SEMA 2016

The 50th Anniversary of the SEMA Show was a huge success... for me AND for the organization itself! There was crowds of people throughout the show every day all day and it was yet another amazing experience. It never ceases to amaze me about what it actually takes to put on a show of this stature as seamlessly as they do. I applaud all of you involved in making the SEMA Show happen.

Appearances with my sponsors and brand partners throughout the week kept me busy, so I didn't really get the chance to walk the entire show. What I did see was incredible innovations, amazing fans and what seemed like a new found "spark" throughout the entire industry.

Over the last 4 years SEMA has been holding a competition called LaunchPad. It's kinda like SharkTank where the entrepreneurs pitch their new fancy product to a large audience and a few judges. In our case they first pitch to thousands of people on the internet, of which gets narrowed down to 10 finalists who then pitch in front of panel of 5 of us judges and a live audience, and then the judges pick the ultimate winner. A company called AnyLevelLift took home the win this year and I am honored to be an intricate part to the beginning of their business that will no doubt flourish.

My RealDeal business partner Theresa Contreras and I unveiled the RnineT motorcycle we built for BMW. It was a success and we received lots of attention for the motorcycle. It's a beautiful bike and we are very proud of all the work we put into building it and those who helped us along the way!

This was also my first year working with SEMA... yes, SEMA is more than just a giant trade show; it has offices, with people, that work year round, hold events outside of their annual show in Vegas and have a huge voice in congress when it comes to auto/government issues. Either way, it was a great experience to be as involved as I was this year. I have to thank Peter MacGilllivray and Warren Kosikov for their help regarding everything SEMA. The New Products Breakfast was great and I was honored to hand out awards to deserving companies. At the SEMA Banquet Thursday night, my co-host Dennis Pittsenbarger and I successfully hosted the event's largest party. By Friday I was beyond wiped out, but rallied to attend SEMA Ignited where I was able to see a ton of cars I didn't have a chance to see on the showroom floor. Overall, it was a killer week with lots of fan time, great sponsors and brand partners, new business and a whole lot of fun.

Thank you WARN, Lincoln, CRC, Torcco, LaunchPad, GearUpGirl, SBN, Lucid, Ignited, and of course SEMA for another eye opening year. I am forever grateful.

Now... onto my next project!

photo with Ed Tillrock... the 2106 chosen SEMA artist