SEMA News—December 2013

INTERNET
By Joe Dysart

Rogue Cloud Use

Vulnerability Awaiting Plunder

	Public cloud services, such as Dropbox, often leave sensitive company data vulnerable, according to many security pros.

Rogue employees working with sensitive company data in public cloud services are regularly wreaking havoc at workplaces, triggering the loss of company secrets, the defacement of company websites and the loss of control over the cloud accounts to competitors and hackers.

“Enterprise IT is rapidly losing control of corporate data,” said Andres Rodriguez, CEO of data-storage company Nasuni. “It’s a risky proposition that IT needs to be in front of and not behind.”

Security pros said that the problem is rampant across corporate America, where employees regularly flaunt company policies against the use of public cloud services such as Dropbox, Google Docs and Microsoft Office 365. The services, which are often very inexpensive and extremely powerful, are very hard to resist for today’s on-the-move employees who are often juggling an iPhone in one hand, a tablet in the other and lurching for a latte at Starbucks.

But no matter how tempting they may be, public cloud services are inherently insecure, the security pros said. At best, the public cloud offers only “consumer-grade” security—a watered down version of the “enterprise-grade” security that many corporations must maintain to meet compliance regulations, according to Nimmy Reichenberg, vice president of marketing and business development for computer security firm AlgoSec.

The result? More than 25% of companies and organizations surveyed by computer security firm Symantec said that they had lost control over one or more of their public cloud accounts, saw their websites defaced or experienced the theft of goods or services in 2012 due to security breaches in the public cloud.

Moreover, 40% of the 3,236 organizations surveyed said that they had suffered exposure of confidential company information stored in public cloud accounts, according to a survey entitled “Avoiding the Hidden Costs of the Cloud 2013”. And more than 75% of the organizations surveyed by Symantec said that their employees had shared or stored critical company data in public cloud services.

Other studies are uncovering similar devil-may-care attitudes toward the public cloud. A December 2012 Nasuni report, for example, found that 20% of the 1,300 surveyed management and staff regularly used Dropbox to share and store work-related documents. And more than half of those surveyed did so even though they knew that the practice directly violated policy. In addition, a May study released by NetIQ, an enterprise software firm, found that 70% of IT execs believe that public cloud services pose a serious risk to sensitive company data.

Besides risk offsite, public cloud use can also result in major security breaches within the walls of a company, according to security pros. Hackers can easily insert malware into the files of a public cloud account that they’ve breached, according to Jacob Williams, principal consultant at CSRgroup Computer Security. Essentially, the malware is immediately downloaded to a company’s network or an employee’s hard drive the next time the public cloud account syncs with the employee’s computer. That often happens the very next time the employee logs into his/her public cloud account after it has been breached.

All that auto syncing can also create additional risk if an employee is working with multiple devices. For example, subscribers to Apple’s iWork for iCloud—a suite of apps for the creation of documents, presentations and spreadsheets—are treated to auto syncing of the iCloud data with every Apple device they own, according to Richard Walters, CTO of web application security provider SaaSID. In such scenarios, company IT may not even be aware that company data has been breached, since the data may walk out the door on an employee’s iPhone that has not been secured for use on the company network.

Security pros also worry that unsecured storage of critical company data in the public cloud represents a severe risk when an employee moves to another company or organization—especially with an employee who is unhappy at work and is planning an unannounced departure.

“Specifically, how do you know if malicious insiders are forwarding sensitive information to themselves, where it will remain available even if they’re fired?” asked Dan Ring, director of global communications for computer security firm Sophos.

Not surprisingly, public cloud services—as well as third-party security providers—are the first to counter that they’re on the job and working to make public cloud apps more secure.

“Our goal is to allow the CIOs of the world to say ‘yes’ to Dropbox for the enterprise,” said Chris Holland, chief monk at SafeMonk, an aftermarket security solution for Dropbox. “We recognize that Dropbox’s efficiency and usefulness will only make it more prevalent among the workforce. So making the service more secure through tap-proofing is a better and more realistic option than discouraging or forbidding people from using it.”

But security pros are skeptical. They cite a major security breach at Dropbox in 2012, when scores of IDs and passwords were stolen at other websites and then used—with some success—to break into the Dropbox accounts of the victims.

Moreover, tech lifestyle magazine The Verge exposed a gaping hole in Apple iCloud security this past March. It enabled anyone with access to a user’s e-mail address and birthday—easily available on the web—to reset the password to that user’s account and then gain access to his or her iCloud account. Apple quickly plugged the vulnerability, but one wonders how long the breach-waiting-to-happen would have persisted without a spotlight from a third party.

Someday, the rising concern over the vulnerability of the public cloud may produce security safeguards that rival those found on enterprise-grade networks, but security pros advise businesses to get the word out to employees in the meantime and to bone up on state-of-the-art best practices of working in the cloud. A good place to start is the Cloud Security Alliance’s “Security Guidance for Critical Areas of Focus in Cloud Computing”—one of a slew of cloud security primers in CSA’s research domain.

Joe Dysart is an Internet speaker and business consultant based in Manhattan
Voice: 646-233-4089
E-mail: joe@joedysart.com.
Web: www.joedysart.com

SEMA News—December 2013

INTERNET
By Joe Dysart

Rogue Cloud Use

Vulnerability Awaiting Plunder

	Public cloud services, such as Dropbox, often leave sensitive company data vulnerable, according to many security pros.

Rogue employees working with sensitive company data in public cloud services are regularly wreaking havoc at workplaces, triggering the loss of company secrets, the defacement of company websites and the loss of control over the cloud accounts to competitors and hackers.

“Enterprise IT is rapidly losing control of corporate data,” said Andres Rodriguez, CEO of data-storage company Nasuni. “It’s a risky proposition that IT needs to be in front of and not behind.”

Security pros said that the problem is rampant across corporate America, where employees regularly flaunt company policies against the use of public cloud services such as Dropbox, Google Docs and Microsoft Office 365. The services, which are often very inexpensive and extremely powerful, are very hard to resist for today’s on-the-move employees who are often juggling an iPhone in one hand, a tablet in the other and lurching for a latte at Starbucks.

But no matter how tempting they may be, public cloud services are inherently insecure, the security pros said. At best, the public cloud offers only “consumer-grade” security—a watered down version of the “enterprise-grade” security that many corporations must maintain to meet compliance regulations, according to Nimmy Reichenberg, vice president of marketing and business development for computer security firm AlgoSec.

The result? More than 25% of companies and organizations surveyed by computer security firm Symantec said that they had lost control over one or more of their public cloud accounts, saw their websites defaced or experienced the theft of goods or services in 2012 due to security breaches in the public cloud.

Moreover, 40% of the 3,236 organizations surveyed said that they had suffered exposure of confidential company information stored in public cloud accounts, according to a survey entitled “Avoiding the Hidden Costs of the Cloud 2013”. And more than 75% of the organizations surveyed by Symantec said that their employees had shared or stored critical company data in public cloud services.

Other studies are uncovering similar devil-may-care attitudes toward the public cloud. A December 2012 Nasuni report, for example, found that 20% of the 1,300 surveyed management and staff regularly used Dropbox to share and store work-related documents. And more than half of those surveyed did so even though they knew that the practice directly violated policy. In addition, a May study released by NetIQ, an enterprise software firm, found that 70% of IT execs believe that public cloud services pose a serious risk to sensitive company data.

