After more than a year of planning, hundreds showed up for Automotive Parts Associates’ (APA) annual general meeting last week, packing the Intercontinental Hotel Buckhead in Atlanta, Georgia, for three days. The meeting featured a range of activities and announcements, including receptions and dinners, product updates, one-on-one meetings, electing a new chairman and announcing the TruStar acquisition.
After having to cancel in 2020 and a virtual meeting in 2021, many saw this year’s meeting as a homecoming of sorts. “We promised networking, innovation, and camaraderie. And thanks to our shareholders, suppliers, and staff, it was easy to deliver,” APA said in announcing results of the general meeting.
With the youngest shareholder only 21 years old, APA also says it is changing the landscape of the aftermarket industry. It only helps to have an astute board of directors lending their leadership and business acumen, APA says. APA’s current board includes: Randall Swedlove (chairman), Jim Holmquist (vice chair), Merle Bever (treasurer/secretary), Doug Squires, Brian Cantagallo, Edward Harake, Suzanne Koudsi Walker, Shane Sleek, and Harris Steinberg. Leading the APA team is Steve Tucker as president.
At the event, APA announced several awards and announcements, including:
- Supplier of the Year: FCS;
- Distinguished OE Partner: Bosch/Denso;
- Outstanding Marketing Partner: DRiV;
- Cornerstone Award: KYB;
- Linebacker Award: Factory Motor Parts;
- New Supplier Award: DFC/Arnott;
- 2021 New Shareholders: Elite Automotive, JR Auto Parts, New Detroit Auto Parts, Pit Stop, and V.I. Enterprises.
