 Longtime industry veteran and volunteer Rick Rollins was appointed to the Advisory Board of Marx Group Advisors, while also being named the Marx Group Advisors' vice president. | |
Rick Rollins Joins Marx Group Advisors' Advisory Board
Rick Rollins has been appointed to the Advisory Board of Marx Group Advisors. He will also serve as the Marx Group Advisors' vice president. Since starting his career in 1970, Rollins has worked in nearly every segment of the aftermarket, from the repair shop level to distribution to manufacturing. He is the founder and president of Rollins Performance Marketing LLC and is currently vice president, general manager of Crane Cams in Daytona Beach, Florida. He is also the owner of Filter Solutions Technologies LLC, a manufacturer of high-end performance fuel-filtration systems and filters under the FST Performance brand.
Rollins has been an active volunteer with SEMA, having served 18 years on the SEMA Board of Directors, including two years as chairman. Among his numerous awards, Rollins was inducted into the SEMA and MPMC Halls of Fame and twice honored as the Performance Warehouse Association's (PWA) Person of the Year.
Andrew Winkler Named Turbo Filtration Sales Manager
 Andrew Winkler was promoted to North American sales manager for turbo Filtration's turbo Precleaner product line and will for manage the sales of United States and Canadian distributors, dealers and OEMs for the turbo Precleaner line. | |
Andrew Winkler was recently promoted to North American sales manager for turbo Filtration's turbo Precleaner product line, a division of MARADYNE Corp. In his new position, Winkler is responsible for managing sales of United States and Canadian distributors, dealers and OEMs for the turbo Precleaner line and its newly released Extended Performance Air Cleaner (EPAC) system. Winkler assists current customers and prospects in needs analysis, system designs and sales support.
Winkler was the regional sales manager at Pow-R-Quik Starters, another division of MARADYNE, for three years, where he was responsible for managing the mid-central US territory. Prior to his experience with turbo Filtration, Winkler was an account executive at IdeaCom Midwest Inc., a value-added reseller of complex voice and data solutions and services.
Hetfield's "Black Pearl" Wins Goodguys Custom of the Year Award
 "Black Pearl," James Hetfield's coach-built custom designed with partner Rick Dore, won the Goodguys’ 2014 Mother’s Custom of the Year. | |
James Hetfield, lead man of the band Metallica, has an ever-growing stable of custom cars that have won some of hot rodding’s biggest prizes. His latest effort, a coach-built custom he designed with partner Rick Dore, is his most powerful statement yet. Known as “Black Pearl,” Hetfield's latest car won the Goodguys’ 2014 Mother’s Custom of the Year award during last weekend's Goodguys 32nd annual All American Get-Together.
“Black Pearl” is completely scratch-built. It’s not any particular make or model. Its sculpted, handmade aluminum body is inspired by the tear-drop contours and seamless body transitions of coach built European and American cars of the ’30s. It rests on a custom-built chassis, which utilizes the outer frame rails of a ’48 Jaguar. In addition to the Goodguys 2014 Mother’s Custom of the Year, The Black Pearl won the Sam Barris award as well as the Custom d’Elegance at the Sacramento AutoRama. Fellow finalists for the Goodguys 2014 Mother’s Custom of the Year award included John Fleming, Asher, Oklahoma (’39 Lincoln Zephyr); Brandon Penserini, American Canyon, California (’55 Cadillac); Mike and Rita Gardner, Livermore, California (’56 Packard); and Mark and Kelly Skipper, Fresno, California (’51 Ford Victoria).
Steve Ganster Discusses Opportunities in China for U.S. Firms During GAAS
 During the 2014 GAAS, Steve Ganster will describe the business opportunities emerging in China, in terms of size, growth and market structure, while highlighting important developments in distribution. | |
Steve Ganster, managing director, Technomic Asia, will present “Opportunities and Challenges for U.S. Firms in China’s Automotive Aftermarket,” at the Global Automotive Aftermarket Symposium (GAAS), May 20–21, at the Hyatt Regency O’Hare in Rosemont, Illinois. “China now boasts the largest auto market in the world and a repair industry that is growing at a double-digit rate,” said Ganster. “China will be a critical growth market for U.S. firms.”
The presentation will take place at GAAS 2014, 1:45 p.m.–2:20 p.m., Tuesday, May 20. His presentation will describe the opportunity in China in terms of size, growth and market structure and highlight important developments in distribution. It will also include perspective on opportunities and challenges as well some principles of success.
B.R.A.K.E.S. NBC Nightly News Feature Available Online
The NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams recently took its audience behind the scenes at B.R.A.K.E.S. (Be Responsible And Keep Everyone Safe) in its segment entitled "Making a Difference." The two-and-a-half minute feature, available on www.putonthebrakes.org, includes a poignant interview with Doug Herbert, the veteran drag racer and B.R.A.K.E.S. founder, who explains how the fatal traffic accident that took the lives of his two young sons, Jon and James, inspired him to create the 501(c)(3) organization and the Teen Pro-Active Driving Schools, which have provided intensive driver training to more than 10,000 teenagers across the country since 2008.
“We weren’t quite sure when the feature was going to air so we couldn’t get the word out to everyone,” says Herbert. “Now, anyone who missed it on the newscast can go to our website and see it. We think it’s worth taking a look.”
 Roadwire named industry veteran John “JJ” Marsh the company's new-business development manager. He is responsible for growing sales of Roadwire’s leather interiors, sunroofs and seat heaters, as well as the company’s network of professional restylers and OEM customers. | |
Roadwire Automotive Names John Marsh New-Business Development Manager
Roadwire Automotive Innovation announced that industry veteran John “JJ” Marsh was appointed the company's new-business development manager. According to Roadwire vice president Dave Edmondson, Marsh is responsible for growing sales of Roadwire’s legacy products, including leather interiors, sunroofs and seat heaters, as well as the company’s national and international network of professional restylers and OEM customers.
“We are excited to welcome John to Roadwire and its family of companies, Signature Automotive Products, Classic Soft Trim and Distinctive Industries,” said Edmondson. “John brings a wealth of industry knowledge and relationships that will play a pivotal role in Roadwire’s continued growth.”
QuickTrick Partners With True High Performance Sales, BC Sales & Marketing
QuickTrick Alignment has announced two high-powered industry partnerships with True High Performance Sales and BC Sales & Marketing. QuickTrick started as a garage-based business and has utilized many industry and state resources to build a global brand.
True High Performance Sales, established in 1992, is owned and operated by Skeeter and Thomas Jourdan. Skeeter Jourdan has been involved as a SEMA manufacturers' rep for more than 50 years. Thomas Jourdan currently serves as the chairman of the Manufacturers Representative Network (MRN). True High Performance Sales covers the Delta region of the United States.
Bill Kendrick of BC Sales & Marketing Inc. became sole owner of the business in 1997 after partnering with Bob Christie, until his retirement, and buying his portion of the business. Three years ago, his son-in-law, Brad Lane, joined the team to help with a substantially growing business. Stated Tess Winningham, QuickTrick Alignment CEO, “We are excited to move to our next chapter with Bill, Skeeter and Tommy as part of our QT family. Our next big project is the release of our new line of QuickTrick SL and SLX, which we hope to launch through a kickstarter project and release with a bang at SEMA [Show] 2014!”
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