SEMA Member News -- March/April 2009
ARMO
By Jim Barber
 |
| Six Select Commitee seats are up for election. This is your opportunity to get involved either through the election process or by running for one of the positions yourself. |
No one ever knows what the future will bring. However, we can work to affect change and steer the direction of the restoration industry. I have heard many comments over the last year concerning our country’s current economic status and the various reasons for the downturn. While I am not an economist or a renowned scholar, I am a businessman and I am in the restoration industry. With that said, there are two very important ARMO events forthcoming: the Hotrod and Restoration Trade Show to be held March 12–14 at the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis, and the ARMO New Products Showcase held in conjunction with Spring Carlisle, April 22–26. Both of these events can impact your business in 2009.
As part of the 2009 Hotrod and Restoration Trade Show’s Saturday seminar schedule, ARMO will present “10 Things You Can Do Today to Improve Your Website Results Tomorrow.” This panel discussion will be led by Brian Offenberger of Biz Growth Search Engine Solutions on March 14 from 9:00 a.m.–10:00 a.m. at the convention center. The Select Committee task force led by Kim Mitchell recognizes the importance of the Internet and realizes that most of our members are small companies that do not have an IT department. Our goal is to make people, such as Brian Offenberger, available to you and your business as a resource.
The New Products Showcase will once again be held during the Spring Carlisle Collector Car Swap Meet in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, and it continues to grow each year. ARMO-member companies are encouraged to submit new products introduced to the marketplace during the last year for display and judging in two categories: Best Restoration Product and Best Resto-Mod Product. The award winners will be announced during the ARMO reception, which is held annually during the SEMA Show each year. Also returning will be an opening-night member-appreciation mixer on the evening of April 23 in the New Products area. The mixer provides an opportunity to meet and talk with Select Committee members as well as SEMA staff attending the show.
So what do these two events have to do with my opening paragraph? By participating in these two events, ARMO is providing its members and their companies with opportunities to network with other members of the industry, to learn about new products being introduced to the marketplace and to provide a forum in which to learn ways to improve their businesses. What’s the catch? You have to attend and participate. I hear comments each year from people attending and becoming involved for the first time, and they all say that it was worth the time.
Last, but very important, it is election time! Six Select Committee seats are up for election, and one is open—meaning that one person has served the limit of three two-year terms. This is your opportunity to get involved, either through the election process itself (by voting), through the nomination of someone or perhaps by running for one of the positions yourself. Serving the industry on a SEMA council is extremely rewarding and is often seen as a stepping-stone to the SEMA Board of Directors.
There you have it—my thoughts for the beginning of 2009. Invest in the industry and invest in your council; by doing so, you will invest in yourself!
To find out more about the ARMO council and its activities, visit www.sema.org/armo.
Take a Kid to a Car Show
Look well beyond 2009 and take a kid to a car show. Kids, after all, grow up and will continue in our footsteps, showing their love and passion for automobiles just as we have for well over a century. Taking a kid to a car show will enable the automotive industry to move forward for centuries to come. Take a kid to a car show, and show them the past; it preserves our future.
With summer right around the corner, now is the time to plan your summer events. While you are at it, now is the time to request a supply of our Take a Kid to a Car Show decals. They’re great to have on hand as booth giveaways and goodie bag stuffers for car shows, swap meets, races or any automotive event. Contact Jan Desma, SEMA’s director of council relations for ARMO, at 909/396-0289, or e-mail her at jand@sema.org to request a supply today. Quantities are limited.
ways to improve their businesses. What’s the catch? You have to attend and participate. I hear comments each year from people attending and becoming involved for the first time, and they all say that it was worth the time.