From Counterman.com: Mitch’s World – More Than Just Numbers to Me
I just finished eating dinner and realized that I won’t be going to sleep tonight until I purge this afternoon’s events from my psyche. The day started with a fascinating interchange that involved one of my primary suppliers. This would have been a whole lot more fascinating – and, infinitely less stressful – if it had happened to someone else and I was reading what they had written, rather than pulling an “all-nighter” myself. But, it wasn’t … And, here I sit scratching my head.
O’Reilly Acquires More Than 90 Percent of CSK Common Stock; Short Form Merger to Follow
O’Reilly Automotive has announced that its indirect, wholly-owned subsidiary has accepted, for payment and exchange, all shares validly tendered pursuant to its offer for all outstanding shares of common stock of CSK Auto Corp. Having acquired more than 90 percent of the issued and outstanding shares of CSK common stock, O’Reilly said Friday it intends to complete a short-form merger of its indirect wholly-owned subsidiary with and into CSK, with CSK continuing as the surviving corporation and an indirect, wholly owned subsidiary of O’Reilly.
Major Automakers Top Fortune’s Global 500 List
General Motors managed to squeeze into the top 10 companies listed on Fortune magazine’s Global 500 list – the magazine’s annual ranking of the world’s largest corporations. While GM, listed at No. 9, ranked higher than Daimler (No. 11) and Ford (No. 13), it was still trumped by Toyota Motor Co. (No. 5), one of several foreign automakers that has seen a spike in sales the past few years as consumer interest in more fuel-efficient, ‘eco-friendly’ vehicles grows.
Joe Gibbs Driven Introduces New Shop Products
Joe Gibbs Driven, a division of Joe Gibbs Racing, is introducing an automotive degreaser and brake and parts cleaner to complement its line of oils and lubricants sold to the racing and high performance market. While developed for racing, these products will work great in any shop or garage application, according to company. Joe Gibbs
Executive Interview with Jesse Jones, Director of Marketing, MAHLE Clevite
Jesse Jones, a 25 year veteran of the aftermarket, was appointed in 2006 to the role of manager – marketing for Clevite Engine Parts, now MAHLE Clevite Inc. Jones is responsible for the company’s overall strategic marketing efforts, which include communication, customer program management, tradeshows, motor sports, brand management and customer training. In this exclusive Executive Interview, Jones brings us up to speed on MAHLE Clevite as the company celebrates nearly one and a half years under the ownership of Stuttgart, Germany-based MAHLE Group.
The Pulse: Use of Premium Vs. Second Line Parts
In this installment of “The Pulse,” we take a closer look at the state of business today at the repair shop level. In this edition we will review rolling month-by-month data for the percentage of premium parts used in repairs versus second line parts. Utilizing data from IMR, Inc., we begin our review looking at the numbers for May 2007 through May 2008.
Ashland to Acquire Specialty Chemicals Supplier Hercules in $3.3 Billion Deal
Ashland Inc. and Hercules Inc. have entered into a definitive merger agreement under which Ashland would acquire all of the outstanding shares of Hercules for $18.60 per share in cash and 0.093 of a share of Ashland common stock for each share of Hercules common stock.The transaction, which would create a major, global specialty chemicals company, is expected to close by the end of calendar 2008.
BASF Refinish Group Names Distributor of the Year
SOUTHFIELD, Mich. — BASF Automotive Refinish Solutions has named Superior Auto Paints of Baltimore, Md., its ColorSource PREMIER Distributor of the Year. ColorSource PREMIER is the nomenclature BASF gives to its top-performing, single-line distributors. The award was presented at BASF’s annual ColorSource Premier Conference, held recently at the Sanibel Resort in Fort Meyers, Fla. Keith
Fifteen Technicians Receive Early Prizes in Remy’s ‘Conquer the Canyon’ Sweepstakes
WINCHESTER, Va. — Fifteen lucky automotive technicians can now enjoy the latest audio and video entertainment on their own premium iPod Touch players thanks to their early entries in the “Conquer the Canyon” sweepstakes promotion from Remy International. The “Conquer the Canyon” promotion, which continues through Sept. 30, enables technicians to earn sweepstakes entries for
AAIA Releases 2008 Employee Compensation Survey on Distributors
The 2008 edition of the Employee Compensation Survey, published by the Automotive Aftermarket Industry Association (AAIA), is now available. This distributors-only survey serves as a guide to understanding compensation, incentive and benefit levels in aftermarket distribution.