Don started with a small store in New Jersey called Don’s Speed Shop, an operation that grew to include a full-service warehouse and a chain of stores on the East Coast that marketed full lines of hot rod and performance equipment. Another notable achievement by Don stemmed from a meeting in his hotel room during the 1969 SEMA Show. There, the first meeting of the PWA took place, as there was a push to recognize warehouse distributors. Over time, the SEMA Board of Directors allowed WDs to sit in on meetings, then eventually to be on the board itself.

The name Douglass on a muffler was a seal of highest quality.  Howard formed the Douglass Mufflers company during the 1950s, when straight-through mufflers on hot rods were all the rage and discriminating car builders demanded excellence. He was truly one of the first header/muffler companies to begin making production-type aftermarket exhaust systems.

Fuel tanks, spun aluminum disc wheel covers, fuel blocks and more were familiar Moon products. But the most popular item sold by the entrepreneur of hot rodding, Dean Moon, was the ubiquitous Moon Eyes decal, seen in virtually every country in the world. A former machinist, Dean’s early years involved helping hot rodders by building their roadsters behind his shop. As a result of the networking he did as secretary of the Russetta Timing Association, his knowledge of speed-producing tips and tricks grew and resulted in him becoming one of the most sought-after hot rodders on the dry lakes.

From dragstrips and Daytona to the Indianapolis 500, virtually every driver in racing competition wears protective clothing and a helmet designed and produced by Simpson, a company founded and operated by Bill, a racer himself. Simpson went on to innovate other safety products, notably the Nomex fire suit, which Bill developed after friend (and early astronaut) Pete Conrad introduced him to the fire-retardant fabric then used by NASA. Bill was also the founder of Impact! Racing. He was inducted in to the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 2003.

When Bob coined the name “Hedders” and it stuck. Hedman Hedders and other exhaust system components, such as mufflers, are used extensively in various fields of racing and are commonly seen on hot rods and performance muscle cars. Hedman is a charter member company of SEMA. Bob and his company were also a major sponsor of the NHRA and multiple stock car teams.

Ben operated a warehouse in Texas and served the area as a purveyor of performance products. In its heyday, his company was one of the largest distributors of dress-up items for vans, including interior furnishings. He was a recipient of the PWA Pioneer Award in 1985.

Don’s work in the automotive aftermarket is legendary. He was CEO of High Performance Distributors in South San Francisco, where he once also operated his own drag strip. Despite a tough business schedule, the former racer served on the SEMA board for 14 years and is still the only person to be elected to it as a write-in candidate. He also served as national director of the Performance Warehouse Association for many years. He has been named SEMA Person of the Year and SEMA WD of the Year, and has received the PWA Pioneer Award and SEMA Businesswomen’s Network Athena Award.

“He was a helping hand, the guy I could turn to for guidance,” said a drag racer speaking of Keith Black, whose racing engines—aluminum blocks fashioned after the Chrysler 392 Hemi—continue to dominate drag racing. Keith Black Racing Engines opened in 1959, and KB blocks held every national record in Top Fuel between 1975 and 1984; his high-performance drag racing engines also showed up in tractor pulling applications. In the mid-1940s, he segued to boat racing, setting a world record at Salton Sea on his second time out.

As founder and CEO of SC Performance, Sheldon was an avid supporter of SEMA and industry causes. His SC Performance outlets were regarded as the first speed shop “chain stores,” operated in the western United States. An interesting note: Sheldon developed the design for the SEMA trophies.

Shelby was familiar as the nameplate on quality performance cars: the Shelby Cobra, the Cobra Mustang and others.  What isn’t as commonly known about Carroll was his dedication to a variety of philanthropic causes, among them the Carroll Shelby Children’s Foundation.