Are you hunting for a new job? The SEMA Career Center has a comprehensive listing of automotive-related job openings nationwide. Here are some of the latest jobs posted on the website.

Enthusiast Auto Holdings

President & General Manager, RCI Off Road

Enthusiast Auto Holdings is hiring a new president and general manager after its recent acquisition of RCI Metalworks LLC based in Loveland, Colorado. RCI is one of the leading banners for off-road enthusiasts looking to take their vehicles to the next level in off-road performance. RCI sells off-road body protection, skid plates and truck bed accessories directly to consumers and installers via its website. 

Canepa

Engine Builder

Among additional open positions--including auto body technician, Porsche technician and motorsports technician--Canepa in Scotts Valley, California, is hiring an engine builder. Candidates must have extensive experience in all aspects of engine building, including engine diagnosis, functions, machining, repair, rebuilding and tuning.

Energy Suspension

Sales Account Manager

Energy Suspension--the provider of performance automotive polyurethane suspension and drivetrain components based in San Clemente, California--is seeking a motivated and disciplined in-house sales account manager. The ideal candidate thoroughly understands the automotive aftermarket distribution channels, including aftermarket manufacturers, powersports and marine.

For more information, including how to apply for jobs or to post job listings, visit the SEMA Career Center here. 

By Luis Morales

The National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) has recently launched its xEV High-Voltage Electrical Safety certifications. These procedures--developed to serve as guides--share existing industry standards, concepts and practices that can be followed by individuals working in the automotive, truck and commercial electrical industries. 

There are two levels of certification:

•  xEV Electrical Safety Awareness Certification - Level 1 Standards 
•  xEV Technician Electrical Safety Certification - Level 2 Standards 

You can access the xEV Electrical Safety Standards here: Automotive Service Excellence (ase.com).

Since 1972, the independent non-profit organization ASE (ase.com) has worked to improve vehicle repair and service quality by testing and certifying automotive professionals.  

As new technologies emerge in the automotive industry, so will training and certification opportunities. SEMA is positioned to help raise awareness of these different opportunities and keep our members up to date. Stay tuned for additional opportunities.

Sources have managed to snap the first shots of the new (and presumably last-generation) Porsche Panamera sans most of the camouflage near Porsche's development center in Weissach, Germany. The second-generation Panamera arrived in 2017, so a replacement seems imminent based on the timeline of the original model, which lasted six years.

The final product seems to borrow styling elements from the Porsche Taycan. As for engines, there's no word yet on what will power the next-generation Panamera, but previous spy shots hinted at a hybrid drivetrain based on the presence of two fuel doors. However, all angles in this latest spy shot batch only include the passenger side, so it's unclear if the prototype had a charge port on the driver side. 

Sources have spotted a prototype for the upcoming Ford Expedition testing in Metro Detroit.

Wrapped in body-hugging camo in most places--except for the front and rear ends--the prototype rides on a road-going tire-and-wheel combo. Also spotted is a new front fascia, potentially with a new hood and a new rear fascia, complete with a new rear hatch.

By Ashley Reyes

The SEMA Businesswomen's Network (SBN) named Talena Handley as this month's #SheIsSEMA spotlight member. Handley is the founder and CEO of Girlie Garage, a consulting company for the automotive aftermarket.  

Get to know Handley in her interview with SEMA below.  

SEMA News: How many years have you been with your current company, and what do you enjoy most about working there? 

Talena Handley: I launched Girlie Garage in the middle of COVID [July 2020]. I am passionate about helping women, and I get to do that every single day. 

SEMA News: What is the most challenging part of running your business or job? 

TH: Having high standards. I hold myself, all of my work, and any work that is performed under my brand to very high standards. 

SEMA News: How many years have you been in the industry, and what was your first industry job? 

TH: Fourteen years wrenching. My first job in the industry outside of school was with a race team in the Rolex series. 

SEMA News: What three qualities got you to where you are today? How have these qualities benefited you? 

TH: One: honesty. It might be great news or not-so-great news, but it is better to know and make educated decisions than hide something. It's best to move forward as efficiently as possible. Honesty builds relationships and has helped me make friendships during some of the hardest times we have seen in our lifetimes. 

