Zan Martin Announces Retirement, Martin & Co. Agency Closure
Former SEMA board member helped grow industry brands for three decades…
Zan Martin, former Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) board member and president and founder of Martin & Company Advertising, announces her retirement after a career that spans five decades in the performance automotive aftermarket.
Active with SEMA throughout her career, Martin served in many SEMA leadership roles including on the board of directors from 2009-21. During her tenure, she chaired the SEMA marketing task force, raising significant funds to promote SEMA membership and support the SEMA Action Network’s effort to pass legislation that would protect the classic car market.
She also served as chair of the SEMA Business Women’s Network (SBN) from 2001-03, where she was instrumental in launching the SBN Mentorship program, according to a press release announcing her retirement.
Martin & Company Advertising, the agency she founded with her late husband, Randal Martin, will permanently close after 32 years of continual operations, effective March 6.
“The performance aftermarket has been central to my career since 1985 when I first joined Burroughs & Associates. Then it was very different and truly a male-oriented industry. There are so many good memories, great relationships and milestones that occurred over the years—too many to count,” said Martin.
Widely recognized in the industry for providing creative, effective and award-winning marketing services for some of the industry’s most iconic performance automotive aftermarket brands, the agency’s past clients include Rancho, Kelderman Air Ride, American Powertrain, E3 Spark Plugs, Cherry Bomb, MAHLE Motorsport, Bridgestone, Durakon, EGR, Hot Shot’s Secret, Aeromotive and more.
The agency’s services encompassed print, digital and broadcast mediums and helped build many of the brands that are now household names. With the closure, Martin announces that she is still available to provide one-on-one consultative services for SEMA start-ups.
“I take pride that we provided cost-effective yet groundbreaking marketing services to build brand equity and grow sales, and I relish the many careers that were launched from our home-based agency and the opportunity I had to mentor rising stars in our industry,” Martin stated. “The closure of Martin & Company is bittersweet, but I look forward to my next chapter that will allow me to spend more time with my family and ministry and to concentrate on assisting start-ups as they navigate this crowded marketplace. I am grateful to God for giving me the opportunity to utilize my talents for an industry that has given me lifelong friends, a productive career and wonderful memories.”
Martin further shares some of her memories and career highlights, including being presented the SBN Athena Champion Award in 2005 for her contributions to women in the automotive aftermarket, in her blog.
