NEW YORK, NY (03.20.24) – SiriusXM has been named to Fast Company’s prestigious list of the World’s Most Innovative Companies of 2024 “for reimagining the radio listening experience.” This year’s list shines a spotlight on businesses that are shaping industry and culture through their innovations.

This year, Fast Company declared SiriusXM “is making broadcasted content more personal.” The publication noted “SiriusXM went all in on rethinking its user experience,” referencing enhancements across profiles and search as well as how SiriusXM’s new platform “drove connections between types of content.”

Fast Company also highlighted a variety of SiriusXM’s 2023 accomplishments as “the audio giant also made plays for younger, more diverse listeners,” ranging from the launch of the Company’s all-new SiriusXM streaming experience, the opening of its state-of-the-art new studio in Miami, the extensive guest DJ campaign, and more.

Visit siriusxm.com for more.

TEMPE, AZ (03.19.24) – During MasterTech 2024, held for March 3-6 at the Mesa Convention Center in Mesa, Ariz. Bryan Schmitt, MasterTech founder/CEO/president, received the Chip Foose Automotive Trade Educator – Lifetime Achievement Award. There was no better time nor place for the honor.

“I’m at a loss for words…this recognition fills me with immense gratitude,” said a stunned Schmitt. “What a complete surprise coming from Chip Foose himself and my closest friends and family. This is a lifetime milestone that is incredibly special to me.”

For the last 30 years, Schmitt has been dedicated to contributing positively to the automotive 12 volt industry. His efforts have focused on enhancing individuals’ skills, aiding them in career development through innovative techniques, and providing education.

“It was a pleasure to be back at the show this year and an honor to be part of the overall experience of such an exclusive event where so much time and energy is spent teaching members of the industry to be stronger and better though education and knowledge,” said Chip Foose. “The trainers and speakers at this event were all a testament to the reason why the industry will have a bright future moving forward.”

Schmitt continued that it has been a journey not just of professional growth but of personal fulfillment for him. “I’ve been lucky enough to travel the globe, filling three passports and visiting more than 30 countries. I have had the privilege to train tens of thousands of individuals, which has turned into a global family, enriching my life immeasurably. As I reflect on this honor, I must extend my heartfelt thanks to all who have supported me, especially my wife Michele Zittel Schmitt, family, close friends, Fred Lynch, and Chip Foose. Your encouragement and friendship have been pillars of my journey.”

Schmitt concluded, “Receiving this award is not merely a personal achievement but a testament to the collective spirit and hard work of everyone who has been part of this incredible journey. I am forever grateful and will cherish this moment and recognition for the rest of my life.”

MasterTech Expo was created as a comprehensive learning and networking event that intersects multiple disciplines in the automotive aftermarket customization and business spaces. Whether interior trimmers, car audio installation technicians, fabricators, business leaders or visionary entrepreneurs, its audience is broad-reaching, diverse, creative and talented. MasterTech’s training approach and content is unequaled, and its hand-selected exhibitor partners are the premier companies in their respective industries.

For more information, please visit www.mastertechexpo.com.

MESA, AZ (03.19.24) – MSC is proud to announce it walked away from the 2024 MasterTech Expo with this year’s “Best Booth Experience” award. The 2024 MasterTech Expo was held March 3-6 at the Mesa Convention Center in Mesa, Ariz.

“Our entire team put in a tremendous amount of effort in creating a booth that encompasses everything Audiotec Fischer (Brax, Helix, Match), BLAM Audio, Escort Radar, and Mobridge Integration stand for, which is an experience second-to-none for our Partners and their clients,” said Larry Penn, MSC President. “We are proud all of our hard work has been recognized.”

Besides multiple vehicles outfitted with MSC products and product displays for its lines throughout the booth, MSC also hosted a number of seminars and trainings for show attendees which were very well received.

“Attendees were both focused as well as interactive in our booth and during our presentations, absorbing our messaging and the culture we strive to instill in our Partners,” Penn added. “Bryan Schmitt and his team put on a tremendous Expo, and we are already looking forward to next year’s event.”

For more information on MSC, please visit www.msc-america.com, call 480-372-2929 (USA) or 403-698-3695 (Canada), or email sales@msc-america.com.

Visit www.msc-america.com for more.

SHREVEPORT, LA (03.18.24) – In today’s world, and the 12volt world, it’s hard to find positive news. The 12volt News, and the 12volt Central Studios staffs, work to deliver positive industry news each business day. Creating the 12voltSTP Tool was another example of making it easy for industry members to deliver their company’s brand and activities to members of the 12volt industry.

With your smartphone simply Snap and Txt an image, with a few words, to 318 465 0844. PRESTO…your company’s positive could be delivered to the 12volt industry by the 12volt Central Studios.

Check out the images below for examples of posts made the last few days with images from 12volt industry members who utilized the 12voltSTP Tool.

