James Lawrence

President/Founder

I believe in PEOPLE and the power of COMMUNITY. A great TEAM is the most important competitive advantage any organization can have.

At POWER, our mission is simple yet powerful: We fuel automotive dreams. Whether you’re behind the wheel, tinkering in the garage, or chasing down the next 200 mph thrill, we create stories, events, and videos to entertain, inspire, and connect. Cars ignite our passions, build vibrant communities, and create unforgettable moments—and we’re here to share that magic with the world.

I’m focused on pushing the loud pedal every day, driving innovation, and connecting with fellow enthusiasts to deliver exceptional automotive content and experiences.

I also run a tech startup called HAPPY – which delivers intelligent coaching based on behavioral science. That has been an amazing experience as well.

My leadership journey wasn’t straightforward—I learned early on that real authority doesn’t come from a title. It comes from understanding your team, building trust, and fostering a culture where people thrive. That belief has shaped every company I’ve launched, every team I’ve led, and every decision I’ve made.

Here’s a bit about me:
	•	Launched four startups, including Happy, our tech coaching platform
	•	Former Chairman of the Specialty Equipment Manufacturing Association (SEMA)
	•	National champion in auto racing and youth football coaching
	•	Proud husband to Melissa and dad to Bradley, Jordan, and Taylor

When I’m not leading the team at POWER/HAPPY or spending time with my family, you’ll find me:
	•	Coaching youth football
	•	Chasing the next adrenaline rush behind the wheel
	•	Diving into great books like The Hard Thing About Hard Things by Ben Horowitz and 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey

I love connecting with like-minded people who share a passion for innovation, leadership, and creating incredible experiences. Whether it’s through a podcast, public speaking, or collaborating with entrepreneurs and visionaries, I’m always looking for opportunities to share ideas and solve big problems.

💌 Let’s connect: james@powerautomedia.com

At my core, I believe the cornerstone of every great organization is its people. My mission has always been to create extraordinary things by unlocking the power of connection, collaboration, and passion—whether that’s in the workplace, at the racetrack, or in a garage full of wrenches and dreams.

CEO & Cofounder

In the new era of work, building effective teams is more important than ever to organizational performance. Happy enhances organizational culture, communication and manager effectiveness at scale – making your people your competitive advantage. Happy is a coaching platform that uses behavioral science & AI to build a user manual for your entire team in less than 10 minutes.

Performing Quality Management System (QMS) audits and Tier 1 automotive Quality audits
| Completed over 50 IATF 16949 and ISO9001:2015 audits on companies in diverse industries: plastics, rubber, electrical wiring, HVAC, sheetmetal stamping, medical equipment maintenance and more.
| Achieved 'Green' Auditor status after completing extensive training and testing for IATF 16949.

Lead Auditor, IATF 16949 & ISO9001:2015

General Motors

Leading Full Fill: the Design Thinking team at General Motors. 
We believe everybody deserves meaningful work, and that the power of Design Thinking to define problems from the user’s perspective is key achieving that goal.
We are making this happen by showing people how Design Thinking works, growing people in their ability to apply Design Thinking through a ‘do to learn’ program and then giving people the chance to be known and know others that want to do meaningful work, too.

Manager - Full Fill

Supported Vice President & leadership team with extensive internal and external user-centered research
   -Developed deep understanding of what is desirable for various subjects, including: 
      •	employee-to-leadership communication 
•	talent acquisition and career development
•	COVID-induced business operations,
•	intellectual property growth opportunities  
•	development and tracking of engineering requirements, 
•	motorsports technology sharing
•	Diversity, Equity and Inclusion initiatives

Completed 35+ Design Thinking Challenges with diverse ‘all-volunteer’ teams I recruited and coached to completion with a ‘Desirable’ prototype pitched to executives

Produced multiple functioning prototypes being developed into scaled organizational solutions

Developed 100% virtual method(!) to perform Design Thinking challenges to understand Desirability
   •	prior to COVID, I had been taught/performed/believed that Design Thinking challenges could only be done live, in-person...but, I used the remote work situation to develop a highly functional, effective, fast method to complete Design Thinking challenges in an ‘all-virtual’ setting (through LOTS of fail-fast moments!).

