DIAMOND BAR, CA — Carl Sheffer, vice president, OEM Relations for the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA), has announced his resignation from the association effective immediately. Sheffer will continue with the organization in a consultancy role. John Waraniak vice president of Vehicle Technology and Bill Wolf, Sr. manager of OEM Relations will assume Sheffer’s duties on an interim basis.

“I am extremely proud of the significant contributions I’ve made to both the SEMA organization and its member companies,” said Sheffer. “It’s been an honor to help raise SEMA’s profile throughout the industry, especially within the OEM community.”

Chris Kersting, president and CEO of SEMA said, “We appreciate Carl’s contribution to the SEMA organization and to our member companies. He is held in high-regard by his peers and we look forward to working with him in a consultancy role in the future.”

With more than 35 years in the automotive and specialty equipment industry, Sheffer’s passion for the automobile is well-known. During his tenure at SEMA, he broadened and increased the participation of OEMs at the SEMA Show and further strengthened the relationship between the OEMs and SEMA member companies. Sheffer played a key role in growing the Tech Transfer program, a key SEMA service that provides direct access to CAD data from several OEMs to hundreds of SEMA member companies, thus reducing time and cost associated with bringing new accessories to market.