier Conference held in Newnan, Georgia. The 2018 Supplier Excellence Award and the 2018 Supplier Delivery Improvement Award were awarded to Neapco based on the outstanding product quality and service provided to Yamaha, according to the company. Neapco supplies rear halfshafts for Yamaha Golf Cars, which have been named the top gas-powered golf car for three consecutive years by Golf Digest.

Mast Motorsports recently finished a complete consolidation of its cylinder-head manufacturing facilities. According to the company, streamlining the manufacturing process promises to reduce lead times and improve product availability. In the past, Mast’s cylinder-head manufacturing process has been split between its Michigan and Texas facilities. By relocating Mast’s Michigan operations to the company’s headquarters in Nacogdoches, Texas, everything from product development to CNC machining to final assembly and order fulfillment will now be performed under one roof. Mast Motorsports has also implemented a second shift. According to the company, by keeping shelves stocked with fresh inventory, The company can now offer same-day shipping for most cylinder heads. Furthermore, this increased production capacity will reduce turnaround time on Mast’s turnkey crate and custom street/race engines.

McLeod Racing’s president Paul Lee has acquired FTI Performance Converters. Through the acquisition, Lee will work closely with FTI Performance founders Greg and Phaedra Samuel. FTI Performance will continue to operate out of its Deland, Florida-based operations and warehouses. All FTI contact information remains the same.