SEATTLE, WA (01.29.2020) – AudioControl has recognized ten of their sales rep firms for outstanding performance in the mobile electronics market for 2019. Each of these organizations helped to bring AudioControl’s 12-volt solutions to the finest specialists and increase brand visibility in their respective territories. The awards were presented at company’s national sales meeting during the 2020 CES show in Las Vegas.
“Pretty amazing 2019 for AudioControl and our Representative partners, that did a commendable job of embracing our brand strategy, bringing our newest solutions to dealers and generating success across the US,” stated Chris Bennett, National Sales Director – Mobile at AudioControl. “We’ve never had so many rep firms exceed sales goals, grow our dealer base and promote the AudioControl brand like our current team—we appreciate their efforts.”
The Rep of the Year awards acknowledge firms that embrace AudioControl’s commitment to delivering innovative new products that enable 12-volt specialists to satisfy customer demand for high-performance mobile entertainment systems, including the growing market for OEM system upgrades. Winning rep firms provide energy and enthusiasm behind new product introductions along with critical training initiatives offered to dealers leading to successful sales and service campaigns within those regions.
Among the fine organizations recognized were:
Paragon Sales & Marketing Mobile Electronics Rep Firm of the Year
ADF Electronics International Distributor of the Year, Mobile Electronics
Reese Helms (R) pictured with Richard Burgner in front of the car audio display at Audio Acoustics in Durham, NC.
GASTONIA, NC (01.29.2020) – Reese Helms is the newest member of the Shiflet & Dickson Team. Helms is the new Territory Manager for eastern North and South Carolina.
David Holland, Shiflet & Dickson GM, stated “Reese is an industry veteran with over 15 years at the retail store level. That experience will serve him well as he works with our friends and customers in the territory. Living near the coast will allow us to have greater coverage with dealers that focus on the golf cart, ATV, motorcycle and marine categories.”
“I am excited to be on the Shiflet & Dickson Team and am already seeing dealers in the area. Right after joining Shiflet & Dickson there was an AudioControl training I attended. Matt Palumbo did a great job and I learned how dealers in the territory can utilize AudioControl products to grow their business. There were over 30 dealers at the meeting and it was also a great networking opportunity for me” Helms related to 12voltnews.com.
Helms was on the road on Monday, January 27th and made a sales call at Audio Acoustics in Durham North Carolina. Richard Burgner stated “ Good to see Reece in our store. We are celebrating 30 years in business and have been buying from Shiflet and Dickson for a very long time. We look forward to working with Reece.”
Concluding, Holland stated “Having Reece on the road will definitely create opportunities and drive business.”
Pictured above in the Alpine booth at CES 2020 following the award presentations are (R to L) Mike Anderson-Vice President and General Manager-Brand Business Unit-Alpine Electronics of America Inc., Jimmy Chaufee-Alpine Direct Rep of the Year, Doug Hanson from Echo Sales & Marketing and Marco Bregenzer-Senior Regional Sales Manager Region 2.
AUBURN HILLS, MI (01.28.2020) – Alpine Electronics of America, Inc. named their 2019 Rep Firm of the Year for the Brand (aftermarket) Business Unit during the 2020 International CES held Tuesday, January 7 – Friday, January 10 in Las Vegas.
During the event, Alpine recognized the independent and direct reps who have exceeded expectations in sales, marketing, customer service, and communication.
Doug Hanson from Echo Sales & Marketing was named the 2019 Independent Rep of the Year for his strong commitment to his dealers through on-site support and events, adding four new specialty dealers in 2019. His territory sales grew by 53%, with a 26% growth in sound system business with a focus on Alpine’s PowerStack system (the iLX-W650 and KTA-450), the CES innovation award-winning product launched in 2018.
Jimmy Chauffe was named the 2019 Direct Rep of the Year for building trusted dealer relationships through sales and marketing support. Chauffe led his region with 19 X-Perience events and provided excellent customer service by promoting Alpine’s 2019 strategy of Direct Consumer Marketing (DCM). His territory sales grew by 35%, with a 45% growth in sound system business.
“Every year we look forward to recognizing the amazing talent from our independent and direct reps,” said Mike Anderson, Vice President and General Manager, Brand Business Unit, Alpine Electronics of America, Inc. “Their commitment to Alpine’s business strategy, along with their professionalism and enthusiasm for the brand, is unmatched in the mobile electronics industry.”
LOS ANGELES, CA (01.28.2020) – FOUR WHEELER, the world’s leading 4×4 authority since 1962, has selected the Jeep Gladiator Rubicon as the winner of its 31st annual Pickup Truck of the Year award.