Today, a vast percentage of people spend hours and hours on their mobile devices each day. Reports are the average person spends 4+ hours a day on their smartphone.

To deliver fresh industry news to members of the mobile electronics industry the 12volt Central Studios makes multiple posts on Instagram and Facebook each business day. The 12volt STP Tool was created in 2020 for members of the 12volt industry to send their news to the 12volt Central Studios. Snap and Txt an image to 318-465-0844. PRESTO, your positive news could be delivered to members of the 12volt industry.

On Instagram and Facebook @12voltnews has over 10,000 followers on each platform. Those followers are dedicated members of the 12volt industry. To see over 1000 posts #12voltstp on Instagram.

Look forward to seeing your company’s brand and activities in the 12volt News.

NEW YORK, NY (03.18.24) – SiriusXM will offer listeners nationwide extensive coverage of NCAA® March Madness®, carrying live play-by-play of the entire 2024 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship, as well as live play-by-play coverage of the NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Championship from the Sweet 16 through the Women’s Final Four®.

From the First Four® on March 19-20 through the Men’s Final Four® and National Championship game on April 6 and 8 in Phoenix, SiriusXM listeners will have access to every game – from the tip to the final buzzer – of the 2024 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship.

For the NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Championship games, SiriusXM will also air live play-by-play of every game from regional play, March 29-April 1, through the Women’s Final Four, to be played April 5 and 7 in Cleveland, plus select early round matchups.

All of the Men’s NCAA Tournament game broadcasts, and the Women’s NCAA Tournament game broadcasts from the Sweet 16 through the National Championship, are provided to SiriusXM by Westwood One, the official network audio partner of the NCAA.

SiriusXM listeners nationwide can access tournament coverage and analysis across Mad Dog Sports Radio (channel 82), SiriusXM College Sports Radio (channel 84), and CBS Sports Radio (channel 158) both in-car and streaming on the SiriusXM app. SiriusXM’s new and improved app will feature a special page dedicated to March Madness®, making it easy for listeners to access live and upcoming games, tournament-related interviews, analysis and more.

Tournament matchups and SiriusXM channel assignments will be available at siriusxm.com/sports starting Monday, March 18.

Beyond the action on the court, fans will also get the most in-depth expert analysis leading up to and throughout the tournament on SiriusXM’s multiple sports talk channels.

Selection Sunday®

On Selection Sunday®, March 17, SiriusXM listeners will get up-to-the-moment coverage as tournament teams and first round matchups are announced:

• On Mad Dog Sports Radio (SiriusXM channel 82), Chris “Mad Dog” Russo and Steve Torre will host special Selection Sunday coverage live from 5 – 9 pm ET.
• SiriusXM College Sports Radio (SiriusXM channel 84) will air Selection Sunday specials from 5 – 11 pm ET. At 5 pm ET, Kris Budden and Sean Farnham will host coverage of the men’s bracket reveal, then Chris Plank and Nicole Auerbach will take over as the women’s bracket is announced at 8 pm ET.
• The official NCAA Tournament Selection Show produced by Westwood One will air on CBS Sports Radio (SiriusXM channel 158) from 6 – 9 pm ET. Hosts Jason Horowitz, PJ Carlesimo and Debbie Antonelli will cover the reveal of both the men’s and women’s tournament brackets.
• SportsGrid Radio (SiriusXM channel 159) will also be live on Selection Sunday from 7-10 pm ET, with Ben Stevens and “Coach” James Young hosting.

Basketball and Beyond with Coach K

Hall of Famer and five-time national champion former head coach of the Duke Blue Devils Mike Krzyzewski will host his SiriusXM show, Basketball and Beyond with Coach K, twice a week during the tournament run on the SiriusXM College Sports Radio channel and on the SiriusXM app. Coach K will share his insight into what teams face as they prepare to play on college basketball’s biggest stage, and react to performances by players and teams as they advance through the bracket.

Final Four® Special Programming

SiriusXM will also have live programming airing from both the Men’s and Women’s Final Four cities, with pregame shows on location in Phoenix and Cleveland, as well as live coverage of the Naismith Awards Brunch, where the Women’s and Men’s Player of the Year, Coach of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year awards are announced.

Throughout the tournament, SiriusXM’s sports channels will offer daily expert analysis from former players, coaches and other college sports insiders. These channels will be a place for fans to call in and discuss the performances of their favorite teams and conferences.

Eligible customers can get their first three months of SiriusXM streaming for free. Click here to sign up and experience all that SiriusXM has to offer. See Offer Details.

