LONG BEACH, CA (04.20.2020) – The JVC KENWOOD webinar series has had a solid turnout as dealers are attending the online sessions. Seth Halstead, National Training and Content Develop Manager stated. “Sessions last week had 50 plus for the JVC trainings and over 100 for the KENWOOD trainings. We began to offer a giveaway contest with a prize of a KENWOOD Qi Charger to provide an additional incentive for dealers to attend.”
John Zambrano, Ai Vinyl Graphics and Mobile Electronics in New Rochelle NY, was the winner of the first KENWOOD CAX-HL10Qi Motorized Clamping Qi Charging Phone Mount prize during the Wednesday April 15th training.
A screenshot of a meeting graphic with Seth, Marcus and Josh (Top L to R)
Zambrano related “The Kenwood seminar I attended was very informative. It’s great to see Kenwood putting together these training webinars during this downtime. Here in New Rochelle New York we are shut down. These webinars are very informative across-the-board and learning more about the Kenwood DVR was super. Also these seminars give us a sense of community. I was thrilled to win the phone charger and can’t wait to get it and put it in my car.”
There are three more KENWOOD Product Training sessions scheduled.
KENWOOD eXcelon Product Training Tuesday, April 21st 4:00 PM to 5:30 PM EDT.
KENWOOD Regular/Distributor Line Product Training Wednesday April 22nd 5:00 PM to 6:30 EDT.
KENWOOD eXcelon Product Training Thursday April 23rd 6:00 PM to 7:30PM EDT
For more info, contact you KENWOOD Representative or visit jvckenwood.com.
SHREVEPORT LA (04.18.20) WTF…Win This Friday. The 12volt Spin-to-Win Wheel was created to bring an element of fun to the 12volt industry. Two months ago we celebrated the first anniversary of the weekly 12volt Spin-To-Win Wheel.
The latest 12volt Spin-To-Win Wheel Winner, Number 72, is Cody Landis at Code Zero Customs in Tulsa OK. The Wheel landed on the PowerBass space and a cool PowerBass prize will be headed that way.
Spinning out a new winner each Friday, a 12volt retailer can win a cool prize and top brands receive visibility across the marketplace.
12volt brands with a space on the 12volt Spin-To-Win Wheel include Kicker, SiriusXM, Cadence, PowerBass, Sony, CRUX, DS18, SoundStream, AIS, Precision Power, JBL, Power Acoustik, Farenheit, Wilson Electronics and Image Dynamics. 12volt News $100. cash awards have spaces on the 12volt Spin-To-Wheel for a winning 12volt retailer.
Past winners of the 12volt Spin-To-Win include…Stereo & Video Center-Tyler TX, The Outlaw Garage-Franklin TN, Exotic Sounds-West Palm Beach FL, Endless Possibilities-Aurora IL., Go Auto Sound in Union City NJ, Al&Ed’s South Bay CA, No Limitz Car Audio in Upland CA, Neil’s Specialty-Eureka CA, Sturgess Customs-Lexington SC, Audio By Art-San Antonio TX, SMS Car Audio in Marreo LA and Sweet Wheelz in Mississauga Ontario Canada, Cartronics in Biscayne FL, The CarAudio Shop in St Louis MO, Exotic Sounds in West Palm Beach FL, High North Customs in Grand Prairie Alberta Canada and AMS Audio in Bakersfield CA, Team QRT in Abbeyville LA and California Sound in Fontana CA and Jackie Cooper Electronics, Oklahoma City OK, MARS Audio-Orlando FL, All American Audio in Nutley NJ, Proline Car Stereo in Brooklyn NY, Custom Shop Miami, Tunes and Tint in Lakeland FL, Mobile Concepts Inc in Mokena IL, Seismic Auto Sound in Concord CA, Brooklyn Car Audio in Brooklyn NY, Audio Solutions in Florence MS, Enhanced Customs in Largo FL, Rayco Auto Clinic, Audio Design in San Jose CA, Go Bass Mode in Florida, Avenue Sound in Freeport NY, Audio Plus in Riverview FL, Stereo Zone in Whittier CA, In-Phase Car Audio in Omaha NE, AutoLife Group, N&H Electronics, SK Customs, Land & Sea, The Audio One, NC Custom Shop,Tint World Orlando, Ricky Smith’s Audio, VIP Custom Woks, Mobile Audio Concepts, Audio Lad, Sound Sensations, Dave’s Stereo, Stereo Design, Badlands Customs, Custom Audio-Erie PA, Voltz Autosports-Bridgeport CT, Infinity Sound and Security-Kissimmee, Autosport Plus-Canton OH, Stereo City Pros in Carmichael CA, Devine Concepts in Naples FL, The Sound Shop in Indian Trail NC, Extreme Performance Audio in Fresno CA, Audio Depot in Arlington TX, Audio Security in Houston TX, Earmark Car Audio and Marine in Lewisville TX and Audio Jam in Bear DE. Congratulations to all.
