9-5-2017, Mobile Electronics -- People are motivated by many things in life. Money, family and career ambition are among them. A chief ideal among many is to do the right thing. It's not always clear what that is, but for the most part, it's widely understood that doing the right thing usually requires doing something for others. Often, it's a favor. For those who believe in principles like honor, dignity and integrity, any favor given is one returned, to keep balance in the world.

Joe Cassity, owner of Tunes-N-Tint in Lakeland, Fla., believes in these principles and uses them daily to cater to the needs of customers. Whether that entails going above and beyond to help a customer in a stressful situation or by adding window tinting or specialty lighting to his business, Cassity reaps the rewards of his ever-expanding offerings through his growing list of return customers.

"We're in the customer service business, we just happen to sell X. Whether that be car audio, leather or window tint, at the end of the day customers come to us because of the experience, not the product," Cassity said. "The most important person who comes into the store is the customer."

It's no wonder Cassity developed such a strong affinity for helping his customers considering his background working for so many companies that didn't carry as strong an opinion on the subject. "From a very young age, the car stereo bug bit me. I had bought products off of JC Whitney, Pyramid Electronics and a few low-end brands. I started out as a part-time installer at Circuit City around 1999 and worked my way to a management position with them," he said. "It was one of the few places that would hire someone without professional experience. I was let go in the structure change in an early round. There was a conflict with management, which made it more than a cost-saving measure for them. It gave me an opportunity to prove myself in spite of being let go."

His disagreements with management at Circuit City led Cassity to make the fateful decision to start his own store, Alarms, Etc., a mobile installation company. Within six months, he knew he had made the right decision as the company was profitable enough to open its first retail location.

Over the course of two years, the company became a chain with two more locations, two in Lakeland, Fla. and the original remaining in Tampa. In 2009, the Tampa store was sold as a franchise store, leaving the two Lakeland locations. Finally, in 2016, Cassity decided to consolidate both Lakeland locations into a single store to better streamline operations and cut down on overhead. "It allowed us to increase some of the services we were offering and now we are a single location retailer," he added. "That location in Tampa is over 30 miles away so we're not in direct competition and still work together from time to time."

The name change from Alarms, Etc. to Tunes-N-Tint was made due to the change in product sales, mainly that window film had become such a large seller. "While security was once our bread and butter, it's not as big a part of our business as it once was. We still have a lot of customers who believe the head unit is the heart of the system," Cassity said. "As more integrated systems are hitting our store, we're seeing more need for OEM integration. Safety has also been a huge growth category for us. We were an early adopter of Mobileye and Rydeen's 360 cameras."

Part of the name change was the addition of the tagline "Automotive Restyling," which includes leather, upholstery, spray and bed liners, and truck accessories, which has been a huge growth opportunity for the store this year. "It gave us a strong focus, let us set up accounts with some of our key vendors like Keystone and Meyers to offer a wider range of products, vehicle lifts, graphics, wraps and electronics."

The overall effect of consolidating his business has allowed Cassity to focus more on improving margins through strong customer service practices, in addition to lowering risk and liability exposure through having only one store.

Read the rest of the issue HERE.

Santa came early for the Tunes-N-Tint Crew this year and brought all new displays just in time for the holidays.
Lakeland, FL For Immediate Release (12/1/17) – Tunes‐N‐Tint a Florida retailer remodels store and invests in new displays from 5‐Axis just in time for the holiday rush. 

Tunes‐N‐Tint has retrofitted it’s store with customized displays catering to Tunes‐N‐Tint’s offering and its customers needs. Tunes‐N‐Tint often refreshes its stores every 2‐3 years and typically builds its own displays. After seeing 5‐axis displays in person at MESA Summit and ME Spring Knowledgefest events Joe Cassity, operations manager–Tunes‐N-Tint–decided this time around they would outsource their design and construction and chose 5‐axis as their partner. 

“We were very particular with our displays, our layout and overall showroom design. We started working with 5‐axis in June of 2016 for a rough overview on what we wanted to do.” Working with Jody Culbertson, 5‐Axis Director & Lead Designer, Cassity & Team put together planograms, store layouts and general broad overviews on how the displays were to function. Based on these sketches and drawings Culbertson was able to put together packages which met the budget and the goals laid out. The end result was over 20 different customer stations each customized and showcasing an array of categories including Lighting, Safety, Upholstery, Window film, truck accessories and more.