Besides risk offsite, public cloud use can also result in major security breaches within the walls of a company, according to security pros. Hackers can easily insert malware into the files of a public cloud account that they’ve breached, according to Jacob Williams, principal consultant at CSRgroup Computer Security. Essentially, the malware is immediately downloaded to a company’s network or an employee’s hard drive the next time the public cloud account syncs with the employee’s computer. That often happens the very next time the employee logs into his/her public cloud account after it has been breached.

All that auto syncing can also create additional risk if an employee is working with multiple devices. For example, subscribers to Apple’s iWork for iCloud—a suite of apps for the creation of documents, presentations and spreadsheets—are treated to auto syncing of the iCloud data with every Apple device they own, according to Richard Walters, CTO of web application security provider SaaSID. In such scenarios, company IT may not even be aware that company data has been breached, since the data may walk out the door on an employee’s iPhone that has not been secured for use on the company network.

Security pros also worry that unsecured storage of critical company data in the public cloud represents a severe risk when an employee moves to another company or organization—especially with an employee who is unhappy at work and is planning an unannounced departure.

“Specifically, how do you know if malicious insiders are forwarding sensitive information to themselves, where it will remain available even if they’re fired?” asked Dan Ring, director of global communications for computer security firm Sophos.

Not surprisingly, public cloud services—as well as third-party security providers—are the first to counter that they’re on the job and working to make public cloud apps more secure.

“Our goal is to allow the CIOs of the world to say ‘yes’ to Dropbox for the enterprise,” said Chris Holland, chief monk at SafeMonk, an aftermarket security solution for Dropbox. “We recognize that Dropbox’s efficiency and usefulness will only make it more prevalent among the workforce. So making the service more secure through tap-proofing is a better and more realistic option than discouraging or forbidding people from using it.”

But security pros are skeptical. They cite a major security breach at Dropbox in 2012, when scores of IDs and passwords were stolen at other websites and then used—with some success—to break into the Dropbox accounts of the victims.

Moreover, tech lifestyle magazine The Verge exposed a gaping hole in Apple iCloud security this past March. It enabled anyone with access to a user’s e-mail address and birthday—easily available on the web—to reset the password to that user’s account and then gain access to his or her iCloud account. Apple quickly plugged the vulnerability, but one wonders how long the breach-waiting-to-happen would have persisted without a spotlight from a third party.

Someday, the rising concern over the vulnerability of the public cloud may produce security safeguards that rival those found on enterprise-grade networks, but security pros advise businesses to get the word out to employees in the meantime and to bone up on state-of-the-art best practices of working in the cloud. A good place to start is the Cloud Security Alliance’s “Security Guidance for Critical Areas of Focus in Cloud Computing”—one of a slew of cloud security primers in CSA’s research domain.

Joe Dysart is an Internet speaker and business consultant based in Manhattan
Voice: 646-233-4089
E-mail: joe@joedysart.com.
Web: www.joedysart.com

SEMA News—December 2013

INTERNET
By Joe Dysart

Rogue Cloud Use

Vulnerability Awaiting Plunder

	Public cloud services, such as Dropbox, often leave sensitive company data vulnerable, according to many security pros.

Rogue employees working with sensitive company data in public cloud services are regularly wreaking havoc at workplaces, triggering the loss of company secrets, the defacement of company websites and the loss of control over the cloud accounts to competitors and hackers.

“Enterprise IT is rapidly losing control of corporate data,” said Andres Rodriguez, CEO of data-storage company Nasuni. “It’s a risky proposition that IT needs to be in front of and not behind.”

Security pros said that the problem is rampant across corporate America, where employees regularly flaunt company policies against the use of public cloud services such as Dropbox, Google Docs and Microsoft Office 365. The services, which are often very inexpensive and extremely powerful, are very hard to resist for today’s on-the-move employees who are often juggling an iPhone in one hand, a tablet in the other and lurching for a latte at Starbucks.

But no matter how tempting they may be, public cloud services are inherently insecure, the security pros said. At best, the public cloud offers only “consumer-grade” security—a watered down version of the “enterprise-grade” security that many corporations must maintain to meet compliance regulations, according to Nimmy Reichenberg, vice president of marketing and business development for computer security firm AlgoSec.

The result? More than 25% of companies and organizations surveyed by computer security firm Symantec said that they had lost control over one or more of their public cloud accounts, saw their websites defaced or experienced the theft of goods or services in 2012 due to security breaches in the public cloud.

Moreover, 40% of the 3,236 organizations surveyed said that they had suffered exposure of confidential company information stored in public cloud accounts, according to a survey entitled “Avoiding the Hidden Costs of the Cloud 2013”. And more than 75% of the organizations surveyed by Symantec said that their employees had shared or stored critical company data in public cloud services.

Other studies are uncovering similar devil-may-care attitudes toward the public cloud. A December 2012 Nasuni report, for example, found that 20% of the 1,300 surveyed management and staff regularly used Dropbox to share and store work-related documents. And more than half of those surveyed did so even though they knew that the practice directly violated policy. In addition, a May study released by NetIQ, an enterprise software firm, found that 70% of IT execs believe that public cloud services pose a serious risk to sensitive company data.

Besides risk offsite, public cloud use can also result in major security breaches within the walls of a company, according to security pros. Hackers can easily insert malware into the files of a public cloud account that they’ve breached, according to Jacob Williams, principal consultant at CSRgroup Computer Security. Essentially, the malware is immediately downloaded to a company’s network or an employee’s hard drive the next time the public cloud account syncs with the employee’s computer. That often happens the very next time the employee logs into his/her public cloud account after it has been breached.

All that auto syncing can also create additional risk if an employee is working with multiple devices. For example, subscribers to Apple’s iWork for iCloud—a suite of apps for the creation of documents, presentations and spreadsheets—are treated to auto syncing of the iCloud data with every Apple device they own, according to Richard Walters, CTO of web application security provider SaaSID. In such scenarios, company IT may not even be aware that company data has been breached, since the data may walk out the door on an employee’s iPhone that has not been secured for use on the company network.

Security pros also worry that unsecured storage of critical company data in the public cloud represents a severe risk when an employee moves to another company or organization—especially with an employee who is unhappy at work and is planning an unannounced departure.

“Specifically, how do you know if malicious insiders are forwarding sensitive information to themselves, where it will remain available even if they’re fired?” asked Dan Ring, director of global communications for computer security firm Sophos.

Not surprisingly, public cloud services—as well as third-party security providers—are the first to counter that they’re on the job and working to make public cloud apps more secure.

“Our goal is to allow the CIOs of the world to say ‘yes’ to Dropbox for the enterprise,” said Chris Holland, chief monk at SafeMonk, an aftermarket security solution for Dropbox. “We recognize that Dropbox’s efficiency and usefulness will only make it more prevalent among the workforce. So making the service more secure through tap-proofing is a better and more realistic option than discouraging or forbidding people from using it.”

But security pros are skeptical. They cite a major security breach at Dropbox in 2012, when scores of IDs and passwords were stolen at other websites and then used—with some success—to break into the Dropbox accounts of the victims.

Moreover, tech lifestyle magazine The Verge exposed a gaping hole in Apple iCloud security this past March. It enabled anyone with access to a user’s e-mail address and birthday—easily available on the web—to reset the password to that user’s account and then gain access to his or her iCloud account. Apple quickly plugged the vulnerability, but one wonders how long the breach-waiting-to-happen would have persisted without a spotlight from a third party.

