ELEVEN BEGIN TERMS ON SEMA BOARD OF DIRECTORS

DIAMOND BAR, Calif. (June 27, 2002) – SEMA, the Specialty Equipment Market Association, has elected 11 directors to serve two-year terms on its board, composed of leaders in various segments of the automotive specialty industry. The SEMA membership voted seven newcomers and four incumbents into office.“We welcome back those board members who have been re-elected and we look forward to working with the newly-elected members,” said Chris Kersting, executive vice president of SEMA, who will become the association’s president on July 1. “This group of volunteers brings tremendous talent to help guide SEMA.”New SEMA directors from the manufacturing segment are Matt Agosta, Brian Horowitz and Russell Stephens.Agosta, president of Steele Rubber Products, Inc., Denver, N.C., has spent 27 years as a manufacturer in the industry’s automotive restoration and street rod segment. He has served on the Automotive Restoration Market Organization (ARMO) council for 10 years, most recently as its chairman.Horowitz is CEO of American Products Company (APC), Corona, Calif., which he founded in 1998. He began his entrepreneurial career in the specialty automotive industry in 1984. Horowitz currently serves as chairman-elect of SEMA’s new Sport Compact Council (SCC).Stephens is the sales and marketing manager for MSD Ignition, El Paso, Texas. He began his career in 1979 at MSD Ignition, and has served on SEMA’s Warehouse Distributor of the Year committee, Rep of the Year committee, and the select committee for the Motorsports Parts Manufacturers Council (MPMC).Re-elected incumbents from the manufacturers segment are Jim Cozzie, vice president, sales, of B&M Racing, Chatsworth, Calif.; Rick Rollins, national sales/marketing manager for Superchips, Inc., Longwood, Fla.; and Mitch Williams, president and COO of Hella, Inc., Peachtree City, Ga.Joining the SEMA board from the distributor/retailer & services segment of the SEMA membership are Kathy Bybee Hartzell, Patrick Judge and Jon Wyly.Hartzell, the business development manager for CollectorCarTraderOnline.com, has spent eleven years in the automotive industry. She has held positions at the American Automotive Heritage Foundation and Carlisle Productions. Hartzell is currently a select committee member of the ARMO council.Judge, the executive vice president and secretary of Keystone Automotive Operations, Inc., Exeter, Penn., has worked in the industry for 35 years. He has been very active in SEMA-membership campaigns.Wyly, vice president of Arrow Speed Warehouse, Kansas City, Kan., joins the SEMA board with 25 years of retail and wholesale experience in the automotive aftermarket. He has helped lead Arrow to be chosen SEMA’s Warehouse/Distributor of the Year three times.Mark Pettersen, president and owner of Pettersen Motorsports, Inc., Chico, Calif., continues on the board representing the distributor/retailer & services membership.Incumbent Steve Bolio, partner in Scafidi-Bolio & Associates, Waltham, Mass., was elected for a third term representing the manufacturers representatives. Bolio, currently a member of the SEMA Executive Committee, has spent nearly four decades in the industry. Scafidi-Bolio & Associates belongs to SEMA councils ARMO, MRC (Manufacturers Rep Council), PRO (Professional Restylers Organization), SRMA (Street Rod Marketing Alliance) and TCAA (Truck Cap & Accessory Alliance).Directors who will continue on SEMA’s board are Joel Ayers, sales manager for Leer West, Woodland, Calif.; Gerry Ballard, president of Ballard & Allan Marketing, Inc., Costa Mesa, Calif.; Tom Brooks, president of Truckin Thunder, Richmond, Va.; Paul “Scooter” Brothers, co-owner and research and development director of Competition Cams, Inc., Memphis, Tenn.; Todd Gartshore, vice president, marketing, of Baer Brake Systems, Phoenix; Butch Lahmann, president of ATV Auto Truck and Van, Inc., Hauppauge, N.Y.; Dennis Overholser, vice president, product development, and co-founder of Painless Performance, Fort Worth, Texas; Anne Thomas, president of SECO, Inc., Birmingham, Ala.; Bob West, vice president, sales and marketing, of Westin Automotive Products, Inc., Irwindale, Calif.; Van Woodell, president of Weathers Auto Supply, Petersburg, Va.; Jeep Worthan, vice president, marketing/sales, of Auto Meter Products, Inc., Sycamore, Ill.Nate Shelton, chief marketing officer of K&N Engineering, Riverside, Calif., continues as SEMA Chairman and will complete his two-year term in July 2003. Chairman-elect Corky Coker, president of Coker Tire Co., Inc., Chattanooga, Tenn., will become SEMA’s chairman in July 2003.The association’s secretary-treasurer will be announced at a later date.Charles R. Blum, CAE, president of SEMA for 22 years, will become SEMA President Emeritus on July 1, 2002 when Kersting assumes the association’s presidency.SEMA, the Specialty Equipment Market Association, represents the $26 billion specialty automotive industry. The trade association has approximately 4,500 member companies. It is the authoritative source of research data, trends and market growth information for automakers and the specialty auto products industry. The industry provides appearance, performance, comfort, convenience and technology products for passenger cars, minivans, trucks, SUVs and recreational vehicles.
For more information, contact SEMA at 1575 S. Valley Vista Dr., Diamond Bar, CA, 91765-3914; call 909/396-0289; or visit <<www.enjoythedrive.com::http://www.enjoythedrive.com>.# # #