RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, NC – Vange Proimos, president of AP Exhaust in Goldsboro, NC, has been elected chairman of the Automotive Aftermarket Suppliers Association (AASA) Board of Governors.

Proimos and his brothers founded the USA Muffler Shop chain in the 1970s. The business grew to more than 20 shops throughout northeast Indiana and included a distribution center to service the muffler shops.

In 1994, he and his family started Catco Catalytic Converters, known today as one of the largest aftermarket converter manufacturers in the country. Catco specializes in universal, direct fit and OBDII technology converters.

In 1998, Proimos acquired the AP Exhaust Aftermarket Division with manufacturing facilities in Goldsboro, NC. Manufacturing exhaust products for the past several years under the Goerlich’s, Merit, TruckEx and Xlerator brands, the company will begin to market their products as AP Exhaust in 2007.

Other AASA members newly elected to the board include:

· Michael Cardone Jr., CEO, Cardone Industries;

· David Coolidge, president, Automotive Aftermarket Division, executive vice president, Robert Bosch Corp.;

· Mike Howarth, senior vice president, KYB America LLC;

· Sam Mitchell, president, The Valvoline Co.;

· Richard Shiozaki, senior vice president, DENSO Sales California Inc.;

· Tom Ward, president, Snap-on Diagnostics & Information Group.

Also at the meeting, Steve Handschuh, AASA executive director, was elected president and chief operating officer of the association.

Other members continuing to serve on the board are:

• Guy Andrysick, senior vice president, Honeywell Consumer Products, Danbury, CT;

• Jack Cameron , general manager, The Timken Company, Canton, OH;

• Greg Gyllstrom, vice president and general manager, Visteon Aftermarket, Van Buren Twp., MI;

• Rod McKenzie, president, The Penray Companies Inc., Wheeling, IL;

• Peter Morse, president, Morse Automotive Corp., Chicago, IL;

• Edward (E.J.) O’Leary , president – Transportation Americas, Exide Technologies, Alpharetta, GA;

• Joseph Pomaranski, vice president, sales, Tenneco Automotive, Monroe, MI;

• John Washbish, president, Affinia Group, customer relations, McHenry, IL;

• Dennis Welvaert, president, NA automotive aftermarket, Dayco Products LLC, Mark IV Automotive, Tulsa, OK

For more information about AASA, visit: http://www.aftermarketsuppliers.org