8-2-2017, Mobile Electronics - This year's class of Top 12 Installers includes veterans like Chris Pate of Mobile Toys and relative newcomers like Miguel Vega, with the top prize of Installer of the Year up for grabs to all. 

Chris McNulty

Driven Mobile Electronics

Chantilly, Va.

Years installing: 25

Other duties: All of them. I am essentially a one-man show with some bookkeeping help and some install help at the shop, as needed. I do all sales, ordering, marketing and more.

Proudest moment, besides this award: Being asked, then asked again, to present at KnowledgeFest.

Biggest mistake ever made as an installer: Leaving a car in neutral, whose emergency brake was inoperable, in the parking lot. It eventually started to creep and rolled into a fire hydrant in the parking lot.

Three favorite activities besides work: That's obvious. I like to embarrass myself [by] making rap videos.

Biggest influence with regard to expertise, professionalism and work ethic: John Brettle.

Vision of life five years from now: I'd love to bring in a few employees to unload some of my burden at the shop, on the sales floor especially, allowing for more family time. My daughter will be in college or performing as a dancer somewhere else at that point, and I'd hate to have to miss those moments in her life.

Chris Pate

Mobile Toys, Inc.

College Station, Texas

Years installing: 24

Other duties: I am also the head project designer, engineer, fabricator, chief product specialist, teacher/training specialist and one of the owners. As a project designer, I am tasked with working with clients to design installation concepts and interiors that excite our clients. As an engineer, I am required to design and machine most of the parts we use in our installations.  This requires the use of engineering software packages like AutoCAD 2017, Solidworks, CorelDraw and Mach3 Mill. I machine all my custom parts on our Shopbot PRT96 3-axis CNC and our Universal VLS 60 Watt laser. I build custom interiors and panels that encompass audio, video and vehicle design cues that make the driving environment enjoyable and fun for our clients. As our chief product specialist, I have to stay on the forefront of technology in our industry and relay that to my fellow employees. I do this by attending KnowledgeFest, CES, SEMA, traveling to France and Asia to visit vendors, as well as countless hours of research and testing on new products. My favorite duty is being a teacher and trainer at our stores. We have a priority as elders to the younger generations to train the next generation of installers. I do this by holding monthly trainings after hours and going over new fabrication and installation practices. [I am also] owner and chief bottle washer at Mobile Toys, Inc. This requires me to talk to reps and coordinate our employees. I run the install bay at our College Station location as well as coordinate projects with our Bryan store.

Proudest moment, besides this award: My proudest moment to date in my work career was being named the Runner-Up for Installer of the Year in 2016 by Mobile Electronics magazine. Although I did not win, it lit the fire in me that has driven me this year to push the envelope. I have worked harder, smarter, faster and better than I ever have. This award is what ignited that flame to pursue excellence.

Biggest mistake ever made as an installer: The biggest mistake I have made as an installer is waiting too long to make changes and expand my skill set. I could have done what I am doing eight years ago when I moved back from Tulsa (where I managed the install bays at Car Toys of Tulsa). I chose to stay safe in the practices I was comfortable with at the time instead of learning more advanced techniques like what those I've acquired in the past three years. Those years feel wasted and I'm now trying to make up for lost time. Fellow installers should never get comfortable, never stop learning, and listen to the people around them. There is always valuable information to be ingested into your mental toolbox.

Three favorite activities besides work: I enjoy collecting gems and minerals from all over the world. We have a vast collection that includes crystals, minerals, fossils, a two-million-year-old Russian black bear claw, and even a prehistoric crocodile jaw. I have also sung lead vocals in a touring rock band for the past 20 years. Although I don't tour as much as I did 10 years ago, I still enjoy writing and recording music. My favorite pastime of late has been training and mentoring younger installers. Whether it’s on the Internet, Facebook or at a training class, it has become my priority to help nurture and bring forth the next generation of installers.