FOUR WHEELER’s Pickup Truck of the Year award event is an invitation-only competition that is only open to all-new or significantly revised pickup trucks for the upcoming model year. For 2020, the field of vehicles included the Chevrolet Silverado Z71 1500 3.0L Duramax, Chevrolet Silverado 2500 6.6L, Chevrolet Silverado 2500 Z71 6.6L Duramax, GMC Sierra 1500 AT4 3.0L Duramax, GMC Sierra 2500 AT4 6.6L Duramax, GMC Sierra 3500 6.6L Duramax, Jeep Gladiator Rubicon, and Ram 1500 Rebel EcoDiesel.
“The new Jeep Gladiator is the truck many buyers have been waiting years for,” said FOUR WHEELER Editor Ken Brubaker. “After a week of testing in a variety of challenging environments the Gladiator proved that it is all truck and all Jeep, which is a formidable combination. Mix in the impressive Rubicon package that includes Tru-Lok differential lockers, Rock-Trac transfer case with 4:1 low range, front disconnecting stabilizer bar, and full skidplating, and it’s clear the Gladiator is at the front of the class.”
The competition began in the Los Angeles area with ramp travel index (RTI) testing to gauge each vehicle’s suspension articulation. Following RTI testing, the trucks were driven to the Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California, for track testing, including 0-60 and quarter-mile acceleration times, as well as 60-0 braking distance. Following track testing, the vehicles were driven to the Southern California desert on paved roads. Judges included staff from various 4×4 brands including FOUR WHEELER, 4-WHEEL & OFF-ROAD, and JP MAGAZINE.
The next three days were spent primarily in a variety of off-road conditions, including sand, rocky trails, loose-surface trails, and snow. Testing included a loose-dirt hillclimb and water crossings. Night driving was also integrated into the competition to gauge each vehicle’s lighting equipment.
The final day of testing included a long highway test section returning to the Los Angeles area, during which additional important highway data was gathered, including fuel economy, interior comfort, and on-road handling. The weeklong testing covered approximately 1,000 miles.
“When the Gladiator was first announced there was concern that it would be too much truck and not enough Jeep, or too much Jeep and not enough truck,” said MOTORTREND GROUP Content Director Sean P. Holman. “If anything, our testing has proven that Jeep has hit the sweet spot with the Gladiator, giving customers one of the finest off-road-capable midsize trucks on the market.”
Off-road, the Gladiator scored high marks due to its surefooted abilities. Judges appreciated the seamless way the off-road-centric features of the Rubicon package integrated with the truck’s inherent off-road capabilities, which culminated in a vehicle that excelled off-road. The Gladiator also impressed with its approach and departure angles, as well as the vast amount of underbody and exterior protection and ease of use and function of the locking differentials. The Gladiator’s suspension was tuned for on-road driving without compromising its outstanding off-road performance. Suspension flex on the trail helped the mud-terrain tires keep in contact with the trail when the going got tough.
Judges praised the 3.6L V-6 engine, noting that it provided ample power to propel the Gladiator over the toughest terrain or confidently up a long mountain grade. High marks were given to the Gladiator’s cargo bed, with judges noting that its design and function puts it on par with any pickup truck on the market. What’s not on par with any other pickup truck on the market was the Gladiator’s unique, specific features like the fun retractable soft top, which is a segment exclusive, that judges enjoyed both on- and off-road.
Scoring for the award included five weighted categories with 30 percent Trail Performance, 20 percent Empirical (RTI, acceleration, braking, price, and so on), 20 percent On Pavement (handling, ride quality, steering feel), 15 percent Interior (instrumentation, ingress and egress, seat comfort, storage), and 10 percent Exterior (appearance, stance, body protection).
MIAMI, FL (01.27.2020) – Following a very busy CES, Nakamichi Car Audio has forged some new domestic partnerships. Robin McNeal, National Sales Manager, reported the company had an excellent showing. “From the start of our National Sales Meeting on Monday through the show’s end on Friday afternoon, the 2020 CES was very successful for Nakamichi.”
Nakamichi showcased a number of new items slated for delivery early this year including a couple of 9-inch and 10.1-inch touch screen AV receivers with floating screens.
Robin McNeal, Nakamichi National Sales Manager, pictured in the CES North Hall booth holding the new attention grabbing NA3605M9 receiver featuring 9-inch screen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
Excitement around the Nakamichi relaunch continued as several new appointments were made for manufacturer representatives in key territories. “Our sales force has really come together nicely with a great group of manufacturers reps”, stated McNeal.
New Nakamichi reps include:
End Result (covering Ohio, West Virginia and Eastern Pennsylvania)
Contact: Ed Dalesandro ed@endesultonline.com or End Result’s office at (724) 260-0179
Additionally, M.C. Marketing has been awarded an expanded territory beyond the traditional Southeast states of Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, Tennessee and the Carolinas to now include Florida. Contact: Michael Colundjia mcmarkets@att.net
In other news Angel Distributing is officially on board to assist dealers in Alabama, Mississippi, Western Tennessee and the Florida Panhandle. Nakamichi will be present for the annual Angel Distributing Dealer Appreciation Show on Sunday, February 9th at the companies Birmingham facility. For more information contact Chad Seekers, Angel’s General Manager at (205) 988-2006.
