LAS VEGAS — For the second year in a row a 1969 Chevrolet Camaro took home top honors in the SEMA Battle of the Builders competition, beating out a pair of vintage Chevy pickups and a rare Iso Rivolta sport compact.

PELHAM, Ala. — Alabama entrepreneur William King has opened a Tuffy Tire & Auto Service Center in Pelham, his first and just the second Tuffy outlet in Alabama.

SURREY, British Columbia — Don Blythe's legacy as a champion for the tire recycling industry was enhanced recently with the dedication in his honor of a soft-surface playground composed of more than 1,000 recycled tires not far from Mr. Blythe's home in Surrey.

LAS VEGAS — ASA Automotive Systems is expanding the range of digital products available to its customers to include online customer-engagement tools developed by automotive repair services software provider Openbay Inc.

CINCINNATI — Tire Discounters opened four retail stores in recent weeks in Indiana and Kentucky, pushing the Cincinnati-based dealership's store network to 128 locations in six states.

ATLANTA — Apollo Tyres Ltd. has appointed Iris Worldwide as its lead brand strategy and creative agency in North America for its Vredestein premium tire brand.

BERLIN — The publisher of Auto Bild, one of Europe's largest consumer automotive magazines, has recognized Group Michelin's Uptis non-pneumatic tire/wheel concept with its "Golden Steering Wheel" award, symbolic of the automotive innovation of the year.

LAS VEGAS — Members of the Automotive Lift Institute have elected Jeff Kritzer of BendPak Inc. to be chairman of the group's board of directors, succeeding Stet Schanze of Gray Manufacturing Co., who has served three-plus terms as chair

OXFORD, N.C. — As an automotive engineer, Brian Rigney, president of Oxford-based Dill Air Controls Products L.L.C., said he believes he brings a somewhat different perspective than usual to his new role as president of the Tire Industry Association (TIA).