MEMA Honors Retiring President and CEO with Triangle Award

The Board of Directors of the Motor & Equipment Manufacturers Assoc. (MEMA) presented president and CEO Steve Handschuh with the association’s highest honor-the MEMA Triangle Award-at a November meeting. Handschuh is retiring as MEMA’s top executive on Dec. 31.

“Steve’s leadership, his vision and his passion for our association and the industry truly exemplify the MEMA Triangle Award’s mission of honoring selfless contributions to the motor vehicle supplier industry,” said Daniel E. Sceli, chairman of the MEMA Board of Directors and CEO of Peterson American Corp. “While we will miss Steve’s guidance at MEMA, we are proud to add his name to the list of industry legends who have received the MEMA Triangle Award.”

Handschuh joined MEMA in 2006 as the president and COO of the Automotive Aftermarket Suppliers Assoc. (AASA), MEMA’s light vehicle aftermarket division, and was appointed as president and CEO of MEMA in October 2013. In that position, Handschuh led MEMA and its four divisions: AASA, the Heavy-Duty Manufacturers Association. (HDMA), the Association for Sustainable Manufacturing (MERA) and the Original Equipment Suppliers Assoc. (OESA).

Much of Handschuh’s 40-year career was dedicated to the automotive aftermarket industry. He worked for NAPA AUTO PARTS/Genuine Parts Co. for 18 years, including serving as NAPA president from 1998-2004. He also served as the commercial senior vice president at AutoZone. Handschuh began his career as an outside salesman for Mighty Auto Parts, where he rose to vice president of sales and marketing.

The Triangle Award has been presented by MEMA and its divisions since 1974. It is awarded periodically to the person, persons or organization whom the membership of MEMA and its divisions chooses to honor for contributions to the supplier industry.

Past recipients of the MEMA Triangle award include Marc Fleischaker, chairman emeritus of Arent Fox; Michael Cardone Jr., director, owner and chief strategy officer of CARDONE Industries; Bob McKenna, retired president and CEO of MEMA; David O’Reilly of O’Reilly Automotive Inc.; the late Joseph M. Magliochetti of Dana Corp.; Tom Gallagher of Genuine Parts Co., Bill Long, president of AASA (then of DANA/Echlin); the late Frederick J. Mancheski of Echlin Inc.; John M. Riess (then of The Gates Rubber Co.); the late Larry McCurdy (then of Moog Automotive); and Jack Reilly (then of Tenneco Automotive).