MIDDLETOWN, CT (1.2.2023) – GoFast Solutions, is proud to announce that Alpine Electronics has appointed GoFast Solutions as the authorized dealer fulfillment partner for the New York Metro, Central & Northern NJ & Long Island Market.
“We are thrilled to partner with Alpine Electronics in NY” said David Prinz, CEO of GoFast Solutions. “Alpine is a premium, high-end brand long known for their innovative products and the high standards of excellence that they demand of their dealer network that represent the Alpine brand to consumers. To be hand-picked by Alpine as their authorized dealer fulfillment partner in NY Metro, Central/Northern NJ & Long Island is an honor and a validation that GoFast exemplifies the integrity, quality & commitment to excellence that Alpine embodies every day.”
David adds, “We knew from day one that it would take hard work, perseverance, and a commitment to add tremendous value to the retailers in NY to win. We invested in a satellite warehouse located centrally in Hicksville, NY and we have a delivery van travel thru the market weekly to stock our Hicksville warehouse and deliver orders to our customers. GoFast Solutions ability to supply dealers with same or next day inventory is a valuable benefit to dealers for a just in time need.”
Bob Hernandez Director of Sales added “We are excited to bring the GoFast Experience to the authorized Alpine Retailers in the New York Metro, Central/Northern NJ & Long Island. Having served Alpine as the authorized dealer fulfillment partner in New England & Upstate NY for several years, this is a natural extension… expect to see us early and often!”
Contact GoFast Solutions at Main Number (203) 641-0272, Info@gofst.com
SHREVEPORT, LA (12.31.2022) – January 1st 2023 marks the beginning of a New Year filled with opportunities. Happy New Year to all across the 12volt industry!
The New Year 2023 presents an opportunity for all to start with a clean slate and implement a fresh set of goals for the year ahead.
There is an old saying “Nothing is more constant than change.” The fact that online commerce continues to capture sales from brick and mortar retailers has become a constant that won’t change – unless brick and mortar retailers change their approach to the marketplace. E-commerce sales during the 2022 holiday season were up nearly double digits over 2021. Between Black Friday and Christmas eve FedEx, UPS along with the US Postal Service combined to deliver over 2 billion packages. To be sure, not all of those packages were Christmas gifts. However, as online ordering surged, the majority were Christmas gifts.
Brick and mortar retailers across the U.S. closed thousands of stores in 2022.
In the evermore digital marketplace, all brick and mortar retailers must change their mindset and marketing approach to engage the consumer marketplace. To be successful retailers must create an overall experience consumers can not get from an online retailer. Hearing crisp highs, and feeling bass in the chest, just can not be experienced online. Seeing in-vehicle lighting plus power sports and marine installations first-hand will drive sales. Safety and convenience products, along with in-vehicle connectivity, are also categories where an exciting in-store experience can capture business for brick and mortar retailers.
Social media outreach is an extremely powerful vehicle through which 12volt retailers can develop a legion of loyal followers and engage consumers. Mobile devices are in the hands of virtually all consumers today. The smartphone is such a valuable tool for 12volt retailers to showcase their respective message to their followers and consumers.
New product arrivals, hot installations, new in-store displays and proactive staff members represent ideal content to highlight through planned social media posts. By the time the morning coffee is brewed a far sighted 12volt retailer could have made an engaging Instagram post for his followers to checkout. That post could feature a new product with an invitation to come into the store for an exciting demonstration. As the Instagram post was made that content could have been shared to Facebook and Twitter accounts also.
The Instagram Business Profile, which is free, features a contact tab. A follower can tap the contact tab and call the store from their smartphone as they view the post. Also, a follower can send an email to the store as well as get a map to the store. Making a post, with the opportunity to get an immediate response from a follower, is an amazing outreach 12volt retailers can’t pass up in today’s marketplace.
For the good of our 12volt industry, the community of suppliers must endeavor to inform the world of the benefits mobile electronics products offer consumers. It’s is well known the price driven “Race to Zero” has stripped marketing budgets. Recent emphasis on high end in-vehicle audio, along with power sports for UTV and marine plus lighting, is a terrific way to kick off the New Year.
We look forward to seeing your company’s brand and positive activities showcased in the 12volt Central Studios in 2023.
TULSA OK (12.30.22) The Car Toys Tulsa Sony Mobile ES Build is already getting action in front of the store in Tulsa. Mark Adams, Car Toys Tulsa store manager’s 2023 Prius, was the retailer’s contest entry. “This was a 2-month project to complete. We finished just a day prior to the contest deadline. Already the Sony ES build is getting attention out front of the store…even in very chilly weather.”
