A lot of things happened in 1993. Bill Clinton succeeded George H.W. Bush as the 42nd president of the United States. The Chicago Bulls and Michael Jordan won their third straight NBA title, while the Buffalo Bills lost their third straight NFL Super Bowl. The Jeep Grand Cherokee hit the market and was on display all over the SEMA Show floor. And, the SEMA Show Silent Auction had it’s first ever auction to benefit the SEMA Memorial Scholarship fund.

That’s right, the SEMA Show Silent Auction is celebrating its 15th year in operation in 2008. Over that time the auction has raised nearly $750,000 in efforts to provide financial assistance to future, current and even past students that are pursuing a career in the automotive industry.
“Our first year of exhibiting at SEMA was ’93 or ’94 and we have been donating to the Silent Auction ever since,” said John Kelsey, owner of Kelsey Tire in Camdenton, Missouri. “We do it mainly because of the educational benefits it gives to others. There are some additional marketing benefits, sure, and we hope that when show attendees see our product in the auction area that it will ignite a spark of interest and intrigue them to find our booth, but the larger picture is that it really helps out the young adults who are striving to get their education and will eventually be the leaders of this industry. We are basically helping to educate our future industry leaders one small donation at a time.”

The very first auction was a vision of SEMA’s Person of the Year 1996 and SEMA Hall of Fame member Amy Faulk and the SEMA Businesswomen’s Network (SBN). The idea was hatched as a way for the SBN to further its involvement with the SEMA show itself, to help train it’s governing board members on running SEMA related activities as a stepping stone to becoming even more involved with SEMA’s programs and, most importantly, to help out those individuals who were interested in a degree and the automotive industry as a career but needed financial assistance. SBN remained the sponsoring council for the auction for nearly 10 years until it was then turned over to the SEMA Young Executive’s Network (YEN) in 2004.

Currently, the SEMA Show Silent Auction has become a don’t-miss feature of the SEMA Show. Presented by the SEMA Young Executives Network, the SEMA Show Silent Auction features collectibles of all kinds, autographed memorabilia, rare items, industry product and even a new vehicle. The last two new vehicles to be auctioned were a 2006 GMC Yukon and a 2007 Toyota Tundra, both customized by a team of professionals lead by Mike Spagnola, President of Street Scene Equipment.

“The SEMA Show auction is a great way for our members to invest in the future of our industry by helping to fund the education of our future leaders,” said Will Woods, Vice President of SEMA Councils. “Last year was my first year to really experience the auction and I was extremely impressed with the amount of participation and dedication that the YEN group, and the donating companies, put into it. It really is a big deal for us that they are able to raise so much money for such a worthy cause.”

The 2008 SEMA Show Silent Auction will once again be easy to find, located on the sky bridge above the South Hall lobby of the Las Vegas Convention Center. You can place your bids during Show hours Tuesday through Thursday. Bidding closes at 5:00 p.m. Thursday, and all winners must claim their items or arrange for shipping by 4:00 p.m. Friday.