146 awards to be presented to top industry professionals
NORTH ANDOVER, MASS., April 18, 2016 – Mobile Electronics magazine, the premier resource for business growth and expertise among its industry's retail professionals, officially kicked off the 2016 Mobile Electronics Industry Awards this week. The nomination, voting and judging stages of the four-month process culminate in the announcement of winners at the Industry Awards celebration during Mobile Electronics’ annual KnowledgeFest® tradeshow and conference in Dallas. This year’s event takes place August 20-22.
The Mobile Electronics Industry Awards celebrate companies and individuals that best exemplify the highest standards of quality and service excellence. Winners represent the industry at-large to consumers and act as ideal examples to better peers within the industry. The process starts with self-nominations submitted online and via video. A panel of judges selects the Top 50 Retailers and Top 50 Installers, which are eligible to move on to the second phase of the awards process.
Industry professionals as well as consumers then cast votes to narrow the Top 50 down to the Top 12 Retailers and Top 12 Installers. These finalists then become eligible to compete for the third and final segment: the coveted Retailer of the Year and Installer of the Year honors.
Additional awards recognize top industry sales representatives and vendors, as well as retail businesses that excel in specific aspects of their operation. The winners of these awards are selected by votes from industry professionals.
“The Industry Awards process is one of the most anticipated events in the mobile electronics industry,” said Solomon Daniels, program administrator. “It’s the one time when professionals are called on to promote themselves in one phase, then reach out to their peers and customers for support in the next phase. The final phase is a grueling preparation of materials for judging that often reveals aspects—both positive and negative—of a person’s character or work ethic, or a business’ focus and direction. Most who have gone through the process say it is as fulfilling as it is challenging.”
Mobile Electronics is accepting nominations through its special website at www.meindustryawards.com. Nominees submit a short video outlining their qualifications. Retailers, installation technicians, vendors and sales representatives have until May 6 to submit nominations.
Complete information on the Industry Awards, including rules, award descriptions, past winners, eligibility requirements, instructions and submissions can be found at www.meindustryawards.com. For additional information, contact Solomon Daniels at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..">This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
NORTH ANDOVER, MASS. – May 12, 2016 – Mobile Electronics magazine today announced the Top 50 Retailers, sponsored by Sony, and the Top 50 Installers, sponsored by K40 Electronics. The Top 50 award is the first component of the magazine’s annual Industry Awards competition. Recipients of this award have the honor of being considered the premier mobile electronics retail outlets and installation technicians in the U.S. and Canada, according to the magazine.
“As magazine editor, you get to see how hard these individuals work to perfect their craft and present themselves as problem solvers and dream fulfillers,” said Solomon Daniels, editor-in chief of Mobile Electronics and awards administrator. “In turn, the retail stores have become the authority on vehicle-specific solutions for autosound enhancement, security and safety. I’m very proud to announce these awards and present certificates to the winners.”
In addition to the Top 50, award recipients are eligible to compete for the next phase of the Industry Awards, which through industry and consumer voting narrows the list to 12 retail and installation finalists. The “Top 12” would then submit judging materials to be considered for Retailer of the Year and Installer of the Year. These final awards will be announced at the Mobile Electronics Industry Awards celebration during the KnowledgeFest trade show and conference in Dallas, August 20-22. For more information, visit www.meindustryawards.com.
