CRP Automotive Names Matt Zarlenga 2021 U.S. Sales Representative of the Year
Matt Zarlenga (center) of the Sherman-Pearson Company was named CRP Automotive’s 2021 U.S. Sales Representative of the Year.
CRP Automotive has named Matt Zarlenga of the Sherman-Pearson Company as its 2021 U.S. Sales Representative of the Year. Zarlenga has been with Sherman-Pearson Company since 2019 and has represented CRP Automotive’s AAE, REIN, Pentosin and AJUSA brands in the Northern and Central Ohio market. CRP Automotive presented the award to Zarlenga during the 2021 AAPEX Show in Las Vegas. The Rep of the Year award was presented by CRP Automotive Channel Sales Manager Nicole Ryan and U.S and Canada Sales Director Warren Morley. Zarlenga accepted the award on behalf of Sherman-Pearson, noting that the accomplishments in 2021 were the result of a solid team effort and made possible only by the dedication and hard work of everyone involved.
Prior to joining Sherman-Pearson Company, Zarlenga was a manufacturers representative with Bowdoin Marketing specializing in the automotive aftermarket. He also worked in the OE dealership channel as a sales consultant and warranty administrator.
GRIDLIFE Announces New “Circuit Legends” Festival at Lime Rock Park for Summer ‘22
GRIDLIFE hosted the “State of the Grid” press conference last Friday at the 2021 PRI Show, where they revealed their 2022 competition calendar, and announced plans for a new festival expansion to the Northeast called “Circuit Legends,” to be hosted at Lime Rock Park, August 19–20, at the celebrated circuit in Connecticut.
Circuit Legends is a new festival concept for GRIDLIFE—known for its music and motorsports festivals with late-night concerts. The Circuit Legends concept won’t feature musical acts, but instead celebrate motorsports culture of the mid-’80s through mid-’00s by featuring vehicles that represent “the golden age of touring car racing”. The goal is to resurrect all the vehicular heroes from around the world and set them loose in the hills of Lime Rock in a celebration of touring-car racing.
The Circuit Legends Festival is a collaboration between the GRIDLIFE and Lime Rock Park, which is producing the new event as partners. At Circuit Legends at Lime Rock, fans will be able to see their vehicular heroes up close and at speed. On track, GRIDLIFE will bring its HPDE, TrackBattle Time Attack, GRIDLIFE Touring Cup (GLTC) and a special “Legends session” where the legacy touring cars will be on track at speed in a shootout-style showcase. More details will be released in the coming months as production of Circuit Legends at Lime Rock begins.
Gold Eagle Company Announces Focus on Innovation Ahead of 90th Anniversary
Gold Eagle Company, a privately held, family-owned and operated manufacturer of performance chemicals, surface treatments and a full-service contract packager, has announced its commitment to innovation ahead of its 90th anniversary in 2022. Matt Banach has been named executive vice president of market innovation and will have full responsibility for new product development and innovation to meet and exceed consumer expectations. He will also operate as the Gold Eagle brands/operations liaison involving packaging, supply-chain solutions and product management/forecasting to ensure continued innovation across all departments within the organization. Banach joined Gold Eagle in 2011 as a technical sales representative and has held the positions of event manager, brand creative director, and most recently, vice president of marketing.
Additionally, in support of the company’s product and marketing innovative efforts, Jennifer Robertson has been named director of marketing with full-scope responsibility for consumer insights and brand management, digital marketing, content marketing and event marketing. Robertson joined Gold Eagle in 2001 and has held many positions within brand management, playing an integral role over the years in helping build the majority of the company brands, most notably STA-BIL and 303.
MAHLE Motorsport Expands Staffing for Sales, Engineering Departments
MAHLE Motorsport has announced the addition of three new employees to the company’s staff headquarters in Fletcher, North Carolina. The three positions fulfill roles in sales technical support and engineering design. Sales administrator Adam Beddingfield has been hired along with engineers Brian Fair and George Wright. All three employees report to MAHLE Motorsport Product Manager Eric Grilliot.
Beddingfield joins a team of in-house PowerPak product experts and sales representatives and will provide technical product support including answering questions about the PowerPak shelf stock products, PowerPak Plus, custom-designed pistons and more. Motorsports Applications Engineer Fair is a recent graduate from Tennessee Tech University (Cookeville, Tennessee), while Wright is a recent graduate from Minnesota State University (Mankato, Minnesota). Both will work in the development of custom performance race pistons and provide input on the design and specification needed to accomplish project goals, utilize CMM and 3D scanning equipment for final design and ensure quality control.
Skyjacker Suspensions Names Armond Gilmore Media Manager
Skyjacker Suspensions has promoted Armond Gilmore, a former graphic designer, to media manager. Gilmore has worked in-house and remotely with the company for five years. He has recently returned from a tour overseas as CPT Armond Gilmore, United States Army 42B Commanding. As media manager, Gilmore will ensure that key messages align with vital business strategies decided upon by upper management. His responsibilities include building and managing the organization’s social-media profile and presence; promoting additional projects to support new-product launches; monitoring online and offline campaigns and reporting on results; and developing and producing content via social media, websites and other distribution channels. Gilmore will also lead the charge in collecting and building video content for the company’s website, YouTube and other marketing channels.
MW Industries Acquires Two New Companies
MW Industries has completed two new acquisitions that expand its precision spring and fastener manufacturing capabilities. They include Fox Valley Spring Company—a supplier of springs, wire forms and flat springs—and Ideal Fasteners—a global manufacturer of threaded fasteners. These additions expand MW’s U.S.-based manufacturing locations and broadens its custom and stock component capabilities. This combined operation will improve the company’s capacity to supply the highest-quality custom springs and increase its stock, standard and custom fastener product lines.
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