Over the years as Tunes‐N‐Tint’s offerings have grown so have the need to display these various emerging categories. Cassity believes that the #1 differentiator between B&M retailers and internet sellers is the ability to touch and interact with the product. “Our displays sets us apart from our competition. Even when speaking with customers we always discuss our custom, interactive displays where they can look, feel and hear the product first hand for themselves”, says Cassity.

The Tunes‐N‐Tint team completely gutted the showroom and started from scratch. Everything was repainted, touched up from top to bottom before a single new display was installed. All of the displays are made using Metal Framing securely fastened to the wall with individualized power supplies and custom printed panels showcasing the categories and the products involved. The actual installation took less than a week, with building/design happening before hand and any cosmetics or troubleshooting occurring in the weeks that followed.

The #1 goal was to be ready for Black Friday weekend which kick starts the retailers Holiday season. In order to complete the build in the time allotted Tunes‐N‐Tint reached out to some of its partners for help. Scosche provided new MESA wiring for the displays, AAMP supplied a fully loaded matching display, Mike Eckley (ME Mag Rep of the year for AAMP Global) & Bill Freeman (MAG Sales) provided physical help and installation support, as well as support from Kenwood, JL Audio, Rockford Fosgate, Directed, 3M & More. “We were absolutely blown away by the support our Reps and Vendor partners gave us”, said Cassity. “We’re very fortunate to have chosen the right partners in our vendors. They really stepped up and came threw for us in a lot of ways”. 

“The feedback we’ve received already is amazing. Our team, our customers, our suppliers, everyone loves the way it turned out. It’s given our staff more confidence to sell. It’s given our customers yet another reason to shop Local and be part of the Tunes‐N‐Tint Family. We couldn’t be happier with the work Jody & 5‐AXIS did for us. “, stated Cassity. Tunes‐N‐Tint is a mobile electronics retailer operating “Restyling Centers” in Central Florida formerly known as Alarms, ETC. Tunes‐
N‐Tint is a MESA member and employs MECP & ASE Certified technicians for installation services and has been nationally recognized as a Top 50 retailer and has been recognized for Best Customer Experience, by ME Mag in 15’. For additional questions, comments or concerns feel free to reach out to 863‐614‐1164.

Lakeland, Fa. -- January 19, 2019 – Tunes-N-Tint, a Florida retailer operating a full line automotive restyling center, hosted a tent sale with the help of MFG Reps from Kicker, Rockford, JL Audio, Kenwood, Wetsounds and others to help start the new year.

This year for Tunes-N-Tint’s annual anniversary sale, the Lakeland-based retailer teamed up with representatives from its vendors as well as local radio station, Max 98.3FM. Tunes-N-Tint reached out to its vendor partners before the holidays wrapped out in 2018 to set-up this event. With the help of Bill Freeman (MAG Sales), Shawn O’Connell (AMI Sales), Bruno Maffucci and John Schneid (Dynamic Sales & Marketing) the Tunes-N-Tint team staged a parking lot event with Tents from various manufacturers showcasing product, literature and giveaways.

To help keep the event exciting Tunes-N-Tint had local radio station Max 98.3FM do live radio remotes throughout the event. The radio stations van helps showcase some of the shops equipment and fabrication abilities and features speakers throughout the doors and exterior for parades and special events. Plus the Rockford Fosgate SoundLab came out to help keep guests entertained further showcase some of the extreme work available and capabilities of Rockford Fosgate Mobile Audio Products.

“We had guest show up wanting to speak directly with MFG reps, others came out strictly for the sound lab and even a couple previous motorcycle clients come out wanting to show off what we did to their bikes. It was a great event and luckily the weather was beautiful. We’re really appreciative to have support from these reps and these vendors. Not a single one of these guys hesitated and helped us set these plans even while wrapping out the holidays and 2018. They’ve already asked us when the next events are scheduled. We’re proud to have the support of these Vendors and these reps. We couldn’t ask for better partners in this industry," said Joe Cassity, Operations Director of Tunes-N-Tint.

Tunes-N-Tint has six additional parking lot events, eight offsite events (including Motorcycle and Marine events) and various sponsorships and promotions already planned for 2019. Tunes-N-Tint is a mobile electronics retailer operating restyling center servicing all vehicles in Lakeland, Florida. Tunes-N-Tint is a MESA member and employs MECP & ASE Certified technicians for installation services. For additional questions, comments or concerns feel free to reach out to Joe Cassity or Jessie Walker w/ Tunes-N-Tint 863-614-1164 or 863-624-TINT.