Two: grit. The automotive industry is male-dominated. Having grit has helped me push through adverse times to be able to connect with others who I consider colleagues and mentors. 

Three: eternal optimism. One of my personal sayings is, "It's all going to work out in the end. If it hasn't worked out, then it is not the end." Starting a business is difficult, and doing it alone is difficult. There are so many days that I would like to quit, but I stay optimistic. 

SEMA News: Being a woman in the industry, what have been your biggest challenges and accomplishments?  

TH: I once tried out to be on a race team. I drove three hours to work at the track the whole day, then drove home. The manager told me to my face that his wife would not want him to hire a woman, but that I worked harder than any man he'd seen. He hired me, but that interaction has always stuck out to me. 

Overcoming my fears is a big accomplishment. Outside of school, which was 14 years ago, I am self-taught. Learning to cut things off a car was super scary, and also just trying new things in general. I get scared of doing big jobs I've never done before--like an engine swap--then I tackle it, and I rock it. That fear is paralyzing, though. Sometimes, it's taken me years to do something simple because I didn't know if I had what it took to do the job. Just putting my coveralls on and getting out there and getting started makes all the difference. It also helps to have the right tools.  

SEMA News: Who are your role models or mentors in the industry?  

TH: @LadiesStartYourEngines--Lori scooped me up when I was in a dark place. I had been working by myself for a while and I was starting to feel really sad and alone. She was willing to chat with me without asking for anything in return. That led me to build more connections with other women in the industry. 

It might be silly to say, but I look up to every female tradesperson. Women who wake up every day and say, "I can do this." It's really beautiful to watch women constantly lifting each other up, and that is what they do in the automotive industry. It's like we all have each other's back. 

SEMA News: What is the best career advice you have received? How has this advice helped you either professionally or personally? 

TH: Sometimes, people just need to be heard. They might be yelling, but they need to get it out and feel like you were listening. This has helped me not take upset people so personally. Humans just want to be heard and respected. 

It doesn't have to be perfect. Get your product/service into the hands of your customer so you can iterate based on what they want and need, not what you think they want and need. This helps build something that works and also keeps you close to your customer. 

Failure is a learning experience. I've always had very high standards for myself, so when I began to create expectations for my business and I found out I was wrong, this was a difficult realization. I turned it around to capitalize on what I was learning rather than on what I got wrong. 

SEMA News: Have you always wanted to work in the automotive industry? What keeps you here? 

TH: I went to school to be a mechanic, so I had the knowledge to work on my own car--after it had been stolen for a second time. I have fallen back on my knowledge many times. Starting in racing, then I worked for Porsche in parts and all positions front-of-house, and now here we are. I realized that I can use my skills to help people, and I want to figure out how to do that on a scale that is super impactful (helping millions of people). That's why I am here every day. 

SEMA News: Who was the most influential person on your career/goals? 

TH: My Grandpa. He is the most kind and optimistic person I know. He used to restore Model Ts and would let my brother and me create things in the shop. I think having access to tools and to be creative with my hands helped me discover how things work, which fed my love for automotive. 

Fill out a #SheIsSEMA spotlight form to submit a self-nomination or nominate a colleague and highlight how you or she is contributing to the specialty-equipment industry. Selected candidates are automatically eligible to be considered for SBN's #SheIsSEMA Woman of the Year award, featured on SBN's social media, SEMA News and recognized on the sema.org/she-is-sema website. 

The Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) has announced the 2023 installment of the SCCA National Championship Runoffs will take place September 23-October 3, at Virginia International Raceway in Alton, Virginia.

The event is currently slated to include three days of testing (September 23-25) and three days of qualifying sessions (September 26-28). These will be followed by three days of racing (September 29-October 1).

Organizers have also announced the SCCA Runoffs will act as the championship season finale for the Spec MX-5 Challenge (SMX), often featured at SCCA Road Racing weekends. SMX will feature a single qualifying session, with two races during the Runoffs weekend. 