INDUSTRY, CA (01.27.2020) – Cadence has been working the last few months on refining its brand image. A huge part of this was to redesign its entire website. Go to CadenceSound.com and start exploring. You will find it much easier to navigate through the website on a laptop / tablet / smartphone, find what you need, and research product.
As you explore, you will see that we have pages for all uses of the company’s products- Car, Pro, Marine, Powersports, Motorcycle, and Competition.
There is an About page that gives the history of Cadence and its mission in the industry.
Keep up with what’s happening on the News page. Press Releases, announcements and more can be found in Cadence News.
Have questions? Check out the FAQs page.
If you need to find the nearest dealer, check out the dealer locator.
If you’re interested in becoming a dealer, you can do so here.
If you have products that you would like to register, now you can. If you need to get in touch, but you do not know who to contact, see our Contact page.
There are Cadence Product on the website, and more will be coming soon. In just a few weeks, you will even be able to purchase product from the Cadence website.
“A big thanks to Dot Matrix Design Group for taking the lead in designing the new Cadence website!”
OXNARD, CA (01.24.2020) – SCOSCHE Industries has announced a brand new range of telescoping phone mounts for home, office and vehicle use.
Every vehicle and every driver is different and Extendo adjusts to perfectly suit each one. In your vehicle you can mount it to your windshield or dashboard and then extend and angle it until you find your perfect viewing angle, and then use the lock-nuts to secure it in place. You might decide to mount it in the middle of the dashboard where it can be extended to suit either the driver or the passenger.
MagicGrip Extendo Wireless Charging Mount (MGQWDEX2-XTET)
The Extendo telescoping arm adjusts from just over 5” to just over 8.5” (depending on model), with 220° of angle adjustment. The mounting head on all models rotates on a 360-degree axis, so you can view your phone in portrait, landscape or any angle in between.
For home use you can attach your Extendo to the countertop or backsplash and adjust it so that you can view a recipe, or facetime with a friend, while you’re cooking dinner. In the office you can attach the base to your desktop, away from your keyboard and monitor and then simply extend it when you need to use your phone. It’s there when you need it but will wait unobtrusively when you don’t.
Like all Scosche wireless chargers, the Extendo Charge mounts are Qi-certified by the Wireless Power Consortium (WPC), so you can be confident your phone is getting the safest and fastest wireless charge it can handle.
Extendo mounts will become available Spring through Summer 2020, and will range in price from $24.99 for Universal and MagicMounts, to $69.99 for advanced wireless charging models.
HOLLY HILL, FL (01.24.2020) – Heise by Metra Electronics has announced new auxiliary lights and replacement bulbs. These new LED lights have a significantly brighter output and longer bulb life than traditional filament bulbs. For easy installation, the lights have an integrated CANBUS system that prevents a “bulb out” warning or hyper flashing when replaced in vehicles with a smart monitoring system.
The bulbs will be available as a two-pack in white or amber LEDs for a variety of sizes that will fit fog, running, reverse, brake, turn signal and license plate lights. The replacement bulbs may also fit some interior light applications and produce truer color temperatures than filament bulbs. Additionally, a two-pack of 5.5” and 6.7” self-adhesive white LED auxiliary lights will also be joining Heise’s product line.
Additional information is available at HeiseLED.com and in the 2020 New Product Guide.
STILLWATER, OK (01.23.2020) – KICKER has added a powerful 10-inch version of the Hideaway Compact Powered Subwoofer to its line of bass products, currently shipping and available at Authorized KICKER Dealers in-store and online. The Hideaway HS10 will retail for $349.95.
Adding a larger speaker and more power to the Hideaway’s already popular feature set, the 10-inch compact sub packs a larger punch than the original Hideaway, with 180 watts of bass power. KICKER engineers ensured the new larger cone would barely alter the Hideaway’s near universal fit in modern vehicles. A highly convenient form factor, the HS10’s all-aluminum body readily fits under a seat, in a trunk or behind a truck bench.
The HS10 also features FIT+ (Fail-safe Integration Technology PLUS), a KICKER exclusive that enhances noise rejection, increases clarity and helps to ensure the subwoofer works with nearly every radio on the planet, including modern vehicles using start/stop technology, and those with up to 40 volts (400 watts) of input voltage. FIT+ has the added benefit of making a line-output converter unnecessary.
The HS10 is ready to install right out of the box. The quick-connect Molex plug and harness includes power, signal and remote turn-on. The Hideaway also comes ready with a remote bass control for fine-tuning bass levels, an on-board adjustable low-pass crossover, variable 6dB bass boost, phase switch and two automatic turn-on options.
