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:
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Winners from first phase of Industry Awards are semifinalists for top honors
NORTH ANDOVER, MASS., October 11, 2023 — The Mobile Electronics Association (MEA) announced the winners from the first phase of the 2024 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 2024 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 Wednesday, October 12, 2023 and run until Tuesday, October 31, 2023 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 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.
Upcoming KnowledgeFest events:
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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5-3-2017 -- The Mobile Electronics Industry Awards 2017 are officially underway with nominations now open. The 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 their peers within the industry.
To begin the nomination process, click the following link and follow the steps: CLICK HERE.
This awards process begins with the selection of nominees through industry voting. The two main categories of retailers and installers are narrowed down to the "Top 50," then through peer and consumer voting, the list is narrowed to the “Top 12” retailers and installers, and these finalists submit materials to be judged by Mobile Electronics magazine’s editors and select industry judges. The winners are chosen and announced at a special awards ceremony during the Mobile Electronics Group KnowledgeFest event in August.
In addition to those categories, other industry professionals are recognized for their outstanding service. Those categories include Most Improved Retail Chain, Best Customer Retention Program, Expeditor of the Year and new to this year's awards, Salesperson of the Year.
"It’s been a while coming, but as of this year, the Industry Awards will recognize the in-store individuals who are most responsible for bringing in the revenue and filling up the bay," according to a statement on the official website, meindustryawards.com. "Sales professionals can submit their nomination videos and let indusrty peers and their customers vote for them."
Additional awards are given for vendors and sales representatives. Vendors and representatives nominate themselves to be included in the industry voting and submit videos and other materials to encourage industry professionals to vote for them. Then the three top vote-getters in each category are considered finalists, with the winner announced at KnowledgeFest.
To learn more about the Industry Awards, visit meindustryawards.com.
North Andover, MA – July 21, 2020 – The Mobile Electronics Industry Awards for 2020 are officially underway with nominations closing today, Wednesday, July 22, 2020. The 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 their peers within the industry.
To sumbit your nomination, click the following link and follow the steps: CLICK HERE.
This awards process begins with the selection of nominees through industry voting. The three main categories of retailers, sales professionals and installers are narrowed down to the "Top 50 (Top 20 for Sales Pros)," then through peer and consumer voting, the list is narrowed to the “Top 12” retailers, sales professionals and installers, and these finalists submit materials to be judged by a select and trusted panel of industry judges. The winners are chosen and announced at a special awards ceremony during the Mobile Electronics Association's KnowledgeFest event in September.
In addition to those categories, other industry professionals are recognized for their outstanding service. Those categories can be reviewed at https://meindustryawards.com/.
"It’s been a while coming, but as of this year, the Industry Awards will recognize the in-store individuals who are most responsible for bringing in the revenue and filling up the bay," according to a statement on the official website, meindustryawards.com. "Sales professionals can submit their nomination videos and let indusrty peers and their customers vote for them."
Additional awards are given for vendors and sales representatives. Vendors and representatives nominate themselves to be included in the industry voting and submit videos and other materials to encourage industry professionals to vote for them. Then the three top vote-getters in each category are considered finalists, with the winner announced at KnowledgeFest.
To learn more about the Industry Awards, visit https://meindustryawards.com/.
The Mobile Electronics Industry Awards are now open for nominations. Those interested can vote for themselves or others and review submission criteria on the newly created www.meindustryawards.com. The deadline for nominations is May 22.
The website includes latest news, past winners, current criteria and awards to be included in this year's event. New categories for the event include Rookie of the Year, official voting category for Trusted Tech and Retail Performance awards like Most Improved Location or Chain and Best Online Presence.
The Mobile Electronics Industry Awards will take place at KnowledgeFest at the Hilton Anatole hotel in Dallas, Texas, which runs August 15-17, 2015.
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.
Nominations will open for select retail performance and vendor awards
NORTH ANDOVER, MASS., May 9, 2018 (MEDIAWIRE) – Mobile Electronics® magazine, the industry's premier trade publication, announced it will kick off the first phase of the Mobile Electronics Industry Awards on May 16. At that time, the publication will begin accepting nominations for several retail performance awards, as well as awards for vendors, rep firms, distributors and expeditors. Nominations for Retailer of the Year, Installer of the Year, Salesperson of the Year and Trusted tech will begin later.
The split nomination process is a change from last year, in which all awards began nominations simultaneously. The new format will attract a higher number of participants and enable candidates to focus on creating quality submissions.
"It's no secret that our Retailer of the Year and Installer of the Year awards garner the most attention during the awards process," said Solomon Daniels, editor-in-chief of Mobile Electronics and awards coordinator. "But we know there are quality stores, companies and individuals in other categories who perform at a high level and will make excellent examples for other industry professionals to follow. We want to give these categories a spotlight of their own so that the candidates, and ultimately the winners, get the recognition they deserve."
Also new this year is a realignment of the Top Vendor awards. As product categories shift toward after-the-head-unit solutions, recreational applications and a blending of vehicle sensing and notification technology, the categories have adjusted to reflect the changes.
