When I started Bed Wood and Parts, I had no contacts or network of friends in the aftermarket automotive arena. I did not know where or how to advertise and promote Bed Wood and Parts products, nor did I know the ins and outs of how to deliver those products to the marketplace. I only knew that I had an idea, a dream if you will, that I could not be the only person on the globe who wanted a wood bed in their truck made out of some other wood than oak.

I wanted to have a choice. And I felt very strongly that others would like to have another choice, too.

With Vic Edelbrock at one of my first SEMA shows.

Although I grew up around hot rods and dirt track cars, and possessed a passion for the industry as a whole, I accepted the fact that I had a very steep learning curve to develop Bed Wood and Parts into a viable venture. I read every book and magazine I could find, and everything I read pointed me to one central location: SEMA, or as I sometimes I refer to it, the “everything aftermarket automotive.”

Every question I had about the industry, ranging from product development to marketing to sales to product delivery, was answered at that first SEMA show I attended. Since that time, through my involvement in SEMA, the network of friends, some of whom have become more like family, continues to grow.

For anyone who is considering entering into the aftermarket automotive industry, in my view membership and involvement in SEMA is a must. The adventure and excitement of my first SEMA show is relived and expanded upon each year I attend. The week I spend in Las Vegas among the best in the industry provides me with fresh ideas, wisdom, new business relationships, and a renewed enthusiasm for the future of both the industry as a whole and of Bed Wood and Parts. I want to welcome those who are attending their first SEMA show. I want to invite them to come by the Bed Wood and Parts booth to talk so I can help point them in the right direction, just as so many did for me. We are truly in this together.

– Jeff Major