The included remote control allows changing the amount of bass without changing the radio volume, for the perfect mix of bass at any volume.
HOLLY HILL, FL(01.23.2020) – Metra Electronics has introduced new RGB and RGBW LED lights, controllers with programmable triggers and a new mobile app for their 12volt brands. RGBW lights feature the full spectrum of RGB LEDs plus an option for true white LED light color. The new mobile app will work with Heise LED Lighting Systems, Metra PowerSports and Metra Marine RGB and RGBW lighting products, allowing multiple devices to be grouped together and synced to the same lighting patterns, colors and more. Additionally, Heise is releasing an RGB and an RGBW control box with several new rock light options and connection accessories. Metra PowerSports also unveiled a new RGBW dome light, RGB and RGBW rock lights, a new control box and lighting connection accessories at CES 2020.
HE-4TLRBGK
RGB/RGBW Mobile App The new RGBW mobile app is customizable for each brand, allowing the user to select from three different backgrounds to reflect Heise, Metra PowerSports or Metra Marine’s brand style. The app has a selectable color wheel with 16 million different RGB color options and a true white light color option, available with RGBW products. The app automatically updates via Bluetooth and detects if a product connected to the control box is RGB or RGBW, allowing groups of both products to be used and controlled within the same mobile app.
Users can also select from built-in pre-programmed lighting transitions for rainbow, fire and water, with additional transitions that include blinking, fading or pulsing between a combination of any two colors. For accurate color matching to completely customize the LED lights, a camera color capture feature is also available in the app. The new mobile app uses Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) for wireless control that streams in the background, uses significantly less power and does not impact the user’s ability to stream music via Bluetooth from the same mobile device. Metra’s new app will be available in the Google Play and Apple store soon.
MPS-RGBDL
New Control Boxes Both Heise and Metra PowerSports are launching new IPX4 rated control boxes for RGB and RGBW LED lights with conformal coated circuit boards. The new control boxes can group multiple devices and handle up to ten amps of current, which allows for more lighting products than what most competing standard control boxes can handle. The mobile app also allows for multiple control boxes to be grouped together and installed within the same system. Unique to both Heise and Metra PowerSports control boxes is the ability for installers to put a positive voltage trigger to lights to offer four programmable triggers for any color. For example, yellow for a turn signal, red for the brake light, white for the reverse light and an additional option for the fourth trigger. This feature is exclusive to Metra and allows for even more customization of the RGB and RGBW lighting products.
RGB-CB1 – Heise Control Box for RGB Lights with 4 Triggers RGBW-CB1 – Heise Control Box for RGBW Lights with 4 Triggers RGB-CB3 – Heise Control Box for 702RGB Headlights and Fog Lights with 4 Triggers RGB-CB2 – Metra PowerSports RGB Control Box with 4 Triggers RGBW-CB2 – Metra PowerSports RGBW Control Box with 4 Triggers Control boxes are required for operation of RGB or RGBW lighting products.
MPS-RGBWWS4
New RGB and RGBW Lights Heise and Metra PowerSports are both introducing rugged, off-road RGB and RGBW rock lights rated IP68 to accent vehicle wheel wells, footwells and more. Heise pod lights are available individually or as 4-pod kits in 9-watt RGB CREE LED or 24-watt RGBW 3030 LED options. Metra PowerSports rock lights feature 3 pods per strip with 5 LEDs per pod, available as individual strips or 4-pod strip kits. Metra PowerSports is also introducing a new RGBW dome light with 10-foot wire and female micro 5-DIN connector. Control boxes are sold separately and required for operation.
HE-4TLRGBK
Heise Rock Lights: RGB1-4KT – Heise 4-Pod RGB Rock Light Kit with CREE LEDs HE-TL1RGB – Heise Single RGB Rock Light with CREE LEDs RGBW1-4KT – Heise 4-Pod RGBW Rock Light Kit with 3030 LEDs RGBW1-S1 – Heise Single RGBW Rock Light with 3030 LEDs
Metra PowerSports Rock Lights: RGB2-4KT – Metra PowerSports 4-Pod RGB Rock Light Kit RGB2-S1 – Metra PowerSports Single RGB Rock Light RGBW2-4KT – Metra PowerSports 4-Pod RGBW Rock Light Kit RGBW2-S1 – Metra PowerSports Single RGBW Rock Light RGBW2-DL – Metra PowerSports RGBW Dome Light
Lighting Connection Accessories To complete the lighting installation, Metra is introducing new “Y” adapters, pigtail adapters and extension accessories from both Heise and Metra PowerSports to work with the new lights and control boxes.
These new products will be shipping soon. Additional specifications and part numbers are available in the 2020 New Product Guide and MetraOnline.com.
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