PALM BEACH, FL (03.15.24) – Gooichi Motors and ZyCoat is proud to announce an extraordinary event set to take place at the Palm Beach International Boat Show. For the very first time in Florida, we will be unveiling our remarkable BMW GT3 Z4, powered by a Supercharged M120 Engine and the exhaust system coated with ZyClear the revolutionary high temperature, high gloss, corrosion resistant coating, aboard the prestigious Mega yacht “Far Niente.”  ZyCoat will demonstrate ZyClear’s technology innovation & applications for the marine industry while on board.   

This historic occasion promises an unforgettable experience for attendees and media alike. The Palm Beach International Boat Show is renowned for its luxury, elegance, and innovation, making it the perfect backdrop for our debut. On March 21st-24th , visitors will have the exclusive opportunity to witness the marriage of automotive excellence and maritime grandeur with ZyClear treated, Gooichi Motors SEMA Race car takes its place on the back of “Far Niente.”

This groundbreaking event marks a significant milestone for Gooichi Motors and ZyCoat and highlights our joint commitment to pushing the boundaries of performance and engineering. This 1500hp Street-legal BMW GT3 Z4 represents the pinnacle of automotive innovation, delivering unparalleled power, precision, and speed. This vehicle made its debut at the 2023 SEMA show, where it earned recognition by securing a position in the top three for the SEMA Best Engineered Vehicle Award.

Visit https://www.gooichimotors.com, https://zycoat.com, and https://www.pbboatshow.com for more.

ANCHORAGE, AK (03.15.24) – Known by so many throughout the industry as “Big Bro”, SoundShield founder and CEO, John Schwartz has earned that title by doing whatever he can to help others be their best. At the next Knowledgefest event, which takes place in Nashville, TN from April 19th through April 21st, Schwartz’s company will continue that tradition by sponsoring the seminar entitled “Cast Off the Crutches”. This seminar, which will be delivered by Jon Kowanetz of Pathways Coaching & Consulting, aims to help attendees to identify and overcome the obstacles that are holding them back from getting to where they want to go in both their personal and professional life.

Through the sharing of personal experiences with habit and behavior change, Part 1 of this seminar seeks to empower others to proudly acknowledge the areas in their own lives that they would like to change and shows them how doing so could benefit them both at home and at work. Whether the habit is as seemingly harmless as nail biting or excessive social media usage, or as destructive as alcohol and drug dependence, attendees will learn a step-by-step process to overcome it.

Part 2 of Cast Off the Crutches is a workshop that builds upon what attendees learned in Part 1, by giving them an opportunity to use that same step-by-step process to create an actual plan to change their unwanted habits and behaviors, in a way they may not have encountered before. “We all know that in order to change a habit or behavior, we must first acknowledge it,” Kowanetz said “But to create the desire to actually make that change, we need to clearly define why it is a problem for us, how much it could negatively affect our lives if we don’t change it and how much our lives could improve if we do!”

“Look, we all need to make money, sell more, install better and there are so many classes at KnowledgeFest that will teach people how to do those things,” said John Schwartz of the sponsorship “But what is all that worth if we are not good within ourselves? The industry needs a class like this and SoundShield is proud to support it!” 

Part 1 of “Cast Off the Crutches” will be delivered at 8:00 am on Saturday, April 20 2024 in room 103 A and Part 2 will be delivered at 10:30 am on Sunday, April 21 2024 in room 103 A, as part of the Knowledgefest Nashville event, being held at the Music City Center in Nashville TN. 

Please contact Jon Kowanetz at Pathways Coaching & Consulting with any questions. 

Visit https://www.soundshieldusa.com for more.

NORTH ANDOVER, MA (03.14.24) – The Mobile Electronics Association (MEA) is thrilled to announce an innovative addition to this year’s KnowledgeFest in Nashville — the highly anticipated Truck Expo. This dynamic event will spotlight a variety of truck and off-road categories, featuring top-notch products such as truck bed covers, step and nerf bars, weather protection, and much more.

RealTruck, the premier global manufacturer and digital destination of accessories for trucks, Jeep, and Bronco, will be a highlight at the Truck Expo, showcasing leading brands including AMP, Go Rhino, Retrax, AVS, Husky, and more. In addition to RealTruck, numerous other truck accessory exhibitors will be on display, providing attendees with an extensive range of products and innovations, and Meyer Distributing will be hosting several truck accessories partners to exhibit and demonstrate their products.

The Truck Expo will offer a main stage on the exhibit floor, hosting key industry speakers, product demonstrations, and hands-on demos. Chris Cook, President of MEA, emphasized the significance of the truck accessories category, stating, “The truck accessories category is a great way for our member companies to enhance their business. We welcome dealers/jobbers to explore traditional mobile electronics products as well.”

KnowledgeFest, already renowned for its comprehensive educational workshops, will feature over 150 hours of sessions covering key topics for owners and managers, sales and marketing, as well as technicians and fabricators. The Truck Expo aligns with MEA’s commitment to provide diverse opportunities for growth within the industry. Attendees can look forward to engaging seminars, insightful workshops, interactive demonstrations, and unparalleled networking opportunities.