NASCAR Announces Pinty's Series Promotions

NASCAR has announced the promotion of Doug Gonder to series director of the NASCAR Pinty's Series. He previously served as assistant series director under Cherie Putnam, who retired at the end of last season.

In addition, longtime series official Sam Putnam has been promoted to technical director. Mike Hennink, who has been with the series since its inception, will serve as supervisor of officials.

'World of Outlaws: Dirt Racing' Sets New Standards of Console Success for Monster Games, iRacing

After bringing "The Greatest Show on Dirt" back to the console gaming world for the first time in more than a decade, World of Outlaws: Dirt Racing has been a major success for Monster Games and its parent company, iRacing. Universal acclaim from the community--including an average rating of more than 4.5 stars--has led to record engagement levels, setting the stage for a significant 2023 season update and Nintendo Switch release in the fall (more details below).

World of Outlaws: Dirt Racing engagement has roughly quadrupled, with more multiplayer races completed than its previous three games combined. Since its release, players have created more than 2.2 million multiplayer races across the Sony PlayStation and Microsoft Xbox console families, with the PlayStation 4 and 5 combining for 1.2 million sessions and Xbox One, Series X and Series S combining for the remaining million. In addition, the title has set new all-time records for peak users.

The title will receive an extensive update this summer that will feature new drivers, paint schemes, tracks and series. The 2023 Season Update will be a paid add-on to the game for PlayStation and Xbox users, following the conclusion of the 2022 Season Pass. In addition, a Nintendo Switch port of World of Outlaws: Dirt Racing will be released in the fall; the Switch port will integrate all content from the 2022 Season Pass and 2023 Season Update into the base game. Players can immediately get in on the action, though; World of Outlaws: Dirt Racing is now on sale for $39.99 for all PlayStation and Xbox platforms.

New England Modified Star to Make ASA STARS Debut

The ASA National Tour has announced one of New England's most outstanding drivers, Derek Griffith, will make his ASA STARS National Tour debut during the ECMD 150 at North Wilkesboro Speedway in North Carolina. 

With two PASS National championships, a Granite State Pro Stock Series title and multiple wins in the Northeast, the driver known as "D-Griff" has established himself as one of the region's top racers. But, his success also followed him to the South, securing two World Series of Asphalt Super Late Model championships at New Smyrna Speedway in Florida. 

For more racing news, visit Performance Racing Industry’s (PRI) website.

By SEMA Washington, D.C., Staff

Six SEMA members, along with SEMA President and CEO Mike Spagnola, testified before the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in opposition to the agency's recently proposed new federal emissions standards. The standards--for motor vehicles model years '27 to '32--are intended to dramatically increase sales of electric vehicles (EVs).

SEMA thanks Kim Pendergast, CEO of Magnuson Superchargers; Rob Simons, principal with Automotive Consulting Services, Inc.; Billy Brooks, director of engineering for Cobb Tuning; Dan Millen, owner of Livernois Motorsports; Mike Copeland, CEO of Arrington Performance; and Laurel Moorhead, regulatory compliance engineer with Transfer Flow for speaking about their businesses, the importance of the EPA maintaining a technology-neutral approach to motor-vehicle technology, and the adverse impacts that a premature rush to making EVs the only option to reduce motor-vehicle emissions. You can watch the videos of the testimonies at the bottom of this webpage.

The EPA must hear from industry members as it reviews public comments on its proposal that impacts the future of the automotive industry. Click here to sign a letter opposing the EPA's proposal, which provides an opportunity to personalize the letter and explain how the agency's push to an all-electric future will impact your business.  

The EPA maintains that its draft rulemaking would lead to EVs making up two-thirds of new passenger vehicles sold in the United States by 2032. SEMA opposes rulemaking, as consumers and the marketplace should be able to choose the vehicle technology that works best for them. There are many options on the road to zero emissions, and government policy must remain technology neutral. The specialty automotive aftermarket business has been built around the internal combustion engine (ICE), although the industry is leading the way in fuel innovations and conversions of old vehicles into new and cleaner technologies. Hydrogen and other renewable fuels, including synthetic eFuels, will allow legacy vehicles to operate carbon-neutrally and should have an equal seat at the table. Ultimately, consumers, not the government, should be allowed to choose the type of vehicle technology that best serves their families, as the market should drive fuel innovations. 

