YEN Member Insights

Ed Monte on How to be Successful in Sales

Ed Monte, 39 Years Old
Director of Sales - MSD Ignition; YEN Member

About Ed
The consummate "nice guy," Ed Monte has a reputation in the automotive aftermarket as one of the friendliest, most outgoing and positive people you'll ever have the pleasure of meeting. Having worked his way up from taking customer service calls on the phone to Director of Sales at one of the most prominent brands in our industry, Monte firmly believes in the value of hard work, maintaining a positive attitude and building relationships.

Monte grew up in the Southwest and began riding Honda XR dirt bikes as a kid, exploring the desert and learning the terrain - a good primer for a budding desert racer. It also taught him to respect machinery. From there he became interested in off-road racing, but focused on business in school knowing he'd need a real "day job" to support his passion for racing. After earning his business degree and working for a speed shop that specialized in desert racing, the Texas native got his first job out of college with MSD Ignition.

Andrew Schroeder on… Recipes to Succeed 
Vice President, Ben Murphy and Associates; YEN Member  

About Andrew
Sometimes the path to success is right in front of you, other times it’s not even remotely close. The second option was precisely the “path,” if you will, for Andrew Schroeder.

Andrew is the Vice President of Ben Murphy and Associates, a national rep agency. Twelve years ago, Andrew was the manager of a pizza parlor in North Jersey. As his path would have it, the next thing he knew, he had found his calling as a manufacturer’s sales rep. 

So, how did a pizza parlor manager become an automotive sales rep?
I grew up around sports car enthusiasts and spent a lot of time at the racetracks when I was young. I relished the times I could help my uncle and brother work on their cars. The memories are countless and fond; the experience, which I did not know then, became the foundation for my lifetime career.

Mickey Andrade, 34 Years Old
Marketing/Motorsports Manager – HRE Wheels; YEN Member 

About Mickey
Mickey Andrade started out as an enthusiast, growing up in the suburbs of Akron, Ohio building models and collecting die cast cars. Andrade starting saving for his first car at 15, bought it at 16 and began modifying almost immediately. He read the car magazines and dreamed about future projects, but it wasn’t until he took a job in college at a sign shop that his future began to take shape. 

After seeing his skill at designing graphics for customer cars, the owner of the business bought an old box truck and they turned it into a mobile vinyl graphics studio. Andrade would travel to local car dealerships and stereo shops, where he would design, cut and apply graphics and pinstripes to cars for customers. As a result, his work was noticed and he was eventually offered a job at famous Modern Image Signworks in Huntington Beach, California – a long way from Ohio and the epicenter of the booming import scene in the ‘90s. 

Brian Reese, 36 Years Old
V.P. of Engineering, COMP Performance Group (COMP Cams); YEN Member 

Few individuals in the performance industry reach the Vice President level by the tender age of 36. However, even fewer work for a marquee manufacturer like COMP Cams, as Brian Reese does. With the flair of an entrepreneur and the experience of a highly trained engineer, Reese has overseen the development of some of the COMP Performance Group’s (which includes leading brands such as COMP Cams, TCI, FAST, ZEX, RHS, Inglese, Quarter Master and others) biggest product hits in the last few years, including the FAST EZ-EFI Self Tuning Fuel Injection and the COMP Cams Engine Oils. 

Brian cut his teeth as a GM Development Engineer before moving on as Chief of Engineering for SLP Performance Parts − a position he held for eight years. When the opportunity for the V.P of Engineering position at CPG opened up he was hooked. In this interview, Reese gives us insight into how a hard-charging young V.P. should lead and manage an organization’s best resource − older, experienced employees.

Sarah Stokes
Vice President of Sales, Local Motors

Sarah Stokes is the Vice President of Sales for a very unique business in the automotive industry. The Texas native graduated from the University of Texas with a Bachelors of Business Administration degree in the Engineering Route to Business program. She then went on to Harvard Business for graduate school and received her MBA. Stokes has also served in the Marine Corps, which has given her a very valuable skill set. She now resides in Phoenix, AZ, where Local Motors is located.

Local Motors is a new American car company setting an exciting and sustainable course to design cars. Revolutionary yet simple, Local Motors creates a direct connection with customers who guide and participate in design development based on personal desires. The process is open source and the results are meaningful, exciting cars designed specifically for car enthusiasts. All chassis and body vehicle data is shared to make the experience more enjoyable.

