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BendPak's History with SEMA

If you thrive on cars, you know that BendPak and SEMA are both well-recognized names in the automotive industry. But did you know that both were started about the same time and each in Southern California? In 1965 Don Henthorn opened his new business in Southern California and named it Quality Machine and Associates (QMA). QMA quickly gained a reputation as the leading manufacturer for precision components for the advancing space program, the aircraft industry, and also pursued automotive shop equipment manufacturing.

BendPak at SEMA Show 2006

Some years after, QMA was renamed to BendPak. The origin of the BendPak brand is routed in the company’s beginnings manufacturing exhaust tubing bending equipment for muffler shops. Nowadays, BendPak supplies a host of quality automotive lifts, pipe benders, and shop equipment across both the U.S. and the globe. And as has been for many decades, Don Henthorn continues to own and operate BendPak as the company’s president.

Also beginning in the mid-1960s in Southern California, the Specialty Equipment Marketing Association (SEMA) was founded. But instead of becoming a manufacturing entity, SEMA was formed as an organization to help market and support the aftermarket automotive industry.

Today, many in the automotive industry are familiar with SEMA and the SEMA Show that takes place each fall in Las Vegas, Nevada. This event helps hundreds of aftermarket automotive exhibitors showcase their products and ideas within a four-day long tradeshow. The SEMA Show has grown so much that it completely fills the massive Las Vegas Convention Center and then some with exhibitors from across the world. For 2020, the SEMA Show has been rescheduled to 2021. But otherwise the show has been going on now for about 50 years. Over the many years, the SEMA Show has attracted a wide range of automotive businesses from the performance aftermarket, OE, automotive shop equipment manufacturers, and more.

BendPak and SEMA Show Today

Since those formative years, BendPak has been involved in and displaying at the annual SEMA Show to present their latest products and connect with those in the automotive industry. With SEMA’s 160,000 show attendees, the show is a perfect setting to meet with those directly involved in the automotive industry, learn about new trends, and physically display BendPak’s latest products such as the MaxJax, Autostacker, and QuickJack, with their compactness and usefulness. But best of all, it serves as a place to meet new people and again, start BendPak’s story with.

We hope to meet you at SEMA 2021!