INDIANAPOLIS (March 6, 2004) -- Jon Titman, Joe O'Connor and Kurt
Gassen were honored for their contributions to the restyling segment
of
the specialty automotive industry yesterday at the PRO Industry
Awards
Reception. The Professional Restylers Organization, a SEMA council,
held the reception during SEMA Spring Expo 2004 in the Indiana
Convention Center here.

Jon Titman, national sales manager for E&G Classics, Columbia, Md.,
received the Jim Borré Lifetime Achievement Award named after the
late
PRO chairman and SEMA Board member. The award is given annually to
an outstanding individual whose creativity, integrity,
industriousness and
accomplishments on a national level have enhanced the stature of the
automotive restyling industry while significantly contributing to
the
industry's grown and professionalism. 3M Automotive Division
sponsors
this award.

Joe O'Connor, president of The Ideal Group, Ferndale, Mich.,
received
the PRO Restyler of the Year award. O'Connor, a three-term PRO
Select
Committee member and frequent seminar presenter at SEMA trade shows,
has been involved with the industry group for many years. O'Connor,
who
began his industry career as a pinstriper and moved into the sunroof
business, has seen his business grow until its recent listing on
NASDAQ.
Accepting the award, he said, "I appreciate this honor -- it's
really an elite
group. I've had a lot of help along the years." The Restyler of the
Year
award is sponsored by American Sunroofs Inalfa.

Kurt Gassen, owner of Topper World, Gretna, La., was named the Truck
Accessory Specialist of the Year. Gassen, a second-generation truck
accessory retailer, started working in the business when he was 12.
An
LTAA 20-Group member, Gassen attributed some of his success to SEMA
and its councils, saying the organization has provided "tools to
succeed
in business." The award is sponsored by Westin Automotive Products.

The Professional Restylers Organization's primary objectives are
representation of the collective interests of SEMA-member companies
serving the restyling and accessory market, and the development of
effective strategies for dealing with industry-specific issues. PRO
was
formed as a SEMA committee in 1990 and elevated to council status
two
years later. Its members have been instrumental in the development
of the
SEMA Installer Certification Program and the creation of programs
designed to build car dealer and OEM awareness of the benefits of
vehicle accessorization.

For more information about PRO, contact Ellen McKoy, SEMA's senior
director, dealer relations, at ellenm@..., or 909/396-0289,
ext. 148.