Someday, the rising concern over the vulnerability of the public cloud may produce security safeguards that rival those found on enterprise-grade networks, but security pros advise businesses to get the word out to employees in the meantime and to bone up on state-of-the-art best practices of working in the cloud. A good place to start is the Cloud Security Alliance’s “Security Guidance for Critical Areas of Focus in Cloud Computing”—one of a slew of cloud security primers in CSA’s research domain.

Joe Dysart is an Internet speaker and business consultant based in Manhattan
Voice: 646-233-4089
E-mail: joe@joedysart.com.
Web: www.joedysart.com

SEMA News—December 2013

BUSINESS
By Steve Campbell

Retailer Spotlight

In the Family Way With Chuck’s Truck Accessories and Line-a-Bed Sales

	The Chuck’s Truck Accessories facility incorporates retail space as well as several installation bays. The business offers toppers, bedliners and a full line of truck accessories.

Many of the most famous names in the history of the automotive specialty-equipment industry started as family endeavors. Chuck’s Truck Accessories and Line-A-Bed Sales exemplifies that type of familial heritage. In fact, one of the joys of doing business for owner Chuck Vaughn comes from the fact that his wife, father, son and several cousins work at the retail and installation store.

The business, as it currently stands, is a testament to the need for flexibility and adaptation as markets shift, open and close. The company has adopted new methods of advertising, made judicious adaptations in the way they stock parts, but been careful all along to emphasize customer service.

“My uncle held the original patent for Line-A-Bed plastic bedliners, and my dad, Jimmy Vaughn, started our Nashville store in 1976,” Vaughn said. “We originally did nothing but drop-in bedliners, but we expanded in 1985 into truck tops and accessories. We no longer specialize in any one area now. It’s a complete free-for-all. On any given day, we may install a truck top or two, five or six bedliners, raise or lower a truck or Jeep, spray a couple more bedliners, install a gooseneck or step bars, wire a trailer and then swap an engine.”

The expansion started gradually when bedliners alone weren’t providing enough revenue. The younger Vaughn had completed his bachelor’s degree in business and began to add products to the store’s repertoire. The business stayed in its original location for the first few years and then moved to its current site. Eight years ago, the business had grown enough that Chuck’s Truck Accessories built a larger facility to incorporate more retail space as well as several installation bays.

		Executive Summary
		Chuck’s Truck Accessories and Line-a-Bed Sales 3821 Dickerson Pike Nashville, TN 37207 615-860-4500 www.chuckstruckacc.com Owner: Chuck Vaughn Four full-time and three part- time employees Features toppers, bedliners and truck accessories Offers on-site installations for local customers Able to deliver nearly any part on the day of purchase Goal is expert installation, time after time

“The market has changed a lot, and I don’t think you can stay in business as a specialty store any more,” he said. “You must be very flexible, be willing to do all that a customer needs and do it promptly—or someone else will.”

Chuck’s currently employs four full-time sales and technical personal, including dad Jimmy, who still works full time at the age of 72. Vaughn brings in three part-time employees during the summer months when the store is at its busiest. He also teaches his installers how he wants things done.

“We have them follow us through the various installations we do,” he said. “Most of the employees have been around the store a lot and were already truck guys, so they have been working on their own vehicles for years.”

A few outside sales people added to Vaughn’s accessory business education, and the truck-top enterprise blossomed under the tutelage of an industry veteran.

“When we started, a guy who worked for American Specialty Inc.—which was eventually acquired by Keystone Automotive Operations—helped me a lot with the accessory end of things,” Vaugh said. “We also brought in Clifford Davenport, who had worked for Gemtop Manufacturing for a long time. He came to work for us for four or five years and taught us the topper business.”

The business opened in 1976, specializing in drop-in bedliners. Over the years, natural expansion added toppers as well as the full range of truck and SUV equipment.

While the store has been successful since its inception—even through the recent recession—inventory control has changed. With the burgeoning of light-truck models and trim levels, it is no longer possible to maintain the enormous parts diversity required.

“At our height, we stocked about $450,000 in parts,” Vaughn said, “but things changed in 2004. We now keep only about $150,000 in parts in inventory. Trucks are changing so drastically that we now rely heavily on our warehouse distributors, which include P&E Distributors, Keystone Automotive Operations and Meyer Distributing.”

Vaughn said that his relationship with his WDs is one of the keys to the success of Chuck’s Truck Accessories.

“In our location, you cannot physically stock everything,” he said. “That’s why our distributor network is so important.”

The store receives at least one delivery per day from each WD and two from P&E. But because P&E is so close, Chuck’s also makes up to 10 trips a day to the warehouse for parts and kits.

“That’s the thing that sets us apart,” Vaughn said. “We can supply parts almost immediately through our distributors. A guy will walk in, want an Undercover tonneau, and we’re able to get it for him right away. With most shops, it takes until the next day because they have to wait for somebody to deliver it. We can go to P&E and be back in 30 minutes. It’s rare for us not to be able to get what the customer wants quickly.”

Great salespeople at the WDs also make a huge difference, he said. Chuck’s has had the same salesman at Meyer Distributing since the start of business there, and it’s been the same at P&E. And Vaughn is also able to rely on the WDs to keep him informed about new products and vehicles, with recommendations for items that sell well.

Vaughn said that most of the customers at Chuck’s are 45 years old or more, and a lot of them are retired UAW workers. That demographic is steadily changing, however, with lift and leveling kits as well as wheels and tires bringing in a much younger clientele. The shift in age may also partially explain the success of Vaughn’s best marketing arm: the Internet.

	The business relies on its warehouse distributors for quick delivery of parts. Its suppliers include P&E Distributors, Keystone Automotive Operations and Meyer Distributing.

“You’ll never beat word of mouth, but that only comes with great customer service and time,” he said, “Most of our advertising is on our website, Craigslist and the Internet yellow pages.”

Vaughn said that he’s pretty good with computers and was able to build the website himself using Network Solutions. He added that it was the best return on an investment he’s ever had.

“The biggest draw on the site is the used stuff—tops, lids, parts and accessories,” he said. “Most of the calls we get are from the website’s used-parts pages, and that’s all day every day. My wife Tiffany handles most of that. She also does local shopping pages that she understands from doing antiques and crafts, and those pages do just about as well as Craigslist. The used products also bring in customers who start out looking there and then decide on something new instead.”

Of course, none of it works without great customer service. Vaughn said that avoiding mistakes is on a par with his WD relationships in ensuring the success of his store.

“You don’t want to see customers come back until they are ready to buy another part,” he said. “We make sure that they’re not having to return because of a squeaking step bar or something wired wrong or incorrectly installed. We have almost no comebacks. That’s where word of mouth builds.”

It also leads to one of the greatest rewards for him and his employees—seeing a customer grinning from ear to ear as he’s handed back the keys to truck with a new installation. A huge bonus is the fact that it’s all a family affair.

 

SEMA News—December 2013

BUSINESS
By Steve Campbell

Retailer Spotlight

In the Family Way With Chuck’s Truck Accessories and Line-a-Bed Sales

	The Chuck’s Truck Accessories facility incorporates retail space as well as several installation bays. The business offers toppers, bedliners and a full line of truck accessories.

Many of the most famous names in the history of the automotive specialty-equipment industry started as family endeavors. Chuck’s Truck Accessories and Line-A-Bed Sales exemplifies that type of familial heritage. In fact, one of the joys of doing business for owner Chuck Vaughn comes from the fact that his wife, father, son and several cousins work at the retail and installation store.

