Just Wonderin’

It’s been more than 10 years since TIA – and, by extension, the tire industry – cast its lot with SEMA and officially attached itself to the SEMA Show.

Longtime Tire Review Editor Jim Smith passed away on Feb. 18, 2016. He was 57. With 30 years in the tire and automotive industries, Jim's communications experience included stints as a newspaper reporter and editor, a public relations manager and a variety of creative and management roles with a B2B marketing communications agency. A Kent State University journalism major, Jim served as editor for a number of community newspapers in Northeast Ohio before joining Modern Tire Dealer in 1984. After four years in brand and corporate public relations roles with Bridgestone Americas, Jim joined Nashville's Stumpf Bartels Advertising in 1992. He became Tire Review's editor in October 1999. Jim was honored with the Ed Wagner Tire Industry Leadership Award by the Tire Industry Association in November 2014.

Published: April 24, 2009

For some tiremakers, it’s been much longer.

As the high performance tire market grew by leaps and bounds, the SEMA Show was the place to be and be seen – for tiremakers and tire dealers.

So I am curious as to why more people in this industry haven’t become more involved in SEMA. In looking over the latest list of people standing for election to SEMA’s board of directors, nary a one comes from the tire business. There are folks from ad agencies, magazines, consulting companies and manufacturer rep firms. There are wheel companies and performance part makers on the list. Not one tire-related company.

Just wonderin’…

If you have comments to share, send to me at [email protected].

– Jim Smith

Gallery: Turbo Wholesale Tire open house

Highlights from this year’s annual Turbo Wholesale Tires open house event, which featured a trade show, dinner and buyers event.

By Christian Hinton

Published: May 15, 2024

Turbo Wholesale Tires recently held its annual open house event, where it introduced the new Lexani Volt-EC EV tire. However, as any of the hundreds of people in attendance will tell you, the event included much more than a tire launch. After registration, guests entered Turbo's new tire-filled warehouse, with half the space set aside for the tire companies and dealers, food and drinks, games and stage with a nearby pile of 89 prizes worth over $25,000.