Tim Baillie – HzEmall – Surrey, BC
Barry Barth – Prestige Car Audio & Marine – Metairie, LA
Charles Brazil – First Coast Auto Creations – Jacksonville, FL
John Cage – Spokane Audio Video Experts – Greenacres, WA
Jeff Cantrell – JC Audio – Jackson, TN
TJ Carlson – Kingpin Car & Marine Audio – Wilsonville, OR
Dan Castro – The Car Audio Shop – High Ridge, MO
Steve Coogle – Discount Audio – Louisville, KY
Matt Cropper – Stereo King – Portland, OR
David Cruz – Soundscape Car Audio – Plano, TX
B.J. Curcio – After FX Customs – Stamford, CT
Daniel DiCampli – Windward Audio – Kaneohe, HI
Brandon Douglas – Adrenaline Autosound – Clayton, NC
Andrew Emelander – GNC Customs – Goshen, IN
Andrew Evens – Industry Auto Designs – Las Vegas, NV
Nicholas Frazier – Innovative Concepts – West Springfield, MA
Aaron Garcia – Perfectionist Auto Sound and Security – Anchorage, AK
Brandon Green – The Car Audio Shop – High Ridge, MO
Alan Hogan – Baileys Audio – Lake Charles, LA
David Kosakowski – Total image – McKees Rocks, PA
Brent Leavitt – Low Notes Garage – Boise, ID
Sam Lee – Audio Xcellence – City of Industry, CA
Dan Macilwain – Sound Advantage – Rochester, MI
Erick Markland – Markland Designs – Lithonia, GA
Aaron Markwell – Godspeed Rides – Sarasota, FL
Scott Miller – Explicit Customs – West Melbourne, FL
Rob Miller – JML Audio of St. Louis – Fenton, MO
Jeremiah Mojica – GNC Customs – Elkhart, IN
Jonathan Moore – Dreamworks Motorsports – Roxboro, NC
Michael Oechsner – Mobile Edge – Lehighton, PA
Chris Ott – Amplified Autosports – Tampa, FL
Christerfer Pate – Mobile Toys Inc – College Station, TX
Adam Perkins – Sound Wave Customs – Virginia Beach, VA
John Phillips – Stereo One Carbondale – Carbondale, IL
Bryan Piper – Resonance Auto Craft – Corpus Christi, TX
Carlos Ramirez – NVS Audio – Linden, NJ
Alain Sainvil – NVS Audio – Linden, NJ
Mike Sandoval – Sound Warehouse – Salt Lake City, UT
Matt Schaeffer – Safe & Sound Mobile Electronics – Chantilly, VA
Jon Schmitz – Mach 1 Audio – Washington, MO
John Schumacher – Audio Solutions StL – St. Louis, MO
Mike Schwitz – Sound Connection – St. Joseph, MN
Cj Silvey – Foss Audio and Tint – Puyallup, WA
Jason Stone – Stereo Solutions – Redding, CA
Vinny Tullo – VIP Customs – Earlysville, VA
Bryan Turvaville – Auto Trim Design – Amarillo, TX
Miguel Vega – Titan Motoring – Nashville, TN
Colton Wadley – Pro Audio – Provo, UT
Warren Williams – Hi-Tech Car Audio – El Cerrito, CA
Tyler Wilson – Spokane Audio Video Experts – Greenacres, WA
Absolute Electronix – Rockville, MD
Adrenaline Autosound – Clayton, NC
Al & Ed’s Autosound – Los Angeles, CA
Audio Designs & Custom Graphics – Jacksonville, FL
Audio Expert Car Stereo – Clearwater, FL
Audio Solutions StL – St. Louis, MO
Auto Trim Design – Amarillo, TX
Autosound Lab – Fresno, CA
Blvd Customs of Lakeland – Lakeland, FL
California Audio – WVC, UT
Cartronix – Valparaiso, IN
Cartunes – Atlanta, GA
Cypress Auto Sound & Tint – Cypress, CA
Distinctive Car Toyz – Pleasantville, NJ
Dr Dashboard – Evansville, IN
Dreamworks Motorsports – Roxboro, NC
Driven Audio Ltd. – Abbotsford, BC
Driven Mobile Electronics – Chantilly, VA
Elite Audio – Spartanburg, SC
Explicit Customs – West Melbourne, FL
Extreme Audio – Mechanicsville, VA
Foss Audio & Tint – Tukwila, WA
GNC Customs – Goshen, IN
Greg’s Custom Audio, Video & Car Stereo – Pikeville, KY
Industry Auto Designs – Las Vegas, NV
JC Audio – Jackson, TN
JML Audio of St. Louis – Fenton, MO
Kingpin Car & Marine Audio Inc – Wilsonville, OR
Mobile Toys – College Station, TX
Musicar Northwest – Portland, OR
NVS Audio – Linden, NJ
Ocala Car Audio – Ocala, FL
Prestige Car Audio & Marine – Metairie, LA
Radios Knobs Speakers and Things – Pontiac, MI
Sound Auto – Hamilton, NJ
Sound Depot and Performance – Gainesville, FL
Sound FX, Inc. – Lewes, DE
Sound Solutions – Gulfport, MS
Sound Wave Customs – Virginia Beach, VA
Soundscape Car Audio – Plano, TX
SoundsGood Auto – Coquitlam, BC
Spokane Audio Video Experts – Greenacres, WA
SRQ Customs – Sarasota, FL
Stereo King Oregon – Portland, OR
Stereo Solutions – Redding, CA
The Car Audio Shop – High Ridge, MO
The Sound Shop – Indian Trail, NC
Tip Top Customs – Morris, IL
Tunes-N-Tint – Lakeland, FL
Westminster Speed & Sound – Westminster, MD
5/31/2016 -- Prestige Car Audio & Marine drops 2 spots to #7, while the other “Car Audio & Marine,” Kingpin, climbs into the top 5 retailers. On the installer side, the top 5 remain cemented while Jeremiah Mojica moves up 2 spots to #10.
