SEMA News - May 2010
What Makes Check Corporation and Pro Pledge Successful Partners?
SEMA News recently had the chance to catch up with long-time manufacturer and ProPledge participant Check Corporation. We spoke with Brian Champa, the company’s national sales manager, to learn a little more about its products and about ProPledge program benefits the business has realized over the years.
SEMA News: How has ProPledge benefitted Check Corporation?
Brian Champa: ProPledge sets us apart from the competition. Being a manufacturer that prides itself on providing high-quality parts, our association with ProPledge was a perfect fit.
SN: In what ways?
BC: Being a member of ProPledge reinforces our commitment that we stand behind our products and those who install them. ProPledge has allowed our installers to more effectively sell to new-car auto dealers that may have had concerns in the past about using aftermarket parts and the ability of the installer/manufacturer to warranty those parts nationwide.
SN: Where can ProPledge be of even greater benefit to not only Check Corporation, but also all manufacturers and restylers/installers?
BC: I believe ProPledge can be of even greater benefit to the hundreds if not thousands of installers nationwide who call on dealers every day to get their accessory business. They now have a program they can put in their toolbox that will allow them to address dealer concerns regarding nationwide three-year/36,000-mile warranty assistance, which is one of the most common objections that installers have had to deal with in the past at the new-car dealership level.
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Check Corporation has expanded well beyond its traditional automotive accessory market into such areas as health care, aviation, agriculture and construction equipment. |
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BC: Check Corporation has been in business for more than 17 years. It was formed to help service the growing automotive aftermarket business here in Detroit and the van conversion industry in Elkhart, Indiana. We are located in Troy, Michigan, where all product sales, design, engineering and manufacturing are done in our 45,000-sq.-ft. headquarters. This allows us easier access to new vehicles so that we can develop and bring to market product quicker than our competition might.
SN: Can you cite some of the key trends that Check Corporation has helped to develop over the past 17 years?
BC: Check Corporation was the first company to develop aftermarket seat heater kits for the restyling industry, period. We are the only seat heater company that has designed seat-specific kits for all makes and models of vehicles over the past 17 years. We have also developed patented seat heating technology for pour-in-place (molded) seats for the agriculture and construction industries.
SN: Where will future growth and development come from at Check Corporation?
BC: Check Corporation has expanded well beyond our traditional automotive accessory market into such areas as health care, aviation, agriculture and construction equipment. We’ve also expanded into automotive OEM accessory programs, OEM motorcycles, the marine industry and the food service industry. We are also the only FAA-approved seat heater in the United States.
SN: What are the biggest challenges Check Corporation foresees in the future?
BC: Foreign or offshore competition whose products are often inferior and are not subject to the same rigorous research and development testing we conduct on each and every one of our products.
SN: What are some of the biggest success stories within Check Corporation’s business model?
BC: We were the first and only company to provide Chrysler (Mopar) with an accessory seat heater and are in our fourth year of the program. In 2009, we secured an accessory seat heater program with GM Accessories for the Chevrolet Equinox and the GMC Terrain, and we were also the first to offer second-row seat-heating systems for GM trucks.
