Auburn Hills, Mich. (Feb. 7, 2024) – Alps Alpine North America, Inc. (“Alpine”) named their 2023 Rep of the Year and Rep Firm of the Year for Alpine during the Annual Brand Summit meeting on Thursday, February 1 at the Paris Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. These annual awards recognize independent rep firms and Alpine’s direct reps who strongly commit to the Alpine brand by providing exceptional sales and marketing growth.
“We’re thrilled to continue the tradition of gathering as a company and honoring those who have gone above and beyond in their role at Alpine,” said Gregg Thomas, Director of National Sales for the Alpine Brand Division at Alps Alpine North America, Inc. “These individuals represent the very best of what the Alpine brand has to offer and continue to positively impact Alpine’s reputation in the aftermarket car audio industry with their professionalism and dedicated service.”
The 2023 award winners include:
2023 Rep Firm of the Year
Opus Marketing Group
Jaime White, Principal, Greg Boylan, Chuck Otatti, and Todd Ess
2023 Rep of the Year
Greg Douglas, Alpine West Coast Region
2023 OPTIM Leadership Award
Colette Beaudoin, Alpine East Coast Region
Award recipients were chosen by Alpine senior leadership based on an evaluation of their sales, marketing, customer service, and communication for 2023.
Alps Alpine Co., Ltd. (“Alpine”) is an automotive electronics manufacturer that provides consumers and leading auto makers with audio, video, navigation, and driver assistance products. The company specializes in system integration solutions with innovative vehicle entertainment and information technologies. Alpine’s R&D and manufacturing facilities in Japan, China, Europe, and North America ensure that all products address the real-world requirements of drivers in each market. The company is committed to developing safe, comfortable, and eco-friendly automotive electronics products. For information about Alpine’s aftermarket products, visit www.alpine-usa.com or follow AlpineUSA on social media channels like Facebook, Instagram, X, TikTok, and Roblox.
Auburn Hills, May 13, 2024 – General Motors recognized Alps Alpine North America, Inc. as a 2023 Supplier of the Year. GM celebrated honorees at its 32nd annual Supplier of the Year event in Aventura, Florida earlier in April.
GM’s Supplier of the Year award recognizes global suppliers that distinguish themselves by exceeding GM’s requirements, in turn providing customers with innovative technologies and among the highest quality in the automotive industry. This is the 12th consecutive (22nd overall) time Alps Alpine has received the award.
“We are most honored to receive this prestigious recognition from General Motors,” said Cameron Hosner, Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Alps Alpine North America. “This award is a testament to the hard work by all our teams to design, build, and deliver solutions with excellence.”
“We’re honored to partner with these top suppliers who have made notable contributions to our transformation. Together, we’re pushing boundaries, pioneering new technologies and redefining what’s possible,” said Jeff Morrison, Vice President, Global Purchasing and Supply Chain. “Their innovation and support are critical to helping us deliver the world-class vehicles our customers have to come expect.”
Each year, GM’s Supplier of the Year recipients are selected by a global, cross-functional GM team for their performance, innovation, cultural alignment with GM’s values, and commitment to achieving GM’s ambitious goals.
GoFast Solutions is excited to announce the official date for the 2023 Mobile Expo… April 12th at the MassMutual Center in Springfield, MA from 8 AM – 6 PM.
“The Mobile Expo is the traditional kick-off to the season,” said David Prinz CEO of GoFast Solutions. “As the weather starts to turn and the days get longer, consumers are anxious to break out recreational vehicles [cars, ATVs, boats, motorcycles, etc.] that were stored for the winter.”
“The one constant in our industry is CHANGE. We feel that it is a responsibility of a true distributor partner to provide our customers with the tools they need to navigate the changes and succeed. This is why we have challenged our vendor partners to provide level 2 training for their brands at the GoFast 2023 Mobile Expo.”
David adds, “When I had my retail store, I was always looking for new ways to generate income in the shop. With that in mind, we are focusing on helping our customers explore new opportunities to add to their core business, maximize the space that they already have, and ultimately increase profit. This isn’t a typical car stereo show, it’s a business show geared towards small business owners specializing in the automotive aftermarket industry”
This One-Day Only Live Show will Feature:
- Keynote Speaker Steve Greenfield Founder and CEO of Automotive Ventures
- “The Future of Automotive Retail”
- Chris Cook MEA President
- “Pulse of the Industry”
- New Product Launches
- Catered Breakfast & Lunch
- Cocktail Hour
- Prizes & Giveaways
- Networking Opportunities
- Live Training & Presentations
- P&S Detailing’s featuring Social Media Sensation Syndi Gwinn
- Solar Gard Featuring Tint “Yoda” Ismail Pereira
The GoFast Solutions 2023 Mobile Expo is being held LIVE & In-Person at the MassMutual Center in Springfield, Massachusetts on April 12th, from 8 AM – 6 PM.