Biggest influence with regard to expertise, professionalism and work ethic: Picking one would be impossible, so I will narrow it down to three. Jeremy Carlson has helped pioneer the use of machines and automation in the everyday install bay. I came up learning these practices and looking for ways to intertwine them. Jeremy's advice has been instrumental in that. He influenced me to look past the title of installer and realize that we are really engineers and should approach our projects in that manner. Secondly, I would say JT Torres for his exceptional ability to connect, teach and help our industry. Watching him over the past three years has motivated me to join that same cause and help our industry learn and grow. My third choice is Gary Biggs. He is the first installer/fabricator to actually sit down and show me how to design and execute a complete idea in an automotive environment. It is because of his help and guidance while I was working in Tulsa that I have become the designer/builder I am now.

Vision of life five years from now: I would like to continue to grow as an installer/designer/fabricator and engineer. I want to learn new techniques and pass them on. It is my priority to begin training many fellow installers to help them grow and expand their skill sets. To be a part of the generation that helps train the next and to help close the gap in our canyon of qualified installers would be an honor.

Read the rest of the feature HERE.

In the January issue of Mobile Electronics, 2015 Top 12 Retailer Prestige Car Audio showed why they are both worthy of their name and on the most prestigious list in 12-volt. Read the story below:

Disasters are caused by many things. Earthquakes, tornados and volcanoes are on the list. Some cause buildings to collapse, cities to burn and lives to be lost. Others, like hurricanes, are known to cause flooding. When a flood occurs, the water in the area rises and often damages homes, equipment and vehicles. 

In Metairie, La., a city that is part of the greater New Orleans area, rainfall is common, as is the threat of hurricanes. In 2005, Hurricane Katrina struck land in New Orleans and caused over $180 billion worth of damage and took an estimated 1,836 lives, with 1,577 of those taken in Lousiana alone. Needles to say, residents of Louisiana take storms very seriously.

Such was the mood when a storm hit in Metairie in 1990, causing a fair amount of flooding. While no lives were lost during this particular storm, many vehicles were damaged. Interested in a career fixing cars, Cory Himel offered to replace carpet in his neighbors' damaged vehicles, working out of his garage. Soon enough, more work came in, and before lone he had enough to purchase some alarm systems, which he flipped into enough money to purchase a small building and start a business. That business would become Prestige Car Audio and Marine, a Top 12 Retailer of the Year for 2015.

Read the rest of article here:

STILLWATER, USA – KICKER® watched some of its 24 authorized installers, retailers and sales professionals from the “Top 50” list earn a spot in this year’s “Top 12 Finalists” for the 2020 Industry Awards, as determined by the Mobile Electronics Association (MEA).

According to the MEA press release, some of the award categories are decided solely on industry votes. The final awards will be announced at the Mobile Electronics Industry Awards celebration during the virtual KnowledgeFest trade show and conference Dec. 4-6.

Winners at this stage also qualify as semifinalists for the top honors of Retailer-of-the-Year, Installer-of-the-Year and Sales Pro-of-the-Year.

The complete list of winners is posted at the official Industry Awards website, meindustryawards.com.

Top 12 KICKER Retailer finalists:

Mobile Toys – College Station, TX

Absolute Electronix – Rockville, MD

Car-Tunes – Greenville, MS

Showtime Audio – Chicago, IL

Top 5 KICKER Sales Professionals finalist:

Jim Skaggs – Mobile Toys Inc. – College Station, TX

Top 12 KICKER Installer finalists:

Justin Kush – Mobile Toys Inc. – College Station, TX

Matt Vowell – Mobile Toys Inc. – College Station, TX

Dean Beyett – Five Star Car Stereo – Clearwater, FL

Dalton Trainer – Car-Tunes, Inc. – Greenville, MS

KICKER Performance Audio products, a division of Stillwater Designs and Audio, Inc.®, are available for the mobile and home audio aftermarket at authorized retailers worldwide, and also as Original Equipment for boat and automobile manufacturers. Consumers seeking more information on KICKER or Livin’ Loud® may call the Consumer Information Line at 1-800-256-5425 or visit the brand website at www.kicker.com. Consumers can follow KICKER socially at Facebook.com/kickeraudio, Twitter.com/kickeraudio, Instagram.com/kickeraudio, or Pinterest.com/kickeraudio, and use the hashtags #kickeraudio and #livinloud.

