Mobile Electronics November 2015

November 2015

me-mag.com

Minnows & Motors

Lifetime Achievement Award Winner Dave “Fishman” Rivera Adds New Style to a Proven Combo

Pillar Power: Tweeters Up Top in a Cayman – page 46 The New Double-D: More than Just Big Woofers – page 40 Pick Your Partners:

Communication is Key – page 24

® optimize your senses

RVC1000

RVC910

RVC1100

RVCLR

Mini Super Wide Viewing 150º view, Programable Normal or Mirror Image, 0.5 lux

Wide Viewing, 120º view, 0.3 Lux

OEM look, Stick On mount super wide, 160º view

Flexible Rubber Surface Mount

NEW !

Auto Switcher SVC 2000SW

RVCLPM (Chrome) RVCLPMB (Black Chrome)

RVC800LPWIRB (Black) RVC800LPWIR (Chrome)

License Plate Camera 120º view

IR License Plate Camera 120º view

RVC1500IRA

SVC2000

Front Windsheild IR Camera with Audio Output

Side CCD Cameras with LED Marker Lights

OnStar ! OE STYLE REARVIEW MIRROR

4.3” WIDESCREEN LCD MONITORS Rear View Mirror or Glass Mount Monitor

NEW ! with Built In 4.3” LCD (Manual Dimming)

Glass Mount Monitor Snap-on Sunshade

Rear View Mirror Monitor

4.3” LCD Rear View Mirror Manual Dimming Includes Cable Adaptor Adjustable Parking Lines Works with old and newer OnStar Systems

NEW !

Adjustable Parking Lines

RVMMMDOS

Mini Digital Multi-Meter with Built in Flash Light

TFT-LCD Monitor AV Signal Auto Detect Power On/Off 2 AV Inputs Auto Switch when reversing PAL/NTSC compatible Temperature Range Operation : -20ºC ~ 70ºC

Rear View Glass Mount

Manual Reset Circuit Breakers

NEW !

STANDARD POWER 20A to 100A

Compact design makes for easy portable use.

CBM20 CBM25 CBM30 CBM40 CBM50 CBM60 CBM70 CBM80 CBM100

NEW !

Features Illuminated display and built in flash light

RVM430NG

20A 25A 30A 40A 50A 60A 70A 80A 100A

Priced as low as $4.95 Why use standard fuse and fuseholders anymore !

DM300

LCDP43LW

u o y e r A NEW !

LED SPOT OR FLOOD LIGHTS Available in 30º or 60º Angles

NEW !

White LED flood light 15 watt, 12vdc operation

LL27WAS - Spot Light 30º LL27WAF - Flood Light 60º

LL15WAS - Spot Light 30º LL15WAF - Flood Light 60º

60º Angle Flood Light

30º Angle Spot Light

INDIVIDUALLY CUSTOM DRILL IN !

LED Daytime Running Lights

a e R

LED SPOT OR FLOOD LIGHTS Available in 30º or 60º Angles

White LED flood light 27 watt, 12vdc operation

30º Angle Spot Light

. . . dy

60º Angle Flood Light

BLIND SPOT SENSOR KIT with LED & Audio Warning Sound

Finally a quality, high profit aftermarket blind spot sensor kit !

Also Avilable in Bar Style

Install flush into any grill or actual bumper itself. Custom mount in a straight line on follow contour curves of bumper

Installs in locations where no DRL1200 other DRL can fit !

17900 Crusader Ave, Cerritos, CA 90703 USA (800) 788-1212 (562) 809-5090

DRL2000

2 side sensors Dash LED Distance Display 2 dash or mirror mount LEDs Main control box BSS200D Continuously indicating obstacles Piezo warning sounds after turn signal activated (if there is an obstacle)

LED Indicator Activated

Dash Mount or Mirror mount LED Indicator

BSS200

Volume 32// Issue 8

Ad Index

14 FEATURES 14 // Fishman Returns After years of keeping his distance from the 12-volt industry at large, legendary fabrication innovator Dave “Fishman” Rivera returns to re-establish relationships with vendors and help today’s installers usher a new era for mobile electronics.

Accele .................................................................. p. 2, ®3 ADS ......................................................................... p. 59 Alpine ........................................................................ p. 5 AudioControl ....................................................... p. 41 Auto Design NYC ............................................. p. 43 CybCar America .............................................. p. 45 Directed ................................................................ p. 60 HD Radio ............................................................... p. 37 Illusion .................................................................... p. 45 InstallerNet ......................................................... p. 57 JBL ............................................................................. p. 11 Kenwood ................................................................. p. 9 Memphis .............................................................. p. 36 Metra ....................................................................... p. 13 Mito ......................................................................... p. 43 Mobile Electronics ........................................... p. 33 Scosche ................................................................ p. 27 SiriusXM ................................................................ p. 12 Voxx .......................................................................... p. 7

34 // Business Feature: Vendor Partnerships To build a profitable business takes time and effort, but would be nothing without strong partnerships with vendors. Retailers discuss tough lessons learned in search of their perfect manufacturer partner.

40 // Behind the Scenes: Digital Designs Big bass and powerful sound may seem simple, but with a rich history, Digital Designs has proved it’s more complicated than it seems to make and sell great sound.

46 // Tech Today: Baffled By Pillars: Part 1 In the first of two parts, industry veteran, Joey Knapp, discusses the difficulty of maintaining an OEM look while modifying the pillars with new tweeters.

40 ARTICLES 22 Retail News/Who’s Who 28 External Effects 52 Installs

On the Cover Using a combination of hard work, determination, and ambition to achieve the unthinkable, Dave “Fishman” Rivera has done more than make a name for himself in the world of 12-volt. With his now famous fish tank design, he helped usher in a new era for car audio in the 1990s by creating awareness and excitement for the industry. Now having returned, “Fishman” seeks to help do it again, but this time, he hopes to get help from today’s best installers and manufacturers.

COVER DESIGN: ROBIN LEBEL

4 Mobile Electronics  November 2015

DEPARTMENTS 6 Feedback 8 Editor’s Forum 10 Stats 12 Helpful Stuff 30 On the Market 58 Guest Editorial

facebook.com/me-mag

WITH ITS 9-INCH TOUCH SCREEN AND COUNTLESS FEATURES, THE X009-WRA IS READY FOR YOUR NEXT BIG ADVENTURE

The 9-inch screen is 89% larger than the factory radio and 55% larger than a standard aftermarket screen.

View alerts like tire pressure and door status, plus keep your favorite factory features like steering wheel controls and factory amplifier controls.

Your Jeep Wrangler deserves the ultimate dash upgrade. The X009-WRA Restyle Dash System has a large 9-inch screen that is the hub for your entertainment and information needs. Use it with separate front and rear view cameras to reduce blind spots and maneuver around off-road obstacles. Let your adventures start with Alpine.

The X009-WRA is compatible with front and rear view cameras (sold separately), to help eliminate blind spots around your Wrangler.

Shown here, X009-WRA for: 2011-UP Jeep Wrangler*

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Select Ford F-150* trucks, Select GM* trucks and SUVs, Ram* trucks and Toyota Tundra*

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* Jeep and Wrangler are registered trademarks of FCA US LLC. The Bluetooth® word mark is a registered trademark owned by Bluetooth SIG, Inc. and any use of such mark by Alpine Electronics, Inc. is under license. Other vehicle makes and models are those of their respective owners. © 2015 Alpine Electronics, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

me-mag.com 5

 feedback

The Good Fight Code Zero fends off debt collectors thanks to its good business relationships, while others struggle to find good help for the holiday season.

“Business was slow this summer.

All profits went to payroll and bills didn't get paid so we are behind on paying taxes, vendors and advertising companies. All debtors are aware of our situation and are working with us because of my personal reputation and long standing business relationships with them.”

Justin Loomis, Code Zero Audio & Electronics, Inc., Fargo, N.D. “Marketing and finding quality staff are our two biggest challenges.” Alex Mota, OEM Solutions, Inc., Oak Brook, Ill. “Finding and retaining experienced installers is a big challenge during both the holiday season and normal times of year.” Anonymous “As with any growing business I think the hardest thing to overcome is cash flow with increasing sales growth.” Jamie Schuh, Spokane Audio Video Experts, Spokane, Wash.

“We're averaging 80-plus fleet vehicles a week, offering a fleet management service. With this service we maintain the software, hardware, and connections to maintain fleet trucks and the necessary 12-volt electronics such as telematics, driver safety systems, GPS tracking/assist systems, and digital log books. I also do independent contract work for other national installer networks, like Installernet.

This month has been really good.

With my travels, I noticed a recurring theme at different facilities.

They would hire only mechanics, whom don't know electrical. After about 10 months of providing this

service, we have doubled our labor sales if not tripled each month. It's definitely an avenue worth pursuing that's monetarily beneficial. I feel it's probably easy to find qualified installers nationally to install in their area as independent contractors vs. hiring locally, where I have difficulty.” Keith Price, Custom Cars Unlimited, Salem, Va. “Looking to purchase more Avidworx displays and hoping vendors will help with the purchase. We don't know if we should purchase them or finance them.” Eric M. Carter, Cartronix, Valparaiso, Ind. “It's difficult finding knowledgeable staff.” Clinton Phillip, Safe & Sound Installation Center, Brooklyn, N.Y. “We're trying to find a semi-qualified tech; they don't need perfect.”

DeShawn Howard, Drops Mobile Electronics, Inc., Norcross, Ga. “We stopped taking any brought-in product, such as Amazon-purchased, and we increased sales immediately.” Mike White, Auto Audio & Video, Little Rock, Ark. “We're working on finding proper staff to grow.” Chris Hilbert, Sound Decisions, Racine, Wisc.

“Staff is short. Hard to find installers that want to put in the work and have the skill set to perform the work we need.” Nick Lyons, Sound FX, East Providence, R.I. “Looking for a possible move to a bigger shop.” Eddy Lamour, DSP Audio and Video, Wheaton, Md.

6 Mobile Electronics  November 2015

ADVERTISING SALES Kerry Moyer 703.598.3733 • kerrym@mobile-electronics.com ®

EDITORIAL Solomon Daniels 213.291.1528 • solomond@mobile-electronics.com Ted Goslin 800.949.6372 ext. 466 • tedg@mobile-electronics.com Creative Layout and Design: Robin LeBel Contributing Editors: Jamie Sorcher, Laura Kemmerer and Rosa Sophia.

Published by

®

Chris Cook, President 978.867.6759 • chrisc@mobile-electronics.com Kerry Moyer, VP Strategic Partnerships 703.598.3733 • kerrym@mobile-electronics.com Solomon Daniels, Dir. Media and Communications 213.291.1528 • solomond@mobile-electronics.com Richard Basler, Dir. Technology Solutions 978.645.6449 • richb@mobile-electronics.com Karin Drake, Events Manager 978.645.6478 • karindrake@mobile-electronics.com Robin Lebel, Creative Director 978.645.6456 • robinlebel@mobile-electronics.com 1)Title of publication: Mobile Electronics. 2) Publication No.: 957-170 6. 3) Date of filing: Oct. 1, 2015. 4) Frequency of issue: Monthly except FEB/MAR & APR/MAY 5) No. of issues published annually: 10. 6) Annual subscription price: $35.00. 7) Complete mailing address of known office of publication: 85 Flagship Drive, Ste F, North Andover, MA 01845. 8) Complete mailing address of the headquarters or general business offices of the publisher: 85 Flagship Drive, Ste F, North Andover, MA 01845. 9) Full names and complete mailing address of Publisher, Editor and Managing Editor: Publisher: Chris Cook, 85 Flagship Drive, Ste F, North Andover, MA 01845; Editor/Managing Editor: Solomon Daniels/Ted Goslin, 85 Flagship Drive, Ste F, North Andover, MA 01845 10) Owner. MERA, Mobile Electronics Retailers Association, 85 Flagship Drive, Ste F, North Andover, MA 01845. 11) Known bondholders, mortgages, and other security holders owning or holding 1% or more of total amounts of bonds, mortgages or other securities: None.