Register for the 2023 GoFast Mobile Expo, Today!!
About GoFast Solutions
GoFast Solutions is one of the fastest-growing premier distributors for 12V Accessories, Power Sports, Outdoor Life, & Marine Equipment in the Northeast. We are proud to be a member of the Elite Distributor Alliance (EDA) and an authorized distributor for more than 100 recognized brands, including Kenwood, Sony Mobile, Alpine, Compustar, Escort, Metra, Sirius XM, Audiovox, Kicker, Rockford Fosgate, Rostra, Dynamat, Allstar Performance, Driven Racing Oil, Raceceiver, Sparco, Alpinestars, Racequip, Stilo, Simpson Racing Products (Full line card available at gofst.com). This list will only continue to grow in our efforts to bring the best brands to specialty brick & mortar businesses. We strive to bring a personal touch to our sales and services as we continue our growth in 12 Volt and other emerging markets. As a premier distributor, we take great care in providing a professional & knowledgeable experience for our customers.
Winners from first phase of Industry Awards are semifinalists for top honors
NORTH ANDOVER, MASS., October 30 ,2022 — The Mobile Electronics Association (MEA) announced the winners from the first phase of the 2023 Mobile Electronics Industry Awards. The announcement comes after industry nominees submitted videos describing their business or professions. Judges appointed by the association reviewed the videos and selected the winners, comprising the Top 50 Installers, Top 50 Retailers and Top 20 Sales Professionals. The complete list of winners is posted at the official Industry Awards website, meindustryawards.com.
Winners at this stage also qualify as semi-finalists the top honors of Retailer of the Year, Installer of the Year and Sales Pro of the year. Top 50 Installers award recipients are also entered to run for 2023 Trusted Tech, an award given to professional installers who excel more from an electronics standpoint than a design standpoint.
The next phase of the competition features voting by industry professionals and consumers to narrow the semifinalists list down to finalists. These categories are joined by other categories of which industry professionals vote to select top suppliers, reps and rep firms, distributors, and expeditors, as well as the new vendor support tech award. Voting will begin Thursday, November 3, 2023 and run until Sunday, November 13, 2022 at midnight.
“Even though the ultimate competition is ongoing, we want to take this opportunity to congratulate our Top 50 and Top 20 winners,” said Chris Cook, president of MEA. “These are major accomplishments in themselves and represent the hard work and growth of stores and individuals over the past year. It’s great to see that, despite the unprecedented events of the past few months, our industry members continue to strive to be the best and set examples for their peers.”
Voting will take place at meindustryawards.com. Visit the website for additional information on the Mobile Electronics Industry Awards.
About the Mobile Electronics Association
Mobile Electronics Association (MEA) is a trade association comprised of installing dealers and product vendors dedicated to serving the needs of the mobile electronics specialist industry. MEA owns and produces KnowledgeFest™, regional trade-only industry events that combine educational programming and vendor training with a trade show floor. MEA owns and publishes the monthly Mobile Electronics® magazine, which is the industry’s #1 resource, as well as other digital media, including websites and the industry’s e-newsletter Hotwire. MEA provides software and data-driven services to vendors and retailers. Learn more at mobile-electronics.com.
Upcoming KnowledgeFest events:
- February 3-5, 2023 – Las Vegas, NV
- May 19-21, 2023 – Orlando, FL
- June 23-25, 2023 – Indianapolis, IN
- August 25-27, 2023 – Dallas, TX
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About the Mobile Electronics Association
Mobile Electronics Association (MEA) is a trade association comprised of installing dealers and product vendors dedicated to serving the needs of the mobile electronics specialist industry. MEA owns and produces KnowledgeFest™, regional trade-only industry events that combine educational programming and vendor training with a trade show floor. MEA owns and publishes the monthly Mobile Electronics® magazine, which is the industry’s #1 resource, as well as other digital media, including websites and the industry’s e-newsletter Hotwire. MEA provides software and data-driven services to vendors and retailers. Learn more at mobile-electronics.com.