Held annually, the Mobile Electronics Industry Awards recognize the best of the industry. Candidate companies and individuals submit video nominations and are narrowed to a list of finalists after a selection and/or voting process. In certain award categories, finalists submit materials that are then judged by a select panel to determine a winner. In other categories, final voting tallies determine the winner. All winners are announced at a special awards ceremony, held the last day of the Mobile Electronics Association (MEA) KnowledgeFest tradeshow and conference in Dallas. This year's awards ceremony will take place August 19 at the Dallas Convention Center.
On May 16, Mobile Electronics will open nominations for the following award categories:
Retail Performance Awards
Vendor Awards
For each award, candidates must submit a video based on the specifications listed under each award category at meindustryawards.com. All video submissions are due May 28. Visit meindustryawards.com to view submission requirements and awards updates throughout the process, and sign up to the Hotwire newsletter at me-mag.com.
Mobile Electronics strives to grow the mobile electronics industry by supporting its retailers, salespeople, technicians and manufacturers with integrated services built around the group’s 1,100-plus-member industry association, the Mobile Electronics Association™, its Mobile Electronics® magazine, KnowledgeFest® tradeshows, Partnership Program, point-of-sale system and data products. Through these offerings, Mobile Electronics delivers education, networking avenues, and business and marketing resources, and promotes partnership between retailers and manufacturers to increase sales and profits. For more information, contact Mobile Electronics at 85 Flagship Dr., Suite F, North Andover, MA, 01845, telephone: 800-949-6372, or visit mobile-electronics.com.
Spots 2 and 3 switched places in the latest voting update for both retailers and installers. Absolute Electronix moves up 5 spots to break into the Top 10.
Retailer Standings (Industry votes only; highest to lowest)
Rank | Retailers | % Vote |
1 | Musicar Northwest – Portland, OR | 9.5% |
2 | NVS Audio – Linden, NJ | 5.1% |
3 | Soundscape Car Audio – Plano, TX | 5.1% |
4 | Sound Depot and Performance – Gainesville, FL | 4.2% |
5 | Prestige Car Audio & Marine – Metairie, LA | 3.9% |
6 | Cartronix – Valparaiso, IN | 3.7% |
7 | Kingpin Car & Marine Audio Inc – Wilsonville, OR | 3.7% |
8 | GNC Customs – Goshen, IN | 3.5% |
9 | Mobile Toys – College Station, TX | 3.3% |
10 | Absolute Electronix – Rockville, MD | 3.1% |
11 | Al & Ed’s Autosound – Los Angeles, CA | 2.8% |
12 | Spokane Audio Video Experts – Greenacres, WA | 2.7% |
13 | Cartunes – Atlanta, GA | 2.5% |
14 | Driven Mobile Electronics – Chantilly, VA | 2.4% |
15 | Stereo King Oregon – Portland, OR | 2.4% |
16 | Dr Dashboard – Evansville, IN | 2.2% |
17 | Explicit Customs – West Melbourne, FL | 2.1% |
18 | Sound Wave Customs – Virginia Beach, VA | 2.1% |
19 | JC Audio – Jackson, TN | 1.9% |
20 | Westminster Speed & Sound – Westminster, MD | 1.9% |
21 | Driven Audio Ltd. – Abbotsford, BC | 1.8% |
22 | Radios Knobs Speakers and Things – Pontiac, MI | 1.8% |
23 | Elite Audio – Spartanburg, SC | 1.7% |
24 | Foss Audio & Tint – Tukwila, WA | 1.6% |
25 | JML Audio of St. Louis – Fenton, MO | 1.6% |
26 | Ocala Car Audio – Ocala, FL | 1.6% |
27 | SRQ Customs – Sarasota, FL | 1.6% |
28 | Stereo Solutions – Redding, CA | 1.6% |
29 | Industry Auto Designs – Las Vegas, NV | 1.4% |
30 | Tip Top Customs – Morris, IL | 1.4% |
31 | Audio Solutions StL – St. Louis, MO | 1.3% |
32 | Sound FX, Inc. – Lewes, DE | 1.2% |
33 | Autosound Lab – Fresno, CA | 1.1% |
34 | Blvd Customs of Lakeland – Lakeland, FL | 1.1% |
35 | Extreme Audio – Mechanicsville, VA | 1.1% |