12) Tax Status: Not applicable. 13) Name of Publication: Mobile Electronics. 14) Issue date for circulation data below: August 2015. 6. a) Total no. copies (net press run) Average: 12,484 Single Issue; 12,826. B1) Paid/Requested mail subscriptions Average: 6834, Single Issue: 6826. B3) Paid sales through dealers, etc.; Average: 0. Single issue; c. Requested distributed by other classes of mail: Average: 531, Single issue: 520. Total paid and/or requested circulation; Average 7365. Single issue: 7346. d) Non-requested distribution by mail; Average: 4382 Single issue: 4223. Free distribution through other classes of mail: Average: 0, Single issue: 0. e) Nonrequested distribution outside the mail; Average: 325. Single issue: 750. f) Total non-requested distribution; Average 4707, Single issue: 4973. g) Total distribution; Average: 12,072. Single issue: 12,319. h) Copies not distributed; h1) Office use, leftovers; Average: 412. Single Issue; 507 j) Total; Average: 12,484. Single issue; 12,826 Percent paid and/or requested circulation; Average: 61.01%. Single issue 59.63%.

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me-mag.com 7

 editor’s forum

The Guy(s) Who Never Grew Up Ever have one of those friends who never left high school? That's Donald.

R

ecently I accepted an invitation from an old high school friend, Donald, to hit a few spots in Hollywood. It ended up being an interesting night that included watching him beat college kids at beer pong, trade hugs and handshakes with every hostess and bouncer on the block, spotting him $24 for ONE(!) cocktail, and getting a ticket in the middle of the night for tinted windows (of all things) after dropping his drunk ass off at home in the valley.

And all the while, he regaled me with stories from three decades ago: "Remember you scored that touchdown to beat Marshall, then the next game you fumbled at the one and lost to Eagle Rock? Remember that house party we DJ'd and those gangbangers kept asking for oldies? What was that cheerleader's name who had a crush on you? Remember that girl Toni? And on and on. He was stuck in high school, definitely. But nothing ever seemed to get him down, and regardless of his situation, he was who he was. Donald has a passion for life that you just can’t deny.

In our industry, Donald's name is Dave.

When Dave Rivera took the stage at KnowledgeFest, here was a guy who many considered passé. Spend any time with him and he will talk your ear off about how he started, the shows he’s been to, his most awarded vehicles, his favorite amps from back in the day. Then, if you really get him going, he’ll share some of his most popular antics: some merely memorable, others notoriously so.

But in between the words and the stories, you get another picture of a guy who never gave up and who never used the word “impossible.” You see someone who was able to mix his limitless passion with amazing talent and breakthrough ideas to help create the landscape that defined modern fabrication.

Those in attendance saw a guy who wasn't offended by the term "old school." Dave is a guy who's always positive, knows everybody, isn't afraid to stand out. Old school to him is simply not forgetting where you came from. It's something to be proud of.

At the same time, you also saw a person who was not used to being humble be just that. For a guy who told me later that he felt he had been pushed aside in our industry, you heard gut-deep passion expressing both humility and vindication. And now, here he was, being recognized with a lifetime achievement award in front of former students and future innovators. I’m sure it felt like coming home.

8 Mobile Electronics  November 2015

We all talk about change. Look at how what we do has changed, as we’ve had to adopt to not only our own technological advancements but those from industries around ours. A lot of people will tell you this change is a precursor to our industry simply going away as consumers stop seeing value in what we do and the products we sell. But the smart ones—the ones you SHOULD listen to—will tell you these changes signal an opportunity for us to continue to invent our industry.

You need three things for change: ideas, resources and drive. Ideas and resources will vary based on the time and situation. Ideas solve problems, and what was a problem in 2005 might not be a problem today. But drive, or what we like to call passion, is timeless. It can be applied to any situation. It’s the power to do.

Frankly, that’s what’s missing in a lot of areas in our industry. Too many of us talk about what’s wrong and don’t go the extra step of trying to find a solution. Instead of change, we make excuses. Every month I get at least one call from some new bakery, tire shop or phone store, asking me to cancel a subscription for Mobile Electronics magazine because the business that previously occupied their space is no longer there. If you want to go out of business, the easiest way is to simply not change.

But if you want to better your business, just look around: there are already great examples. Many manufacturers, reps, distributors, retailers and installers are adjusting, planning, innovating and succeeding. They can be your blueprint.

Here is the start of your planning for 2016: Plan how you are going to change to better your position—whether it’s your own or your company’s—and how your planning will help the industry as a whole. Work out the detail of the resources you’ll need to make the plan work. And finally, light the fuse with the passion that got you in to this business in the first place.

Dave is, of course, featured in this issue. He's excited to show off his latest install; to show he is still one of the most creative fabricators in the country. Installers, one of you will be the next Dave. One of you will take what we have today and move it into the next great realm of creation. Whether you appreciate what you see from Dave’s work in these pages or not, use his passion for the work to fuel your ideas.

For the rest of us, let’s rekindle the passion in ourselves that this guy—and good old Donald—never lost. 

me-mag.com   9

 stats

Promotional planning for the coming holiday season can make the difference for retailers.

DAYS YOUR STORE WILL CLOSE OVER THE HOLIDAYS

A day before Thanksgiving ............. 6% Thanksgiving day ............................... 97% Day after Thanksgiving .................. 25% Christmas Eve ...................................... 19% Christmas day .................................... 94% Day after Christmas ......................... 19% New Year's Eve .................................... 14% New Year's Day .................................. 86% Day after New Year's Day .............. 19%

WAYS TO FIND FULL-TIME OR PART-TIME STAFF IF NEEDED

Put up door/window signage ............................................................... 11% Go through resumes on file ................................................................... 16% Bring in former or on-call employees .............................................. 32% Take out ad(s) in local paper and/or online .................................. 32% Take recommendations from staff ................................................... 37% Post ads in other locations (schools, coffee shop, etc.) .......... 16% Social media, Craigslist, other job websites .................................. 21%

ANTICIPATING BRINGING ON ADDITIONAL STAFF FOR THE HOLIDAY SEASON

Yes; additional salesperson/salespeople ............. 30% Yes; additional installer ..................................................... 18% Yes; other positions .............................................................. 3% No ................................................................................................ 59%

PLANNING A SPECIAL CHRISTMAS PROMOTION OR SALE

Yes .................................................. 74% No ..................................................... 18% Haven't decided .......................... 9%

10 Mobile Electronics  November 2015

PLANNING A SPECIAL NEW YEAR'S DAY PROMOTION OR SALE

Yes ..................................................... 21% No ....................................................... 62% Haven't decided .......................... 18%

PLANNING A SPECIAL THANKSGIVING SALE OR PROMOTION

Yes .................................................. 56% No ..................................................... 18% Haven't decided ....................... 26%

me-mag.com   11

 helpful stuff

Books:

Message Not Received: Why Business Communication Is Broken And How To Fix It

By Phil Simon

Sites To See: Retail Dive WWW.RETAILDIVE.COM/

WILEY--$35 WWW.PHILSIMON.COM/BOOKS/MESSAGE-NOT-RECEIVED/

Ever notice how you can be engaged in a conversation with someone and have absolutely no idea what he or she is saying? What about the flood of emails that clog your inbox, filled with empty phrases? These days, jargon, technobabble, and improper language are littering the business and tech landscape with many salespeople, executives, and consultants simply forgetting who their audiences are. Do your salespeople talk in buzzwords that your customers might not understand?

With his seventh book, Phil Simon, an author on management, a keynote speaker and a technology authority, takes issue with terms including paradigm shift, netnet, low-hanging fruit, form factor and others.

According to Simon, communication breakdowns are directly responsible for myriad inefficiencies, project failures and forgone business opportunities. His solution states that by using simpler language, business communication can be made more meaningful. The book also examines new technologies to communicate in a more effective manner.

Whether you’re selling car audio or camping gear, retail is its own unique industry. One of the best ways to stay competitive, learn how to motivate your team, and keep up with trends is by staying in the know. Retail Dive provides news and original analysis on the latest happenings to more than 500,000 retail executives. Best of all, it’s a bird’s eye view designed to give you the nuts and bolts “in 60 seconds” so it’s perfect for busy store owners and executives with tight schedules. With a mobile-optimized daily email newsletter, website, and app, Retail Dive keeps you informed no matter where you are. Topics include marketing, e-commerce, technology, corporate news, loss prevention, payments, consumer trends, logistics, and more. There are also industry tweets, events, jobs, and stock updates.

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12 Mobile Electronics  November 2015

Software/ Apps:

Services:

Gallery Doctor

Available for Android and iPhone--$2.99 WWW.GALLERYDOCTOR.COM

You just got back from a tradeshow or event and have tons of photos on your phone. Sometimes we snap 10 photos of the same thing just to get a keeper. Time to free up valuable storage space with Gallery Doctor. This app easily identifies all similar photos and points out the best one so you don’t have to deliberate. Those blurry pics? That pocket selfie that you didn’t mean to take? Ditch those, too. Gallery Doctor uses MyRoll’s Gallery Curation Engine (GCE) to determine what makes an unwanted photo and it gets smarter over time by using Machine Learning and behavioral learning algorithms.

Bottom line: the more you use Gallery Doctor, the more it learns about the photos you don’t like and the better it gets at identifying them. No more clogged camera roll!

Perka

WWW.FIRSTDATA.COM/EN_US/PRODUCTS/SMALL-BUSINESS/RETAIL/ PERKA.HTML

Your doors are open and you’re in business is ready to sell, but to keep customers coming back, you might want to consider creating a digital loyalty program. Perka gives you everything you need to get up and running—and it works with any point-of-sale terminal or system. The app, designed for local businesses, lets you easily track purchases and reward loyal customers—and you can easily customize it for your particular business. Perhaps you want to send special offers directly to customers’ mobile phones for offers on the fly. Another option is to respond to weather, for instance, so you can kick off a special promotion for remote start installs once the first frost hits! Perka is part of First Data which offers a portfolio of services designed for small businesses.

me-mag.com 13

 fishman feature

Fishman Returns

At a time when 12-volt was all about booming bass and powerful sound systems, Dave Rivera brought flash in the form of a fish tank. Now, the legendary “Fishman” wants to give his knowledge to a new generation of innovators in hopes of generating fresh excitement for car audio.

WORDS BY TED GOSLIN

T

here are lots of fish in the sea.

Millions, in fact. Of those millions, there are three distinct classes: those without jaws, those with cartilage and those with bones. Only the bone class have flexible spines. Those fish include the penguin tetra and zebra danio. But there is another fish that has a spine and is also known for being named after another animal: the catfish.