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The best of the best of the Mobile Electronics Industry were honored for their accomplishments
Las Vegas, Nevada – February 10, 2023 – The Mobile Electronics® Association (MEA) announced the winners of the 2023 Mobile Electronics Industry Awards. The awards were presented Sunday evening, February 5 at the conclusion of a successful KnowledgeFest Las Vegas event. The awards recognize and honor professionals in the mobile electronics industry that exhibit outstanding service, business ethics, professionalism, and expertise in their field.
Chris Cook, President of MEA, hosted the event which was attended in person and viewed online by thousands of industry professionals, including family and friends, from the United States and around the globe. Top honors for Installer of the Year went to Brian Mitchell – Liquid Trends Modesto – Modesto, CA. Retailer of the Year – Single-store was awarded to Sound Evolution – Houston, TX and multi-store to Freeman’s Car Stereo – Cornelius, NC. Dan Bowman – Titan Motoring – Nashville, TN and Trusted Tech of the Year went to Dean Beyett – Five Star Car Stereo – Clearwater, FL. Vendor of the Year went to Alps Alpine and Distributor of the Year went to DOW Electronics.
For 2023 the Mobile Electronics Association recognized three individuals for their Career Achievements. These were Jason Ewing of Firstech, LLC, Cabe Sipes of Custom Audio Reimagined – Lafayette, IN, and Michael “Mad Mike” Martin of Galpin Auto Sports – Van Nuys, CA. The three were best known for their time on the TV Show “Pimp my Ride”. They were awarded the “Career Achievement Award for their long-time and continued contribution to the Mobile Electronics Industry. The three also presented at the event revealing some of the behind-the-scenes antics of Pimp my Ride providing attendees with details of the many now famous vehicle-builds from the show.
“Congratulations to all the nominees, finalist, award winners”, stated Chris Cook, MEA President. “Their accomplishments set a high standard for the Mobile Electronics Industry.” MEA will continue to hold the Industry Awards at KnowledgeFest Las Vegas with next year’s event at the Paris Hotel February 4, 2024.
Installer of the Year
Brian Mitchell – Liquid Trends Modesto – Modesto, CA
Retailer of the Year – Single-store
Sound Evolution – Houston, TX
Retailer of the Year – Multi-Store
Freeman’s Car Stereo – Cornelius, NC
Sales Pro Award Winner
Dan Bowman – Titan Motoring – Nashville, TN
Trusted Tech Award Winner
Dean Beyett – Five Star Car Stereo - Clearwater, FL
Rookie of the Year
Jeremy ‘Taco’ Patterson – Speakerbox – Huntsville, AL
Most Improved Store or Chain
Sound Evolution – Houston, TX
Best Online Presence
Freeman’s Car Stereo – Cornelius, NC
Best Customer Retention Program
Freeman’s Car Stereo – Cornelius, NC
Best Customer Experience
Freeman’s Car Stereo – Cornelius, NC
Best Store Culture
Titan Motoring – Nashville, TN
Customer Choice Award - Technician
Terry Dawson – Cartronics – Madison, TN
Customer Choice Award - Sales
Jason Stearns – Andres Car Audio – Tulsa, OK
Customer Choice Award - Retailer
Next Level Inc – Orlando, FL
Expeditor of the Year
Titan Motoring – Nashville, TN
Distributor of the Year
DOW Technologies
Rep Firm of the Year
12-Volt Specialists
Rep of the Year
Johnathan Mercado – GoFast Solutions
Vendor Support of the Year
Jeff Smith – AAMP Global - Clearwater, FL
Vendor of the Year
Alps Alpine
Top Vendor: Autosound & Processing
SONY
Top Vendor: Accessories and Materials
Metra Electronics
Top Vendor: Infotainment & Multimedia
SONY
Top Vendor: Security, Safety and Driver Assistance
Firstech - Compustar
Top Vendor: Marine
Rockford Fosgate
Top Vendor: Motorcycle & Powersports
Kicker
Top Vendor: OEM Integration
AAMP Global - PAC
Top Vendor: Lighting
Metra – Heise Lighting
About the Mobile Electronics Association
Mobile Electronics Association (MEA) is a trade association comprised of installing dealers and product vendors dedicated to serving the needs of the mobile electronics specialist industry. MEA owns and produces KnowledgeFest, trade-only industry events that combine educational programming and vendor training with a trade show floor. MEA owns and publishes the monthly Mobile Electronics® magazine, which is the industry’s #1 resource, as well as other digital media, including websites and the industry’s e-newsletter Hotwire. MEA provides software and data-driven services to vendors and retailers. Learn more at mobile-electronics.com.
