By Mark Phillips, editor,
Counterman magazine

Bob
Cushing, president and CEO of WORLDPAC, spoke to a sold-out crowd at the AASA
Executive Breakfast about how the company has grown since its 1969 founding and
has utilized technology and customer service-centric operations to
differentiate itself from competitors. When the company first started out,
there was no aggregation of import-centric information.

"We
had to be self-reliant and perform all the catalog development and do research
ourselves," said Cushing, who has 27 years of experience with WORLDPAC and
its subsidiaries. Positioning itself that way has paid off handsomely for
WORLDPAC. The company, which generates $1 billion yearly, has 110,000 SKUs.

Why
the focus on imports?

"Because
year after year, seven of the top 10 vehicles in this country are foreign
nameplates. We’re positioned for that,” he said. "Imports are the gift
that keep on giving for WORLDPAC. Customers come to us on a daily basis for
imports because they know it’s our strength."

But
he acknowledges the company also had been delving into more all-makes,
all-models product offerings. "Why do we also do all-makes, all-models? We
listen to our customers and this what they’re asking for," Cushing said.

Why
do customers come to WORLDPAC? Cushing mentioned ease of doing business with the
company, including Internet ordering, which began in 1998 when no one was
really clear on where the Internet was going. WORLDPAC’s VIN scanning app,
which was introduced 18 months ago for smart devices, assists the company’s
customers with ordering the right parts the first time.

During
a sit-down Q&A session with Bill Long, president and COO of AASA, Cushing
said technology will continue the company’s business. "We have to make
sure we give the technicians the information they need work on these vehicle
platforms.”

Long
took a question from the audience: "How important are brands in customer
decisions?" "I think we’ve seen a trend toward even more brand
awareness," Cushing said. "Customers understand one thing for sure.
They can’t afford to have a vehicle coming back. They want to be sure they’re
installing a part that won’t bring that vehicle back."

AASA’s
sold-out Executive Breakfast attendance is a testament to the continued
enthusiasm for the automotive aftermarket, said Long.

“There’s
plenty evidence of growth,” Long said. AAPEX exhibitors are up nearly 4
percent. Overall, AAIW registration is up 4.5 percent and the number of total
buyers for AAIW is up 1.5 percent.

Also
at the breakfast, Joe McAleese, president and CEO of Bendix and chairman of
MEMA, presented Bob McKenna, president emeritus of MEMA, with the MEMA Triangle
Award. McAleese said McKenna has worked tirelessly for years to help stamp out
counterfeit parts that creep into the aftermarket.