John Viscardo...on Selling by Building Relationships in the Automotive Aftermarket Industry

John Viscardo
Vice President of Sales, Speedway Illustrated Magazine


John Viscardo is the vice president of sales for one of America's most popular oval track racing publications, Speedway Illustrated. The Maryland native and Penn State graduate now resides in Tampa, Florida, with his two children. Despite his relatively young age, Viscardo has a wealth of selling experience both inside and outside of the automotive aftermarket industry. However, the one constant that Viscardo has noted throughout his professional sales career is that success starts with building “genuine” relationships. And, in his opinion, no industry embraces relationships more than the automotive aftermarket.

Jeremy Loud...on the Importance of Managing Returns

Jeremy Loud, 29 Years Old
Logistics Supervisor, AutoAnything


Aftermarket retailing has evolved as customer expectations have grown. At 29 years old, Jeremy Loud talks about his experience managing logistics for online retailerAutoAnything and highlights the importance of managing returns for retailers as well as for brands.

How have you seen aftermarket retailing change with the growth of online retailers like AutoAnything?

The biggest change I've seen has been in the buyers themselves. Not long ago, a sale of a custom part online was a tricky proposition on both the part of the seller and buyer. Online presentation, product data, and customer comfort with online shopping have all made significant progress, and that naturally leads to greater consumer confidence when buying online.

Many manufacturers have seen this growth and partnered with online retailers so that their products can reach a broader market. To enable smooth online transactions, suppliers have had to modify their processes.

Jenna Jefferies on… Breaking through Gender Boundaries

Jenna Jefferies, 34 Years Old
National Account Manager, K&N Engineering Inc;


The automotive industry at one time was considered a “good old boys” club, but over the past few centuries many influential women have put that notion to rest.  At 34 years old, Jenna Jefferies embodies the standards that past and present industry pioneers envisioned.

You grew up in Southern California as the only girl in a family that has been involved in racing cars for as long as you can remember. How hard was that?

My family has been involved in the automotive industry since before I was born. My grandfather worked for a major auto parts store, and an uncle owned a business that supplied off-road parts and accessories and participated in off-road races. My dad loved buying and restoring old cars; one of his cars was even featured on the cover of Hot Rod Magazine. So, I have always been involved in the auto industry in some way - honestly I can’t say that this type of life has been hard. My family has been my greatest support group. They understand the passion and enthusiasm of what I do and why I love my career.

JE Piston’s Sean Crawford on… How to Navigate Corporate Waters

Sean Crawford, 28 Years Old
Marketing Manager, JE Pistons; YEN Member

At the tender age of 28, Sean Crawford is in the impressive position of directing JE’s multi-million dollar marketing efforts. Working within the much larger corporate structure of Dover Inc., Crawford has become an expert at developing new creative ideas, getting buy-in, and executing them with a wisdom that belies his age. Crawford gives YEN’s younger executives some valuable insight on how to navigate corporate waters.

Give us the biggest risks for a young executive, where are the biggest pitfalls to watch for?

“As a young executive, it's easy to become eager to take action quickly. This is directly related to the speed we've become accustomed to receiving information. This is a risk. Even if the answer seems simple, it's good to slow down and evaluate the situation before moving forward. This "slower" style of response is usually more consistent with existing management and will pay off in the long run.”

Today’s Technologies and Tomorrow
With Tyler Tanaka, PostRelease

Tyler Tanaka has been an active participant in the automotive aftermarket for more than 20 years, as an enthusiast and a marketing specialist.  He has helped to pioneer the way that brands utilize social media to form direct connections with their customers online. Tyler, aside from his day job as Account Director for PostRelease, serves as the Chair-Elect for the SEMA Street Performance Council (SPC) and is also a YEN member. Considered an industry expert when it comes to emerging trends and current technologies, YEN was pleased to have the opportunity to interview Tyler for this month’s YEN Insight.  Interview performed by Gregory Parker.

QUESTION 1: I assume you would agree with the statement that, “technology is driven by the younger generation.”  As our industry moves further into the 21st Century, and as the current younger generation becomes the company principles within our industry, how do you foresee things being different?