Mark Adams with his Prius Sony ES Mobile build at Car Toys Tulsa.
The Car Toys Tulsa store is a free standing building across the street from a Walmart Super Center. Talk about possibilities for visibility for Sony ES Mobile products.
The custom work and presentation is amazing in the trunk of the Prius.
Contestants were tasked with building an effective Sony Mobile ES demo vehicle to show installation creativity highlighting Sony Mobile ES benefits to consumers. Spotlighting the Mobile ES name and outlining how contestants would utilize the vehicle in practical ways to sell Sony Mobile ES systems were added requirements to enter the contest.
Work on the ES Mobile build was completed in the Car Toys Tulsa installation shop.
Car Toys Tulsa was selected as a Top 10 entry in the ES Mobile Build contest but did not place in the Top 3.
Car Toys owner Charles Stewart related “When our Sony rep Richard Wong told us about the ES Mobile build contest we saw the possibilities and started making plans. An employee’s personal car could be the build vehicle and Mark jumped at the opportunity to make the installation in his Prius. He and I have worked together for probably 20 years and I knew he would give the build his all.”
The ES Mobile 10” in the dash and tweeters custom mounted in the pillar.
“I worked on the build in the Car Toys Tulsa installation bay on Sundays as we are closed. Also, Tuesday is an off day for me, so I could work in the bay too. Charles and Chance, along with techs Frank and Gabe, were right there when I asked for input or needed a few extra hands” Adams offered.
Continuing Adams stated “We did a lot of planning to design the system. We wanted the Prius interior to look stock and demonstrate the sound quality of the Sony ES Mobile System. In addition we wanted to highlight in-vehicle LED lighting which we did in a couple ways. There is chasing LED’s around the top trunk interior plus under Mobile ES products installed in the trunk. One of the LED light patterns showcases the ES Mobile theme color. I was able to show the many aspects of the build in a video which I included with our contest entry. All in all we are very pleased with the Car Toys Tulsa Sony Mobile ES build.”
Stewart concluded “We thank Sony for creating the Mobile ES build program and the opportunity to participate. The program shows a lot of thought and in the end equips many dealers across the U.S. to showcase the Sony ES Mobile brand and possibilities in their area. We will definitely plan store activities around the build plus have the Prius on site at many local offsite events we do each year. Ultimately the build program will drive business for all ES Mobile retailers.”
FLORENCE MS (12.29.22) As the Christmas Holidays approached weather forecasts called for record low temperatures in much of the south. In Shreveport LA the temperature dropped to a very chilly 8 degrees.
This post was created and posted as cold temperatures and Christmas approached Florence MS.
In Florence MS, close to Jackson, those record low temperatures were also forecast. Wayne Holton, Audio Solutions owner, decided to let followers know that a remote car starter would be a great item for Christmas gift giving. He put a social media plan in place to drive sales.
Holton related “We had a good inventory Viper products and got together with my graphics contact and put together an ad that we posted a few days before Christmas. On yes, it got some good action.”
This is the text that accompanied the audio solutions post.
Once customers came into the store the Audio Solutions team let all know there were more benefits to a remote starter than just keeping their vehicle warm in the winter. We informed customers about heated seats, security and convenience feature benefits in addition to keeping their vehicles cool when the summer heat arrives.
Audio Solutions and now at home in this new ground up facility in Florence MS.
Continuing Holton related “Across the board there are so many products available in the mobile electronics category that consumers are not aware of today. Professionally created social media posts can get the message across for proactive 12volt retailers. An example is window tinting for farm tractors as agriculture is big in our area. We made a post of a completed job which led to more tinting jobs, cameras and audio jobs too.”
Farm and construction equipment is at work from sunup to sunset. Window tinting can make it cooler and possibly lead to increased productivity.
In the past year Audio Solutions completed construction of a large new facility in Florence that is definitely driving business for the company throughout the area.
12-27-2022 – Sony Car Audio has announced the winners from the Sony Mobile ES demo car build contest, which were chosen from the pool of Top 10 candidates by industry veteran judges Bryan Schmitt (Mobile Solutions), Gary Bell (Define Concepts), Paul Trueman (SiriusXM), and Chris Cook (MEA).