For over two decades, Dave "Fishman" Rivera has been building show cars using parts donated from manufacturers in exchange for a partnership and stake in the future of 12-volt. As a self-proclaimed "catfish," Rivera claims his struggles maintaining both personal and professional relationships have proven he must have nine lives to have survived this long in the industry. If his continued work and current reputation are any indication, Rivera likely has plenty of lives left, of which he hopes to use to help bring the 12-volt industry back to the heyday he helped create.

14 Mobile Electronics  November 2015

Fresh off of being awarded the first Mobile Electronics Career Achievement award at the 2015 Industry Awards, Fishman is hard at work on what he considers to be his biggest goal: to unite the industry in a common goal. That goal is to help stave off the ongoing threat of the OEM automakers and their infringement in the realm of in-car tech that aftermarket retailers and manufacturers use to make their livings.

"I realize there are a bunch of new guys in industry. It feels so good to me to be back. I'm building something for SEMA," Rivera said. "I'll be putting the Career Achievement award in a fish tank to show appreciation of what it means to me."

The build Rivera referenced is unique not just due to the use of a fish tank that includes his career achievement award, but because the vehicle he is using is his own 2003 Ford Expedition, which he's used three separate times for unique show builds.

"This year is my 25th anniversary. I've had the expedition for 10 years and have

done three builds on it previously. It's been in every major city in the U.S., it's gone international to Mexico, Canada, been on the front cover of Car Audio Magazine, and celebs have sat in the vehicle," he said. "Once I finish showing off this latest build, I want to create a certificate of authenticity and sell it to someone in the industry to have and enjoy. I want to build a Dodge RAM next year for my next project."

Rivera's goal with the vehicle was to re-establish relationships with some of the manufacturers he's lost touch with over the years by proving he still has the right stuff.

Todo o Nada The story of Dave Rivera plays like something out of a Hollywood underdog film. The hero comes from humble beginnings in a far away land. He struggles with a less-than-desirable job, yearning for something more. He finds his calling when randomly crossing paths with it. He

Rivera’s 2002 Ford Explorer has been used in three previous builds, with the fourth to be released at this year’s SEMA show.

The rear of the vehicle features a fish tank with Rivera’s Mobile Electronics Career Achievement award inside and motorized panels.

me-mag.com 15

ďƒŽ fishman feature puts everything on the line to chase his dream and finally achieves it.

Born in the Bronx and raised in Puerto Rico, Rivera found himself pursuing a different career path initially. With his father a cook, and his mother a stayat-home mom, Rivera's early life had nothing to do with the career he would end up having.

When Rivera found his calling, he was driving a truck in Boston, Mass. delivering some product to a local car audio shop. Upon delivery, Rivera saw the shop owner's black Corvette gracing the cover of a copy of m Car Audio magazine, which sat on display in the waiting area.

16  Mobile Electronics  November 2015

"Right there I fell in love with car audio," Rivera said.

Coming from a poor upbringing, having no wealth to speak of and no resources, Rivera started from scratch, learning from a local car audio shop on Saturdays, offering his services cleaning bathrooms and taking out garbage. It was during this time that Rivera began to formulate a plan and his main goal in the industry.

"I wanted to be on the cover of Car Audio magazine. I bought every car

stereo magazine there was back then and that magazine only featured cars on the cover. It never featured people," Rivera said. "My dad taught me to do something right or don't do it. Don't do what everybody else is doing. Be your own man.

Just because something is cool today and everybody wants it doesn't mean it will be popular tomorrow."

Using his father's words as motivation, Rivera gobbled up information from local retailers by using a unique tactic.

"I called every shop in town and asked them each one installation question. If I tried to ask more than one, they wouldn't give it but if I just sounded like a customer looking for

Blast From The Past Over the years, the Fishman has made it a point to create some of the most eyepopping builds on the scene. Many of those builds include create uses of LED and motorization, which he is known for.

me-mag.com   17

 fishman feature

The car that started it all, Rivera’s 1989 Toyota Corolla SR5, featured his first fish tank with motorized seats. The car won IASCA Finals in 1991 and helped put the Fishman on the map.

18 Mobile Electronics  November 2015

"At the time, the champion of IASCA I got the idea: imagine putting a fish tank advice, they had no problem talking to Finals was Holly Mongel, a Canadian in a car. How do you keep the fish alive me." installer. I tried to talk to him a couple and keep the water from splashing? So During the winter of 1990, after learnof times but he didn't have time," Rivera I bought some Plexiglas, built a system, ing car audio on the weekends at a local said. "He became my rival. The guy I made two lids to keep the water from shop, Richie's Car Tunes, Rivera decided wanted to beat no matter what." it was time to start putting his knowledge getting into the car and went to the next Although a competitive nature may competition in Boston." to use and began his first build. Living in seem risky when trying to make a name Due to the struggles of that first build, a small apartment with his then-wife at for yourself, it was merely Rivera's Rivera was late and had to convince a the time, he sent her away to Florida to nature to put himself all out. To do that, judge to let him enter anyway. He did visit family while he turned their home he needed cause, into a workshop. which came in dif"I turned my house ferent forms. At into a shop. Since it first it was being was winter, I had to “My dad taught me to do something right or the first to grace a have the car on the don’t do it. Don’t do what everybody else is doparticular magawhole time. It was not ing. Be your own man. Just because something is zine cover. Then it a little system. It had was to prove rivals cool today and everybody wants it doesn’t mean a five-channel amp, wrong. Whatever three 10s, a separate it will be popular tomorrow.” his reason, Rivera Ambi Corza front and Dave “Fishman” Rivera made it a point to a Pioneer radio," he never forget the said. "My wife had people who helped no idea what I was him reach the heights of car audio. so by making doing. When she "When a manufacturer like Metra or a promise. "I got back she flipped Clarion gave me parts, I always wanted promised the out. The house was a to go above and beyond for them to make judge they wreck." their product stand out," Rivera said. wouldn't regret Despite his per"This guy Gordon was a rep for Clarit, but to just sonal life on thin ice, ion and saw me at shows competing; he come and see the car."

Rivera continued his push toward car always liked me. Clarion had a new CD The six-foot-two, broad-shouldered audio stardom. Knowing that the top player that came out, which was the badRivera is an imposing figure, both for his names in 12-volt, including his idol Mark dest thing. I wanted to get a better head size and his live-out-loud, flamboyant Fukuda, had made their names in comunit for my IASCA Finals build because personality. Despite his powerful prespetitive sound-offs, he decided that was the previous one wasn’t powerful enough. ence causing friction with some people, the way to go.

He goes, 'you know what, let me see what the judge was not one of them and let After gaining the good graces of I can do for you.' He came back on Friday, him enter the competition. He won third John Whitney, manager of Creative Car just before we closed for the weekend place.

Stereo, Rivera had a place to work and and brings the brand new CD player, an Perhaps his biggest strength is his willa workshop to build his car. Thanks to equalizer and a CD changer. I lifted him ingness to learn and improve his builds, his creative mind, talent with a dremel, up and hugged him. I told him I wouldn't regardless of how tough the criticism is and straight-A math record from school, let him down. When the build came out toward his work. After asking judges at Rivera plowed through daily work, piling and I won, Clarion loved it and paid me each show what he needed to do to win up knowledge along the way in his new to be in one of their ads." first place, he eventually wound up at career. For nearly a year, Rivera continued to improve his own vehicle's look and IASCA finals, showing his 1989 Toyota Corolla SR5 with motorized seats and sound after competing in multiple events Something Fishy the fish tank emerging from behind but failing to place above third. Then one During the mid-90s, Fishman made them. Unable to purchase parts for the day, the idea hit him like a wave. a name for himself by living up to his build, including critical actuators used "In the summer of 1991 I started compromises and creating cover-worthy for motorization, Rivera used his strong peting. I got my ass kicked at the first builds. So much so, that he got his wish, show but didn't care. I just wanted people personality to charm and make believers finally breaking down the editor and pubof various manufacturers. They donated to like my work," Rivera said. "On the lisher of Car Audio magazine and being parts, he used his imagination, and won drive back from New York after winning the first person to be on the cover.

IASCA Finals in 1991, shocking non-bethird place, I saw a fish tank in a window During this time, he would develop that was shaped like a donut. That's when lievers and friends alike. a friendly relationship with Doug

me-mag.com 19

 fishman feature mind sharing his secrets because he would always move on to the next thing. He said, 'by the time I tell them the secret, I'm already working something different,'" Newcomb said. "It made an impression on me. I always respected that he didn't want to do what everyone else is doing."

Giving back to the industry was something Rivera continued with his “Fish Camp” series of installer training camps.

Hundreds of installers passed through the camp over the years, including this year's Installer of the Year Runner-up, Matt Schaeffer.

"I remember having Schaeffer at Fish Camp. I started teaching it when I lost my job with Metra nine years ago," Rivera said. "It makes me proud because a lot of these installers took my knowledge and became successful. I After using parts donated by Clarion for a would learn from them too. I've show build, the company was so impressed that remained friends with a lot of it paid Fishman to star in an upcoming magazine those guys. It's a great feeling." advertisement, as seen here.

As an industry veteran, Rivera believes in the power of competiNewcomb, who he credits with his nicktion to push innovation. Such competition name, but Newcomb tells a different story. is part of what drove him to continu"I probably was [Rivera's] first interously improve himself over the years. In view. The article was called 'Something terms of style, Rivera was known for being Fishy.' I don't think I coined the name flashy, allowing his personality to manifest Fishman. I think he called himself Fishitself visually with his builds. As the years man, but it was a long time ago. The thing have progressed, his style has changed to I remember about it is someone came reflect the wisdom and maturity gained back from a sound-off show said, 'you from his personal and professional trials. gotta see this guy's car, there's a fish tank His current reimagining of the Expedition, in it.' Back then people tried very hard to for example, features a sleek, modern look, get into the magazine. It had to be a solid while showcasing the same motorized pizinstall, not just a gimmick. The fish tank zazz that got him to the show. car was a solid install. I always remember In addition to losing his job, Rivera Fishman as a colorful character. A lot of has three ex-wives, but stays positive the installers would copy each other, but with the help of his current girlfriend, he always gave us something different to Debbie, who has also aided him in his write about." shop periodically. He attributes his past Rivera also earned the reputation for relationship issues partially to a lack of helping any installer who asked. Partly understanding of his particular lifestyle. because of how grateful he was for accepUnlike most installers, Fishman only does tance in an industry so difficult to break custom builds with maximum money and into. But also, one other key reason. potential behind them. Whether that be "I remember him saying once that a lot building for celebrities like Bill Goldberg of people were secretive, but when asked and Ben Affleck, or building show cars for how he did a particular build, he didn't

20 Mobile Electronics  November 2015

manufacturers like Metra and Audiocontrol. Due to that lifestyle, Rivera found himself living in eight different cities in order to complete long-term builds he was contracted for.

After losing his job with Metra, where he worked helping develop product and build show cars for the company, Rivera found himself on the outskirts of the industry, doing more work for fans of his work rather than the industry as a whole.

"I haven't been completely out of the industry. A lot of my business was building show cars for manufacturers," he said.

"But a lot of those manufacturers aren't spending money anymore."

But losing his job didn't change his loyalty to the company that gave him so much over the years.