36 | Greg’s Custom Audio, Video & Car Stereo – Pikeville, KY | 1.0% |
37 | California Audio – WVC, UT | 0.9% |
38 | The Car Audio Shop – High Ridge, MO | 0.9% |
39 | Audio Designs & Custom Graphics – Jacksonville, FL | 0.8% |
40 | Sound Auto – Hamilton, NJ | 0.8% |
41 | Tunes-N-Tint – Lakeland, FL | 0.8% |
42 | Sound Solutions – Gulfport, MS | 0.8% |
43 | SoundsGood Auto – Coquitlam, BC | 0.8% |
44 | Distinctive Car Toyz – Pleasantville, NJ | 0.7% |
45 | Adrenaline Autosound – Clayton, NC | 0.6% |
46 | Audio Expert Car Stereo – Clearwater, FL | 0.5% |
47 | Auto Trim Design – Amarillo, TX | 0.4% |
48 | Dreamworks Motorsports – Roxboro, NC | 0.4% |
49 | The Sound Shop – Indian Trail, NC | 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 | 12.0% |
2 | Carlos Ramirez – NVS Audio – Linden, NJ | 4.7% |
3 | Miguel Vega – Titan Motoring – Nashville, TN | 4.4% |
4 | Chris Ott – Amplified Autosports – Tampa, FL | 4.2% |
5 | TJ Carlson – Kingpin Car & Marine Audio – WIlsonville, OR | 3.4% |
6 | Bryan Piper – Resonance Auto Craft – Corpus Christi, TX | 3.2% |
7 | Brent Leavitt – Low Notes Garage – Boise, ID | 3.1% |
8 | Christerfer Pate – Mobile Toys Inc – College Station, TX | 3.1% |
9 | Mike Schwitz – Sound Connection – St. Joseph, MN | 3.0% |
10 | Barry Barth – Prestige Car Audio & Marine – Metairie, LA | 2.9% |
11 | David Cruz – Soundscape Car Audio – Plano, TX | 2.7% |
12 | Jeremiah Mojica – GNC Customs – Elkhart, IN | 2.6% |
13 | Nicholas Frazier – Innovative Concepts – West Springfield, MA | 2.5% |
14 | Steve Coogle – Discount Audio – Louisville, KY | 2.5% |
15 | Aaron Garcia – Perfectionist Auto Sound and Security – Anchorage, AK | 2.5% |
16 | Andrew Emelander – GNC Customs – Goshen, IN | 2.5% |
17 | Charles Brazil – First Coast Auto Creations – Jacksonville, FL | 2.4% |
18 | Scott Miller – Explicit Customs – West Melbourne, FL | 2.4% |
19 | Tim Baillie – HzEmall – Surrey, BC | 2.4% |
20 | Jeff Cantrell – JC Audio – Jackson, TN | 2.2% |
21 | Warren Williams – Hi-Tech Car Audio – El Cerrito, CA | 2.2% |
22 | Erick Markland – Markland Designs – Lithonia, GA | 1.9% |
23 | Dan Macilwain – Sound Advantage – Rochester, MI | 1.8% |
24 | Daniel DiCampli – Windward Audio – Kaneohe, HI | 1.8% |
25 | David Kosakowski – Total image – McKees Rocks, PA | 1.6% |
26 | Matt Cropper – Stereo King – Portland, OR | 1.6% |
27 | Mike Sandoval – Sound Warehouse – Salt Lake City, UT | 1.6% |
28 | B.J. Curcio – After FX Customs – Stamford, CT | 1.6% |
29 | Tyler Wilson – Spokane Audio Video Experts – Greenacres, WA | 1.4% |
30 | Adam Perkins – Sound Wave Customs – Virginia Beach, VA | 1.3% |
31 | Brandon Green – The Car Audio Shop – High Ridge, MO | 1.2% |
32 | Cj Silvey – Foss Audio and Tint – Puyallup, WA | 1.2% |
33 | Jason Stone – Stereo Solutions – Redding, CA | 1.2% |
34 | Andrew Evens – Industry Auto Designs – Las Vegas, NV | 1.0% |
35 | John Schumacher – Audio Solutions StL – St. Louis, MO | 1.0% |
36 | Bryan Turvaville – Auto Trim Design – Amarillo, TX | 0.9% |
37 | John Cage – Spokane Audio Video Experts – Greenacres, WA | 0.9% |
38 | Aaron Markwell – Godspeed Rides – Sarasota, FL | 0.8% |
39 | Vinny Tullo – VIP Customs – Earlysville, VA | 0.8% |
40 | Alan Hogan – Baileys Audio – Lake Charles, LA | 0.7% |
41 | Michael Oechsner – Mobile Edge – Lehighton, PA | 0.7% |
42 | Rob Miller – JML Audio of St. Louis – Fenton, MO | 0.7% |
43 | Brandon Douglas – Adrenaline Autosound – Clayton, NC | 0.7% |
44 | Alain Sainvil – NVS Audio – Linden, NJ | 0.6% |
45 | Jon Schmitz – Mach 1 Audio – Washington, MO | 0.6% |
46 | Dan Castro – The Car Audio Shop – High Ridge, MO | 0.5% |
47 | Colton Wadley – Pro Audio – Provo, UT | 0.3% |
48 | John Phillips – Stereo One Carbondale – Carbondale, IL | 0.3% |
49 | Jonathan Moore – Dreamworks Motorsports – Roxboro, NC | 0.2% |
50 | Sam Lee – Audio Xcellence – City of Industry, CA | 0.2% |