The business, as it currently stands, is a testament to the need for flexibility and adaptation as markets shift, open and close. The company has adopted new methods of advertising, made judicious adaptations in the way they stock parts, but been careful all along to emphasize customer service.

“My uncle held the original patent for Line-A-Bed plastic bedliners, and my dad, Jimmy Vaughn, started our Nashville store in 1976,” Vaughn said. “We originally did nothing but drop-in bedliners, but we expanded in 1985 into truck tops and accessories. We no longer specialize in any one area now. It’s a complete free-for-all. On any given day, we may install a truck top or two, five or six bedliners, raise or lower a truck or Jeep, spray a couple more bedliners, install a gooseneck or step bars, wire a trailer and then swap an engine.”

The expansion started gradually when bedliners alone weren’t providing enough revenue. The younger Vaughn had completed his bachelor’s degree in business and began to add products to the store’s repertoire. The business stayed in its original location for the first few years and then moved to its current site. Eight years ago, the business had grown enough that Chuck’s Truck Accessories built a larger facility to incorporate more retail space as well as several installation bays.

		Executive Summary
		Chuck’s Truck Accessories and Line-a-Bed Sales 3821 Dickerson Pike Nashville, TN 37207 615-860-4500 www.chuckstruckacc.com Owner: Chuck Vaughn Four full-time and three part- time employees Features toppers, bedliners and truck accessories Offers on-site installations for local customers Able to deliver nearly any part on the day of purchase Goal is expert installation, time after time

“The market has changed a lot, and I don’t think you can stay in business as a specialty store any more,” he said. “You must be very flexible, be willing to do all that a customer needs and do it promptly—or someone else will.”

Chuck’s currently employs four full-time sales and technical personal, including dad Jimmy, who still works full time at the age of 72. Vaughn brings in three part-time employees during the summer months when the store is at its busiest. He also teaches his installers how he wants things done.

“We have them follow us through the various installations we do,” he said. “Most of the employees have been around the store a lot and were already truck guys, so they have been working on their own vehicles for years.”

A few outside sales people added to Vaughn’s accessory business education, and the truck-top enterprise blossomed under the tutelage of an industry veteran.

“When we started, a guy who worked for American Specialty Inc.—which was eventually acquired by Keystone Automotive Operations—helped me a lot with the accessory end of things,” Vaugh said. “We also brought in Clifford Davenport, who had worked for Gemtop Manufacturing for a long time. He came to work for us for four or five years and taught us the topper business.”

The business opened in 1976, specializing in drop-in bedliners. Over the years, natural expansion added toppers as well as the full range of truck and SUV equipment.

While the store has been successful since its inception—even through the recent recession—inventory control has changed. With the burgeoning of light-truck models and trim levels, it is no longer possible to maintain the enormous parts diversity required.

“At our height, we stocked about $450,000 in parts,” Vaughn said, “but things changed in 2004. We now keep only about $150,000 in parts in inventory. Trucks are changing so drastically that we now rely heavily on our warehouse distributors, which include P&E Distributors, Keystone Automotive Operations and Meyer Distributing.”

Vaughn said that his relationship with his WDs is one of the keys to the success of Chuck’s Truck Accessories.

“In our location, you cannot physically stock everything,” he said. “That’s why our distributor network is so important.”

The store receives at least one delivery per day from each WD and two from P&E. But because P&E is so close, Chuck’s also makes up to 10 trips a day to the warehouse for parts and kits.

“That’s the thing that sets us apart,” Vaughn said. “We can supply parts almost immediately through our distributors. A guy will walk in, want an Undercover tonneau, and we’re able to get it for him right away. With most shops, it takes until the next day because they have to wait for somebody to deliver it. We can go to P&E and be back in 30 minutes. It’s rare for us not to be able to get what the customer wants quickly.”

Great salespeople at the WDs also make a huge difference, he said. Chuck’s has had the same salesman at Meyer Distributing since the start of business there, and it’s been the same at P&E. And Vaughn is also able to rely on the WDs to keep him informed about new products and vehicles, with recommendations for items that sell well.

Vaughn said that most of the customers at Chuck’s are 45 years old or more, and a lot of them are retired UAW workers. That demographic is steadily changing, however, with lift and leveling kits as well as wheels and tires bringing in a much younger clientele. The shift in age may also partially explain the success of Vaughn’s best marketing arm: the Internet.

	The business relies on its warehouse distributors for quick delivery of parts. Its suppliers include P&E Distributors, Keystone Automotive Operations and Meyer Distributing.

“You’ll never beat word of mouth, but that only comes with great customer service and time,” he said, “Most of our advertising is on our website, Craigslist and the Internet yellow pages.”

Vaughn said that he’s pretty good with computers and was able to build the website himself using Network Solutions. He added that it was the best return on an investment he’s ever had.

“The biggest draw on the site is the used stuff—tops, lids, parts and accessories,” he said. “Most of the calls we get are from the website’s used-parts pages, and that’s all day every day. My wife Tiffany handles most of that. She also does local shopping pages that she understands from doing antiques and crafts, and those pages do just about as well as Craigslist. The used products also bring in customers who start out looking there and then decide on something new instead.”

Of course, none of it works without great customer service. Vaughn said that avoiding mistakes is on a par with his WD relationships in ensuring the success of his store.

“You don’t want to see customers come back until they are ready to buy another part,” he said. “We make sure that they’re not having to return because of a squeaking step bar or something wired wrong or incorrectly installed. We have almost no comebacks. That’s where word of mouth builds.”

It also leads to one of the greatest rewards for him and his employees—seeing a customer grinning from ear to ear as he’s handed back the keys to truck with a new installation. A huge bonus is the fact that it’s all a family affair.

 

SEMA News—December 2013

BUSINESS
By Steve Campbell

Retailer Spotlight

In the Family Way With Chuck’s Truck Accessories and Line-a-Bed Sales

	The Chuck’s Truck Accessories facility incorporates retail space as well as several installation bays. The business offers toppers, bedliners and a full line of truck accessories.

Many of the most famous names in the history of the automotive specialty-equipment industry started as family endeavors. Chuck’s Truck Accessories and Line-A-Bed Sales exemplifies that type of familial heritage. In fact, one of the joys of doing business for owner Chuck Vaughn comes from the fact that his wife, father, son and several cousins work at the retail and installation store.

The business, as it currently stands, is a testament to the need for flexibility and adaptation as markets shift, open and close. The company has adopted new methods of advertising, made judicious adaptations in the way they stock parts, but been careful all along to emphasize customer service.

“My uncle held the original patent for Line-A-Bed plastic bedliners, and my dad, Jimmy Vaughn, started our Nashville store in 1976,” Vaughn said. “We originally did nothing but drop-in bedliners, but we expanded in 1985 into truck tops and accessories. We no longer specialize in any one area now. It’s a complete free-for-all. On any given day, we may install a truck top or two, five or six bedliners, raise or lower a truck or Jeep, spray a couple more bedliners, install a gooseneck or step bars, wire a trailer and then swap an engine.”

The expansion started gradually when bedliners alone weren’t providing enough revenue. The younger Vaughn had completed his bachelor’s degree in business and began to add products to the store’s repertoire. The business stayed in its original location for the first few years and then moved to its current site. Eight years ago, the business had grown enough that Chuck’s Truck Accessories built a larger facility to incorporate more retail space as well as several installation bays.