The winners are:
First Place: Xtreme Auto Sound – Louisville, KY. They receive a $5,000 credit for Sony gear at their distributor (Davis Distribution), a customized plaque, shirts and wireless noise-canceling headphones for the entire crew, and a staff dinner with their Sony Field Account Manager Mike Rundel.
Second Place: Absolute Electronix, Rockville, MD. They receive a $2,500 credit for Sony gear at their distributor (DAS Companies, Inc.), a customized plaque, and shirts for the entire crew.
Third Place: Kartele Mobile Electronics – Waterbury, CT. They receive a $2,500 credit for Sony gear at their distributor (GoFast Solutions) and a customized plaque
“We were overwhelmed with the high number of retailers that stepped up to be part of this contest. Each had a great example of a vehicle they can use to sell Sony Mobile ES successfully,” said Anthony Tozzi, Sony Car Audio Distribution Accounts Manager. “Our impartial, outside group of judges spent a lot of time reviewing the Top 10 candidates to make great selections with our 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners. We’re very proud of our retailers and the work they are capable of.”
Sony plans to keep retailers engaged in 2023 with new contests, some of which may be tied to new car audio products that will debut throughout the next calendar year.
Contact Anthony Tozzi at Anthony.Tozzi@Sony.com for more information about Sony, the Mobile ES line, or how to connect with an authorized distributor.
SHREVEPORT LA (12.26.22) In less than a week we will say goodbye to the Year 2022. No doubt 2022 has been another year filled with continuing challenges including COVID-19 and related variants plus inflation that has impacted brick and mortar traffic. This past week, at the peak of the Christmas season, weather impacted in-store traffic and crippled holiday travel in many parts of the U.S.
The 12volt Central Studios continues to showcase positive news across the 12volt industry. Toys for Tots events during December definitely put smiles on the faces on many children. The 9th Annual Audio Concept Toys for Tots was a terrific example. During the event at the company’s Fresno location nearly 500 toys were donated during the December 17th event that was attended by 144 competitors from BassWars, IASCA, USACi and EMMA. On December 24th and Christmas Day Ray Aragon and his wife Maria visited a number of area organizations to personally deliver toys donated at the Audio Concepts Toys for Tots event.
Ray Aragon pictured with the nearly 500 toys donated at the 9th Annual Audio Concepts Toys for Tots event in Fresno CA.Customers navigated snow covered streets to make it to Team Nutz for Christmas purchases.
The weather in Pittsburgh, as in many areas across the country, has been a real challenge for 12volt retailers. Team Nutz in Pittsburgh continued to charge forward with positive activities and social media posts right up to Christmas Day. Snow covered the city and roads. Ed Nuttall, and the crew, charged forward. The installation bay was packed and techs were on the cold floor making installs on vehicles with ice on the hoods and lights.
Long time customer Luke Heller, at the Christmas themed counter, drove 60 miles for more upgrades to his vehicle.
Companies also took time to have Christmas parties and dinners. Charles Stewart, Car Toys Tulsa, made a social media post with the crew after dinner at a local Japanese restaurant.
Toys collected for local charities are packaged in Christmas sacks and ready for pickup.
As we move into 2023, in a few short days, let’s all think about highlighting positives in our day-to-day business activities. The 12voltSTP Tool certainly makes that possible. Just Snap an image and Txt it to 318 465 0844. Presto…your positive news can be in the 12volt News.
The installation bay is filled and some techs lay on the cold, wet floor to complete jobs.
2023 will certainly begin differently for many across the 12volt industry who in the past have planned to travel to Las Vegas. CES 2023 is set for January 5-8 but definitely will not look like previous CES events from the 12volt industry perspective.
Charles Stewart, 2nd L, and the Car Toys Tulsa crew just finished a company Christmas dinner at Osaka Japanese restaurant.
The Year 2022 marked the 55th Christmas Holiday Anniversary in the 12volt industry for this old guy. Let’s finish 2022 on a high note.
SHREVEPORT, LA (12.23.2022) – We truly wish all across the 12volt industry a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays Season.
During this time of the year we wanted to take time to thank all across the 12volt industry for their support, encouragement and business in 2022 as we continue to work each day to showcase positives across the 12volt industry.
The year 2022 continued to be an uncertain time in the world and 12volt industry with so many changing factors at play. In many cases inventory supply issues were solved in 2022 but high inflation and gas prices impacted consumer spending on non-essentials. Many brick and mortar retailers are well stocked but are not seeing the 2021 sales spike from stimulus checks. Increases in online spending continues impact the brick and mortar 12volt marketplace as well.
