Once again, the Annual TCRA Seminar has come and gone, and planning has already begun for 2026.  Every
year has been successful, memorable, and has created building blocks for the subsequent year. Some say it’s
because of location, while many say the annual tour is what drives their decision to attend, and for others, it’s
the guest speaker roster and discussions topics. Regardless of what the catalyst is, the one thing I think we
can all agree on is how great it is to be in one place with some of the best there is in the industry.

Speaking of the annual location, I remember reading a Dr. Suess book called ‘Oh, The Places You’ll Go’, and
that got me thinking about the places we’ve been. AS we look back, I’d say there haven’t been any
disappointments, and since the years have a tendency to blend over time; here’s a reminder of where TCRA
has hosted over the last decade…

• 2025 Houston, TX:  Circle D Specialties, NASA Space Center Houston
• 2024 Pensacola, FL: Alto, National Naval Aviation Museum
• 2023 Charlotte, NC: RevMax, Nascar Hall of Fame Museum
• 2022 Troy, MI: F-150 Rouge Plant, Henry Ford Museum, GM Heritage Museum
• 2021 Fort Walton Beach, FL: Suncoast Converters
• 2019 Louisville, KY: Jasper engines and Transmissions
• 2018 Cape Coral, FL: Florida Torque Converter
• 2017 Ventura, CA: HAAS, ATRA Headquarters
• 2016 Seattle, WA: Boeing’s Everett Assembly Plant
• 2015 Greenville, SC: Koyo Bearing

This year, the weekend kicked off Thursday with the annual welcome reception, hosted by Wolfpack
Enterprises, which provides an opportunity to decompress from the travel day, eat a little, have a couple
beverages, and visit with some familiar faces before kicking off the event with a shop/industry tour Friday
morning.

As always seems to be the case, the tours are worth the wait.  Motorcoaches took attendees to Circle D
Specialties, where Chris Sehorn and his staff provided group tours of his state-of-the art torque converter
technology & manufacturing facility. Attendees got to see how CFD modeling software, SolidWorks design, 5-
axis CNC-machining, & comprehensive data analysis help Circle D create and build the high-performance
converters they are known for.

While at Circle D, Blake Carter and his ‘Pit Crew’ from Suncoast Converters prepared what is arguably the best
lunch we’ve had at one of these events.  While at Circle D, TCRA hosted the annual Member’s Meeting.  This
provided great opportunity to present the ‘State-of-the-Association’ to the TCRA members, which covered
accomplishments over the last 12 months, a financial overview, new initiatives, and it also provides an
opportunity for members to provide their feedback about where they would like to go in the coming years and
what they like or would like to see from the Association. Members were able to cast their votes for who they
would like to see on the Board of Directors for the next year. Officers will be voted on in the May Director’s
Meeting.

TCRA likes to include a ‘bonus stop’ each year that many might not otherwise have a chance to make it to.
This year’s stop was NASA’s Space Center Houston, where we were able to see some retired rockets and learn
some history of space exploration.

The day was brought to a close with an annual reception hosted by Sonnax.  Here, attendees have an
opportunity to unwind, talk shop, talk about the tours, network, and catch up with some industry
acquaintances, before kicking off Saturday with a broad range of guest speakers.

Rodger Bland (ATRA) kicked off the day by exploring how emotions influence business and life. He was
followed by industry veteran, Bob Warnke (Warnke Consulting), who presented inherent issues and diagnostic
steps in 2, 3, and 4 path torque converters. Christina McGee (ATR) reviewed proper diagnostics and explained
how to avoid mis-diagnosis. John Parmenter (Precision International) shared a perspective on how to develop
an open dialogue with the end user and review common faults that are easily mis-diagnosed as converter
failures. Pepe Torres (Aus-Tex Transmission) explained the importance of how a proper tune is critical to
converter lock-up. Alfredo Jiminez and Jason Hanley (Schaeffler) brought some OE insight and provided some
confidence that ICE and hybrid systems are going to be around for a while. Jim Dial (Sonnax) reviewed 8,9,
and 10 speed torque converter controls, drivability complaints, and common failures, and Bobby Mace
(Babcox/Transmission Digest) reviewed the current state of industry and emerging market trends.

Vendors were available before the technical session, during the morning break, and during lunch to afford the
attendees the opportunity to visit to see what’s new and ask questions to representatives on hand.

It takes a lot of planning and support to pull these events off year-over-year; none of which would be possible
without Sponsors, Guest Speakers, Industry Partners, TCRA Staff, TCRA Board of Directors, and most of all, the
attendees, who value the education and the comradery they have come to expect each year.  A special thank
you goes out to Circle D Specialties, WolfPack, Saxco, Sonnax, RevMax, BorgWarner, The Core Guys, and
WIT/Advanced Printing Solutions, for their contributions to the 2025 event.

TCRA would also like to take a moment to thank Jan Stimmel for her diligence, willingness, and support for all
her years with the Association. We wish her a happy, safe, and relaxing retirement!

There was a lot to absorb from this year’s event, and we are looking forward to seeing everyone again in 2026!
Be on the lookout for new Tech Specs, Technical Articles, Industry News, and Announcements for where we
will be next year.