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Finalists to submit materials for judging to determine final winners
North Andover, Mass., – November 18, 2022 – The Mobile Electronics Association (MEA) announced the finalists for the 2023 Industry Awards earlier today, live on its Facebook page. MEA President, Chris Cook held the Finalists Presentation, in which The Top 12 Retailers, Top 12 Installers, Top 5 Technicians, and Top 5 Sales Pros and other awards were announced. Also noted were the “Top 3” and “Top 5” awards for finalists in the vendor, vendor tech support, expeditor, sales rep, rep firm and distributor categories, as well as the top 5 Technicians denoting the finalists for the coveted Trusted Tech award. Each “Top” award recipient will receive a signed wall certificate.
While the final stage of the Industry Awards will be held in Las Vegas during KnowledgeFest, Cook noted that the announcement produced its own set of winners.
“It’s important to recognize that making it to the Top 12, Top 5 and Top 3 categories signals a major achievement in this industry,” he explained. “It means that these individuals, stores, brands and companies are part of a unique group that represents the best of our industry. We’re overdue in recognizing the significance of their efforts, and I am proud to create a special event for that purpose.
Some of the award categories are decided solely on industry votes. For these, the top vote-getter will be announced at KnowledgeFest as the ultimate winner of the category. For the Top 12 retailers, Top 12 Installers, Top 5 Technicians, Top 5 Rookies, and Top 5 Sales Professionals, each recipient will need to submit additional materials for judging to determine the winner in each category.
The finalists lists can be viewed at meindustryawards.com by clicking on the Winners tab and selecting ‘2023’ winners. To view the 2023 Industry Awards Finalists Presentation, visit the Mobile Electronics magazine page on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/MobileElectronics. The final awards will be announced at the Mobile Electronics Industry Awards celebration during the KnowledgeFest trade show and conference at the Paris Hotel & Convention Center in Las Vegas, February 5, 2022.
Complete information on the Industry Awards, including rules, award descriptions, past winners, eligibility requirements, instructions and submissions can be found at www.MEIndustryAwards.com.
About the Mobile Electronics Association
Mobile Electronics Association (MEA) is a trade association comprised of installing dealers and product vendors dedicated to serving the needs of the mobile electronics specialist industry. MEA owns and produces KnowledgeFest, regional trade-only industry events that combine educational programming and vendor training with a trade show floor. MEA owns and publishes the monthly Mobile Electronics® magazine, which is the industry’s #1 resource, as well as other digital media, including websites and the industry’s e-newsletter Hotwire. MEA provides software and data-driven services to vendors and retailers. Learn more at mobile-electronics.com.
Media Contact:
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(978) 645-6434
September 15, 2022, North Andover, Mass — The Mobile Electronics Association (MEA), producer of Mobile Electronics magazine, announced that industry professionals can now submit their nominations for inclusion in the 2023 Industry Awards. Nominations will be accepted until October 16th.
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 nominations submitted online and via video. A panel of judges selects the Top 50 Retailers, Top 50 Installers, and Top 20 Sales Professionals, which are eligible to move on to the second phase of the awards process. In addition to the retailer nominations, the process for recognizing top vendors, sales reps and firms, and distributors is open for nominations as well. Final awards are given out at a special ceremony held on the last day of KnowledgeFest Las Vegas a the Paris Hotel & Convention Center held February 3-5, 2023.
“The Industry Awards process is one of the most anticipated events in the mobile electronics industry,” said Chris Cook, MEA president. “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, distributors, and sales representatives have until October 16th 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.
About the Mobile Electronics Association
Mobile Electronics Association (MEA) is a trade association comprised of installing dealers and product vendors dedicated to serving the needs of the mobile electronics specialist industry. MEA owns and produces KnowledgeFest, regional trade-only industry events that combine educational programming and vendor training with a trade show floor. MEA owns and publishes the monthly Mobile Electronics® magazine, which is the industry’s #1 resource, as well as other digital media, including websites and the industry’s e-newsletter Hotwire. MEA provides software and data-driven services to vendors and retailers. Learn more at mobile-electronics.com.
Media Contact:
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
(978) 645-6434
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