A longtime member of the staff at Chevrolet, Vince Piggins recognized the value to a carmaker of a good working relationship with the specialty automotive aftermarket. He encouraged small companies to design and market accessories for all car makes, but in particular, for Chevrolet. He is reportedly responsible for helping with development of the Camaro Z/28 package.
A longtime member of the TRW staff, Alan’s expertise was in the field of international trade, in particular the export of U.S.-made automotive replacement parts.
Dan Borré worked as a marketing specialist and was employed at Keith Black Racing Engines. Additionally, he generously has been a SEMA Memorial Scholarship subfund sponsor.
Dick served for many years on the staff at Petersen Publishing Company, where he started as a cartoonist. He advanced to become publisher of Car Craft magazine, and later took the reigns of Motor Trend. His successes in publishing, based on his marketing abilities, are legend. He also helped to establish the National Champion Custom Car Show.
As general manager, George was responsible for the success of Argus Publishers and its flagship magazine, Popular Hot Rodding, and is credited with helping to grow the company to reach more than 20 markets in the U.S. and to launch various television series. George delved into motorsports television production before opening the Elliott Marketing Group. He was also a respected racer, with first-place finishes in the Baja 1000 and the first-ever Baja 500. He served on the SEMA Board of Directors and was saluted for his many successes during his term as Chairman of the Board from 1991 to 1994. He was named Man of the Year by the Racers for Christ, and the International Show Car Association awarded him its Founders Award in 1993. George also received the George Hurst Drag Racing Journalism Award. He served as president of the International Hot Rod Association.
President and CEO of Edelbrock Equipment Co., Vic Jr., born Otis Victor Edelbrock, said of his career, “I learned the business by starting out in the shop, sweeping floors.” Vic helped grow the company his dad, Vic Sr., created into a major name among hot-rodders, racers and all auto enthusiasts. Vic was also the first son to join his father in the SEMA Hall of Fame. With the death of his father in 1962, Vic Jr. assumed the position of company president at the young age of 26. He served on the SEMA Board of Directors from 1967 to 1989 and as the Board’s Chairman from 1971 to 1975. During his first SEMA presidency term, he formed the first group of committees dealing with environmental issues, including emissions regulations. Vic Jr. was named to the PWA Hall of Fame and was its Person of the Year in 1982 and 1987. His other accomplishments also include being recipient of the Robert E. Petersen Lifetime Achievement Award and induction into the International Drag Racing Hall of Fame.
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. Don was awarded PWA’s first Pioneer Award in 1981, and has been named SEMA WD of the Year.
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. Dean was the second president of SEMA in 1964, following his notable involvement in the formation of the Association. His legacy lives on in the form of Mooneyes USA.
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.
