Multi Parts has announced the SPARK 2017 selectees. As part of the SPARK Initiative’s fourth year, 10 students will attend AAPEX being held from Oct. 31 ­to Nov. 2 in Las Vegas. SPARK participants are students and military veterans interested in management, engineering, product development, cataloging, pricing, marketing, sales, logistics, legal, accounting and other core business activities of the automotive aftermarket.

“Cultivating new talent for these key positions is critical to growing our narrow corner of the automotive industry,” said Multi Parts President Brian Cohn. “The best way I know to do this is to give the next generation a seat at the table with our industry’s icons. I say it every year, but there is no better place than AAPEX to help aspiring professionals see the potential of the aftermarket’s nearly unlimited career opportunities. Once they do, they want in. Candidly, we need them as much, if not more, than they need us.”

Through Multi Parts’ curated and developed programming at the AAPEX show, opportunities to meet and engage with key industry leadership and in-show outings orchestrated and hosted by Multi Parts’ team members, SPARK brings student participants face-to-face with potentially transformative career opportunities in the $356 billion global automotive aftermarket. Among this year’s selectees are present and former Global Automotive Aftermarket Scholarship recipients and U.S. military veterans. All SPARK 2017 participants wear Multi Parts’ shirts adorned with the U.S. flag, veterans and members of the U.S. Armed Forces also have their branch of service embroidered on the sleeve.

Since its inaugural year in 2014, Multi Parts has completely underwritten the SPARK Initiative, hosting students and veterans from across the U.S. each of its four years. Many have gone on to pursue career advancement within the aftermarket.