Strategic Project Manager

Co-created and led iHub, GM’s innovation incubator and consultancy; providing guidance, exposure and resources to grassroots product developers as they define problems from the user’s perspective, then create products and services that solve those problems
Led the creation and scaling of:         
-GM’s innovation methodology: already successfully utilized by 1000+ innovators
-an online crowdsourcing platform leveraging employee knowledge, passion and experience that has produced 5000+ submissions, 20+ patents and 2 newly sourced designs slated for vehicles
-an adaptive space leveraged for over 100 events/year to transform 2000+ mindsets 
-a companywide, annual innovation competition that has transformed the mindsets 1000s of volunteer participants to achieve 30+ patents and multiple product solutions on the path to production

Group Manager, Innovation Incubator

Vehicle Performance Engineer – Vehicle Integration, Chassis Controls	  		                2010-2015 
Vehicle Controls Engineer – Hybrid Electrification Group, Chevrolet Volt Media Fleet   	2009-10 
Documentation Manager – Hybrid/Electrification Group     				                        2008-09
-Led dynamic development of active safety features on 4 electric and hybrid vehicle programs
-Awarded 4 Patents: Software for active safety controls and physical active aerodynamics devices 
-Did double-duty: Managed controls on pre-production Chevrolet Volt road-show vehicles, and represented GM with influencers, government leaders and media members at 30+ key events
-Defined and documented 400 new acronyms and 25 new vehicle systems to assist internal and external understanding of emerging parallel hybrid technology (Volt)

Electric/Hybrid Vehicle Development (GM)

Technical Content Manager – GM Performance Division     			2005-08 
Group Manager, Product Planning/Marketing/Sales – GM Performance Parts  	2003-05 
-Showcased extensive documentation capabilities on emerging technology: published book on emerging LS1 V8 Engine family that was top seller in genre for over 2 years
-As P/L responsible Manager, led relaunch of GM Performance Parts to drive 70% sales increase in less than 2 years, while reducing expense over 50%
-Launched sealed racing Crate Engine business that stabilized grassroots short-track racing industry and generates millions in sales/year 
-Created, then published internally, plan for vehicle platform-based GM Accessories business model that became roadmap to current multi-million dollar/yr business unit
-Completed 70+ hour GM Leadership Training program and represented GM to media at 30 events

Performance Vehicles and Accessories Leadership (GM)

Lead Designing Engineer – Body, Closures       					2000-03 
-Led team of Engineers identifying and resolving customer problems based on JD Power issues to improve vehicle score by almost 2 points (that is big!)
-Provided design release/manufacturing engineering: Hummer H2 launch - resolving ‘stop order’ issues to minimize production costs, and Pontiac Grand Prix - cost savings program (saved over $100/car)

Production Vehicle Engineer

Petersen Publishing (now The Enthusiast Network, or TEN)

MOTOR TREND’S TRUCK TREND - Road Test Editor
HOT ROD - Feature Editor
ROD & CUSTOM - Technical Editor
CIRCLE TRACK - Technical Editor

-Created/published over 2500 pages of technical articles over 10 years of experience in deadline media. 
-Co-founded HOT ROD Power Tour nationwide event (still going/growing after 25 years!) 
-Initiated multiple ‘social movements’, like the ‘Rat Rod’ vehicle movement, by developing understanding of user desires, creating and promoting compelling storylines and partnering with multiple entities to manifest ideas into product
-Standardized multiple test procedures for new vehicle evaluation to provide competitive advantage over other new vehicle testing magazines

Magazine Writer/Photographer

In every endeavor I am involved with, the people involved are my top priority, because great teams are the first and last reason success is achieved in highly ambiguous and, often, seemingly impossible, situations (and great teams are just amazing to be part of).

My background is varied: but always centered on transparency, providing exponential value from the effort, lifting up the people I am working with and enjoying the journey.
I enjoy setting goals and achieving them, but my overriding goal is to unlock and maximize the creative potential in all of us.


Check out my latest book, ‘Frozens Melting’ here: https://a.co/d/1YF062b

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