The Sony Car Audio team has recently filled one of its two Account Manager positions with Jacob Gromovsky. Jacob is based in Atlanta, GA, covering the Eastern region.
Jacob’s experience as a sales representative managing accounts and understanding the distribution model will help him in this new role. In addition, building relationships and collaborating with customers is second nature to him from his twenty years of experience in the industry.
Jacob Gromovsky
“Jacob represents what our accounts need in our Eastern territory,” stated Anthony Tozzi, Distribution Sales Manager. “His knowledge and ability to help our distributor accounts and retailers will give our small team a much-needed resource out in the field. We are looking forward to finding someone on the West Coast with similar traits as we look to fill that position as well.”
“Individual commitment to a group effort — that is what makes a team work, a company work, a society work, a civilization work. Those were Vince Lombardi’s words, and I am looking forward to my commitment making a positive impact on this team,” says Jacob.
ALISO VIEJO, CA (08.18.2021) – Madison International Speedway in Oregon, Wis., is advocating for racers and fans to join the effort to protect the future of motorsports by hosting SaveOurRaceCars.com Championship Night on Friday, August 20.
As the title sponsor of the event, the Save Our Racecars initiative and efforts to stop government overreach will be promoted directly to race fans and consumers at the Friday night event. All those in attendance will learn about the threats facing the racing industry, including challenges racetracks have had holding in-person events during the pandemic, current legislative issues, and the future evolution of automobiles.
“The racing industry has endured more challenges in the past year than it has in its entire history, and it’s not going away,” said Gregg McKarns, Madison International Speedway Track Owner. “We’re grateful that PRI is fighting for our rights to race.”
Performance Racing Industry and Madison International Speedway will host the SaveOurRaceCars.com Championship Night on August 20 to advocate for the worldwide motorsports industry.
SaveOurRaceCars.com Championship Night represents an established relationship and partnership between Madison International Speedway and Performance Racing Industry (PRI), the organization promoting to Save Our Racecars and advocating for the worldwide motorsports industry. When Dane County prohibited outdoor events from taking place last summer, Madison International Speedway leaned on PRI’s lobbying efforts to secure approval for hosting a limited number of events. SaveOurRaceCars.com Championship Night is the latest initiative between PRI and Madison International Speedway.
The August 20 event features three division races that include vehicles that began as street cars before being converted into dedicated race vehicles. As such, the MISfitz, Bandits, and 6shooters series are at risk from the EPA’s National Compliance Initiative, which specifically targets and enforces against aftermarket companies that produce, market, and install parts for dedicated race cars. To protect the motorsports industry against EPA overreach, the Save Our Racecars campaign is pushing for passage of the Recognizing the Protection of Motorsports (RPM) Act. The bipartisan bill will clarify that it is legal to convert street vehicles into dedicated race cars, and that businesses can legally produce, market, and install racing products.
“Passing the RPM Act into law is the only way to guarantee the future safety of the racing industry,” said Dr. Jamie Meyer, PRI President. “We need everyone at Madison Speedway to join in the effort. It’s critical we unite to protect our racing rights.”
PRI representatives will be onsite at Madison International Speedway on August 20 to help fans in attendance pledge their support of the RPM Act. In addition, race fans will learn how they can join in a new effort to unify the worldwide racing community. Through PRI Membership, race fans are able to join racers and motorsports businesses in demonstrating their passion, commitment, and support for racing. The inaugural program is a groundbreaking movement that will amplify the industry’s ability to advocate and protect motorsports.
“It is by working together that our industry will survive and thrive,” said Meyer. “There is a lot of uncertainty in the world, but the only way to ensure the future of racing is through a unified voice. We must band together and take action.”
To learn more about the Save Our Racecars initiative, visit SaveOurRaceCars.com. To attend the August 20 SaveOurRaceCars.com Championship Night event, visit Madison International Speedway’s website MISRacing.com.
MIAMI GARDENS, FL (08.18.2021) – The new DS18 X1 and X2 ultra compact amplifiers will virtually fit into the palm of a hand.
