MANILA, Philippines — Ricardo Guevara, a Filipino businessman based in New York, received a lifetime achievement award from the Specialty Equipment and Automotive Aftermarket (SEMA) during an automotive trade show held in Las Vegas recently.

Guevara – who is the founder and president of Konig Importers N.A. of the United States – also became the 11th inductee of the Wheel and Tire Council (WTC) hall of fame in the United States during a reception held at the same venue in recognition of his “exceptional service, integrity and business ethics in relation to the wheel and tire industries for the past 20 years”.

At the same time, the WTC cited Guevara for his valuable contribution to the growth of the wheel industry.

The Las Vegas trade show had attracted a large number of exhibitors of tires, wheels, rims, mufflers and other automotive parts from manufacturers in the United States and other countries.

Guevara and his wife, Fiona - who have lived in the United States for the past 32 years – organized Konig Importers N.A. in 1981 as importers of Konig Seats and Sonax Car Care products from Germany.

A few years later, the firm started importing Rota-Italia wheels from the Philippines and Dial wheels from France.

Then, the firm opened its own factory in Thailand and eventually partnered with YHI Group, a publicly-listed firm, to manufacture Konig wheels under various brands like Avanti Racing, Maxxim and Privat to name a few.

Guevara is the youngest son of the late Filipino industrialist Domingo Guevara Sr. who established the first Volkswagen assembly plant in the Philippines.