Work is now underway on the grounds of the LVCC in Vegas for CES 2023. The presence of 12volt companies planning to exhibit seems to reach a new low each CES as auto manufactures have taken so much space in the North Hall with huge booths. Travel concerns also continue with recurring COVID-19 spikes and other transmittable health issues.
The above narrative is a harsh reality that each business is facing.
The Christmas tree is up at the 12volt Central Studios.
From the 12volt Central Studios, we encourage all to evaluate their situation and play to their strengths. Build on your company’s strengths and highlight the positives in your every day activities…Manufacturers, Distributors, Rep Firms and Retailers alike. Let’s all work to make a bigger pie for all to share across the 12volt industry.
We look forward to continuing to showcase positives from companies across the 12volt industry in 2023.
AUBURN HILLS, MI (12.22.22) – Alps Alpine North America, Inc. (“Alpine”) will offer a choice of three, one-hour virtual training sessions for their U.S. Authorized Dealers. These sessions will focus on newly released and upcoming Alpine products. This is the third year in a row that Alpine has offered virtual product training sessions for their dealers.
Straight from the Source What started as a necessity during the virtual environment of the pandemic has evolved into an efficient method of communicating new product introductions, marketing promotions, and detailed product training directly to partnering businesses.
“We are proud to continue offering virtual product training in an effort to streamline communication and offer important updates and announcements from Alpine in a convenient and accessible format,” said Mike Anderson, Executive Director at Alps Alpine North America, Inc. “The virtual approach also allows us to deliver a pure Alpine brand experience to a wider audience in a way that equips and energizes our partnering stores.”
Led by Alpine National Trainer, Eric Brooks, the virtual training will highlight the new generation of High-Resolution sound and display audio family systems inspired by the technology and design of the Ultra High-Resolution AlpineF#1Status system. The webinar will also include effective selling and marketing techniques for the 2023 Alpine Product Line.
Registrants can choose from the following days to attend:
Tuesday, January 10, 2023 noon (EST) Wednesday, January 11, 2023 3 p.m. (EST) Thursday, January 12, 2023 6 p.m. (EST)
All U.S. Alpine Authorized Dealers are encouraged to register for this free webinar by contacting their Alpine Rep.
DIAMOND BAR, CA (12.21.22) – One of the annual SEMA Show’s many distinctions is its weeklong display of greatness. From new products and innovations to the groundbreaking people driving the specialty aftermarket to new heights, the SEMA Show reflects the industry’s reach for excellence. Perhaps that’s the reason the Show’s award ceremonies resonate so deeply with thousands of Show participants.
“We are pleased to congratulate all the winners that we celebrated throughout numerous events and competitions during the 2022 SEMA Show Week,” said SEMA President and CEO Mike Spagnola. “This is an industry founded on deep-seated passion and the constant enthusiasm to excel at one’s craft—and all our SEMA Show winners and honorees embody that spirit.”
SEMA Launch Pad WInner (Industry Banquet) Kevin Robinson, TRAC LLC
Sharing the Passion (Industry Banquet) James Lawrence, SEMA Chairman of the Board
The 2022 SEMA Show introduced several major updates to its traditional awards presentations. First, with e-commerce expanding and data-driven transactions becoming more routine, the SEMA Warehouse Distributor of the Year award evolved into a new Channel Partner of the Year award. The award honors the contributions of sales, distributors, retailers and e-commerce channel(s) in the industry as well as the distribution companies that support retailers.
Celebrating an Industry (Industry Banquet) Mike Spagnola, SEMA president and CEO
Chairman’s Service Award (Industry Banquet) WD-40
In addition, the Channel Partner of the Year and the Manufacturer of the Year award presentations were moved to the SEMA Show Kickoff Breakfast on Tuesday morning, November 1, at the Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino. Held just before the Show’s official opening, the event was previously called the New Products Awards Breakfast. Under its new name, the 2022 event continued its tradition of honoring the Show’s best new products across numerous categories, including two new categories for electric vehicle and advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) products.
Jarod DeAnda, known as the “voice of Formula Drift,” hosted the reformatted 2022 breakfast. He was joined on stage by Hoonigan driver Ken Block and Hoonigan Co-Founder Brian Scotto, who discussed “Electrikhana,” a new video featuring an all-electric Audi S1 Hoonitron that was shot on the streets of Las Vegas. “Electrikhana” is the latest video of the wildly popular “Gymkhana” series.