The DS18 X1 is a Class D mono-block amplifier that is rated at 900 Watts peak and features equalizer controls.
The DS18 X2 is a Class D 2 channel amplifier that is rated at 1140 Watts peak with builtin crossover.
Both of these new DS18 Amplifiers are perfect for vehicles with very little room to mount large amplifiers. Though small in size both put out an amazing amount of power.
SEATTLE, WA (08.17.2021) – AudioControl has announced that they will be hosting training seminars in both English and Spanish for attendees at Knowledgefest Dallas, being held at the Dallas Market Center, August 27-29, 2021.
The AudioControl team will be hosting one training seminar per day for English-speaking attendees, covering how to maximize system performance with AudioControl’s all-in-one amplifier solutions (Friday), how to make each system shine using DSP (Saturday), and the many benefits of utilizing the AudioControl DM-RTA—the ultimate test tool (Sunday).
On Saturday evening, AudioControl has assembled stars of the Spanish-speaking car audio community to offer “After Hours with AudioControl en Español,” a hands-on training event done exclusively in Spanish. Numerous subjects will be covered, however the primary focus will be on DSP training, demystifying this powerful technology in order to bring best performance to each system.
“These educational tracks are valuable for our dealer partners and enable both sales and installation teams to design and deliver best-performing systems to their customers,” stated Chris Bennett, National Sales Director – Mobile at AudioControl. “We are very grateful to draw from our talented and diverse community to offer critical programs in both English and Spanish.”
Additional Spanish-speaking presenters will be offering training seminars on a broad range of subjects at Knowledgefest Dallas.
KNOWLEDGEFEST DALLAS TRAINING SCHEDULE (see full event schedule HERE)
Friday, August 27th – 3:00-4:00pm Room C146 AudioControl Amplifiers: The all-in-one solution
Saturday, August 28th – 6:00-7:00pm Room C146 Demystifying the Black Box (DSP) with special guest trainer Dean Beyett of 5 Star Car Stereo
Sunday, August 29th – 10:30-11:30am Room C146 DM-RTA: The Ultimate Audio Test Tool
Saturday, August 28th @ 7:30-9:30pm After Hours with AudioControl en Español
Presented by: Ricardo Rangel – Monster by Rangel, Mexico City, Mexico Fernando Lopez – 5 Star Car Stereo, Clearwater, Florida Roberto Estrada – AudioControl rep for Mexico
VISIT AUDIOCONTROL AT THE 2021 KNOWLEDGEFEST DALLAS, AUGUST 27-29 BOOTH 827
DIAMOND BAR, CA (08.17.2021) – New for this year, the New Products Showcase will be located in the Las Vegas Convention Center’s Upper South Hall in booth #31255. In addition, buyers and media can now use the Show app on their mobile device to scan and save products and provide step-by-step directions to the exhibitors that submitted each product.
Entering at least one product in the New Products Showcase puts your latest products in front of thousands of qualified buyers from every segment of the specialty-equipment industry.
Exhibiting at the SEMA Show and entering at least one product in the New Products Showcase puts your latest products in front of thousands of qualified buyers from every segment of the specialty-equipment industry. The best part: the first product you enter is free!
Entry Fees:
The first product entered in one category in the New Products Showcase is FREE! Additional $75 per product category before October 8. After October 8, the cost is $150 per entry. No refunds provided after October 8. Entries submitted on-site will be accepted on a space availability basis.
NORFOLK, VA (08.16.2021) – Audio One recently completed a full mobile barber shop installation in a 2008 Ford Econoline.
Mike Kreiselman, the Shop Foreman with Audio One in Norfolk VA, related “We recently sold a full mobile barber shop installation in a 2008 Ford Econoline Bus. The customer supplied all the equipment, including the barber chair, and I had one of my best techs, Adam Dorris, do the installation in the very unique vehicle. Adam is also skilled in residential electrical.”
The Mobile Way Barber Shop Econoline in front of the Audio One Norfolk VA location.