"I had two choices: get pissed off and make them my enemy, go with AAMP, their main competitor, or say, 'I had five years with them, made them good money and we helped each other so much,'" Rivera said. "I was very mad at them but I put their product on the next build to show loyalty. For ten years, I kept the relationship with them strong, which continues today."

Back in the Pond As he stood on stage at the 2015 Mobile Electronics Industry Awards, a man mostly known for his commanding presence and intimidating physical appearance, he nearly broke down in tears. Rivera was accepting an award that was 25 years in the making: the Career Achievement award.

"For me, after 25 years, after all the good and bad things, to see so many familiar faces, I am beyond honored. I've got so much more to give," Rivera said during his acceptance speech. "This is the 12-volt industry, man. We create magic in cars."

That magic continues today with innovative minds like Bryan Schmitt of Mobile Solutions working to creates better tools for installers like Tom Miller (2014 Installer of the Year) and J.T. Torres (2015 Installer of the Year) to use. Rivera is aware of the new guard in the industry and hopes to learn as much from them as others have learned from him over the years.

"Bryan with Mobile Solutions is doing a great job bringing awareness," he said. "There are a lot of talented guys in the industry. Rommel Medina is a very humble installer and he's doing some incredible work. Matt Schaeffer is also doing some beautiful work."

Looking ahead, Rivera is interested in contributing at KnowledgeFest, possibly teaching a class in motorization. His goal is to help promote his style of build, which he feels has suffered, largely due to OEM competitors and lack of manufacturer support.

"Companies were so focused on selling product that they took away the fun of this industry. The installers never really got the respect they deserve. We're the innovators. All the OEMs learn from us," he said. "If we come out with new ideas, we can invent again. 12-volt has lost its battle with OEM. Let’s start building with

big vehicles and crazy motorization to attract young guys."

Rivera went further, calling for the industry to join him in a collaborative build to help increase consumer awareness for 12-volt, in an effort to combat the OEM threat. "If this industry will back me up to build an industry vehicle, we can do great things. We get 20 to 25 top installers to help and the manufacturers can pay to ship the car around. It will blow up wherever it goes."

Unlike some of his naysayers, Rivera believes that collaboration is the path to future success in 12-volt.

"You don't have to imitate anyone. I'm the first to give someone credit. There's only one guy I gotta beat. Me," he said.

"Every vehicle has to have its own character and stand out. The day I can't come up with something new is the day I will stop."

Now in his 25th year, Fishman Rivera wanted to add one more cover to his collection of 19, making a total of 20. me-mag.com 21

 retail news

Best In The Business Cartronix has earned a new title hoping it will increase exposure and draw in new clientele.

WORDS BY ROSA SOPHIA

N

The store was found to having more sales than any other shop in the area.

22 Mobile Electronics  November 2015

orthwest Indiana knows where to go when it comes to car audio and mobile electronics. The destination is Cartronix in Valparaiso, Ind. where Eric Carter and his team of six employees endeavor to deliver the best service possible. According to the website, Cartronix has been in business since 1976 and is the largest retailer of aftermarket car electronics in Northwest Indiana. And now it’s considered the best.

As of Sept. 1, 2015, Cartronix is The Official Car Audio and Mobile Electronics Store of Northwest Indiana. The business was featured on ValpoLife.com, discussing their new location, team members and training.

“There’s probably eight or nine car audio stores in northwest Indiana,” Carter said.

“The biggest thing is, we’ll show them what makes us different.” A company called Ideas In Motion owns a number of community websites in the area, which focus on life in Indiana. “They are big in the communities for supporting athletics,” Carter said. “And where there’s any big ordeal, they are taking pictures and interviewing people.”

During a tent sale event, complete with demo cars, the company came out and was impressed with what they saw. “We gave the owner a tour a few months ago,” Carter said.

“So he started doing research and he found out people were buying more audio from us [than anywhere else]. He got our sales rep’s contact info. He said, you guys have been

»

Who’s Who “MAGIC” MIKE HASSEN Blvd Customs Of Lakeland Lakeland, Fla. Years of industry experience: 2.5 Hobbies: Spending time with friends, working on my own car What you’re really good at: Selling and installing 12-Volt

EVAN ABANATHY High Fidelity Mobile Audio & Video Brookland, Ariz.

Years of industry experience: 13 What you’re really good at: Wiring.

From laying everything out to securing everything in an OEM fashion. I love when you can’t tell aftermarket wiring from factory.

Having interactive displays and a variety of vehicles on display has helped contribute to the shop’s popularity.

BARRY PIERCE Gorilla Performance Rexburg, Idaho Years of industry experience: 16 Hobbies: Camping What you’re really good at: Everything

RYAN GOELLER Car concepts Salt Lake City, Utah Years of industry experience: 25 Hobbies: Family, golf, car audio What you’re really good at: Making people smile

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 retail news

doing this a long time, you’re fair to your customers, give back to the community, and we’re going to make you the official car audio store.”

When it comes to supporting the local community, Cartronix doesn’t hold back.

“We got a lot of mentions for kids' promotions. This is our fifth or sixth year, and if they donate a new kids’ coat, we’ll give them 50 percent off for a remote car starter or something.” The coats go to a program that ensures children have what they need during the winter.

24 Mobile Electronics  November 2015

Carter hopes the new title will help increase sales that have been slower.

While their Audio Frog sales were slow during the first year, they have since increased, and Cartronix hopes the new award will continue to grow these sales.

Carter feels another award was responsible for increasing exposure to Audio Frog in their store. “That was probably because we won best online web presence from KnowledgeFest,” Carter explained.

“A client found us two and half hours away, and got a 10,000 dollar system. He

wanted Audio Frog. Now, all the sales seem to continue [increasing].”

Social media will also help promote the store and its title. The link to the article announcing the title has been posted to social media, so prospective customers and regular clients will see the new award. “It’s all these little pieces of the puzzle put together,” Carter said. “And the puzzle’s almost done … [we have been awarded] Top 12, Best Web Presence, Official Car Audio Store…” Currently, Audio Frog brings in 25 to 30 percent of their profits, and Carter is planning a new display for the brand to help raise awareness.

Cartronix intends to have stickers made that will help promote their new award, as well as posters. The stickers showing off The Official Car Audio and Mobile Electronics Store will go on “customers’ doorjambs, products, and we’ll work our way around marketing that to increase sales,” Carter added. He hopes the sticker will make their clients feel more comfortable spending money at Cartronix. “Even if our prices are a little bit higher, I think it will help,” he said.

“Any client who comes in, we give them a tour of the facility first, introduce them to the techs, show them what makes us different, how we protect the vehicle, and then we sit down and talk. We’re the official car audio store now … all those things will help more close more deals.” 

Born to Build Kyle Golden stands in front of the Focal display in the showroom of Sundown One, in Springfield, Ill.

T From a young age, Top 12 Installer Kyle Golden has relied on his passion to overcome any limitation, including being the only 12-volt installer at his company.

WORDS BY ROSA SOPHIA

hrough determination and perseverance, all things are possible.

Kyle Golden was born with 12 volts running through his veins, and he approaches installing with his own style. He is the only car audio installer at Sundown One in Springfield, Ill. and has risen to become a Top 12 Installer consistently, proving himself as one of the most talented young installers in the industry. Without the presence of mentors to guide him on-site, or other installers to work with and learn from, Golden has had to rely on his own knowhow and ingenuity to get the job done.

Although he began installing professionally in 2009, his interest in the industry sparked much earlier than that.

He is completely self-taught. “I think that started in 1998,” he said. “I was seven years old then. I saw subwoofers in a Circuit City and begged my parents to take me to get them. I told my dad I wanted to cut a hole in the floor of the living room to put an air vent in so we could build a box between the floor joists. That enclosure is still there to this day.”

Once he discovered his talent for building, Golden found inspiration through the many magazines he enjoyed. “I have been doing this as long as I can remember,” he said. “It’s in my blood.”

12-year-old Golden saved to buy a pair of Alpine 6x9-inch speakers and a Panasonic radio for one of his parents’ boats. After cutting pieces of marine-grade plywood,

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 retail news

he then “wrapped them in vinyl and mounted the speakers along with others we had in different locations in the boat.”

When Golden was 15, he started installing for friends. In his own garage, Golden began building things for anyone who needed help with car audio. Before he had gotten his own driver’s license, he discovered his passion. “People drove me to stores to buy materials,” he said. Everyone has one major source of inspiration, a jumping point into the future. For Golden, the source of inspiration that led him to his professional career was his own vehicle.

While still in high school, he decided he wanted his car to be better than everyone else’s. “I kept going into a shop consistently because it was the only place I could get to,” he said. “I would bring them pictures of what I was doing. [I was] 16 or 17.” When he was a senior in high school, the shop offered him a job, and he began working there full-time when he graduated.

“It was the same thing with the shop I’m at now,” he said. “They wanted me to come in.”

Golden brought his dreams into reality and built a career for himself. MECP certified, he always builds “things the way I would want them in my vehicle.” He strives to make each build better than the last. “I’ve never worked with anyone who trained

26 Mobile Electronics  November 2015

me, I just figured everything out for myself. I tried to set a new standard for myself.” To this day, he continues to be inspired by Chris Yato, Bryan Schmitt, Steve Brown, Gary Bell and Jeremy Carlson.

Golden began working at Sundown One in 2012. “My biggest challenge is being by myself, managing time and managing the time I put aside for certain jobs,” he said. He often finds himself working very late at night and coming in at five in the morning.

As a solo installer, he often works twelve-hour days. “I am the only car audio person at this shop,” Golden said. “That’s great for quality control, but I get overscheduled. No one else has the knowledge to help me, most of the time.” And how does he overcome that? “Just put more hours in, I guess.”

Especially known for his unique truck enclosures, he tries his best to make his work stand apart. “I think… my recent work speaks that loudly.” He attributes his success to a unique style, and hopes to inspire others with his beginnings. “I have ideas inspired by others, but I have a specific way, styled different than everyone else,” he explained. “It’s a shame because I see so many people with lots of potential but [they] can’t use it to the max,” Golden said. “I don’t think money is the most important thing in this business. It’s creativity and being different.” 

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 external effects

Sky High Wi-Fi, Buying Through Twitter and More WORDS BY JAMIE SORCHER

Game On

What’s Going On: Pack comfortable walking shoes if you’re headed to CES next year because the show just keeps on growing. You’ll be covering a wide swath of the strip with Tech East, Tech West, and Tech South. One of the latest areas to get a big bump in show space is the virtual reality category. The Consumer Electronics Association is expanding the Gaming & Virtual Reality Marketplace which will include over 40 exhibitors. Attendees will get to witness the next wave of immersive multimedia for virtual reality systems and environments, and today’s latest gaming hardware, software and accessories designed for mobile, PC’s and consoles. In total, the Gaming & Virtual Reality Marketplace is expected to boom by 77 percent over its footprint at the 2015 CES. How It Can Affect You: Considered a futuristic industry, this tech sector is making significant strides. According to CEA research, virtual reality headsets are expected to take off in 2016 with projected sales to increase by 500 percent over 2015 to reach 1.2 million units sold. Total revenues are projected to reach $540 million, a 440 percent increase by the end of 2015. In related show floor news for next year, CES is launching the Augmented Reality Marketplace which will have at least 3,000 square feet of exhibit space. Both the Gaming & Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality Marketplaces will be located at CES Tech East in the South Hall 2 of the Las Vegas Convention Center.