Click here to sign a letter opposing the EPA's multipollutant standards. For more information, visit sema.org/EPA-Proposed-Greenhouse-Gas-Rules or contact Eric Snyder at erics@sema.org.

Kim Pendergast, CEO of Magnuson Superchargers

Rob Simons, Principal with Automotive Consulting Services, Inc.

Billy Brooks, Director of Engineering for Cobb Tuning

Dan Millen, Owner of Livernois Motorsports

Mike Copeland, CEO of Arrington Performance

Laurel Moorhead, Regulatory Compliance Engineer with Transfer Flow

By SEMA Washington, D.C., Staff

Six SEMA members, along with SEMA President and CEO Mike Spagnola, testified before the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in opposition to the agency's recently proposed new federal emissions standards. The standards--for motor vehicles model years '27 to '32--are intended to dramatically increase sales of electric vehicles (EVs).

SEMA thanks Kim Pendergast, CEO of Magnuson Superchargers; Rob Simons, principal with Automotive Consulting Services, Inc.; Billy Brooks, director of engineering for Cobb Tuning; Dan Millen, owner of Livernois Motorsports; Mike Copeland, CEO of Arrington Performance; and Laurel Moorhead, regulatory compliance engineer with Transfer Flow for speaking about their businesses, the importance of the EPA maintaining a technology-neutral approach to motor-vehicle technology, and the adverse impacts that a premature rush to making EVs the only option to reduce motor-vehicle emissions. You can watch the videos of the testimonies at the bottom of this webpage.

The EPA must hear from industry members as it reviews public comments on its proposal that impacts the future of the automotive industry. Click here to sign a letter opposing the EPA's proposal, which provides an opportunity to personalize the letter and explain how the agency's push to an all-electric future will impact your business.  

The EPA maintains that its draft rulemaking would lead to EVs making up two-thirds of new passenger vehicles sold in the United States by 2032. SEMA opposes rulemaking, as consumers and the marketplace should be able to choose the vehicle technology that works best for them. There are many options on the road to zero emissions, and government policy must remain technology neutral. The specialty automotive aftermarket business has been built around the internal combustion engine (ICE), although the industry is leading the way in fuel innovations and conversions of old vehicles into new and cleaner technologies. Hydrogen and other renewable fuels, including synthetic eFuels, will allow legacy vehicles to operate carbon-neutrally and should have an equal seat at the table. Ultimately, consumers, not the government, should be allowed to choose the type of vehicle technology that best serves their families, as the market should drive fuel innovations. 

Click here to sign a letter opposing the EPA's multipollutant standards. For more information, visit sema.org/EPA-Proposed-Greenhouse-Gas-Rules or contact Eric Snyder at erics@sema.org.

Kim Pendergast, CEO of Magnuson Superchargers

Rob Simons, Principal with Automotive Consulting Services, Inc.

Billy Brooks, Director of Engineering for Cobb Tuning

Dan Millen, Owner of Livernois Motorsports

Mike Copeland, CEO of Arrington Performance

Laurel Moorhead, Regulatory Compliance Engineer with Transfer Flow

SEMA News—June 2023

FROM MIKE SPAGNOLA

Working Toward a Cleaner Future That Works for Everybody

By Mike Spagnola, SEMA President and CEO

Some of the association's activities are immediately visible, tangible efforts—events such as the annual SEMA Show. Other long-range investments and initiatives unfold over longer time frames and across multiple leadership changes. These might be harder to discern, but they are no less significant.

Among those initiatives would be the work the association is doing to help companies achieve compliance with federal, state and local emissions as regulations. The work is ongoing across multiple fronts, including emissions certification, alternative propulsion development, and policy advocacy. 

SEMA Garage emissions labs enable members to develop products that function properly without compromising a vehicle's emissions status, and to demonstrate compliance more cheaply and quickly than most outside labs. Both facilities—located in Diamond Bar, California and Plymouth, Michigan—are staffed by technicians using state-of-the-art test equipment capable of replicating the specific test procedures required by the EPA and California regulators. 

