Author: 12VoltNews

Best Buy to Furlough About 51,000 Employees Starting 4/19 as Coronavirus-Related Sales Surge Ends

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Click here to view the full story by Melissa Repko on CNBC.com

(04.16.2020) – Starting Sunday, Best Buy will furlough about 51,000 employees, the company said Wednesday. The decision will impact nearly all of its part-time store employees and some of its full-time store employees in the U.S., according to a news release. About 82% of its full-time employees who work in stores or in the field, such as the Geek Squad employees, will continue to be paid.

Best Buy’s shares were down about 7% early Wednesday afternoon. Best Buy shares, which have a market value of $16.8 billion, are down 25% since the start of the year. 

Best Buy is one of the many U.S. retailers who have had to adapt and make tough decisions as the pandemic disrupts customers’ lives and changes their behavior. Since March 22, the company’s stores across the country have been closed and it has suspended all in-home delivery, installation and repairs. It has continued to offer curbside pickup at its stores.

Initially, Best Buy continued to pay its employees, but as the disruption drags on, it will stop paying those who will be furloughed. It will continue to cover the total cost of their health benefits and pay their tuition reimbursements for at least three months, according to a news release.

Best Buy saw a sales surge as the pandemic sparked demand for items that help people work from home, students attend school remotely and families stockpile and cook larger quantities of food. During an eight-day period that ended March 20, its sales were up by about 25% as people bought computers, kitchen appliances and more. The company’s quarterly sales through March 20 grew by about 4%, exceeding the company’s expectations for the period.

In recent weeks, however, Best Buy’s sales have dropped off. The company said it’s seen more demand for some items, such as gaming devices, but has had a sales decline of 30% since March 21. 

Click here to view the full story by Melissa Repko on CNBC.com

MECA to Feature Daily Manufacturer Member Facebook Posts

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NASHVILLE, TN (04.16.2020) – MECA, the Mobile Electronics Competition Association, Inc., based in Nashville, begins a series of daily posts featuring 2020 Manufacturer Members at: facebook.com/steve.stern07

The car / truck / motorcycle events, with MECA sound-off contests, have been temporarily suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic. MECA is working to keep members engaged and ready for future shows, hoping to resume in early summer.

Steve Stern

Highlighting the Manufacturer Members, focusing on each brand, and working with the club’s Retail Members to sell the gear is always priority one for the multi-faceted organization. Offering a proven business plan for hosting and sponsoring events, the club has been a beacon for car audio professionals and enthusiasts since 1999.

“Our Manufacturer Members are critical for our club and contests, helping to make what we do bigger and better. The industry benefits from our partnerships with Manufacturer and Retail Members who participate, building and fortifying their brands. These facebook posts will bring a lot of good mojo for our Manufacturer Members.”

See Manufacturer Member section at www.mecacaraudio.com and News regarding the rest of the 2020 season.

Directed Announces New Representation Alignment In Three Territories

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VISTA, CA (04.16.2020) – Directed is has announced new representation in the following territories and states: Idaho, Montana, Utah, Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico and El Paso. These territories and states were previously covered by Reil’s and Associates.

Al Fontane, Directed VP of Sales, stated  “In order to provide the best service and support to our dealers we decided to use three separate rep firms and realign the area between three rep firms for maximum coverage. N&S Marketing will cover Montana and Idaho. Oliver Marketing will cover New Mexico plus El Paso TX. MSS Marketing will cover Colorado, Utah and Wyoming.”

N&S Marketing’s Dale Naeseth stated “For our firm Jack Weiss will now expand the area he covers in Montana and Ryan Christy will expand the territory he covers in Idaho.”

Visit directed.com for more.

Alpine Welcomes Ed Moriarty as Assistant Vice President of Brand Business Unit

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AUBURN HILLS, MI (04.15.2020) – As a commitment to serving the industry, Alpine Electronics of America, Inc. has continued to invest in the aftermarket sales division by creating a new position that supports 12Volt sales and activities.

This morning Alpine welcomed new hire Ed Moriarty as Assistant Vice President of the Brand Business Unit at the Headquarters location in Auburn Hills, MI. Moriarty has an extensive background in OEM and a wide range of experience in sales, product development, marketing, and customer support.

Ed Moriarty, Assistant Vice President of the Brand Business Unit

As the former Vice President and General manager for Car Audio in the Americas and the Asia Pacific at Harman International, Moriarty was responsible for all Branded Car Audio business and was instrumental in increasing revenue. He also held positions at TA instruments and Bose Corporation.