28 Mobile Electronics  November 2015

Fire Starter

What’s Going On: An estimated 70,000 people converged on the Nevada desert at the end of summer for the annual Burning Man festival where artists, tech evangelists, hippies and assorted other characters express themselves in unique ways in a “radical self-reliance” environment.

How It Can Affect You: The leave-no-trace event boasts a large presence of vehicles from luxury RVs to art cars featuring DJ booths to decked-out bicycles and even motorized boats. It’s not one of the major auto shows like Los Angeles or Detroit and it’s certainly no SEMA, but this event is one to watch for just for the sheer inventiveness of the festival cars.

Time Will Tell

What’s Going On: Apple is selling its Apple Watch at Target stores, the latest third-party retailer to carry the fashionable gadget. Target planned to have the watch in all of its stores by the end of October—perfect timing for the upcoming holiday sales blitz. Only Apple’s entry-level watches are being sold which includes 20 models with prices ranging from $349 to $599.

How It Can Affect You: Years ago Target earned the nickname “Tar-zhay” for its trendiness in fashion and apparel. It teamed up with designers for capsule collections and had a great mix of product. In recent years Target has fumbled with fashion so the Apple Watch on its shelves could help the retailer restore its image.

Tweet and Buy

What’s Going On: It was only a matter of time, but now after two years of testing, Twitter is making it possible for merchants to sell products through a tweet. The “buy now” button is available to any merchant in the U.S. that uses Demandware, Bigcommerce, or Shopify, e-commerce platforms. Retailers can use the software to tweet out a link to a product that will now show up with a buy button. A Twitter user can then purchase the product in as few as two taps — one tap on the buy button and a second to confirm the purchase.

How It Can Affect You: Twitter, with 316 million users globally, is the first big social network to make such technology widely available to merchants. Twitter’s “Buy” button comes at an interesting time as competing platforms are also trying to figure out the e-commerce equation. Facebook and Instagram are testing buy buttons as well.

Sky Borne

What’s Going On: Wi-Fi in the sky isn’t new, but more airlines are embracing this feature for flyers. Lufthansa has said it will offer broadband Internet on short-haul and domestic routes. The first planes to offer the technology will take off in summer 2016. Virgin America has teamed with Netflix where Netflix subscribers will get complimentary access to movies and television shows on its planes. Virgin America also recently signed a deal with ViaSat, a satellite-maker that will allow it to offer faster onboard Internet.

How It Can Affect You: Just like the connected car, the connected plane is a work in progress.

For most major airlines, Internet is a revenue generator. Whether airline passengers use Wi-Fi for business or pleasure, Wi-Fi is gradually getting faster as airlines upgrade their fleets. Internet is also becoming more common on more routes both international and domestic. Expect to see second-tier airlines offer free or discounted Internet to make them stand out from their competition.

SEARCHING FOR MEANING

What’s Going On: Our fast moving digital lifestyle requires knowing the right language to speak to your customers and potential customers. Think about techy words that have become common expressions—brain dump, cookies (not the kind you eat), defrag, and thread. Some words that people are presently using are so new that dictionaries don’t even include them. The Oxford English Dictionary added the word “hoverboard” — a whopping 26 years after the floating skateboards were first mentioned in the movie “Back to the Future Part II”.

It doesn’t always take decades to document a new word. The O.E.D. added “podcast” in 2008 just four years after it says the word emerged. Selfie, a fairly new word, made it into the Merriam-Webster dictionary at breakneck speed when it was admitted last year.

How It Can Affect You: A campaign was launched by Erin McKean on Kickstarter to identify “missing” English words not presently found in traditional dictionaries. To tackle the job, she has data scientists investigating and analyzing language used in online publications. Every word, according to McKean, should be “lookupable.” Potential words that could end up included are: procrastatweeting, dronevertising and roomnesia, a condition in which people forget why they walked into a room. McKean knows this word territory well as she is a former editor of the New Oxford American Dictionary. No doubt knowing the latest tech lingo goes a long way to showing you’re up on the latest social, tech and lifestyle trends.

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 on the market

Partnerships, Bluetooth and Amps KICKER LED Grilles for Solo-Baric L7 WWW.KICKER.COM

AAMP of America Installation Dash Kits for 2007-2014 Escalade

WWW.AAMPOFAMERICA.COM

Notable:

Notable: KICKER has developed six new grilles for the Solo-Baric L7 square subwoofer (2011 model), complete with remote-controllable LED lighting. The KICKER L7 LED Square Subwoofer Grilles are currently available in charcoal and white for 10-inch and 12-inch Solo-Baric L7 subs.

All charcoal and white grilles are now available at Authorized KICKER Dealers, including online at kicker.com. Chrome grilles with LED lighting for Solo-Baric L7 will be released later this fall.

The KICKER booth at the 2015 SEMA Show will showcase LED Grilles for the Solo-Baric L7. KICKER will be located in the North Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center, booth #11861.

KICKER has also debuted a new portable indoor wireless speaker. The KICKER KPM50 (MSRP: $229.95) adds to KICKER Home and Personal’s Bluetooth® selection with a compact model.

The KPM50 will available for purchase at www.kicker.com and other fine electronics retailers by mid-November.

30 Mobile Electronics  November 2015

Aftermarket mobile electronics manufacturer AAMP, introduced American International GMK265 and Best Kits BKGMK265 installation dash kits for the 2007 - 2014 Escalade. These new American International and Best Kits dash kits facilitate the installation in the upper dash location of one Double DIN radio or a Single ISO radio with pocket.

For a complete installation AAMP offers PAC radio replacement interfaces C2R-GM29, NAV-1129, OS-4, RP4-GM31, RP5-GM31, OS-5 , Best Kits antenna/speaker adapter BAA20 & BKGMSB356, and American International CR6 & GMSB356.

HushMat Partners with Avidworx WWW.HUSMAT.COM, WWW.AVIDWORX.COM

Notable: AVIDWORX Productions and HushMat have partnered to offer qualified 12-volt retailers a proven interactive demo showcase for HushMat sound deadening products.

Called the M3 HushMat Customer Experience Center, the program includes wall art, a fully interactive showcase with 2-4 interactive panels, and a mediaWORX player that brings video – and showroom analytics – to the showroom.

The program also has discounts and incentives built in for the retailers upon purchase that include a discount of almost 25 percent off the cost of the showcase system, and a sponsorship of the retailer’s mediaWORX subscription fees, which include wireless video content that’s always up to date and customer number tracking.

HushMat will also provide participating retailers with a payback program on product purchases to help offset the cost of the showcase, wall art and shipping. Retailers that invest in the program are also eligible for other discounts, including up to 100% off on shipping, if they bundle with other M3 showcase solutions.

NAV-TV Streamstick WWW.NAV-TV.COM

Notable: NAV-TV Corp. has released Streamstick, the first personal and portable audiophile-quality Bluetooth audio streaming device for universal applications.

Streamstick is extremely compact, often being compared in physical description to a thumb drive, so it can be used in every situation where you may need streaming audio.

StreamStick is powered by any USB port, and delivers audio through a 3.5mm auxiliary jack, this device is universal, and portable. This means you can go from the car, boat, side by side to the house/office with one device. Once an audio source is stored, the StreamStick will auto-pair with most devices. StreamStick will remember up to eight sources, so it can be used by everyone in the family.

Soundstream Universal Headrest Mount DVD Player WWW.SOUNDSTREAM.COM

Notable: Soundstream is now releasing the Shad-9H. For those vehicles that cannot install a headrest mount system due to airbag placement and OEM specific headrest, the SHAD-9H is perfect for those kinds of installs, since it is equipped with the bracket mount DVD player solution.

This universal headrest mount DVD player with 9-inch LCD & MobileLink input contains many other features such as connection to a 32GB flash drive for MP3 audio and video playback including such formats as DVD’s, MP4, DIVX, XVID movies or MP3 audio files from DVD-R/RW or CD-R/RW discs.

Fortin EVO-ONE WWW.FORTIN.CA

Notable: Fortin Electronic Systems has released its all-in-one remote start and bypass solution for Subaru vehicles including an exclusive EVO-ONE high current 3X LOCK remote start feature that works on key vehicles. Installation guides were also built on a straight forward step-by-step concept in order to simplify the installation process.

The EVO-ONE is an all-in-one immobilizer bypass, door lock, digital high current remote starter and security system. Fortin EVO-ALL platform also covers digital bypass, convenience and security system for the same Subaru coverage.

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 on the market DD Audio Z2B Super Amp WWW.DDAUDIO.COM

Notable: DD Audio has officially released the much anticipated Z2b super amp. Years of R&D have went into making the Z2b the most stable, durable, and highest output amplifier in its class. This amp is capable of output levels of over 22,000 watts from its 37x10.5x3-inch chassis.

With a retail of $4,999 the Z2b comes in at less than $0.25 per watt.

Beltronics GT-7 Digital Radar Detector WWW.BELTRONICS.COM

Notable: The Beltronics GT-7 offers built-in digital signal processing (DSP) that can help identify and block false alerts, including automatic door openers and motion sensors.

Designed for longer range radar alerts, the device also incorporates GPS to a customer's most-traveled routes and eliminates false alerts along the drive.

It's high-resolution graphic display shows type, strength and quantity of signals.

MSRP for the device is $499.95.

DEI Onyx Series Flexible Heat Shield WWW.DEI.COM

Notable: The Onyx Series Flexible Heat Shield is DEI’s next generation of heat protection performance. Using a combination of advanced textiles and a reliable standoff bracket design, the ONYX Series Flexible Heat Shield with its rich, black finish, provides maximum cooling and heat dissipation; preventing heat soak and burns.

DEI’s new Onyx Series Heat Shield joins two durable materials together to form a dual-layer design.

The outer layer is a heat-treated glass fiber impregnated with molten aluminum that is formed into a tight weave for durability and strength. The inside material is a specially treated, high temperature resistant fabric (89% silica) that withstands extreme heat – up to 1350°F. The outer edge features a surge stitch and all hardware is stainless steel.

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Notable: KENWOOD USA has begun shipping two new smartphone-compatible multimedia receivers. The Excelon DDX6902S (MSRP $850.00) and DDX6702S (MSRP $800.00) expand the family of units equipped with Apple CarPlay, the Apple-produced in-vehicle interface for iPhone.

While the pair’s predecessors—the Excelon DDX9902S and DDX9702S—are equipped with both Android Auto (a smartphone interface made by Google to work with late-model Android-powered smartphones) and Apple CarPlay, the two new units focus solely on the iPhone. Siri, Apple’s voice-activated and voice-responsive assistant, is the user’s primary interface to select entertainment options, open apps, reply to text messages and get turn-by-turn directions.

32 Mobile Electronics  November 2015

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 business feature

34 Mobile Electronics  November 2015

Dynamic Partnerships Retailers like BLVD Customs of Lakeland and Audio Solutions STL have found quality vendor partners through steady communication and trial and error with the wrong partners.

WORDS BY ROSA SOPHIA

BLVD Customs of Lakeland struggled to find the right vendor partners, eventually giving a home to Alpine and Stinger, among others.

me-mag.com   35

 business feature

F

ostering positive relationships is beneficial in any situation. David Rockefeller, an American banker, stated wisely, “I am convinced that material things can contribute a lot to making one’s life pleasant, but, basically, if you do not have very good friends and relatives who matter to you, life will be really empty and sad and material things cease to be important.” Products are sold in the 12-volt industry with the intention of making people’s lives easier, safer and more enjoyable. But a retailer that has no positive, mutual support is missing something—the essential dynamic partnership that can enrich the lives of everyone involved.