GEN-III Innovator of the Year (Industry Banquet) Mike Burns, ValvoMax
Influencer of the Year (Industry Banquet) Larry Chen, Photographer/Videographer
“Combining the Channel Partner of the Year, Manufacturer of the Year and New Product Awards into one event early in the week enabled winners to promote their honors throughout Show Week,” said SEMA Vice President of Events Tom Gattuso. “We were also very honored and excited to have Ken Block and Brian Scotto at the event. They are inspirational, and the ‘Gymkhana’ series and cars represent what our industry is all about.”
Person of the Year (Industry Banquet) Josh Poulson, Auto Additions Inc.
Industry Icons (Kickoff Breakfast) Jarod DeAnda, Brian Scotto, Ken Block
Meanwhile, the SEMA Industry Awards Banquet, the traditional Thursday-night venue for major awards, also got a dynamic makeover, which included a novel center stage and a streamlined run time. Themed “Further. Faster. Together.,” the event featured the SEMA Person of the Year and GEN-III Innovator of the Year awards, along with the first-ever SEMA Influencer of the Year award designed to honor content creators who make a positive industry impact across social-media channels. The evening also included a tribute to industry icons Walker Evans, Jack Roush and Robert Eugene “Gene” Winfield, who were named to the SEMA Hall of Fame in the summer of 2022.
The banquet further made headlines with the announcement that the SEMA Show is going citywide in Las Vegas, starting this year. Another high point came with the audience of about 3,000 casting the deciding votes via text to name Kevin Robinson, inventor of the TRAC Tire Jack, as the ultimate winner of the 2022 SEMA Launch Pad competition. Winnowed from a field of five Show finalists, he and runner-up Susan Pieper, DMOS Collective CEO, got to pitch their product ideas before panelists Chip Foose, Jared Hare, Myles Kovacs and Alex Parker just before the audience vote.
Channel Partner of the Year (Kickoff Breakfast) Turn 14 Distribution Inc.
Manufacturer of the Year (Kickoff Breakfast) Baja Designs Inc.
“There were many changes to our Show’s recognition programs for 2022,” observed Gattuso. “All our awards and recognitions represent an extremely dynamic industry, so as our industry has evolved, we’ve been pleased to evolve with it.”
The photos above capture the winning moments and highlights of the Show’s many award presentations at the Kickoff Breakfast and the Industry Awards Banquet.
LOS ANGELES, CA (12.19.22) – The Microsoft Theater was packed on Friday night for the Metallica Concert. The Helping Hands Auction will be completed this coming week. PowerBass was proud to partner with friends at T-FRESH / TIMMY FRESH BRAND custom bicycles and their Metallica Themed Charity Auction Bike!
Metallica fans headed into the Microsoft Theater in LA on Friday, December 16th.
Erik Harbour holds his VIP Pass as the heads into the Metallica concert.
The Timmy Fresh Metallica bike was added as a charity raffle item for the All Within My Hands Foundation to be auctioned at the Helping Hands Concert & Auction in Los Angeles December 16th! A PowerBass BT-200 was added to Timmy Fresh Custom Bike and added to the value of that auction item.
Erik Harbour, PowerBass VP, was instrumental in arranging the BT-200 Portable Bluetooth Speaker and attended the concert. “The Microsoft Theater was packed and Metallica did not disappoint. Their performance was Emmy winning and the presentation on stage was second to none. The Helping Hands Auction will happen in a couple days and the top bid on the Tommy Fresh bike is over $2500. The auction winner will certainly enjoy the PowerBass BT-200 Bluetooth” Harbour related.
Erik Harbour in the lobby with Lars Ulrich (R) is best known as a Danish musician, drummer and co-founder of the heavy metal band Metallica.
Metallica in concert with an amazing backdrop on the stage.
All Within My Hands is a non-profit, philanthropic organization created by the members and management of Metallica, dedicated to creating sustainable communities by supporting workforce education, the fight against hunger, and other critical local services.
The Timmy Fresh Brand Bike in the PowerBass booth at SEMA with the PowerBass BT-200 strapped to the lower bike frame.
The Metallica Auction Bike was featured on display in the PowerBass Booth at SEMA and spotlighted the new Timmy Fresh Bike mounts for the PowerBass BT-200 SPLIT Portable Bluetooth Speaker which keeps the rider’s music secure so the ride keeps on rocking!
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