September 4, 2019 -- The amount of technology needed to work on today’s automobiles is getting greater every year. We all know that. As an industry, we must keep educating ourselves to insure we can stay relevant.

Following the success of the EDUCAR trainings at Knowledgefest this year, Elettromedia-USA has announced a series of educational dealer trainings to be taught by Jason Kranitz of Kingpin University, and assisting Jason will be Lance Doss of EM-USA. The classes will be held at Kingpin University located in Las Vegas, NV.

The schedule includes “Fundamentals of Sound” to be held on September 17-18, “Mastering DSP” on October 16-17, “Masters Training” on November 2-4 (just prior to the SEMA Show) and the series will end with a repeat of “Mastering DSP” on December 4-5. (see full schedule below)

There is a small cost associated with each course depending upon the subject matter covered. Included are hotel accommodations and meals. Classes will be limited to 20 students and for those attending the class, EM-USA will provide FREE tools (specific to the training) that the students can take back to their shop. The overall concept is to combine knowledge, understanding and the “right tools” to grow skill levels while eliminating technical barriers.

The “Masters Training” will be by “invitation only” as EM-USA looks to harness the knowledge and expertise of our leading technicians to help steer future educational classes while teaching them some new skills and techniques.

Rob Wempe VP Sales and Marketing for EM-USA is passionate about offering these trainings because “it’s imperative that we educate and train our dealers to have the knowledge and confidence to implement integration solutions necessary to compete within the rapidly evolving technologies of today’s vehicles.” He went on to say, “Dealers need the knowledge, tools and products necessary to provide their customers with a fully integrated audio system upgrade and who better to provide this training than EM-USA. We have been pioneering DSP integration technology for over a decade. We also believe we must train new technicians to our industry. That is why we are offering our Fundamentals of Sound class.”

Dealers sign-up is on the Kingpin University website: https://kingpinuniversity.com/.  Any questions about the trainings please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

FALL TRAINING SCHEDULE HELD AT KINGPIN UNIVERSITY 

Two-day event to cover installation and selling strategy for radar

WILSONVILLE, ORE., – December 20, 2016 (MEDIAWIRE) – Kingpin University (KPU), producer of training programs for mobile electronics sales professionals and installation technicians, announced it has partnered with K40 Electronics to conduct a pair of two-day, hands-on courses to teach custom installation and selling strategies for K40 systems, along with broader techniques that can be applied to any vehicle installation project. The sessions will be held February 27-28 and March 1-2, 2017, at the KPU campus in Wilsonville, Ore. With the K40 sponsorship, attendees pay a discounted rate of $199, which includes hotel accommodations, daytime meals and a welcome dinner.

K40 Electronics, located in Elgin, Ill., has produced advanced radar and laser detection systems since 1981. In addition to its popular portable models, K40 specializes in custom-installed systems that integrate into the vehicle dash while providing complete protection from police radar and laser-based speed detection systems.

"We're very excited about this partnership," said Jason Kranitz, head trainer at KPU. "K40 is a strong believer in empowering retailers, and the company’s willingness to offset most of the cost of this training is a demonstration of their dedication to the mobile electronics industry. Custom radar detectors are part of a growing revenue opportunity for specialty retailers as the safety and driver assistance category gains traction among consumers. It is a product category that allows for a lot of creativity in placement and installation, which builds profitability for any store."

The first day of training will focus on understanding the customer base for radar detectors and learning proven strategies to close sales. Attendees will also see systems in action, using speed detection equipment on open roads to fully understand how K40 systems detect radar and laser. The day concludes with an in-depth presentation of custom installation and product placement techniques.

The second day of the course will show attendees unique fabrication tips to visually integrate radar components to achieve an OEM appearance. The class will then broaden out to cover several elements from KPU’s 4-day Advanced Trunk course, including use of materials, integrating with OEM design and wrapping techniques.

"We encourage sales professionals to attend these training courses as well, because understanding the complete picture, from product presentation to finished product demonstration, is essential for everyone involved in the sales process," added Kranitz. "If we are asking customers to spend a significant amount of money on a product we recommend, we need to present a cohesive, fulfilling experience from the sales floor to the installation bay."