Creating good partnerships with vendors opens up new opportunities for retailers. Jon Lackey of BLVD Customs of Lakeland in Lakeland, Fla. has had very beneficial relationships with vendors which have truly enriched the way he does business. He cited the importance of

clear communication between a retailer and a vendor. “I call a vendor and ask if they have something in stock, then I know,” Lackey said. The optimal situation is when the vendor answers the phone.

When Lackey has to leave a message and wait for the vendor to return his call, he doesn’t have a clear answer for a client waiting for a product. “Vendors really need to make it simplistic, and that helps my job.” Clear communication between retailers and vendors is essential in order to benefit everyone in the relationship— including the customer or prospective client. So, what are the elements of a successful partnership with a vendor? And how can both parties ensure that relationship is fruitful?

Ingredients For Healthy Partnership Communication is important in any relationship. Chris Bennett of Audiocontrol in Mountlake Terrace, Wash., stressed the importance of keeping in

touch. For 35 years, Audiocontrol has been designing and building audio equipment. Bennett has a lot of experience communicating daily with 12-volt dealers everywhere. “We don’t have the option to look at a thousand vehicles, and with the dealer base that’s out there, they are doing it on a daily basis,” Bennett said.

“They have guys in the field and on the vehicles. Without that feedback on new late model vehicles and helping us understand integration obstacles, we would have a heck of a time trying to stay up on product development.”

Retailers and vendors should stay in constant contact with each other in order to ensure that any issues are ironed out early on. Otherwise, a lack of communication can cause confusion, marring the relationship the vendor and retailer share. This mishap in communication can happen on either side of the relationship.

John Schumacher of Audio Solutions STL in St. Louis, Mo. recalled negative experiences he had with previous vendors, and all of these issues stemmed from a lack of communication. “From the vendor not notifying me of changes and updates to product. Not keeping retailers up to date is not communication,” Schumacher said. “[And when] my only interaction with a vendor is my calling in an order. Placing an order is not communication.”

Schumacher went on to say that these issues create “a stagnant relationship that is no good for either party. As a retailer, not having a good communicating relationship with my vendor or sales rep, I become just a number, an account number. I never receive updates and then end up only calling to place an order for product that may not even be available any longer. This actually has happened to me. If you can't or don't communicate with your vendors and reps, you'll never be able to have a good relationship.”

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When people unite, they become stronger. In the 12-volt industry, uniting as professionals who care about clients is important. Lackey stated that “being able to be seen and being able to be met [in person]” is important. Meeting and sharing information is a good way to connect

on a more personal level. This makes training events, and other events such as KnowledgeFest, incredibly important to the industry and everyone in it.

The chance to learn from others in the field, share information and train is an opportunity that can’t be missed. “As in, we have this show coming up, and you guys are going to offer training, and this show coming up, the manufacturers they represent [will be there], we have an open house,” Lackey said, citing examples. “Every brand is promoted, they have trainings … that’s really awesome. That’s what we’re looking for, that helps. It’s totally different than saying ‘we have a sale this month.’” Being interactive and offering knowledge helps improve the industry as a whole.

In a successful, positive partnership, communication is paramount and knowledge is shared. When manufacturers and vendors endeavor to educate, it “shows they care, so I’m going to take the extra effort and come and make sure we are there to help promote what they are offering so we can get smarter and be able to sell more of their product,” Lackey said. “It’s not just a sale that’s helpful for us. Consumers look at it as price. We are about profit as well, but I’m willing to pay a little bit more for extra [information].” Lackey explained that events such as KnowledgeFest expand perspective and awareness. “We didn’t carry certain things, but after trainings, we were signing up to be a dealer. We have been here 16 years and never sold radar detection.

Now we do.” Sharing information and learning about everything that’s out there helped Lackey find the value in adding to the products he carries at BLVD Customs of Lakeland.

On the other side of the spectrum, Chris Bennett noted his observations regarding communication breakdowns that result in a lack of sharing of important information. “I think the dealers have to be in tune with their customer base,” Bennett said. “They really need to provide us manufacturers with the changes and how to improve our products. Ultimately, the retailers are the middle man between consumers and manufacturers. Dealers, especially installers, tend to

“I think the dealers have to be in tune with their customer base. They really need to provide us manufacturers with the changes and how to improve our products.”

Chris Bennett, National Sales Manager, Audiocontrol

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 business feature my reps and inside sales people. I've even gotten to know some of them outside of the workplace.”

Lackey also notes the importance of loyalty. “When I see that a vendor has something that can make us do better or bring something to the table, to be beneficial for us, that’s going above and beyond their normal service,” he said. “And that gets my attention and shows they care, because that’s the feeling I have when I’m with clients. They don’t care how much I know until they know how much I care.” Loyalty, compassion and understanding go hand in hand.

Combining The Ingredients The recipe for a successful partnership includes some key Chris Bennett, National Sales Manager, ingredients: communication, sharAudiocontrol ing and loyalty. Creating good partnerships and continuing to grow resolve issues and not necessarily share those partnerships over time requires those issues up the chain, so it gets to the manufacturers. When a manufacturer has consistent communication and commitment, like any relationship. “I think that a good partnership with the dealer, the dealer will share that info with the manu- remaining in contact and being verbal facturer.” The willingness to learn—and to with any issues they may have with manufacturers [is important],” said Chris share—should be present in both sides of Bennett of Audiocontrol. “The only way a partnership with a vendor. the manufacturer can improve is with constant feedback from dealers.”

The Power of Loyalty Lackey of BLVD Customs of Lakeland A reliable partnership in which both sides benefit is built upon some very important elements.

Most essential is communication. The willingness to learn and spread knowledge is also vital. “Both parties involved need to be clear on their intentions and expectations,” said Schumacher of Audio Solutions STL. “This doesn't occur all the time, but it should.” Loyalty becomes another necessary ingredient, and that loyalty fosters a solid partnership.

“I think it starts with good line support and loyalty to them,” Schumhas had bad experiences in which he was acher said. “It also takes getting to know unable to get through to vendors. “I want your vendors and reps. As far as reps go, to be able to have the vendors answer the develop a personal relationship that goes phone, instead of going to voicemail,” he beyond the line. Have a conversation outsaid. “If I have a lot of customers waiting, side products. I do this with several of we need to order the product and get it

in. We aren’t stocking all that, so it’s tying up our cash flow. So I don’t have a lot of stocking room. I need to be professional [to the customer] instead of saying, ‘hey, I’ll get back to you.’ I need to handle it right then and there. Quick customer service.” Consistent communication is important when it comes to maintaining a partnership, and both the retailer and the vendor need to keep that in mind.

At Audiocontrol, there is a daily working relationship with retailers. Communication happens regularly and “we hear about different vehicles that might have different integrations, difficulties, or challenges,” Bennett said. “So we’re constantly looking at our product to try to provide solutions for the dealers.”

Audiocontrol receives daily feedback on a number of things, every single day, including issues with frequency response and problems with factory systems.

“People actively take tech calls here every day,” Bennett added, demonstrating consistent communication.

Schumacher of Audio Solutions STL stated that a relationship can indeed go stagnant. It happens. “I have had some relationships that have gone sour due to lack of communication on both ends.

When a relationship goes stagnant on either end, that party generally will lose interest in the other and decide to move on to another,” Schumacher explained.

“Kind of like in our personal lives, it's better to just cut ties and move on. But if we are communicating well with each other as retailers and vendors, this scenario would most likely never happen.”

Jon Lackey recalled how much he learned at KnowledgeFest. Until he had gone there, he didn’t know about the award for customer service. So much is offered when we are willing to learn and share with others. “My youngest guy, 21, has been with us two and a half years,” Lackey said. “We need to have that, he said.” Having pressed for customer reviews in the past, Lackey saw the value in the award. “I didn’t know about that.

Since we deal with Avidworx, and he has

“If you can’t or don’t communicate with your vendors and reps, you’ll never be able to have a good relationship.”

Jon Lackey, BLVD Customs of Lakeland, Lakeland, Fla.

38 Mobile Electronics  November 2015

teamed up with Businessworx, and we use that, it tells us how many sales we had, and we can project sales. Breaking it down analytically. [Customers] can leave us a review, and there is a separate survey link, and they ask them about their service. We strive for [number one] at customer service. It’s our livelihood, that’s what’s going to help us tomorrow. We are building relationships. Not just taking sales numbers.”

The Icing On the Cake After combining ingredients to a great partnership, some may go above and beyond. Jon Lackey praised one of his vendors, whose loyalty and willingness to help went beyond the anticipated. “Two Decembers ago, we changed everything,” Lackey said. “You go into a business, you’re learning, and I’m still learning.

Our specialty is the career and knowledge.” Building a business on top of that requires different skills. “After struggling for 14 years, I was talking to one of my vendors, Kevin from AAMP of America, and he says, ‘man, are you putting any money back for the day to day operations?’”

Lackey admitted he once waited until the end of the month to worry about the bills, such as electric and Internet. “I was always late on rent, up to three months.

I’m not ashamed to admit it,” Lackey said. “The money was there, I just wasn’t paying attention. And he explained you’ve got to have money set aside from each sale. I took 33.3 percent of the profit.

I have a profit account, so I put it in there … when a bill is due, it’s there. Now, the other part goes to repay the vendor, paying the leftover of the balance. And the rest is for me. I get paid!”

Over a year ago, Kevin’s advice changed the way Lackey approached business finances. “That was something a vendor did, going above and beyond, still helping me to this day.”

Kevin has continued to help out by organizing things in the install bay during the business’s remodel, demonstrating a stellar vendor relationship.

Meanwhile, Andrew from Avidworx helped by “going back and forth with positioning, where things go, and the best

measurements.

We have five displays coming from Avidworx.” Loyalty and offering support is beneficial to both parties.

Going above and beyond may not be necessary—but it fosters a strong relationship that can continue well into the future.

While both sides must work to uphold the partnership, Schumacher stated, “as retailers we must be loyal to line representation. We must do our best to move the line and represent it to the best of our ability.” In turn, the vendors must also be loyal to the retailers.

“Remember it is the retailer who takes a chance on a new line and puts it out there. Some vendors don't always remember who took the first steps to get a new line John Schumacher, owner of Audio Solutions STL, believes out and running, the secret to his quality vendor relationships stems from and will drop a loyalty and clearly defined expectations from the start. retailer who may be and retailers must consider how they struggling to get the numbers the vendor can help each other to learn, grow and is looking for, yet was one of the first to promote. The ingredients to this recipe try and is still pushing and representing are clear: communication, sharing inforthe line.” mation and loyalty. Of course, nothing On the other hand, maybe the line happens overnight. hasn’t taken off in a particular area “Let's remember these relationships just yet. It can take a while for a brand take time to build,” Schumacher added. to really start selling well. Retailers “Take the time. Build the relationship. shouldn’t “drop a line just because sales Communicate often. And stay loyal to numbers aren't where they are expected to be yet,” Schumacher said. Both vendors each other.” 

me-mag.com 39

 behind the scenes

Beyond Big Bass SW9510 speaker

Since changing its name and adding a more versatile product line-up, DD Audio has proven itself as a solid partner for retailers looking to please hardcore audiophile customers.