Among the items installed included: 2 12 volt deep cycle batteries, a 5000 Watt power inverter, 4 110 Volt A/C receptacles, 1 light switch, and 5 110 Volt A/C powered lights. Running to each receptacle, light switch, and lights is 14 gauge ROMEX wiring that would be used in a residential wiring job. Adam ran 0 Gauge wiring from the battery under the hood. There is a secondary battery under the steps in the bus but the one under the hood is a better option because it is closest to the alternator and with easier access. 3 fuse holders were used-one under hood, one at the first battery installed and one between the 2 batteries in the rear. Using 3 fuse holders at each section helped protect everything from fire due to a vehicle accident or overload failure.
Adam Dorris gives a big 2 thumbs up after finishing The Mobile Way Barber Shop job.
Kreiselman stated, “The customer was very hesitant to spend the money with us at first because he thought the price was “a little high.” But after a long conversation with him he approved the install because he had heard such good things about our Audio One location in Norfolk and he felt confident that the job would be done properly and professionally.”
The Mobile Way Barber Shop job in progress.
Concluding, Kreiselman offered, “This was definitely one unique job that took us 2 days to do as the customer preferred we to take our time and get it done as cleanly as possible. All in all it turned out great and I couldn’t be happier with Adam’s work! Now we are on to the next unique project!”
Heavy duty inverters and batteries were used on the job.
Bob Mickonis, Regional/General Manager of the four store Audio One store operation, related, “It is always so encouraging to hear consumers in the area are aware of our commitment to do it right. Our staff members, like Mike and Adam, make that happen.”
This article was the result of the Instagram post by theaudioone. The image of The Mobile Way rig caught eyeballs in the 12volt Central Studios. The additional 6 images in the post showed the extend of the work involved. We reached out to Bob and he put us in touch with Mike Kreiselman who supplied the content for this article. Great job Mike.
The SEMA Memorial Scholarship Fund issued a total of $296,000 in scholarships and loan-forgiveness awards to help 119 individuals who currently work or are planning to pursue careers in the automotive aftermarket industry. The winners include 97 students who received scholarships ranging from $1,000 to $5,000, and 22 employees of SEMA-member companies who received loan forgiveness awards to help pay off student loans.
For the first time in the program’s history, five students have been awarded Top Student Awards valued at $5,000—the highest award possible. In addition to the financial awards, this year’s scholarship program also includes 10 winners who will be selected to take part in an inaugural SEMA Show student experience. The 10 students will be flown to the SEMA Show in Las Vegas in November, where they will participate in the industry’s leading trade event, make business connections and gain valuable experience.
“We’re excited to honor another fantastic group of students and members to represent the SEMA Memorial Scholarship Program,” said SEMA Student Program Committee Chair Ian Lehn. “We are particularly thrilled for the student experience, and are excited to have top students join us at the SEMA Show for hands-on, real-world experience. They will see the SEMA Show up close, leave with meaningful industry connections and experience the magic that one can only get by being at the SEMA Show.”
The SEMA Memorial Scholarship Fund and the SEMA Show student experience are designed to encourage and support future talent and leaders in the automotive aftermarket industry. Scholarships are awarded annually to foster the next generation of automotive aftermarket industry leaders and innovators by helping them get off to a successful start in their education and automotive aftermarket careers. This year’s awards brings the total amount issued since the program’s founding in 1984 to more than $3 million
The online application for next year’s award will open starting in January of 2022, at www.sema.org/scholarships.
For questions or additional information, contact SEMA’s Project Manager, Member Services Byron Bergmann at 909-378-4859 or byronb@sema.org.
TEMPE, AZ (08.13.2021) – Mobile Solutions has announced that Mark Fukuda will present the keynote address for its first annual MasterTech Expo training and learning event, to be held March 6-9, 2022 at the Mesa Convention Center in Mesa, Ariz. In addition, Fukuda will teach a course alongside Tom Miller, decorated fabricator and owner of Musicar in Portland, Ore. The duo will present innovative fabrication techniques as part of the event’s “School of Fab” education curriculum.
Entitled “Keys to Success,” the keynote address will take place March 9 prior to the event’s awards presentation. Fukuda will provide an engaging mix of life and career experience with an insightful roadmap to navigating the industry’s current challenges.
