LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – Day two of the Aftermarket Auto Parts Alliance’s Rock the House III brought a booth show, an operations roundtable discussion and presentations where channel partners and Alliance Parts Warehouse (APW) staff drilled down on category management.
“Our idea was to create an environment where our shareholder owner/customers could work collaboratively to generate ideas about how we can improve as a supplier,” said Max Dull, who was recently appointed vice president and general manager of APW. “The ideas and feedback we are receiving is invaluable.”
Four channel partners received awards and another was recognized during an afternoon presentation. The award recipients were:
*Standard Motor Products – Outstanding Manpower Support
*Radiator Specialty Corp. – Outstanding Marketing Support
*GB Remanufacturing – Outstanding Customer Service Support
*WAI Global – Outstanding Category Management
In addition, Dull recognized Winhere Brake Parts for its recent Lone Star Award. The award is voted on by Alliance headquarters staff and APW personnel. Dan Rader, the Alliance’s vice president for category management, presented the award to Winhere in December at the group’s annual winter meeting in Miami for the company’s creation of the PerfectStop rotor program.
Monday also featured a Town Hall question and answer exchange with Alliance and APW leadership followed by idea generation roundtable discussions with participating shareholders. On Monday afternoon, APW staff and channel partners discussed various aspects of category management, which addressed everything from how products like oil come to market to the improper installation of some parts and how that affects how returns are handled.
Attendees were treated to an evening of music, food and craft beers at the Diamond Bear Brewery, across the Arkansas River from downtown Little Rock. Today will feature a sales and marketing roundtable and dinner at The William J. Clinton Presidential Center, among other activities. Rock the House is a tri-annual get-together for Alliance staff, APW shareholders and channel partners.
PHOTO CREDITS: Oliver Williams