Prospective attendees can view a detailed course offering and description and reserve a course session at kingpinuniversity.com. For more information, contact Kingpin University at (503) 582-1315 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., or an authorized K40 representative at (800) 323-6768. 

Four classes cover sales, fabrication and store management

WILSONVILLE, ORE., May 8, 2017 (MEDIAWIRE) – Kingpin University (KPU), trainer of mobile electronics sales professionals and installation technicians, announced its training schedule for the remainder of 2017. The four courses span July through October and will cover differing aspects of the mobile electronics business. All courses will take place at the company’s Wilsonville, Ore., training facility.

"Every year teaches us more," said lead instructor Jason Kranitz. "New vehicles bring more installation hurdles. New products give us more ways to deliver a better driving experience. And new techniques that we learn as a result make us better at what we do. The four classes we've lined up for the remainder of 2017 all feature changes and additions that reflect our industry's new challenges and growth opportunities."

The Nucleus installation training course is the company's core program and is open to sales as well as installation professionals, covering a wide array of practices, tools and techniques. The curriculum starts with tips to properly quote jobs and close the sale profitably, and moves into production methods that enhance installations, improve expertise and save time. It will be held July 14-16.

For fabricators, the Advanced Trunk training class provides some instruction on bidding jobs, but primarily focuses on design and construction methods for trunk builds, including metal work, OEM style matching, panel design and grille production. It will be conducted September 23-26. The following weekend, September 28-30, Kingpin University will host its Art of Tuning class, which shows installation professionals how to plan and design car audio systems to achieve optimum playback. It also covers use of testing equipment as well as proper setup of processors of all types.

Just before the fourth-quarter rush, Kingpin University will conduct a class for store owners, designed to implement a profitable management structure that stops them from getting bogged down in minutiae and keeps them available to handle any need or issue. It also provides tested tips on specific situations such as compliance and staffing. The class will be held October 13-14.

The tuition fee for each class includes accommodations and select meals. For more information, contact Kingpin University at (503) 582-1315 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., or visit kingpinuniversity.com.

Exploring new territories, retailers branch out as manufacturers to stake new claims and feed their passion.

Mobile Electronics May 2016 Issue, May 25, 2016 -- The simple formula of retailers operating only their stores as part of their business plan is becoming a strategy of another economic era. Today, retailers are diversifying their options from not only doing installations and selling sound products, but to operating training organizations and launching their own branded products.

What is driving this new way of doing business is a passion for the industry and the hope of reinventing and reinvigorating one’s business and oneself, as well as giving back to the 12-volt world.

 The Right Fit

Back in 2011, Perfectionist Auto Sound, based in Anchorage, Alaska won the coveted Mobile Electronics Retailer of the Year award. According to owner John Schwartz, it was this honor that put the retailer on the map along with being the number one Compustar retailer in the world. The next year when Schwartz taught a business class at Mobile Solutions in Tempe, Ariz. a few guys from Australia were there.

“First question they asked was why they didn’t have Compustar in Australia,” Schwartz said. “Good idea, I told them, let’s make it happen. Daniel Gardner, owner of a retail shop called Carbon Car Systems, which is right outside of Sydney, and I talked about it and worked on it. We formed Compustar Australia.”

It was Gardner who discovered a sound deadening product which he was successfully selling in his shop. The product, branded under the Carbon Car Systems name, was intriguing to Schwartz. “It was a beautiful product,” Schwartz said. “And I wanted to do the same thing for Perfectionist—just bring it in and brand it under our name. The only problem was no one was going to buy it because it would have our name on it. Why would they want our name on it when they would rather have their own name on it?”

After discussions, Gardner and Schwartz knew that to sell it to other retailers, the product had to be global. That is how SoundSkins USA was born.

With a global plan and a product that every shop could comfortably sell, it was time to bring it here to the States. Today, SoundSkins USA is a full production house. “We have a distribution point in Dallas so we can ship to everyone in the country,” Schwartz said. “We’ve gotten a lot of traction.”

Not only is it easy for retailers to place orders and get product, but since it is a rep-less model without the need to pay commissions, Schwartz can keep the costs low.

Read the complete story HERE.