SEMA News—January 2020

INDUSTRY NEWS

Fast Facts

From left: Rogerio Branco, Eaton executive vice president and chief supply chain officer; Brad Fagan, C&U Americas strategic account manager; Andy Doyle, Eaton Global vice president; Jason Stocker, C&U Americas president; and Sean Wu, Eaton Global SCM vice president.

C&U Americas LLC received the 2018 One Eaton Supplier Premier Award from Eaton Corp. Inc. The award was given to C&U Americas in recognition of the company’s exceptional value and outstanding service to Eaton across a number performance metrics. Accepting the award on behalf of C&U Americas were Jason Stocker, president of C&U Americas, and Brad Fagan, strategic account manager for Eaton Corp. The One Eaton Supplier Premier Award is Eaton’s highest supplier award and is given to only a select few organizations in the entire supply chain.

The Automotive Aftermarket Charitable Foundation (AACF) announced the appointment of Interstate Batteries vice president of sales Shannon McWilliams to its board of trustees. Prior to joining the Interstate Batteries team, McWilliams held various executive roles with a focus on driving corporate strategy, sales leadership and product development with Mistral Equity Partners, Capstreet and Westar Capital. He has extensive experience in the automotive aftermarket with Stanley Black & Decker, Mac Tools, Proto and several other hand-tool businesses that focused on technicians and shop performance.

Stowe Cargo Systems expanded its production facility and launched a redesigned website, enabling the company to meet the growing customer demand for its 2-in-1 Toolbox and tonneau cover and strong-box systems. Stowe has also added 6,000 sq. ft. to its production facility in Davisburg, Michigan, in order to increase and optimize manufacturing and inventory space. The expansion includes additional manufacturing floor space and inventory space.

The Automotive Aftermarket Charitable Foundation (AACF) elected Todd Sanders to its board of trustees. Sanders is the senior vice president of professional sales for the Advance Enterprise brands. Prior to the Advance Auto Parts acquisition, Sanders served as vice president of professional markets for Carquest, overseeing the TechNet professional program, Carquest Technical Institute, B2B e-commerce and the company’s national accounts.

Meyer Distributing named Air Lift Co., Camco and Mickey Thompson its vendors of the year in their respective categories. In the truck accessory division, Air Lift stood out with its efforts to communicate and educate dealers and consumers about load support. Camco stood out with its products, service and partnership in the RV and towing industry. Mickey Thomson proved to be a strong partner with a vast array of tires and wheels that appeal to a wide audience.

Kahn Media was selected as the agency of record for Aeromotive Inc. Celebrating 25 years in business, Aeromotive is looking to reinforce its consumer and business-to-business marketing efforts by utilizing Kahn Media’s full suite of services. Kahn Media will handle public relations, digital and content marketing, social-media management, influencer outreach and event marketing support and assist with creative services.

Stertil-Koni expanded its network of exclusive distributors across North America with the addition of Indiana Automotive Equipment, based in Maxwell, Indiana, which has experience in vehicle equipment sales, parts and service. As a Stertil-Koni distributor, Indiana Automotive Equipment has added heavy-duty vehicle lifting systems to its offerings.

Chris Bovis joined Hart Marx Advisors. Bovis previously served as vice president of marketing and business development at Weld Racing, where he created an acquisition-based growth strategy and played an instrumental role in the acquisitions of wheel brands CCW, HiPer Technology and Forgestar from 2015–2017. Bovis started his career with Yokohama Tire Corp. before entering the motor-sport industry as a live-event promoter for some of the largest motorsports events in the United States.

Design Engineering Inc. (DEI) announced two new supervisory positions. Former DEI employee Mike Zenone was rehired as the company’s inside sales supervisor, and John Gabriel was hired as DEI’s powersports division manager. Zenone previously worked for a decade with DEI as the company’s brand manager and manager of business development prior to taking a position at Flaming River Industries, where he worked in sales, customer service, technical assistance and media relations. Gabriel has two decades of experience in the powersports market, first with Russell Performance Products as the company’s national motorcycle sales manager. Prior to joining DEI, he served as an account manager for Progressive Suspension LLC.

The eighth annual California Tire Dealers (CTDA)/1-800EveryRim New Year Luncheon will be held January 29, 2020, in Santa Fe Springs, California, and will feature Tire Industry Association Vice President Dan Nothdurft of Tires, Tires, Tires and SEMA Wheel & Tire Council select committee member George Finch of The Carlstar Group. All tire industry members are welcome to attend; retail tire dealers are invited free of charge.