CAWA Chairman Michael Antonelli of Vantage Marketing Global has appointed Don Keeling of Sunsong North America and Erick Esparza of Idemitsu Lubricants to the association’s Manufacturers’ Advisory Council (MAC). When Antonelli announced the appointments, he commented, “Mr. Keeling and Mr. Esparza are welcomed additions to the association’s leadership and we are pleased they have stepped forward and volunteered their service. Also, we are further pleased they will join our leadership team and get more involved with CAWA.”
Keeling has more than 23 years of experience in sales, sales management, marketing and customer service management. His experience spans the spectrum of the distribution channels in the automotive aftermarket. He is currently the director of sales and marketing at Sunsong North America. Prior positions include director of sales at AMS Automotive, national sales manager for the GENQUEST (a division of NA Williams Co.), director of sales and marketing at Perfection Clutch, district sales manager at Gates Rubber Co. and regional sales manager/area general manager for APS Inc. Keeling is an active industry volunteer with 8-plus years of Auto Care Association committee involvement. He is currently a member of the Auto Care Association MAC Committee and past chair of the Auto Care Leadership Development Network. Keeling earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from Western Illinois University.
Esparza is currently the Western region division manager for Idemitsu Lubricants, Aftermarket Division. He started with the company in October 2013 to help introduce the brand into the U.S. aftermarket. Idemitsu is the world’s eigth largest oil company and has for a long time only been an OE supplier in the US, mainly with Japanese auto manufacturers. However, the company has grown to include some domestic manufacturers. Esparza holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from California State University, Long Beach in Business Economics.