		Executive Summary
		Chuck’s Truck Accessories and Line-a-Bed Sales 3821 Dickerson Pike Nashville, TN 37207 615-860-4500 www.chuckstruckacc.com Owner: Chuck Vaughn Four full-time and three part- time employees Features toppers, bedliners and truck accessories Offers on-site installations for local customers Able to deliver nearly any part on the day of purchase Goal is expert installation, time after time

“The market has changed a lot, and I don’t think you can stay in business as a specialty store any more,” he said. “You must be very flexible, be willing to do all that a customer needs and do it promptly—or someone else will.”

Chuck’s currently employs four full-time sales and technical personal, including dad Jimmy, who still works full time at the age of 72. Vaughn brings in three part-time employees during the summer months when the store is at its busiest. He also teaches his installers how he wants things done.

“We have them follow us through the various installations we do,” he said. “Most of the employees have been around the store a lot and were already truck guys, so they have been working on their own vehicles for years.”

A few outside sales people added to Vaughn’s accessory business education, and the truck-top enterprise blossomed under the tutelage of an industry veteran.

“When we started, a guy who worked for American Specialty Inc.—which was eventually acquired by Keystone Automotive Operations—helped me a lot with the accessory end of things,” Vaugh said. “We also brought in Clifford Davenport, who had worked for Gemtop Manufacturing for a long time. He came to work for us for four or five years and taught us the topper business.”

The business opened in 1976, specializing in drop-in bedliners. Over the years, natural expansion added toppers as well as the full range of truck and SUV equipment.

While the store has been successful since its inception—even through the recent recession—inventory control has changed. With the burgeoning of light-truck models and trim levels, it is no longer possible to maintain the enormous parts diversity required.

“At our height, we stocked about $450,000 in parts,” Vaughn said, “but things changed in 2004. We now keep only about $150,000 in parts in inventory. Trucks are changing so drastically that we now rely heavily on our warehouse distributors, which include P&E Distributors, Keystone Automotive Operations and Meyer Distributing.”

Vaughn said that his relationship with his WDs is one of the keys to the success of Chuck’s Truck Accessories.

“In our location, you cannot physically stock everything,” he said. “That’s why our distributor network is so important.”

The store receives at least one delivery per day from each WD and two from P&E. But because P&E is so close, Chuck’s also makes up to 10 trips a day to the warehouse for parts and kits.

“That’s the thing that sets us apart,” Vaughn said. “We can supply parts almost immediately through our distributors. A guy will walk in, want an Undercover tonneau, and we’re able to get it for him right away. With most shops, it takes until the next day because they have to wait for somebody to deliver it. We can go to P&E and be back in 30 minutes. It’s rare for us not to be able to get what the customer wants quickly.”

Great salespeople at the WDs also make a huge difference, he said. Chuck’s has had the same salesman at Meyer Distributing since the start of business there, and it’s been the same at P&E. And Vaughn is also able to rely on the WDs to keep him informed about new products and vehicles, with recommendations for items that sell well.

Vaughn said that most of the customers at Chuck’s are 45 years old or more, and a lot of them are retired UAW workers. That demographic is steadily changing, however, with lift and leveling kits as well as wheels and tires bringing in a much younger clientele. The shift in age may also partially explain the success of Vaughn’s best marketing arm: the Internet.

	The business relies on its warehouse distributors for quick delivery of parts. Its suppliers include P&E Distributors, Keystone Automotive Operations and Meyer Distributing.

“You’ll never beat word of mouth, but that only comes with great customer service and time,” he said, “Most of our advertising is on our website, Craigslist and the Internet yellow pages.”

Vaughn said that he’s pretty good with computers and was able to build the website himself using Network Solutions. He added that it was the best return on an investment he’s ever had.

“The biggest draw on the site is the used stuff—tops, lids, parts and accessories,” he said. “Most of the calls we get are from the website’s used-parts pages, and that’s all day every day. My wife Tiffany handles most of that. She also does local shopping pages that she understands from doing antiques and crafts, and those pages do just about as well as Craigslist. The used products also bring in customers who start out looking there and then decide on something new instead.”

Of course, none of it works without great customer service. Vaughn said that avoiding mistakes is on a par with his WD relationships in ensuring the success of his store.

“You don’t want to see customers come back until they are ready to buy another part,” he said. “We make sure that they’re not having to return because of a squeaking step bar or something wired wrong or incorrectly installed. We have almost no comebacks. That’s where word of mouth builds.”

It also leads to one of the greatest rewards for him and his employees—seeing a customer grinning from ear to ear as he’s handed back the keys to truck with a new installation. A huge bonus is the fact that it’s all a family affair.

 

SEMA News—December 2013

BUSINESS
By Steve Campbell

Retailer Spotlight

In the Family Way With Chuck’s Truck Accessories and Line-a-Bed Sales

	The Chuck’s Truck Accessories facility incorporates retail space as well as several installation bays. The business offers toppers, bedliners and a full line of truck accessories.

Many of the most famous names in the history of the automotive specialty-equipment industry started as family endeavors. Chuck’s Truck Accessories and Line-A-Bed Sales exemplifies that type of familial heritage. In fact, one of the joys of doing business for owner Chuck Vaughn comes from the fact that his wife, father, son and several cousins work at the retail and installation store.

The business, as it currently stands, is a testament to the need for flexibility and adaptation as markets shift, open and close. The company has adopted new methods of advertising, made judicious adaptations in the way they stock parts, but been careful all along to emphasize customer service.

“My uncle held the original patent for Line-A-Bed plastic bedliners, and my dad, Jimmy Vaughn, started our Nashville store in 1976,” Vaughn said. “We originally did nothing but drop-in bedliners, but we expanded in 1985 into truck tops and accessories. We no longer specialize in any one area now. It’s a complete free-for-all. On any given day, we may install a truck top or two, five or six bedliners, raise or lower a truck or Jeep, spray a couple more bedliners, install a gooseneck or step bars, wire a trailer and then swap an engine.”

The expansion started gradually when bedliners alone weren’t providing enough revenue. The younger Vaughn had completed his bachelor’s degree in business and began to add products to the store’s repertoire. The business stayed in its original location for the first few years and then moved to its current site. Eight years ago, the business had grown enough that Chuck’s Truck Accessories built a larger facility to incorporate more retail space as well as several installation bays.

		Executive Summary
		Chuck’s Truck Accessories and Line-a-Bed Sales 3821 Dickerson Pike Nashville, TN 37207 615-860-4500 www.chuckstruckacc.com Owner: Chuck Vaughn Four full-time and three part- time employees Features toppers, bedliners and truck accessories Offers on-site installations for local customers Able to deliver nearly any part on the day of purchase Goal is expert installation, time after time

“The market has changed a lot, and I don’t think you can stay in business as a specialty store any more,” he said. “You must be very flexible, be willing to do all that a customer needs and do it promptly—or someone else will.”

Chuck’s currently employs four full-time sales and technical personal, including dad Jimmy, who still works full time at the age of 72. Vaughn brings in three part-time employees during the summer months when the store is at its busiest. He also teaches his installers how he wants things done.

“We have them follow us through the various installations we do,” he said. “Most of the employees have been around the store a lot and were already truck guys, so they have been working on their own vehicles for years.”

A few outside sales people added to Vaughn’s accessory business education, and the truck-top enterprise blossomed under the tutelage of an industry veteran.

