SEMA News—October 2021

INDUSTRY NEWS

SEMA Announces Benjamin Kaminsky as Detroit Operations Manager

SEMA has announced the hiring of Benjamin Kaminsky as Detroit operations manager. Earlier this year, SEMA announced the purchase of a 45,000-sq.-ft. building in Detroit to be used as a second SEMA Garage. Kaminsky will be responsible for the overall management of SEMA Garage Detroit services and facilities to assist members with new product development and integration.

“Benjamin Kaminsky will be a great addition to our SEMA Garage team,” said Mike Spagnola, vice president of SEMA’s OEM and product development programs. “He comes to SEMA with more than 20 years of experience in the automotive and automotive aftermarket industries as an engineering and project manager, having worked at both automakers and tier-one suppliers.”

Prior to joining SEMA, Kaminsky worked at General Motors as a senior design and release engineer. He oversaw the design, development, validation and release of Chevrolet Performance air intakes, exhausts and components for use in performance applications. He also worked closely with GM emissions compliance and legal groups to ensure engineering hardware development and release processes consistently delivered products that met and exceeded regulatory requirements.

The SEMA Garage Detroit facility is scheduled to be open for members in early 2022. Visit www.semagarage.com for further details.

Pep Boys Rolls Out Centennial Celebration

Pep Boys is celebrating its 100th year in business by announcing business expansion plans and investments that will solidify its position as a leading automotive service provider. Throughout the remainder of the year, a custom Pep Boys-branded bus will travel across the country to affirm the company’s commitment to the thousands of local communities it serves. Along the way, Pep Boys will mark the opening of new locations and kick off new business initiatives while celebrating the team members and customers who helped the company reach its remarkable milestone.

“Since Pep Boys was founded 100 years ago, our mission has been to make car care more accessible,” said Brian Kaner, Pep Boys CEO. “For our founders, this meant getting drivers the new auto parts they needed to repair the recently invented automobile. As we shift the Pep Boys business model to focus primarily on automotive service and tires, we’re doing just what our founders did: adapting to changes in the market and the demands and preferences of our customers. Our centennial is the perfect time to honor our heritage, celebrate our success, and jumpstart our future by hitting the road to reconnect with the team members and customers to whom we’ve made a promise for the next 100 years: ‘We go further to help you go farther.’”

Select Hotels Offer Free Parking During SEMA Show

Showgoers booking through onPeak—the SEMA Show’s housing partner—will receive guaranteed low rates on a wide range of hotel properties at locations on and off the Las Vegas Strip. onPeak offers not only discounted nightly rates for SEMA Show participants but also reduced resort fees so you can save even more on your stay.

Driving to the Show? Here is the list of hotels that offer free parking during the Show and which you can book through onPeak to secure your stay.

• Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas
• Downtown Grand Las Vegas
• Encore
• Golden Nugget Las Vegas Hotel & Casino
• OYO Hotel and Casino Las Vegas
• SAHARA
• Westin
• Wyeth

Rates start as low as $122 a night.

When making your hotel reservations through the SEMA Show Travel & Lodging page at www.SEMAShow.com, you receive the most affordable and convenient hotel options through the partnership with onPeak—the only official hotel provider for the 2021 SEMA Show. All negotiated rates provided by onPeak include resort fees and allow you to change or cancel your reservation without any financial penalties.

More information about the SEMA Show, to be held Tuesday–Friday, November 2–5, is available on www.SEMAShow.com.

Legendary Companies Announces Inaugural Legendary Charity Cruise-In Event

Wade Kawasaki and the team at Legendary Companies announced the inaugural Legendary Charity Cruise-In, an exclusive car show held in conjunction with the Chattanooga Motorcar Festival on Saturday, October 16, from 5:00 a.m.–2:00 p.m. All proceeds will go to the Fifty Plus Foundation in support of CHI Memorial Hospital and the NeuroScience Innovation Foundation to help their efforts in finding a cure for Alzheimer’s Disease.

The Cruise-In offers participants a chance to showcase their collector vehicles in a premier location at the intersection of Riverfront Parkway and M.L.K. Blvd (875 W. 9th Ave.). The event is steps away from the Pace Grand Prix at the Bend, where wheel-to-wheel action will feature historic race cars, including open-wheel cars, CanAm cars, GT cars and more. Participants will receive entry for one collector vehicle and two spectator admission tickets that provide access to Saturday of the Chattanooga Motorcar Festival, including access to the Grand Prix Paddock and Mecum Auctions.

Space is limited to 400 cars. The entry fee is a donation of $100 (donation through the Fifty Plus Foundation will support neuroscience research at CHI Memorial)—a special value to encourage enthusiasts to drive their collector vehicles and take part in the event. Register early at https://tinyurl.com/legendarycruise.