Mobile Electronics July Issue, July 13, 2016 -- In the business world, they say it takes an average of five years for a new business to turn a profit. In that time, the business must establish itself into the company it will be for the rest of its existence. The job of the owner/manager during this time is to work out the kinks with processes, employees, sales, execution and customer presentation.

For a 12-volt retailer, those elements are easier said than done. But thanks to the way industry insiders support one another with suggestions and communicating best practices, the amount of failures the company must endure is significantly lowered. All that the shop needs to be successful rests on how much the owner/manager and employees are willing to learn through communication.

This year's Top 12 Retailer class is filled with people who have learned lessons both ways. Those lessons allow them to enhance their chances of not only surviving times of economic hardship, but completely bypassing them to remain in a state of constant growth. Take Richard Grimm, owner of Cartunes in Atlanta, Ga., who has been in the industry since 1972. Over that time he's seen multiple recessions, an oil crisis and has worked for other companies that have gone under. Thankfully, he had people he could turn to for advice, which he used to survive some of the harshest economic climates in the history of the country.

On the opposite side of the spectrum sits Josh Mojica, co-owner of GNC Customs in Goshen, Ind. Growing up in the family business, Mojica learned a great deal about not just 12-volt, but business in general from his parents, who operated several business ventures that included car audio, furniture and jewelry. While his background is different from Grimm, it proves one thing is for sure in 12-volt: the more you know, the better off you are.

Relative Foundations

Active in the 12-volt industry since 1972, Grimm of Cartunes has always had a passion for music and cars. From his early days of installing 8-track radios in a parking lot part-time, Grimm has gone the distance in the industry by becoming a specialist in dealer work and car audio. "I was sidetracked into the cell phone business in the early 90s, made a lot of money but it suddenly ended and we had to start all over in the mobile electronics and audio business. We did it the right way, survived it all, and the rest is history," Grim said.

One of Grimm's biggest strengths was hiring people smarter than he to represent the company. This strategy largely contributed to the shop's specialist reputation, helping the business survive turbulent times over the years, including an oil crisis and multiple recessions. "My biggest mistake was hiring people who were not smarter than me," he said.

In fact, survival is something he prides himself on, given those aforementioned times of crisis. "There are so many recessions that I've survived that it's difficult to choose one. Simply put, surviving is what I'm proudest of in my career."

Dan Ungaro, owner of Soundscape Car Audio in Plano, Texas, started from scratch in 12-volt, not knowing a thing when he began at Circuit City in 2000. "I worked there for about four and a half years learning the basics of everything from radio to remote start and video installs. From there I went to Tweeter and was given the space to experiment with custom work which revitalized my passion for car audio," he said. "A few years later I went to work for Car Toys where I did mostly custom work and some wiring mixed in. In 2009, I left Car Toys to start my own shop under the name Ungaro Custom Designs with the idea that I could be a custom shop for other car audio shops. This didn't work well, so I opened a retail location in 2010 under the name Soundscape. Over the last six years, I have moved from doing most of the sales and install to mostly sales and management."

While the experience of going through the gambit of jobs over the years likely taught Ungaro some huge lessons, it's not the only path forward. Sometimes family can provide lessons in a more formulated way.

"I am the oldest of three sons that run GNC Customs. I did whatever our dad asked us to do," said Josh Mojica, co-owner of GNC Customs. "As I gained experience I took over most installations as my brother honed in his fabrication skills. Now with a crew of six, my duties are mostly managerial and sales related."

Read the rest of the story HERE.

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)

Installer Standings (Industry votes only; highest to lowest)

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)

Installer Standings (Industry votes only; highest to lowest)