WORDS BY BILL BRAUN

D

igital Designs makes subwoofers—big, bad, gargantuan subwoofers that have been in sound pressure competition vehicles since the early 1990s. Is that all it does? No, not by a long shot.

Kevin Doyle works for DD Audio as a product and business development officer. Wearing multiple hats gives him deep access, and deeper responsibility, into the inner workings of what exactly makes the company tick.

While most of the mobile audio world believes Digital Designs started in the mid 1990s, the company started in 1986 as Resonance, making automotive plate speakers and studio monitors in California. As customers asked more for in-car audio, the company’s focus became completely focused on mobile sound. The name then changed to “Digital Designs.”

40 Mobile Electronics  November 2015

The company eventually moved to Oklahoma, upgrading its offices several times since; most recently in July of 2015.

In a recent press release, the company's custom subwoofer fabrication facilities and increased staff are credited as being the reasons for the move.

Direct Designs One of the things that makes Digital Designs different in the 12-volt world is its choice to go completely direct in the U.S. market. DD Audio started out with representation in the US market, but over time, the company decided that the attention and technical acumen Doyle referred to was simply not translating to the dealers with the rep firms being used.

“We needed more, so we changed over to direct about six years ago.”

Digital Designs believes that its domestic customers require a degree of

attention and education that exceeds what a rep firm can provide. “We are strictly direct,” says Doyle, “we do all of our sales calls, all of our distribution, everything is out of our facility.

The motivation for that is a higher level of control over the line. We realize that there are some good outside rep firms out there. We’ve had some in the past, but we needed more real-time attention and education.”

The effort involved DD Audio’s internal reps engaging in more fact and background checking. Outbound calling started, where before the company relied strictly on inbound calls for new business.

Kevin believed that outbound calls required enhancing the due diligence prior to opening a dialogue. “We had to dig deeper into territories and find out what makes them tick. What are

their sales cycles like? The guys mining those territories really had to educate themselves. Internationally, we have distribution. They are better equipped to do research locally to determine a good dealer.”

DD Audio is selective when it comes to allowing new dealerships to sell its equipment. Opting more for organic growth, the company will not sell its gear online.

“We need pictures of the shop, we need tax ID numbers, we check competitors, we go through what brands they’re using, we check online reviews and BBB credit info. All the basic stuff. We don’t want distributors—someone who is going to totally be low price based and moving boxes. That’s not our type of a dealer.”DD Audio has an undeniable heritage—one borne form the competition world. With the ebb of competition’s dominance and its lack of effect on the consumer market, the evolution of the brand had to become that of a more complete line of products.

“Beyond” huge subwoofers doesn’t mean a lack of them; . it means the augmentation of the existing product.

“It was our mainstay for years. We were a niche company,” Doyle said, “we had word of mouth marketing. We didn’t advertise in magazines, we didn’t have a bunch of POP, we were just the brand that a lot of shops would say “if you want to build a BIG system … I’ve got the sub for you.”

Deleting Stigmas For the shop that is concentrating on the deck-and-two installations, they rarely consider a line well known for custom made subwoofers with a large price tag. Overcoming that stigma has involved expanding every line the company has, as well as creating a few new ones. All of that work has been part of a concerted effort to provide the products that the day-to-day shops need to allow them in the door. Doyle believes that the

effort has been a tough, but rewarding one. “That has been a hard road to hoe.

When we call on dealers, they say 'I’ve heard of you: aren’t you guys the one who build the competition woofers?' It is a blessing to be known as the guys to go to when you want competition woofers, but it’s a curse too. When you’re trying to get in to the nicer retailer shops, they’re not turning out the competition jobs. It's not even on their radar.” Not every shop concentrates on the mid-fi install. There are still dealers that live—and love—the larger job, and for them, Digital Design’s longstanding reputation does them a service. “We also do a lot of custom work,” Doyle said, “custom power handling capabilities, custom impedance, custom cones and dust caps, custom logos. There’s a lot of assistance our guys will have to provide on that.”

Digital Designs preserves a simple ordering system. Everything is done with the in-house representative, be it

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 behind the scenes by email, phone or fax. The personal relationship is something the company values. With a small internal sales staff, the advantage of a shop owner knowing the sales rep on the other side of the phone is a relationship the company wants to nurture.

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42 Mobile Electronics  November 2015

When it comes to warranty, everything is done via Return Authorization. Doyle explains the philosophy as a desire to detect a problem. While the expediency of field destroying may help to placate a customer short-term, in the long run, DD Audio believes in researching every problem and hopefully gleaning some insight into the reason behind the issue. “We build our products with the thought of: how are we going to service this product. You can send your product in, and we can rebuild it back to factory spec.

We service every woofer and amplifier. We do not field destroy. The reason is if we are having an issue without products, we want to know, and we want to head it off very quickly. It’s also part of our education process. Inevitably you’ll see one guy having trouble with one woofer. If he keeps on sending back one sub or one amp, and he’s the only guy doing it, then it’s not a production or manufacturing problem—it’s an installation problem.”

While it has the short term benefit of allowing the dealer to immediately

replace the product, the company feels it may enable an undereducated dealer continue to incorrectly use the product.

No one wins. Enforcing a consistent RA policy also allows Digital Designs to educate dealers, with a specific concentration catering to its real word challenges. “It’s in everyone’s best interest to educate the dealers. After we examine the product, we can determine what most likely happened, and whether or not there was an issue with manufacturing or installation.”

The company believes that most dealers appreciate the philosophy, as it helps to determine the reliability of the line. Does this deter the dealers from doing business with DD? They believe not. Taking the time to verify the line as a whole has integrity contributes to dealer confidence—a vital factor to Digital Designs continued success. “We use this as a tool to educate our dealers,” Kevin says, “in the long run, it helps the dealers as well because they don’t want to touch it again either. After all, they’re losing money every time the product comes back to them.

“We offer upgrade and trade up programs. Dealers often use this to find out exactly what the customer wants and fine tune it to their exact needs. They don’t always get it perfect the first time, and we don’t want to penalize anyone for that.” Doyle explained that the RA process allows them to head off potential issues quickly. “If it's a manufacturer's defect, we can stop and put everything on pause, effect a repair and get the problem fixed.

If you did the field repair, you might not ever know. Imagine a whole shipment of product that everyone gets, all with the same issue, and it never gets fixed? With the RA process, we can identify it and get it handled.”

Only the Best The company hires people with extensive experience in the 12-volt industry.

New hires go through an education process, and what they don't know they can ask the company Master Techs. Even the sales staff has to be able to “talk tech” to able to handle an above average technical

“We had to dig deeper into territories and find out what makes them tick. What are their sales cycles like? The guys mining those territories really had to educate themselves. Internationally, we have distribution. They are better equipped to do research locally to determine a good dealer.”

Kevin Doyle,

Product and Business Development Officer, DD Audio

question to garner the trust most shops expect of a DD Audio representative.

For DD Audio, training retailers occurs as issues arise. However, the company is actively changing that approach, converting one of the DD Master Techs into a dedicated training position. “In the coming years were looking closer at how best to train our dealers,” Doyle stated.

“Moving forward, we're going to take that guy out (the trainer) to our key dealers and address their needs.

“We like to provide very specific training—this involves going to their shop for a couple of days and starting to analyze its specific needs and addressing them. It involves looking at the DD mentality of how to build a box or how we work with the charging system. Training is very important, and if we are going to hold our dealers to a higher

standard, we have to hold ourselves to the same standard.”

The company is also looking forward to offering highly customized training as an additional incentive to potential dealers. In the past, the company has trained its dealers as more of a reactive role, dealing with problems as they arose. “It was our guys talking to the dealers," Kevin said, "now we want to be more proactive, and this is the first step in doing that.”

The company’s recent expansion has the added benefit of more real estate. The additional room also allows for a space to train in-house, which they plan to start implementing in the near future.

When it comes to choosing new products to add to the line, Doyle believes in tapping its greatest resource: their customers. “First and foremost, we listen to our dealers.

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me-mag.com 43

 behind the scenes

Kevin Doyle, Product and Business Development Officer, DD Audio

Audio Express has had to drop most of their brands except DD Audio, who has kept its word not to sell to local competitors.

We take their input and determine the gaps. We also look at the service department and see how people are using gear, and what for. If certain subwoofers are coming back and the suspension is torn out of them, that’s a good indication they want more power handling and excursion. We look at how the customers are using and abusing the product.”

Another good example of customer-driven product development is DD's new wire line, which was a direct result of listening to dealers, gaging demand, then making the decision to go forward.

Once the research was done and the quality level was up to DD's standards, they went live with the line. All of the research, development and resulting investment was a direct result of dealers asking for the line.

The perception of Digital Designs as strictly a high end subwoofer manufacturer has been a hurdle the company has spent significant effort to overcome. With the addition of more affordable subwoofer lines, amplifier and speaker lines and how a wire and DSP offerings, the breadth of DD branded options.

There are other products the company is excited about, like the 20,000 watt Z2B amplifier. “This has been about

44 Mobile Electronics  November 2015

three years in development, and it got the performance and output they way were looking for. It’s a beast,” says Kevin. “It’s a giant at 37 inches long. We sold out domestically and internationally in two days. We also have another new line of amplifiers we’ll be launching next year.”

The company is releasing several new products to the market. The ZY RCA system is an RCA line sold by the foot.

Adapted from home audio world, the cable is sold by the 250 foot spool, then with a pack of crimpless and solderless terminals being sold separately. The wire is cut to length, then a set screw is installed. With only wire to move from point A to point B, installation is easier and tapped holes need only be as large as the wire’s thickness.

The company is also looking at creating a new DSP. “They're a super powerful tool, and they're becoming more common,” Doyle said. “You have this terrible environment you're putting this great sound into, so you need to fix it. A lot of dealers are afraid of DSPs and how to set them up. They don't have the knowledge base to efficiently work on them, so they don't mess with it. If we want to sell this product to them, we have the

responsibility to train them and take the scariness out of it.”

Eddie Aguilar owns Audio Express in San Antonio, Texas. “I opened the shop in 1999. When I did, I thought you needed all the big brands, so I got them.

Everybody carries the stuff. They were blowing the stuff and expecting you to warranty it out.” The process of selling the gear at a minimum of margin was wearing on his patience, and his profits.

“They were selling to everyone in the market, not taking care of their margins.

There was no control of it. Eventually I dropped almost all of them.”

Eddie’s motivation to run and sell building systems stems from the competition world. After seeing competitors winning trophy after trophy, running countless batteries, tons of wire and massive subs, it definitely caught his attention.

“I’d ever seen anything so large and massive in my life, ever. I called them (DD Audio) and was dabbling in competition. I wanted something nobody else had. When I got it, it was my line.

I could go out and market and compete with it.”

Trust is a key factor in maintaining a good relationship. Eddie was using another sub manufacturer prior to working with DD Audio. He was doing well at the lanes and in the shop. The line started to sell the same gear to a nearby shop, who was underselling him.

The relationship ended as a result. In the intimate environment of a privately owned shop like Audio Express, Eddie places a great deal of stock in trusting the people he does business with, and the lengths they will go to for him. “It’s a great relationship. They’re like family. I can call them whenever, even in the evenings, and they answer the phone, and they take their time talking to me. It was different.”

