MPMC Inducts Hall of Fame Class of 2011

	Veteran engine builders answered questions from moderator Alan Reinhart during an MPMC-sponsored seminar entitled “The Business of Engine Building” at the PRI Show in December 2011. Taking part in the panel were (from left) Tracy Dennis, Keith Dorton, Ron Hutter, David Reher, Scott Shafiroff and Carl Wegner.

The Motorsports Parts Manufacturers Council (MPMC) held its annual Hall of Fame induction at the Performance Racing Industry (PRI) Trade Show in Orlando, Florida, during an 8:00 a.m. breakfast ceremony on Friday, December 2, 2011. Based on an overflow crowd at the inaugural event in 2010, the 2011 ceremony was moved to a larger venue.

“Steve Wolcott and Charlie Harmon of ProMedia stepped up and offered us the large room they use for their NMRA and NMCA awards banquets,” said MPMC Chairman Kyle Fickler of Weld Racing. “Steve Lewis and his PRI team agreed to the move, and ProMedia already had all of its sponsor banners hanging around the room, which definitely added color and flavor to the venue. We were able to utilize their raised stage, podiums and microphones as well. The whole arrangement raised the bar and provided the event with a bit more style and polish, which the MPMC Hall of Fame members truly deserve.”

Nominations for the MPMC Hall of Fame are collected from the MPMC membership. A Hall of Fame task force then reviews the nominations. The final review and selection are done in the same manner as the SEMA Hall of Fame to ensure fairness and consistency.

The four 2011 inductees to the MPMC Hall of Fame shared something in common: Each played a vital part in the actual formation of the MPMC as a council.

Congratulations to the following individuals who were inducted into the MPMC Hall of Fame, Class of 2011: Chuck Blum, Rick Rollins, Nate Shelton and the late Todd Gartshore. (Hal Baer, co-founder of Baer Brakes, accepted the award on Gartshore’s behalf.)

MPMC Hosts Innovative Seminar

	Taking part in the MPMC Hall of Fame induction ceremony were (from left) MPMC Chair-Elect Vic Wood, inductees Chuck Blum, Nate Shelton, Hal Baer (accepting for the late Todd Gartshore), Rick Rollins and MPMC Chairman Kyle Fickler.

MPMC hosted an innovative seminar at PRI. Titled “The Business of High-Performance Engine Building,” the seminar featured a panel of six of the nation’s premier engine builders and was moderated by motorsports television personality and industry expert Alan Reinhart. The panelists answered questions on various topics related to the business side of an engine-building operation, such as hiring and keeping quality employees, shop equipment and machinery, and coming trends. The gathering of six industry icons in one place drew a crowd of more than 100 attendees, despite the fact that the event was held during trade-show hours.

“We are so grateful for the panelists who participated in this seminar,” said Fickler. “I don’t know that such a collection of engine builders has ever been assembled in one place. I had intended to watch the crowd and monitor their reactions during the discussion. But I was as captivated by the panelists as anyone else in the room! And thanks also to Alan Reinhart. He really lends an air of professionalism to our functions, and I hope we do more work together in the future.”

Wood also extended the council’s thanks to MPMC Select Committee members Scott Hall of Moroso and Steve Williams of K&N Filters.

“They arranged the entire function from top to bottom on their own time,” he said. “They contacted the panelists, and Alan worked with Steve Lewis at PRI to arrange a time and location, developed the questions, everything. And Jim Hughes of Hughes Performance manned the badge scanner at the door so that we could obtain good attendance information. Great job, guys. You showed by example what ‘volunteer leadership’ is all about.”

Fickler also thanked John DiBartolomeo of DRC Race Products. “John not only loaned us the badge scanner from his booth for the seminar, but he also volunteered as the official MPMC photographer for both the seminar and the Hall of Fame ceremony,” Fickler said.