Retailer Standings (Industry votes only; highest to lowest)
| Rank | Retailers | %Vote |
| 1 | Musicar Northwest – Portland, OR | 9.4% |
| 2 | NVS Audio – Linden, NJ | 5.0% |
| 3 | Soundscape Car Audio – Plano, TX | 4.8% |
| 4 | Sound Depot and Performance – Gainesville, FL | 3.9% |
| 5 | Kingpin Car & Marine Audio Inc – Wilsonville, OR | 3.8% |
| 6 | GNC Customs – Goshen, IN | 3.7% |
| 7 | Prestige Car Audio & Marine – Metairie, LA | 3.6% |
| 8 | Cartronix – Valparaiso, IN | 3.5% |
| 9 | Mobile Toys – College Station, TX | 3.2% |
| 10 | Cartunes – Atlanta, GA | 3.1% |
| 11 | Al & Ed’s Autosound – Los Angeles, CA | 2.9% |
| 12 | Absolute Electronix – Rockville, MD | 2.8% |
| 13 | Radios Knobs Speakers and Things – Pontiac, MI | 2.7% |
| 14 | Spokane Audio Video Experts – Greenacres, WA | 2.5% |
| 15 | Foss Audio & Tint – Tukwila, WA | 2.4% |
| 16 | Stereo King Oregon – Portland, OR | 2.4% |
| 17 | Driven Mobile Electronics – Chantilly, VA | 2.2% |
| 18 | Sound Wave Customs – Virginia Beach, VA | 2.0% |
| 19 | Explicit Customs – West Melbourne, FL | 2.0% |
| 20 | Westminster Speed & Sound – Westminster, MD | 2.0% |
| 21 | Dr Dashboard – Evansville, IN | 2.0% |
| 22 | JML Audio of St. Louis – Fenton, MO | 1.8% |
| 23 | Elite Audio – Spartanburg, SC | 1.8% |
| 24 | JC Audio – Jackson, TN | 1.7% |
| 25 | Ocala Car Audio – Ocala, FL | 1.6% |
| 26 | Driven Audio Ltd. – Abbotsford, BC | 1.6% |
| 27 | Stereo Solutions – Redding, CA | 1.5% |
| 28 | Audio Designs & Custom Graphics – Jacksonville, FL | 1.4% |
| 29 | Industry Auto Designs – Las Vegas, NV | 1.4% |
| 30 | SRQ Customs – Sarasota, FL | 1.4% |
| 31 | Audio Solutions StL – St. Louis, MO | 1.3% |
| 32 | Tip Top Customs – Morris, IL | 1.3% |
| 33 | Sound FX, Inc. – Lewes, DE | 1.1% |
| 34 | Blvd Customs of Lakeland – Lakeland, FL | 1.1% |
| 35 | The Car Audio Shop – High Ridge, MO | 1.0% |
| 36 | Extreme Audio – Mechanicsville, VA | 1.0% |
| 37 | Autosound Lab – Fresno, CA | 1.0% |
| 38 | Greg’s Custom Audio, Video & Car Stereo – Pikeville, KY | 1.0% |
| 39 | California Audio – WVC, UT | 0.9% |
| 40 | Tunes-N-Tint – Lakeland, FL | 0.8% |
| 41 | Sound Auto – Hamilton, NJ | 0.7% |
| 42 | Sound Solutions – Gulfport, MS | 0.7% |
| 43 | SoundsGood Auto – Coquitlam, BC | 0.7% |
| 44 | Dreamworks Motorsports – Roxboro, NC | 0.6% |
| 45 | Distinctive Car Toyz – Pleasantville, NJ | 0.6% |
| 46 | Adrenaline Autosound – Clayton, NC | 0.5% |
| 47 | Audio Expert Car Stereo – Clearwater, FL | 0.5% |
| 48 | The Sound Shop – Indian Trail, NC | 0.4% |
| 49 | Auto Trim Design – Amarillo, TX | 0.4% |
| 50 | Cypress Auto Sound & Tint – Cypress, CA | 0.1% |
Installer Standings (Industry votes only; highest to lowest)
| Rank | Installers | %Vote |
| 1 | Matt Schaeffer – Safe & Sound Mobile Electronics – Chantilly, VA | 11.5% |
| 2 | Carlos Ramirez – NVS Audio – Linden, NJ | 4.8% |
| 3 | Miguel Vega – Titan Motoring – Nashville, TN | 4.6% |
| 4 | Chris Ott – Amplified Autosports – Tampa, FL | 4.1% |