“I’m thrilled to start at a company that has such a large presence in the mobile electronics industry,” said Moriarty.” I look forward to collaborating with our network of sales representatives and contributing to the support and growth of Alpine’s Authorized Retailers.

Moriarty will oversee channel management, supporting the sales representatives and sales activities in the Brand Business Unit.

“Ed’s background speaks volumes to his business and team development, as well as his history of implementing successful sales and marketing strategies,” said Mike Anderson, Vice President and General Manager, Brand Business Unit, Alpine Electronics of America, Inc. “We are thrilled to welcome him into the Alpine family.”

Anderson will continue to support the Brand Business Unit as the Vice President and General Manager overlooking all division activity and planning.

Visit alpine-usa.com for more.

Accent Mobile Is In Control

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SANTA FE SPRINGS, CA (04.15.2020) – Accent Mobile, a division of Accele Electronics focused on solutions for Expeditors, Upfitters and Fleet Managers has announced their latest innovation, a solution for integrating any smart device into the Infotainment screen of most late model vehicles, replicating the vehicle’s OE system.

“Expeditors and Restylers can now offer their customers who purchased vehicles without Android Auto or Apple Car Play a practical solution. Installers can now use our Smartphone Application System to integrate their customers devices seamlessly into factory or aftermarket infotainment screens,” said Bob Goodman, Director Of Channel Sales, Accent Mobile. Our SPA500 enables users to access popular applications installed on their smart devices seamlessly and quickly. The Universal SPA500 kit includes an 8-Way Universal Controller, similar to those found on late model vehicles, a Microphone to access voice control functions, and HDMI and Composite AV connections. Plug & Play versions are available for certain Mercedes and BMW models with more becoming available, added Goodman.

Like all Accent Mobile Products, the Smartphone Application System has a 3 Year Warranty and is available immediately. Additional OE applications will be announced when available, call for applications.

Visit accentmobile.net for more.

Learn Something New with AudioControl Web Training

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SEATTLE, WA (04.14.2020) – The fifth session in our ongoing weekly web training series, we’ll be streaming LIVE from AudioControl HQ.

Join AudioControl’s National Trainer, Matthew Palumbo & Director of Mobile Audio, Chris Bennett for:

“Tech Support: Answers to the most frequently asked tech questions” -a live training direct from AC HQ.

-How do I set up AccuBass?
-How do I do signal summing on an LC7i?
-Why does an Epicenter need to have full range signal?
-What is ANC? How do I deal with that?
-Why is the “Maximized” light on all the time?
These and many other questions will be answered this Thursday at 11:00am PST.

Click HERE to tune in using Zoom.
Click HERE to tune in via Facebook Live.

Visit audiocontrol.com for more.

Oracle Lighting Donates Much Needed Personal Protective Equipment to Tulane Medical Center

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METAIRE, LA (04.14.2020) – Oracle Lighting has made a donation of 1,000 N95 respirator masks and nearly 500 surgical masks to the Tulane Medical Center in New Orleans to help its staff battle the COVID-19 crisis in Louisiana where Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is much needed.

“We want to do whatever we can to support those medical professionals on the front lines battling this pandemic as New Orleans has been one of the most affected communities in the country,” said Justin Hartenstein, Oracle Lighting director of development. “Oracle Lighting works with several companies outside of the United States and these partners have more available PPE sources than we have here in the U.S. Some of them heard about the struggles that we were having across our country and, specifically, in the New Orleans area with the shortage of masks and other PPE.”

Oracle Lighting CEO Tiffanie Hartenstein and Oracle Lighting Director of Development Justin Hartenstein are pictured outside their Metairie LA company headquarters with the PPE donation for Tulane Medical Center in New Orleans.

Hartenstein explained that many of these suppliers are now helping out by including procured PPE in Oracle Lighting’s inbound shipments so that Hartenstein and his staff can donate to places in need.

“We are now asking all of our suppliers do the same and we have more supplies on the way,” he added. “This is just the first donation that we plan to make. We will continue to import PPE from other countries with available supplies and donate to medical personnel that are struggling to help people with this virus and need adequate PPE made available to them as soon as possible.”

Hartenstein said that after procuring the PPE supplies, Oracle was able to donate the much needed masks to Tulane Medical Center through Supplies for Saints, a group that is managing the collection of PPE for local hospitals.

“Co-founding Supplies for Saints was such a crucial endeavor for us because we realized how important it was to keep our frontlines healthy so they could continue to care and heal those stricken with COVID-19,” said Kelly Becnel Rovetto, co-founder of Supplies for Saints. “These men and women deserve to feel safe that they are not bringing home this virus to their families or contracting it themselves. PPE donations like this make a big difference in the lives of these men and women.”