“When we started, a guy who worked for American Specialty Inc.—which was eventually acquired by Keystone Automotive Operations—helped me a lot with the accessory end of things,” Vaugh said. “We also brought in Clifford Davenport, who had worked for Gemtop Manufacturing for a long time. He came to work for us for four or five years and taught us the topper business.”

The business opened in 1976, specializing in drop-in bedliners. Over the years, natural expansion added toppers as well as the full range of truck and SUV equipment.

While the store has been successful since its inception—even through the recent recession—inventory control has changed. With the burgeoning of light-truck models and trim levels, it is no longer possible to maintain the enormous parts diversity required.

“At our height, we stocked about $450,000 in parts,” Vaughn said, “but things changed in 2004. We now keep only about $150,000 in parts in inventory. Trucks are changing so drastically that we now rely heavily on our warehouse distributors, which include P&E Distributors, Keystone Automotive Operations and Meyer Distributing.”

Vaughn said that his relationship with his WDs is one of the keys to the success of Chuck’s Truck Accessories.

“In our location, you cannot physically stock everything,” he said. “That’s why our distributor network is so important.”

The store receives at least one delivery per day from each WD and two from P&E. But because P&E is so close, Chuck’s also makes up to 10 trips a day to the warehouse for parts and kits.

“That’s the thing that sets us apart,” Vaughn said. “We can supply parts almost immediately through our distributors. A guy will walk in, want an Undercover tonneau, and we’re able to get it for him right away. With most shops, it takes until the next day because they have to wait for somebody to deliver it. We can go to P&E and be back in 30 minutes. It’s rare for us not to be able to get what the customer wants quickly.”

Great salespeople at the WDs also make a huge difference, he said. Chuck’s has had the same salesman at Meyer Distributing since the start of business there, and it’s been the same at P&E. And Vaughn is also able to rely on the WDs to keep him informed about new products and vehicles, with recommendations for items that sell well.

Vaughn said that most of the customers at Chuck’s are 45 years old or more, and a lot of them are retired UAW workers. That demographic is steadily changing, however, with lift and leveling kits as well as wheels and tires bringing in a much younger clientele. The shift in age may also partially explain the success of Vaughn’s best marketing arm: the Internet.

	The business relies on its warehouse distributors for quick delivery of parts. Its suppliers include P&E Distributors, Keystone Automotive Operations and Meyer Distributing.

“You’ll never beat word of mouth, but that only comes with great customer service and time,” he said, “Most of our advertising is on our website, Craigslist and the Internet yellow pages.”

Vaughn said that he’s pretty good with computers and was able to build the website himself using Network Solutions. He added that it was the best return on an investment he’s ever had.

“The biggest draw on the site is the used stuff—tops, lids, parts and accessories,” he said. “Most of the calls we get are from the website’s used-parts pages, and that’s all day every day. My wife Tiffany handles most of that. She also does local shopping pages that she understands from doing antiques and crafts, and those pages do just about as well as Craigslist. The used products also bring in customers who start out looking there and then decide on something new instead.”

Of course, none of it works without great customer service. Vaughn said that avoiding mistakes is on a par with his WD relationships in ensuring the success of his store.

“You don’t want to see customers come back until they are ready to buy another part,” he said. “We make sure that they’re not having to return because of a squeaking step bar or something wired wrong or incorrectly installed. We have almost no comebacks. That’s where word of mouth builds.”

It also leads to one of the greatest rewards for him and his employees—seeing a customer grinning from ear to ear as he’s handed back the keys to truck with a new installation. A huge bonus is the fact that it’s all a family affair.

 

SEMA News—December 2013

BUSINESS
By Steve Campbell

Retailer Spotlight

In the Family Way With Chuck’s Truck Accessories and Line-a-Bed Sales

	The Chuck’s Truck Accessories facility incorporates retail space as well as several installation bays. The business offers toppers, bedliners and a full line of truck accessories.

Many of the most famous names in the history of the automotive specialty-equipment industry started as family endeavors. Chuck’s Truck Accessories and Line-A-Bed Sales exemplifies that type of familial heritage. In fact, one of the joys of doing business for owner Chuck Vaughn comes from the fact that his wife, father, son and several cousins work at the retail and installation store.

The business, as it currently stands, is a testament to the need for flexibility and adaptation as markets shift, open and close. The company has adopted new methods of advertising, made judicious adaptations in the way they stock parts, but been careful all along to emphasize customer service.

“My uncle held the original patent for Line-A-Bed plastic bedliners, and my dad, Jimmy Vaughn, started our Nashville store in 1976,” Vaughn said. “We originally did nothing but drop-in bedliners, but we expanded in 1985 into truck tops and accessories. We no longer specialize in any one area now. It’s a complete free-for-all. On any given day, we may install a truck top or two, five or six bedliners, raise or lower a truck or Jeep, spray a couple more bedliners, install a gooseneck or step bars, wire a trailer and then swap an engine.”

The expansion started gradually when bedliners alone weren’t providing enough revenue. The younger Vaughn had completed his bachelor’s degree in business and began to add products to the store’s repertoire. The business stayed in its original location for the first few years and then moved to its current site. Eight years ago, the business had grown enough that Chuck’s Truck Accessories built a larger facility to incorporate more retail space as well as several installation bays.

		Executive Summary
		Chuck’s Truck Accessories and Line-a-Bed Sales 3821 Dickerson Pike Nashville, TN 37207 615-860-4500 www.chuckstruckacc.com Owner: Chuck Vaughn Four full-time and three part- time employees Features toppers, bedliners and truck accessories Offers on-site installations for local customers Able to deliver nearly any part on the day of purchase Goal is expert installation, time after time

“The market has changed a lot, and I don’t think you can stay in business as a specialty store any more,” he said. “You must be very flexible, be willing to do all that a customer needs and do it promptly—or someone else will.”

Chuck’s currently employs four full-time sales and technical personal, including dad Jimmy, who still works full time at the age of 72. Vaughn brings in three part-time employees during the summer months when the store is at its busiest. He also teaches his installers how he wants things done.

“We have them follow us through the various installations we do,” he said. “Most of the employees have been around the store a lot and were already truck guys, so they have been working on their own vehicles for years.”

A few outside sales people added to Vaughn’s accessory business education, and the truck-top enterprise blossomed under the tutelage of an industry veteran.

“When we started, a guy who worked for American Specialty Inc.—which was eventually acquired by Keystone Automotive Operations—helped me a lot with the accessory end of things,” Vaugh said. “We also brought in Clifford Davenport, who had worked for Gemtop Manufacturing for a long time. He came to work for us for four or five years and taught us the topper business.”

The business opened in 1976, specializing in drop-in bedliners. Over the years, natural expansion added toppers as well as the full range of truck and SUV equipment.

While the store has been successful since its inception—even through the recent recession—inventory control has changed. With the burgeoning of light-truck models and trim levels, it is no longer possible to maintain the enormous parts diversity required.

“At our height, we stocked about $450,000 in parts,” Vaughn said, “but things changed in 2004. We now keep only about $150,000 in parts in inventory. Trucks are changing so drastically that we now rely heavily on our warehouse distributors, which include P&E Distributors, Keystone Automotive Operations and Meyer Distributing.”

Vaughn said that his relationship with his WDs is one of the keys to the success of Chuck’s Truck Accessories.

“In our location, you cannot physically stock everything,” he said. “That’s why our distributor network is so important.”

The store receives at least one delivery per day from each WD and two from P&E. But because P&E is so close, Chuck’s also makes up to 10 trips a day to the warehouse for parts and kits.