| 5 | TJ Carlson – Kingpin Car & Marine Audio – WIlsonville, OR | 3.3% |
| 6 | Brent Leavitt – Low Notes Garage – Boise, ID | 3.2% |
| 7 | Christerfer Pate – Mobile Toys Inc – College Station, TX | 3.1% |
| 8 | Bryan Piper – Resonance Auto Craft – Corpus Christi, TX | 2.9% |
| 9 | Barry Barth – Prestige Car Audio & Marine – Metairie, LA | 2.7% |
| 10 | Jeremiah Mojica – GNC Customs – Elkhart, IN | 2.7% |
| 11 | Mike Schwitz – Sound Connection – St. Joseph, MN | 2.7% |
| 12 | Charles Brazil – First Coast Auto Creations – Jacksonville, FL | 2.6% |
| 13 | David Cruz – Soundscape Car Audio – Plano, TX | 2.6% |
| 14 | Aaron Garcia – Perfectionist Auto Sound and Security – Anchorage, AK | 2.6% |
| 15 | Steve Coogle – Discount Audio – Louisville, KY | 2.5% |
| 16 | Andrew Emelander – GNC Customs – Goshen, IN | 2.4% |
| 17 | Tim Baillie – Audiolines Mobile Sound- Burnaby, BC | 2.4% |
| 18 | Jeff Cantrell – JC Audio – Jackson, TN | 2.3% |
| 19 | Nicholas Frazier – Innovative Concepts – West Springfield, MA | 2.3% |
| 20 | Scott Miller – Explicit Customs – West Melbourne, FL | 2.3% |
| 21 | Dan Macilwain – Sound Advantage – Rochester, MI | 2.2% |
| 22 | Warren Williams – Hi-Tech Car Audio – El Cerrito, CA | 2.1% |
| 23 | Cj Silvey – Foss Audio and Tint – Puyallup, WA | 2.1% |
| 24 | Erick Markland – Markland Designs – Lithonia, GA | 1.8% |
| 25 | Daniel DiCampli – Windward Audio – Kaneohe, HI | 1.8% |
| 26 | Matt Cropper – Stereo King – Portland, OR | 1.6% |
| 27 | Mike Sandoval – Sound Warehouse – Salt Lake City, UT | 1.5% |
| 28 | Tyler Wilson – Spokane Audio Video Experts – Greenacres, WA | 1.5% |
| 29 | B.J. Curcio – After FX Customs – Stamford, CT | 1.5% |
| 30 | David Kosakowski – Total image – McKees Rocks, PA | 1.5% |
| 31 | Adam Perkins – Sound Wave Customs – Virginia Beach, VA | 1.3% |
| 32 | Andrew Evens – Industry Auto Designs – Las Vegas, NV | 1.2% |
| 33 | Brandon Green – The Car Audio Shop – High Ridge, MO | 1.1% |
| 34 | Jason Stone – Stereo Solutions – Redding, CA | 1.1% |
| 35 | John Schumacher – Audio Solutions StL – St. Louis, MO | 1.0% |
| 36 | John Cage – Spokane Audio Video Experts – Greenacres, WA | 0.9% |
| 37 | Rob Miller – JML Audio of St. Louis – Fenton, MO | 0.9% |
| 38 | Bryan Turvaville – Auto Trim Design – Amarillo, TX | 0.8% |
| 39 | Aaron Markwell – Godspeed Rides – Sarasota, FL | 0.7% |
| 40 | Jon Schmitz – Mach 1 Audio – Washington, MO | 0.7% |
| 41 | Vinny Tullo – VIP Customs – Earlysville, VA | 0.7% |
| 42 | Alan Hogan – Baileys Audio – Lake Charles, LA | 0.7% |
| 43 | Michael Oechsner – Mobile Edge – Lehighton, PA | 0.7% |
| 44 | Alain Sainvil – NVS Audio – Linden, NJ | 0.6% |
| 45 | Brandon Douglas – Adrenaline Autosound – Clayton, NC | 0.6% |
| 46 | Dan Castro – The Car Audio Shop – High Ridge, MO | 0.6% |
| 47 | John Phillips – Stereo One Carbondale – Carbondale, IL | 0.4% |
| 48 | Colton Wadley – Pro Audio – Provo, UT | 0.4% |
| 49 | Sam Lee – Audio Xcellence – City of Industry, CA | 0.2% |
| 50 | Jonathan Moore – Dreamworks Motorsports – Roxboro, NC | 0.1% |