Motorsports Expert Ron Sledge Joins Affinia
Motorsports expert Ron Sledge has accepted the position of director, motorsports sales and race team relations for Affinia Group Inc. In this new role, Sledge will establish and maintain relationships in the engine and chassis shops of all NASCAR race teams, strategically maximizing use and sales of Affinia filtration, brake and chassis products by NASCAR race teams.
Affinia Collects Nine Awards at National Catalog Managers Association Meeting
Affinia was presented with a total of nine awards, including seven President’s Awards, at the recent meeting of the National Catalog Managers Association (NCMA).
Federated Presents Vendor of the Year Awards
Federated Auto Parts presented its 2004 Vendor of the Year Awards this past weekend at its annual meeting in New Orleans, according to Mike Schultz, executive vice president of Federated Auto Parts. ARI and Raybestos/Spicer were named Outstanding Vendors of the Year.
Affinia Announces Sale of Beck/Arnley
Affinia Group Inc. yesterday announced the sale of its subsidiary, Beck/Arnley Worldparts Corp., to Heritage Equity Group, Inc. Heritage is a privately held company funded entirely by private investors, and in part by Beck/Arnley management.
AFFINIA Canada Named Mr. Lube Supplier of the Year
Affinia Canada Corp. has been named the Supplier of the Year by Mr. Lube, according to Gary O’Connor, vice president of sales for Affinia Canada Corp. Affinia Group Inc. is a global supplier of automotive components for under hood and under vehicle applications.
Magazines Announce ‘Readers’ Choice Awards’ Recipients
The readers of Babcox’s Counterman, Brake & Front End, ImportCar and Underhood Service magazines have announced the Readers’ Choice Award recipients for 2004. The awards are based upon those companies whose advertising most successfully communicated their messages to the aftermarket.
The Year in Review – A Look at the Top 10 News Stories of 2004
Whether you believe 2004 was a good or bad year for the aftermarket, no one can argue this was a big news year for our industry. The year included noteworthy shifts in leadership, mergers, acquisitions and more, most of which will significantly impact the industry for many years to come. Here’s a month-by-month look at what aftermarketNews.com considers to be biggest news events that happened in our industry in 2004.
Brake Parts Inc. Announces Plans for Motorsports Involvement in 2005
Brake Parts announced this week that it plans to continue its long-standing involvement with motorsports programs throughout 2005, to further build brand recognition and loyalty for its Raybestos brand brakes. According to Larry Hoofnagle, director of marketing communications, these programs play an important role in maintaining an awareness of the Raybestos brand with brake service professionals and consumers.
Car Care Council Women’s Board Announces Winners of the Automotive Communications Awards
The Car Care Council Women’s Board (WB) has announced the winners of the new Automotive Communications Awards (ACA). The awards were presented during the Women’s Board reception on Tuesday, Nov. 2 in Las Vegas, during AAPEX. The Automotive Communications Awards recognize companies/agencies that provide automotive information through outstanding advertising, marketing and PR efforts. The business-to-consumer awards have 14 categories for entry targeted to women, including car care clinics and direct mail piece or campaign/newsletter. The business-to-business awards consist of 21 categories with such options as logo design and special promotions and promotional events/trade show.
AFFINIA Exec Discusses State of Acquisition
One of the biggest news stories of the year was the sale of the Dana Automotive Aftermarket Group (AAG) to New York-based buyout firm Cypress Group, which agreed to purchase the AAG unit for approximately $1 billion. That deal was announced in early July of this year, and two months later, on Sept. 8, it was announced that Dana AAG would have a new name under its new owners – AFFINIA. aftermarketNews.com sat down with AFFINIA’s John Washbish in Las Vegas just prior to the start of the AAPEX show to update show attendees on the state of the transition. Washbish is AFFINIA president of Customer Relationship Management (CRM), a position he has held since 2003. Recently, his duties were expanded to include serving as vice president and general manager of the AFFINIA Undercar Group, which includes the Raybestos, Spicer, Aimco and McQuay-Norris brands.