“That’s the thing that sets us apart,” Vaughn said. “We can supply parts almost immediately through our distributors. A guy will walk in, want an Undercover tonneau, and we’re able to get it for him right away. With most shops, it takes until the next day because they have to wait for somebody to deliver it. We can go to P&E and be back in 30 minutes. It’s rare for us not to be able to get what the customer wants quickly.”

Great salespeople at the WDs also make a huge difference, he said. Chuck’s has had the same salesman at Meyer Distributing since the start of business there, and it’s been the same at P&E. And Vaughn is also able to rely on the WDs to keep him informed about new products and vehicles, with recommendations for items that sell well.

Vaughn said that most of the customers at Chuck’s are 45 years old or more, and a lot of them are retired UAW workers. That demographic is steadily changing, however, with lift and leveling kits as well as wheels and tires bringing in a much younger clientele. The shift in age may also partially explain the success of Vaughn’s best marketing arm: the Internet.

	The business relies on its warehouse distributors for quick delivery of parts. Its suppliers include P&E Distributors, Keystone Automotive Operations and Meyer Distributing.

“You’ll never beat word of mouth, but that only comes with great customer service and time,” he said, “Most of our advertising is on our website, Craigslist and the Internet yellow pages.”

Vaughn said that he’s pretty good with computers and was able to build the website himself using Network Solutions. He added that it was the best return on an investment he’s ever had.

“The biggest draw on the site is the used stuff—tops, lids, parts and accessories,” he said. “Most of the calls we get are from the website’s used-parts pages, and that’s all day every day. My wife Tiffany handles most of that. She also does local shopping pages that she understands from doing antiques and crafts, and those pages do just about as well as Craigslist. The used products also bring in customers who start out looking there and then decide on something new instead.”

Of course, none of it works without great customer service. Vaughn said that avoiding mistakes is on a par with his WD relationships in ensuring the success of his store.

“You don’t want to see customers come back until they are ready to buy another part,” he said. “We make sure that they’re not having to return because of a squeaking step bar or something wired wrong or incorrectly installed. We have almost no comebacks. That’s where word of mouth builds.”

It also leads to one of the greatest rewards for him and his employees—seeing a customer grinning from ear to ear as he’s handed back the keys to truck with a new installation. A huge bonus is the fact that it’s all a family affair.

 

SEMA News—December 2013

BUSINESS
By Steve Campbell

Retailer Spotlight

In the Family Way With Chuck’s Truck Accessories and Line-a-Bed Sales

	The Chuck’s Truck Accessories facility incorporates retail space as well as several installation bays. The business offers toppers, bedliners and a full line of truck accessories.

Many of the most famous names in the history of the automotive specialty-equipment industry started as family endeavors. Chuck’s Truck Accessories and Line-A-Bed Sales exemplifies that type of familial heritage. In fact, one of the joys of doing business for owner Chuck Vaughn comes from the fact that his wife, father, son and several cousins work at the retail and installation store.

The business, as it currently stands, is a testament to the need for flexibility and adaptation as markets shift, open and close. The company has adopted new methods of advertising, made judicious adaptations in the way they stock parts, but been careful all along to emphasize customer service.

“My uncle held the original patent for Line-A-Bed plastic bedliners, and my dad, Jimmy Vaughn, started our Nashville store in 1976,” Vaughn said. “We originally did nothing but drop-in bedliners, but we expanded in 1985 into truck tops and accessories. We no longer specialize in any one area now. It’s a complete free-for-all. On any given day, we may install a truck top or two, five or six bedliners, raise or lower a truck or Jeep, spray a couple more bedliners, install a gooseneck or step bars, wire a trailer and then swap an engine.”

The expansion started gradually when bedliners alone weren’t providing enough revenue. The younger Vaughn had completed his bachelor’s degree in business and began to add products to the store’s repertoire. The business stayed in its original location for the first few years and then moved to its current site. Eight years ago, the business had grown enough that Chuck’s Truck Accessories built a larger facility to incorporate more retail space as well as several installation bays.

		Executive Summary
		Chuck’s Truck Accessories and Line-a-Bed Sales 3821 Dickerson Pike Nashville, TN 37207 615-860-4500 www.chuckstruckacc.com Owner: Chuck Vaughn Four full-time and three part- time employees Features toppers, bedliners and truck accessories Offers on-site installations for local customers Able to deliver nearly any part on the day of purchase Goal is expert installation, time after time

“The market has changed a lot, and I don’t think you can stay in business as a specialty store any more,” he said. “You must be very flexible, be willing to do all that a customer needs and do it promptly—or someone else will.”

Chuck’s currently employs four full-time sales and technical personal, including dad Jimmy, who still works full time at the age of 72. Vaughn brings in three part-time employees during the summer months when the store is at its busiest. He also teaches his installers how he wants things done.

“We have them follow us through the various installations we do,” he said. “Most of the employees have been around the store a lot and were already truck guys, so they have been working on their own vehicles for years.”

A few outside sales people added to Vaughn’s accessory business education, and the truck-top enterprise blossomed under the tutelage of an industry veteran.

“When we started, a guy who worked for American Specialty Inc.—which was eventually acquired by Keystone Automotive Operations—helped me a lot with the accessory end of things,” Vaugh said. “We also brought in Clifford Davenport, who had worked for Gemtop Manufacturing for a long time. He came to work for us for four or five years and taught us the topper business.”

The business opened in 1976, specializing in drop-in bedliners. Over the years, natural expansion added toppers as well as the full range of truck and SUV equipment.

While the store has been successful since its inception—even through the recent recession—inventory control has changed. With the burgeoning of light-truck models and trim levels, it is no longer possible to maintain the enormous parts diversity required.

“At our height, we stocked about $450,000 in parts,” Vaughn said, “but things changed in 2004. We now keep only about $150,000 in parts in inventory. Trucks are changing so drastically that we now rely heavily on our warehouse distributors, which include P&E Distributors, Keystone Automotive Operations and Meyer Distributing.”

Vaughn said that his relationship with his WDs is one of the keys to the success of Chuck’s Truck Accessories.

“In our location, you cannot physically stock everything,” he said. “That’s why our distributor network is so important.”

The store receives at least one delivery per day from each WD and two from P&E. But because P&E is so close, Chuck’s also makes up to 10 trips a day to the warehouse for parts and kits.

“That’s the thing that sets us apart,” Vaughn said. “We can supply parts almost immediately through our distributors. A guy will walk in, want an Undercover tonneau, and we’re able to get it for him right away. With most shops, it takes until the next day because they have to wait for somebody to deliver it. We can go to P&E and be back in 30 minutes. It’s rare for us not to be able to get what the customer wants quickly.”

Great salespeople at the WDs also make a huge difference, he said. Chuck’s has had the same salesman at Meyer Distributing since the start of business there, and it’s been the same at P&E. And Vaughn is also able to rely on the WDs to keep him informed about new products and vehicles, with recommendations for items that sell well.

Vaughn said that most of the customers at Chuck’s are 45 years old or more, and a lot of them are retired UAW workers. That demographic is steadily changing, however, with lift and leveling kits as well as wheels and tires bringing in a much younger clientele. The shift in age may also partially explain the success of Vaughn’s best marketing arm: the Internet.

	The business relies on its warehouse distributors for quick delivery of parts. Its suppliers include P&E Distributors, Keystone Automotive Operations and Meyer Distributing.