Truck accessories retailers, even those not currently MEA members, will receive special invite codes from exhibiting manufacturers and distributors, enabling them to register for free and explore the exciting offerings at KnowledgeFest. MEA anticipates about 250 additional attendees.

As an added incentive, retailers registering and attending KnowledgeFest will have the chance to win a Ford F-150, loaded with products from participating exhibitors.

MEA invites mobile electronics retailers, distributors, manufacturers, and industry enthusiasts to mark their calendars for all the KnowledgeFest 2024/25 events and be part of this exceptional opportunity to revolutionize the mobile electronics landscape.

Upcoming KnowledgeFest events:
• April 19-21, 2024 – Nashville, TN
• June 7-9, 2024 – Atlantic City, NJ
• August 23-25, 2024 – Dallas, TX
• January 31 to February 2, 2025 – Las Vegas, NV

Learn more at mobile-electronics.com

EDMONTON, CANADA (03.14.24) – Eleven Engineering, Inc. is proud to announce that Jessica Ritchie has joined the company’s growing Research & Development Design Team.

“We have seen a continued need to grow our R&D department the past couple years due to unrivaled growth for Eleven Engineering,” said Rex Whitehead, Eleven Engineering executive vice president, sales & marketing. “Jessica’s education and drive make her a perfect fit for our Research & Development Design Team.”

Ritchie graduated the University of Calgary with a Bachelor of Science degree in electrical engineering with a biomedical engineering minor. 

“I was initially drawn to Eleven Engineering because of my interest in RF technologies, and I was also intrigued that they designed their own processors as this is almost unheard of in wireless audio,” said Ritchie, whose current responsibilities include writing firmware for products such as Dillinger Labs’ Death From Below subwoofer, and improving internal software tools. “It was obvious Eleven Engineering is doing something unique and I wanted to be a part of it. Since joining, I have already learned so much about audio engineering and embedded systems, and I am very excited to be part of the team.” 

SKAA has become the go-to wireless solution for the emerging PSM (Party Speaker Market) due to its long range and the fact that no network is required. Additionally, SKAA wireless lets the integrator easily create a dedicated multi-room home audio superhighway with a range up to 150 feet with a robust, interference-free low-latency signal eliminating lip-sync issues with TV and gaming. SKAA-enabled products can stream music between them, up to four sets simultaneously – one transmitter to four devices. In environments laden with heavy Wi-Fi and Bluetooth traffic, SKAA navigates through these hostile environments with best-in-class reliability. SKAA also allows for uninterrupted audio signals that are delivered with the highest sound quality to all speakers without the latency that is inherent in other wireless solutions.

SKAA is available as a built-in technology not requiring an external transmitter in purpose-designed partner products. SKAA transmitters work with iOS & Android mobile devices, Mac & Windows computers, televisions, and just about any product with a line output or a headphone jack.

Eleven Engineering breaks down the Seven Deadly Sins of WiFi Audio on its YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tw2iSCuT0x8).

For more on SKAA and the Seven Deadly Sins of WiFi Audio, please subscribe to https://www.youtube.com/user/SKAAwireless and visit SKAA.com.

For additional information, contact Rex Whitehead at 480-650-3979 or email whitehead@eleveneng.com. For more information on Eleven Engineering, visit www.elevenengineering.com, SKAA wireless YouTube channel, and Facebook/.

GRAPEVINE, TX (03.13.24) – Southwest Sales & Marketing is now on the road in Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Louisiana with the THINKWARE Dash Cam line on their brands line card.

Billy Alexandre, THINKWARE Sales Manager, stated “We are moving forward with setting up a rep firm network across the US and recently appointed Scott Ringo and his team to represent the THINKWARE brand in their territory. Scott and his team Tommy McClure and Taylor Williams hit the road to see 12volt retailers. Those dealers can showcase the important dash cam category to their customers.”

Ringo offered ‘Our firm had not been looking at this category. One day I overhead my wife, an insurance claims adjuster, talking about the importance of drivers installing dash cams to document and accident that could occur and result in a claim. I then learned more and contacted Billy at THINKWARE. The dash cam category offers many opportunities for specialty retailers who utilize consumer focused sales presentations in their stores. The THINKWARE line is loaded with top features that are very beneficial to consumers driving safely on the road.”

Alexandre related “The THINKWARE dash cam lineup includes models with advanced technology features like radar parking mode, Bluetooth and dual-band WI-FI connection along with speed and red-light camera alerts. Front and rear cameras make the THINKWARE a premium in-vehicle connectivity dash cam line.”

Southwest Sales & Marketing represents HKI, Epsilon, Maxxsonics, Cicada and Beyma along with THINKWARE. see swssalesmarketing.com for more or contact 214-212-9049 for more.