Along with helping members through the process of obtaining a California Air Resources Board (CARB) Executive Order (EO), the garages can conduct "SEMA Certified-Emissions" testing that meets EPA "reasonable basis" tampering policy criteria. The SEMA Certified-Emissions testing process has been ramping up since January 2022, offering an accelerated path to compliance with federal regulations and allowing products to be legally sold in 49 states prior to, or in place of, receiving the CARB EO. In most cases, test data gathered in the SEMA Certified process can also be used for obtaining a CARB EO that would make it legal in all 50 states. Importantly, SEMA Certified testing also creates a path to compliance for products that fall outside of currently existing CARB test procedures, such as air intakes with carbon traps, or flex-fuel systems. 

On another front, the association is working to facilitate the advancement of companies offering zero-emissions propulsion systems. Currently there is concentrated activity around electric vehicles, but the goal is to support alternative powertrain technologies across the spectrum, including EV, hybrid, fuel cell hydrogen, and alternative fuels for internal combustion engines. 

Most recently, SEMA has worked with companies that have developed EV conversion kits to make regulators aware that converting a vehicle to electric propulsion should not be hindered, but rewarded. Last February a SEMA-sponsored bill was introduced to create a financial rebate program for converting gas- and diesel-powered motor vehicles into zero-emissions vehicles (ZEVs). The legislation, which will have to progress through multiple committees before passage, would make a rebate available to those who make this conversion. ZEV conversions, a rapidly growing market, preserve California's diverse and deep-rooted car culture while helping the state meet its ambitious climate goals. 
This legislation also creates a level playing field by including a rebate for converted vehicles and not just for new EV purchases that are often out of financial reach for many Californians.

It was more than a decade ago that SEMA leaders made investments to help member companies solve challenges associated with emissions regulations. They knew it would take years for those investments to pay off—and that progress might be difficult to discern at first. But today, those initiatives are making a tangible difference. World-class SEMA Garage facilities now offer the industry pathways toward a cleaner future that works for everybody. To find out about how to tap into garage programs, visit semagarage.com.

By SEMA Washington, D.C., Staff

SEMA President and CEO Mike Spagnola testified before the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in opposition to the agency's recently proposed new federal emissions standards for motor vehicles model years '27-'32, which are intended to dramatically increase sales of electric vehicles (EVs). Watch the testimony in the video below. 

The EPA maintains its proposal would lead to EVs making up two-thirds of new passenger vehicles sold in the United  States by 2032. Click here to sign a letter opposing the EPA's proposal, which provides an opportunity to personalize the letter and explain how the agency's push to an all-electric future will impact your business. 

"While the automobile's roots are tied to the internal combustion engine (ICE), SEMA prides itself on maintaining a forward-looking vision that embraces new technology, including EVs and other zero-emissions vehicles," said Spagnola. "The specialty automotive aftermarket has led the way on alternative fuel innovations, from replacing older engine technologies with newer, cleaner versions to converting older ICE vehicles to new electric, hydrogen and other alternative fuels. Sadly, the EPA's plans to reduce greenhouse gases and criteria pollutants do not factor this in. 

"SEMA and its members have serious concerns with this proposal, which aggressively seeks to lower carbon emissions under timelines that effectively make electric vehicles the de facto choice option for automakers to meet the requirements. Government shouldn't pick winners and losers. This far too-fast mandate will create a seismic shift for small businesses who don't have the capacity to make the shift this quickly, especially when they're not receiving billions in government funds like the large automakers are to fund their electric vehicle programs. To put this in perspective, 33% of consumer spending on performance and accessory products goes toward upgrading ICE engines and drivetrains. That's nearly $17 billion of the $51 billion specialty aftermarket industry. That's $17 billion of impact largely on small business." 

Click here to sign a letter opposing the EPA's multipollutant standards. For more information, visit sema.org/EPA-Proposed-Greenhouse-Gas-Rules or contact Eric Snyder at erics@sema.org.