News and information from SEMA's councils and committees.

Now more than ever, the specialty-equipment industry needs strong, visionary leadership. SEMA's 2010 Board of Directors Nominating Committee asks you to choose the industry's most talented leaders for a seat on the SEMA Board of Directors.

Business publications reported in the past few days that online shopping grew as much as 5% from 2008 to $27.1 billion in revenue during this holiday season. Love it or hate it, the Internet has become a prolific sales stream, and every forward-looking company must address online sales as part of its marketing strategy. An exclusive new SEMA webinar—"The Essentials of Online Marketing"—provides participants with must-know information about how to capture market share and increase sales.

SEMA is alerting its members that a one-page form they may receive offering a "free" business directory listing is not free when you sign the form. Examples of these business directories include “World Business Guide,” “World Business Directory,” “Expo-Guide” and “The Fair Guide.” The guides are generally operated from Austria, Mexico, the Netherlands, Slovakia, Spain and other countries. SEMA recommends that you not complete these types of listing forms.

The SEMA Financial Benchmarking Report is a new program that allows your company to benchmark key sales performance indicators against industry averages. Three reports are available, one each for manufacturers, WDs and retailers.

The WD-40/SEMA Cares Camaro will appear at this month’s Barrett-Jackson auction after completing an auto show circuit that included its debut at the 2009 SEMA Show.

SEMA-commissioned forecasts from the Center for Automotive Research (CAR) feature exclusive insights on changes in vehicle technology, OEM direction/strategy, government regulatory trends and consumer mindset.

The business tips and information delivered through the SEMA webinar program provide SEMA-member companies and their employees with bite-sized learning sessions that tackle the industry’s hottest topics.

See which cars and trucks the industry selected as most accessory-friendly for 2010.

MySEMA, a social networking tool available on www.sema.org, provides a platform for members to stay connected with peers and receive the latest industry news and information.