WTF… Where’s the Fun. On the next spin of the 12volt-SinTo-Win Wheel Friday, April 24th.
Want to enter for future spins? It’s easy – when making an Instagram post for your store include the hashtag #12voltspin to make sure your company has a slip in the jar. There are over 1100 #12voltspin posts on Instagram.
With 18 chances to WIN, the 12Volt Spin-To-Win Wheel is ready to shower a lucky weekly winner with one of the cool prizes.
Stay tuned to 12voltnews.com on the web and @12voltnews on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter for 12volt Spin-To-Win winner announcements every Friday!
AUSTIN, TX (04.17.2020) – Everything on the dB Drag Racing planner, like the world, has been put on hold by the Coronavirus National Emergency. Wayne and Celise are well and both have been very busy connecting with members and all around the world. See the latest updates from dB DragRacing below.
Term-PRO Loudspeaker Enclosure Design Webinar Wayne Harris demonstrated how to use the Term-PRO Enclosure Design software during a recent Zoom Webinar. Attendees learned how to manage the driver library, design various types of enclosures, compare and interpret design results, design vents, and design and view the physical enclosure. This was a free seminar open to the public. Attendees tuned in from US, South Africa, Slovenia, Canada, UK and more! It was great to see everyone and plans are in the works for continuing these type of demonstrations. To view the recorded webinar: https://youtu.be/Tnsq2p3kgtM
Term-LAB SPL Training An online training program is being developed for the Term-LAB Sound Measurement System. The training program is geared for the first time user as well as the advanced user and consists of a combination of instructional videos, screen shots, online quiz and certificate of completion. The training can also be used in expert mode where the user can go directly to the desired topic of interest. https://www.termpro.com/magnum/training
dB Drag Racing Competitor Highlights The dBDRA began a series of highlighting ALL the 2019 Champions through weekly social media posts starting March 30th and running until ALL 2019 Champions are highlighted. The posts are aimed at congratulating 60+ competitors worldwide on their achievements as we look forward to seeing everyone in the lanes again soon!
dB Drag Racing Happy Hour The dB Drag Racing association conducted a Happy Hour with Zoom last week. It was an open forum where competitors got together to talk about car audio. Many told stories about how they got started in car audio and talked about their current installation builds!
NASHVILLE, TN (04.17.2020) – 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.
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 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.
Steve Stern
“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.
HARLINGEN, TX (04.17.2020) – The DB Research Team is staying connected with the 12volt industry and business partners in a number of ways during the Coronavirus National Emergency.
With PPE masks in place, members of the DB Research Team, pictured in this Google Hangout screenshot, are in the company’s conference room in HarlingenTX. Ernie Welch is pictured with a big smile in his Indiana home office. Micah Germann, Outside Sales Representative for the Mountain states with pen in hand, is pictured in his home office.
On Thursday morning, members of the staff from the company’s HQ in Harlingen, participated in a Google Hangouts training session for the company’s new DB Drive PRO6K4MT.
“This 500-Watt dual component set is a single box solution for high volume affordable sound” Ernie Welch, DB Drive National Sales Manager, related to the 12volt News from his home office in Indiana.
The DB Research team utilizes various digital platforms depending on ‘who is where’ in the world.
Continuing Welch offered “During our Google Hangout sessions our inside and outside sales teams are working with dealers to find safe solutions to continuing to do business in today’s marketplace that seems to be different in different states. Seems that many independent dealers are working behind closed doors while practicing safe social distancing guidelines. Many are working by appointment and completing big jobs in their installation bays.”
(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.
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.
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.”
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.
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.
12VoltNews.com 