Hartenstein asked that other companies importing products consider procuring available PPE from their suppliers and donate to those who are in desperate need for adequate protective equipment.

For more information or to contact Oracle Lighting, visit www.oraclelights.com, call (800) 407-5776, or email info@oraclelights.com.

Directed Appoints Mid-State Distributing in MO, IA, NE, KS, CO, UT, & WY

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VISTA, CA (04.14.2020) – Directed has announced the appointment of Mid-State Distributing as their new distributor for Missouri, Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas, Colorado, Utah and Wyoming.

Al Fontane, Directed’s VP of Sales, stated, “We already do business with Mid States in Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota so this was an easy decision.”

Tom Kolar, VP of Sales & Marketing for Mid-State Distributing, stated, “We look forward to servicing the new territory and building business and relationships with Directed in our upcoming fall season.”

Visit directed.com and midstatedistributing.com for more.

PAC Announces New RadioPro Integrated Installation Kit for Jeep Grand Cherokee

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CLEARWATER, FL (04.14.2020) – PAC has launched a new RadioPro integrated kit (SKU#: RPK4-CH4103) that allows drivers of 2014 – 2020 Jeep Grand Cherokees to upgrade their factory radios. The kit, equipped for any radio size (5”, 7”, 8.4”), allows the retainment of all factory functionality including vehicle information, performance gauges and climate controls.

The stylish and easy to install kit features OEM quality buttons, knobs and graphical interface creating a familiar user experience while expanding new features via a show-stopping 5.2” LCD touch-screen.

Key Features include:

  • Factory-matched dash kit with complete set of climate control knobs and buttons (no need to use OE parts)
  • 4 programmable hard buttons with proximity-sense technology for quick access of cameras and more
  • Retains factory camera (if equipped)
  • Supports up to 5 driver safety cameras (sold separately)
  • Accommodates a single-DIN or double-DIN aftermarket radio
  • Multi-purpose 5.2” touch-screen LCD display for climate control, camera selection, vehicle settings, performance gauges, vehicle information and feature setup (for installer use)

Click here to visit the RPK4-CH4103 product page.

The kit is available at an MSRP of $649.95.

Visit pac-audio.com for more.

SEMA Updates Aftermarket Industry with COVID-19 Information Resources

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DIAMOND BAR, CA (04.13.2020) – The health and welfare of the industry is a top priority to SEMA, so the association has taken a proactive approach to supporting SEMA members and is working with lawmakers to ensure they are educated and informed about the auto and auto parts industry and how it’s affected by COVID-19.

While some of SEMA’s more immediate events have been cancelled or postponed, the 2020 SEMA Show is set to take place as scheduled on Nov. 3-6. As the situation continues to evolve, we will monitor the landscape closely and will make decisions based on guidance from local, state, national and international health officials.

LATEST NEWS
COVID-19 Resources Page
The Specialty Equipment Market Association is monitoring the evolving Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak and tracking what this means for our industry. For the latest updates and resources available, click here.

Pitching In
The SEMA Garage is assisting Stratasys by providing 3D printed visors, which will attach to face shields and assist those who are working in healthcare facilities. Details here.

Status Report
Champion Oil, Impact Racing, and Racecar Engineering are among the aftermarket manufacturers that remain fully operational during the COVID-19 outbreak. Details on how other companies have been affected here.

HR Hub
Human Resources professionals can discover the latest HR news related to the Coronavirus at the SEMA HR Hub. The online resource helps industry professionals stay up-to-date on the latest policies and information on employee matters. Details here.

Data is Key
As online shopping surges due to the current economic climate, the SEMA Data Co-op is showing companies how enhanced product data can be a key component in weathering the storm. Details here.

Seeking Young Entrepreneurs
The SEMA Young Executives Network is accepting applications for the 2020 SEMA Launch Pad Program, which encourages and supports young entrepreneurs in the automotive industry. Details here.

A New Perspective
Independent retailers in the automotive aftermarket remain the most used sales channel for getting parts to consumers, according to the new SEMA Industry Perspectives Report. Details here.

New Products
SEMA Data Co-op members Holley, Klein, and CURT have released new products. See them here.

UPCOMING DATES
• June 24-26: SEMA Show Exhibitor Summit, Las Vegas, Nev.
• July 24: SEMA Installation Gala, Newport Beach, Calif.
• Nov. 3-6: SEMA Show, Las Vegas, Nev.

For more info, visit semashow.com and sema.org