Fukuda has a storied and colorful history in the automotive aftermarket. As a car audio competitor, he holds the record for six consecutive world championships as well as 12 SPL (sound pressure level) records and 11 national championships from various competition organizations. His award-winning 1989 Chevy Astro van has become an icon in competitive circles. Achieving Master-level certification from MECP (Mobile Electronics Certified Professionals) in 1995, Fukuda has won numerous awards including Installer of the Year for Car Stereo Review, USACi (Unites States Autosound Competition International) and other publications.
Mark Fukuda
Fukuda’s continued creative mastery and willingness to share knowledge led to a substantial career path, founding a retail store, installation training facility and home theater building service. He later spent five years with Rockford Corporation before venturing into sales representation and distribution, leading to his current role as president and CEO of Wave Electronics.
Fukuda will be joined at MasterTech Expo by the same vehicle that put him on so many winning stages and magazine covers. The iconic Rockford Fosgate-themed Astro van, which Fukuda is currently modernizing with custom-built modifications, will be on display in front of Rockford Fosgate’s booth.
“Words don’t describe the sheer impact Mark has had on this industry,” said Bryan Schmitt, CEO and founder of MasterTech Expo. “Despite his success, he has always been willing to take guys aside and offer his advice and experience. The personal effect on many professionals in our industry, myself included, has provided us direction, drive and purpose. We are so deeply honored to have him at our inaugural event.”
Automotive aftermarket professionals can register for Mobile Solutions’ MasterTech Expo by visiting mastertechexpo.com/attendee-registration. Tuition for the learning event is $799.00. Hotel accommodations can be made at mastertechexpo.com/host-hotel.
TUCSON, AZ (08.13.2021) – Upgrade your Jeep Gladiator JT / Wrangler JL / JLU (without factory keyless remote entry) with a Kleinn Wireless Remote Start designed specifically for your model. Cool down your Jeep in the summer and warm it in the winter before you climb in and drive away. Kit is a Plug-N-Play system with no wiring connections required.
Remote start your Jeep using the included two (2) long range remotes that work up to 2000 feet away. Can be used on Jeep JT, JL and JLU equipped with the factory keyless entry to take advantage of the extended range of the Kleinn remote.
Once installed, programming the remote start unit is required. A programmer interface is included. You will need a Windows computer with USB port to program the remote start module. Check the application chart to find the right remote start for your Jeep.
DIAMOND BAR, CA (08.12.2021) – SEMA’s support for young, up-and-coming vehicle builders continues, as the Young Guns category of the 2021 SEMA Battle of the Builders competition kicks off with the Eastern U.S. regional qualifier on August 14, 2021.
With three qualifier events in this year’s Young Guns program, the events are divided by regions—Eastern, Midwest and Pacific, taking place August 14, 21, and 28, respectively. Selected participants will be interviewed and judged remotely via video chat.
Top prize for one young vehicle builder (age 27 and under) at each qualifier event is an all-expenses-paid trip for two to the trade-only SEMA Show in Las Vegas, in November. The prize includes transportation of the winner’s vehicle, a designated feature vehicle spot at the Show and entry into the SEMA Battle of the Builders competition.
First introduced into the Battle of the Builders competition in 2017, the Young Guns category provides exposure for rising young builders who may not otherwise be able to qualify for the competition due to certain requirements.
The SEMA Battle of the Builders competition is the automotive industry’s premier vehicle competition, with participants featured at the SEMA Show, online, in magazines and on television.
“We’re seeing great innovation from our young builders”, said Ira Gabriel, SEMA vice president of marketing, PR and communications. “We are beyond excited to welcome our Young Guns back to a live SEMA Show this year.”
The Battle of the Builders competition celebrates the amazing craftsmanship and talents of people who create and build some of the most unique cars in the world. The “Young Guns” classification is exclusive to up-and-coming builders who are under 27 years old and have performed the majority of the work on their vehicles.
For more information about the SEMA Battle of the Builders competition or the SEMA Young Guns program, visit www.semabotb.com or www.semayoungguns.com.
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