2013 SEMA Awards To Showcase Industry’s Hottest Vehicle Platforms

To showcase the industry's top trend-setting vehicle models, the SEMA Awards will be announced and presented to winning automakers during the 2013 SEMA Show in Las Vegas, Nev., held Nov. 5-8, 2013. Through the program, SEMA exhibitors that make the products and accessories for today's popular models, will identify the vehicle platforms they believe are best for accessorizing, and ideal for showcasing the coolest new products.

To showcase the industry’s top trend-setting vehicle models, the SEMA Awards will be announced and presented to winning automakers during the 2013 SEMA Show in Las Vegas, Nev., held Nov. 5-8, 2013. Through the program, SEMA exhibitors that make the products and accessories for today’s popular models, will identify the vehicle platforms they believe are best for accessorizing, and ideal for showcasing the coolest new products.

"The SEMA Show has always been about highlighting the industry’s most innovative new products and the trends that emerge each year,” said Chris Kersting, SEMA president and CEO. "The SEMA Award celebrates the new vehicle models that SEMA exhibitors expect will be the major trend-setters in the months ahead."

Show organizers will take a tally of every booth vehicle at the Show to identify the most popular vehicle models in four categories (Hottest Car, Hottest Truck, Hottest 4×4-SUV, and Hottest Sport Compact). With each booth vehicle representing one vote, the most prominent models will be named the SEMA Award winners for the year.

"SEMA Show exhibitors have traditionally served as the true visionaries of the industry," said Kersting. "They’re making a strong statement about what they see as the year’s hottest new cars and trucks through the vehicles they select and modify for display in their booths.”

The SEMA Show typically includes more than 700 qualified booth vehicles. Last year’s SEMA Award winners were the Ford Mustang as the Hottest Car, the Ford F-Series as the Hottest Truck, the Jeep Wrangler as the Hottest 4×4-SUV, and the Scion FR-S as the Hottest Sport Compact. The 2013 winners will be announced and presented during a press conference at the SEMA Show. For additional information about the SEMA Award program, visit www.sema.org/semaaward.

The 2013 SEMA Show takes place Tuesday-Friday, November 5-November 8, 2013, in Las Vegas, Nevada. As the largest automotive trade gathering in the world, the annual event features more than 2,400 manufacturers, 130,000 industry professionals, dozens of educational seminars and several networking opportunities. To learn more about the event, visit www.SEMAShow.com.    About SEMA and the SEMA Show The SEMA Show is a trade show produced by the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA), a nonprofit trade association founded in 1963. Since the first SEMA Show debuted in 1967, the annual event has served as the leading venue bringing together manufacturers and buyers within the automotive specialty equipment industry. Products featured at the SEMA Show include those that enhance the styling, functionality, comfort, convenience and safety of cars and trucks. Additional details are available at www.SEMAShow.com or www.sema.org, 909/396-0289.

When Your Shop Is Worth Much More Than You Thought

Although every sale of a shop in which I am involved has its own unique set of circumstances, which makes my job both very interesting and very challenging, Cowden Automotive stands out as particularly memorable because I was able to demonstrate to the long-time owner, Paul Cowden, that his business was worth about three times what he had initially thought.

Case Study: Owner of San Francisco-based Import Service Shop Delighted to Discover Just How Valuable His Business is to Qualified Buyers
I sometimes share case studies of the clients I have been able to assist in my role as an aftermarket business broker and provider of intermediary and advisory services. I do that when I think the story will provide a reader in similar circumstances with new insights or helpful information.
In the case of Cowden Automotive, Inc., I acted in a consulting capacity assisting the owner and his broker in valuing the business, creating a marketing plan, finding a qualified buyer, and arranging financing for the sale.
Although every sale of a shop in which I am involved has its own unique set of circumstances, which makes my job both very interesting and very challenging, Cowden Automotive stands out as particularly memorable because I was able to demonstrate to the long-time owner, Paul Cowden, that his business was worth about three times what he had initially thought.
Needless to say, delivering that kind of good news to a shop owner is a rewarding experience. Discovering that the sale of his business would result in his retirement nest-egg being substantially larger than he had ever thought was a fitting tribute to someone who had spent his entire working career as a busy automotive service shop owner.

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