“You’ll never beat word of mouth, but that only comes with great customer service and time,” he said, “Most of our advertising is on our website, Craigslist and the Internet yellow pages.”

Vaughn said that he’s pretty good with computers and was able to build the website himself using Network Solutions. He added that it was the best return on an investment he’s ever had.

“The biggest draw on the site is the used stuff—tops, lids, parts and accessories,” he said. “Most of the calls we get are from the website’s used-parts pages, and that’s all day every day. My wife Tiffany handles most of that. She also does local shopping pages that she understands from doing antiques and crafts, and those pages do just about as well as Craigslist. The used products also bring in customers who start out looking there and then decide on something new instead.”

Of course, none of it works without great customer service. Vaughn said that avoiding mistakes is on a par with his WD relationships in ensuring the success of his store.

“You don’t want to see customers come back until they are ready to buy another part,” he said. “We make sure that they’re not having to return because of a squeaking step bar or something wired wrong or incorrectly installed. We have almost no comebacks. That’s where word of mouth builds.”

It also leads to one of the greatest rewards for him and his employees—seeing a customer grinning from ear to ear as he’s handed back the keys to truck with a new installation. A huge bonus is the fact that it’s all a family affair.

 

SEMA News—December 2013

BUSINESS
By Steve Campbell

Retailer Spotlight

In the Family Way With Chuck’s Truck Accessories and Line-a-Bed Sales

	The Chuck’s Truck Accessories facility incorporates retail space as well as several installation bays. The business offers toppers, bedliners and a full line of truck accessories.

Many of the most famous names in the history of the automotive specialty-equipment industry started as family endeavors. Chuck’s Truck Accessories and Line-A-Bed Sales exemplifies that type of familial heritage. In fact, one of the joys of doing business for owner Chuck Vaughn comes from the fact that his wife, father, son and several cousins work at the retail and installation store.

The business, as it currently stands, is a testament to the need for flexibility and adaptation as markets shift, open and close. The company has adopted new methods of advertising, made judicious adaptations in the way they stock parts, but been careful all along to emphasize customer service.

“My uncle held the original patent for Line-A-Bed plastic bedliners, and my dad, Jimmy Vaughn, started our Nashville store in 1976,” Vaughn said. “We originally did nothing but drop-in bedliners, but we expanded in 1985 into truck tops and accessories. We no longer specialize in any one area now. It’s a complete free-for-all. On any given day, we may install a truck top or two, five or six bedliners, raise or lower a truck or Jeep, spray a couple more bedliners, install a gooseneck or step bars, wire a trailer and then swap an engine.”

The expansion started gradually when bedliners alone weren’t providing enough revenue. The younger Vaughn had completed his bachelor’s degree in business and began to add products to the store’s repertoire. The business stayed in its original location for the first few years and then moved to its current site. Eight years ago, the business had grown enough that Chuck’s Truck Accessories built a larger facility to incorporate more retail space as well as several installation bays.

		Executive Summary
		Chuck’s Truck Accessories and Line-a-Bed Sales 3821 Dickerson Pike Nashville, TN 37207 615-860-4500 www.chuckstruckacc.com Owner: Chuck Vaughn Four full-time and three part- time employees Features toppers, bedliners and truck accessories Offers on-site installations for local customers Able to deliver nearly any part on the day of purchase Goal is expert installation, time after time

“The market has changed a lot, and I don’t think you can stay in business as a specialty store any more,” he said. “You must be very flexible, be willing to do all that a customer needs and do it promptly—or someone else will.”

Chuck’s currently employs four full-time sales and technical personal, including dad Jimmy, who still works full time at the age of 72. Vaughn brings in three part-time employees during the summer months when the store is at its busiest. He also teaches his installers how he wants things done.

“We have them follow us through the various installations we do,” he said. “Most of the employees have been around the store a lot and were already truck guys, so they have been working on their own vehicles for years.”

A few outside sales people added to Vaughn’s accessory business education, and the truck-top enterprise blossomed under the tutelage of an industry veteran.

“When we started, a guy who worked for American Specialty Inc.—which was eventually acquired by Keystone Automotive Operations—helped me a lot with the accessory end of things,” Vaugh said. “We also brought in Clifford Davenport, who had worked for Gemtop Manufacturing for a long time. He came to work for us for four or five years and taught us the topper business.”

The business opened in 1976, specializing in drop-in bedliners. Over the years, natural expansion added toppers as well as the full range of truck and SUV equipment.

While the store has been successful since its inception—even through the recent recession—inventory control has changed. With the burgeoning of light-truck models and trim levels, it is no longer possible to maintain the enormous parts diversity required.

“At our height, we stocked about $450,000 in parts,” Vaughn said, “but things changed in 2004. We now keep only about $150,000 in parts in inventory. Trucks are changing so drastically that we now rely heavily on our warehouse distributors, which include P&E Distributors, Keystone Automotive Operations and Meyer Distributing.”

Vaughn said that his relationship with his WDs is one of the keys to the success of Chuck’s Truck Accessories.

“In our location, you cannot physically stock everything,” he said. “That’s why our distributor network is so important.”

The store receives at least one delivery per day from each WD and two from P&E. But because P&E is so close, Chuck’s also makes up to 10 trips a day to the warehouse for parts and kits.

“That’s the thing that sets us apart,” Vaughn said. “We can supply parts almost immediately through our distributors. A guy will walk in, want an Undercover tonneau, and we’re able to get it for him right away. With most shops, it takes until the next day because they have to wait for somebody to deliver it. We can go to P&E and be back in 30 minutes. It’s rare for us not to be able to get what the customer wants quickly.”

Great salespeople at the WDs also make a huge difference, he said. Chuck’s has had the same salesman at Meyer Distributing since the start of business there, and it’s been the same at P&E. And Vaughn is also able to rely on the WDs to keep him informed about new products and vehicles, with recommendations for items that sell well.

Vaughn said that most of the customers at Chuck’s are 45 years old or more, and a lot of them are retired UAW workers. That demographic is steadily changing, however, with lift and leveling kits as well as wheels and tires bringing in a much younger clientele. The shift in age may also partially explain the success of Vaughn’s best marketing arm: the Internet.

	The business relies on its warehouse distributors for quick delivery of parts. Its suppliers include P&E Distributors, Keystone Automotive Operations and Meyer Distributing.

“You’ll never beat word of mouth, but that only comes with great customer service and time,” he said, “Most of our advertising is on our website, Craigslist and the Internet yellow pages.”

Vaughn said that he’s pretty good with computers and was able to build the website himself using Network Solutions. He added that it was the best return on an investment he’s ever had.

“The biggest draw on the site is the used stuff—tops, lids, parts and accessories,” he said. “Most of the calls we get are from the website’s used-parts pages, and that’s all day every day. My wife Tiffany handles most of that. She also does local shopping pages that she understands from doing antiques and crafts, and those pages do just about as well as Craigslist. The used products also bring in customers who start out looking there and then decide on something new instead.”

Of course, none of it works without great customer service. Vaughn said that avoiding mistakes is on a par with his WD relationships in ensuring the success of his store.

“You don’t want to see customers come back until they are ready to buy another part,” he said. “We make sure that they’re not having to return because of a squeaking step bar or something wired wrong or incorrectly installed. We have almost no comebacks. That’s where word of mouth builds.”

It also leads to one of the greatest rewards for him and his employees—seeing a customer grinning from ear to ear as he’s handed back the keys to truck with a new installation. A huge bonus is the fact that it’s all a family affair.