Eddie appreciates the fact the DD not only protects his territory, but seeks his opinion when considering other dealerships. “We sell a lot of DD Audio's stuff, and it’s a lot of big stuff. People have gotten the word out over time, and I have clients that come from a distance just to come see me.” 

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 tech today

Baffled By Pillars: Part 1 12-volt installation expert Joey Knapp examines the trials of building pillars for tweeters while maintaining the OEM feel of a high-end vehicle.

WORDS BY JOEY KNAPP

A

t Simplicity In Sound, most of the systems we install are active systems. About half of those utilize tweeter, and sometimes midrange, locations in the pillars. For a system that has the ability to digitally manipulate the signal arrival time through a digital sound processor, this can be a great location. Tweeter output is more directional than other drivers, so placing them in a location that isn’t impeded by part of the vehicle interior is sonically beneficial. There are a limited number of places speakers can be installed in a car. I know there might be some of you old schoolers out there who are thinking “but kickpanels are the best”. I understand the science and logic behind kick panel installations, but after using those in a few different cars I began to notice some things I didn’t like. The main thing I had an issue with was how much the sound would change when I either moved my legs around, or when I had a passenger in the vehicle. I didn’t like the trade off of tonality sacrifices for more equal pathlengths. With the variety of DSPs available now, the pathlength issue becomes less of a concern. I am not saying that kickpanels can’t sound good.

But, in the smaller cars I have tried them in, the results were less than favorable.

I am sure everyone has seen installations where installers go to great lengths to precisely aim the tweeters installed in pillars.

While some care needs to be taken when aiming, laser precision isn’t always mandatory for good results. One of the things we

46 Mobile Electronics  November 2015

take into consideration when determining vertical placement on the pillar is the instrument cluster, which come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes. Often times the cluster can be high enough that it would partially block the output of a tweeter mounted low in the pillar. In these cases we will mount the tweeters up higher on the pillar. If the tweeter is installed too low, the output can reflect off the cluster and negatively affect the sound.

Another very important recommendation when planning the location and angle of the tweeters is to make sure to place the tweeter rings in the car. I have seen quite a few pillar installation pictures on the internet that were designed outside of the car, and the angles were wrong. So make sure to double check the mounting of your tweeter baffle before you move forward with any other fabrication work.

gUtopian Pillars The build that we will be looking at in this article is in a Porsche Cayman. The car will be getting the Focal Utopia Ultima speaker set. The Ultima set comes complete with a pair of subwoofers, a pair of midbasses and a pair of tweeters. The focus of this article will be the installation of the tweeters in the pillars. If you have seen the speakers in person, or in pictures, you might have noticed how big the tweeter is. Not only does it have a fairly large mounting flange, but it is also pretty deep.

These things might be great for their sonic benefits, but for an installer they are quite a challenge. The problem of tweeter

The same #9 Kurv tool will be used to draw all 4 sides.

depth is further compounded by the pillar of the Porsche. Mounted to the pillar are a number of electronic devices. Those boxes mean that the tweeter will have a limited amount of space it could protrude behind the trim panel. It is important to always pull off the pillar trim panel to see what kind of room is available behind it. Sometimes you will be surprised at the amount of empty space behind the trim panel. Luckily, this build was getting tweeters that were mounted more on-axis, so the space behind the trim wasn’t critical. The Ulitma tweeters are spec’d to be mounted in a small amount of airspace, which also would be to my benefit.

The first thing I do when I have to fabricate any part for an interior is to sit in the car. I like to look around and get a feel for how the car is designed.

I normally take a notepad and pencil with me so I can sketch out any ideas I might have. I look at the colors, textures, shapes and construction of

the interior. The thing that stood out to me in this Porsche, that would be relevant to what I wanted to build, was the shape around the air vents.

They are a slight trapezoidal shape with sides that are faintly curved. I thought this shape would be perfect to use for the profile of the tweeter baffle. I was a little unsure about how to integrate a larger tweeter mount onto the pillar and have it look like it was supposed to be there, so I started with making the tweeter baffle. I find sometimes it helps with designing to cut out shapes I plan on using and see them in the car. To determine the curve I need to use to match the lines on the air vents, I grabbed a handful of Sonus EVOL Icon Kurvs.

Having a wide assortment of curved templates helps speed up the time on the project because it saves having to hand-make the curve. I started making the tweeter baffle by first tracing the outside of the tweeter on a piece of ¼-inch MDF. Then I used the

I like to use a .9mm mechanical pencil for very precise lines and minimal lead breakage.

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 tech today The #9 Kurv is used to form the sides of the base too.

matching Kurv template to draw the sides. I matched the correct Sonus Radi tool to the corners of the airvents in the car and found it to be .5 inches. I used that tool to draw out the corners.

I then used the templates on the router to cut out the baffle template. I find it easy to use ¼-inch MDF for making templates, because it cuts easily and quickly. With the shape cut out, I grabbed a roll of tape, the tweeter and the template and went back in the car. I first looked at the tweeter in relation to the panel, to get a general idea of where it would need to be mounted. If the tweeter needed to be recessed more, this would be the time I would normally rough cut a hole into the pillar trim to allow it to drop in. For this build, the tweeter will be completely on the outside of the pillar. Once I had an idea of where the tweeter would go, I then placed the template in that spot and taped it in place. Because of the size of the tweeter and the related template, I was a little concerned about how to make it look like it belonged on the pillar. Putting the actual template in place let me be able to more easily visualize the finished piece.

It also allowed me to look at it from outside the vehicle and from different angles inside.

gThe Mounting Process

Luckily there was a Kurv tool that was a perfect match for the curve on the OEM vent bezel.

48 Mobile Electronics  November 2015

At this point in the build, I was comfortable with the shape of the template, the size it would be, and the angle it would be mounted. I needed to then focus on how to integrate it into the interior. I tried to think how the OEM designers would handle something like this. What I came up with was the concept of this being a factory-plus upgrade. My thoughts were of the pillar normally having a flush mounted tweeter in a removable panel. The upgrade would be a pod that would bolt into the same spot, with the better tweeter and more of an angle. This was what dictated the rest of the design.

I wasn’t completely sure how I wanted to modify the pillar beyond the pod. I knew it would involve possibly building up some filler, and maybe some additional inserts.

On pillars that the material is not easily removed (like this one), we coat the entire piece with fiberglass resin, to give a solid base to work from. Bing had previously applied resin to these panels, so I was ready to build off of them. Because I thought I

will attach to. So then “SECURING THE PIECE THE WAY IT I had all of WILL BE PERMANENTLY SAVES FROM the shapes I HAVING TO GO BACK AND RE-FIT THE would need to complete TWO PIECES AFTER THE FACT. NO ONE the project.

LIKES THOSE SURPRISES AT THE To begin the END OF A PROJECT!” pods, I put both of the factory pillar trim pieces CO-OWNER OF SIMPLICITY IN SOUND back in the car, then I taped on the fibermight want to be adding some inserts to the pillars, I went ahead and made a shell glass overlay panels. The next step was to glue the front baffles (the pieces that overlay copy of both pillars. This was done by taping up the pillar, applying and had the 3/16” clearance) onto the fiberglass panels. I started on the driver’s side polishing off some mold release wax, and and got the specific angle/mounting that then laying out a few layers of fiberglass I wanted. Then I made some measuremat. After studying the pillar more, I ments in the car to determine its location. decided the only insert would be the pod I transferred those measurements to the itself. I had thoughts of adding in addiother side and glued on the other baffle. tional lines, like the lines in the door, but I pulled both of the panels out of the car I decided they would take away from the pod and the speaker. The fiberglass shells and placed them side-by-side on a table to make sure they were identical. With did serve two purposes, though. The first the pods symmetrical, it was time to was to give me a form-fitting base off determine what the footprint of the pod which to build. The second was as a temwould be. I wanted the base to be similar plate for placement of the pod (because to the shape of the baffle, but it needed the base would be cut out of the specific to be stretched a little, so it would look location on the shell, the hole would be proportionally correct. I used the same the correct location).

Sonus EVOL Kurv tool to draw out the sides and back of the base. I have found gMore Templates that using slight curves on pieces can My next step was to make a few help keep them from looking too boxy. more templates. The first template was After both sides were drawn out, I cut the the same shape I already had with the base and the baffle out of the fiberglass tweeter mounting hole in it. Then I took shell. I kept both the fiberglass shells, that shape and reduced it by 3/16 of an they would help me precisely mount the inch. This would be the shape that I pods back on the pillars when it was time used to make the form of the pod with. to mold them in.

The 3/16 gave me clearance to be able to stretch mold cloth over the piece and fiberglass it, and return back to the gFork In The Road original shape. The next template was At this point there would be normally the perimeter shape with an opening in one of three ways to proceed. One way it the size of the outer diameter of the would be to stretch cloth over the baffle tweeter, plus an additional 1/8-inch. I and the base and then use body filler to then reduced the outer perimeter by 1/32- bring back the shape of the pod. Another inch to make up the template that would way would be to use foam to form the be used for the final acrylic trim piece. shape of both pods and then fiberglass I made it a little bit smaller so it would over the foam. The last way is the way I sit in just a bit from the acrylic plate it chose, as I thought I could achieve the

most consistent and symmetrical results.

I used pieces connecting points of the pods to form the shape that would result when covered. For the outer most corners I used a 3/8-inch ABS rod. I chose this because I knew I wanted the corners of the pods to be slightly rounded.

The 3/8-inch rod, when covered with the mold cloth would give me almost a ½-inch radius. If you remember the initial design, the corners of the baffle have a ½-inch radius. For the flat areas, I used popsicle sticks. I ended up duplicating the front baffle, so that part of the pod would be flat before it angled downward.

This was done so that the front acrylic baffle would look more cohesive with the overall pod. The final stage of the preparation was to tape up the front baffle.

This area wasn’t getting any fiberglass; I wanted it to stay clean. With the framework done, I stretched mold cloth over the pods and CA glued the fabric in place along the perimeter. I soaked the pods thoroughly with fiberglass and let them cure. When the pods had completely dried, I ground away all of the excess fiberglass with a 36 grit 3-inch Roloc disc on an angle grinder. The next step was to coat the pods with a thin layer of filler to smooth out any rough spots in the fiberglass. The pods were ready to be integrated with the pillars. Any time I am going to be attaching and blending a part to another part, I make sure to go ahead and make provisions for the final attachment hardware. It is tempting to just template tape the piece on and worry about the hardware later, but I have learned the hard way not to do that. Bolting pieces together can sometimes result in slight changes in either piece from the torque of the attachment. Securing the piece the way it will be permanently saves from having to go back and re-fit the two pieces after the fact. No one likes those surprises at the end of a project!

gFiberglass Shell Now is the time when the fiberglass shell comes into play. I needed to know where the pods were supposed to be positioned on the pillar. I have already spent the time to position them before, and saving the shell keeps me from having to

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 tech today

The fiberglass shells will serve a number of purposes in this build.

Can’t get the OEM material off the pillar? No big deal, just paint fiberglass resin over them.

It is much easier for me to visualize the interactions of the template with the interior by putting the template in place, in the car.

ABS rods and popsicle sticks help to form the shape of the tweeter pod.

Just because you “think” it might fit somewhere, doesn’t mean it will. Always check fitment and placement in the car.

The foam tape helped to form the perfect gap between the pod and the pillar.

50 Mobile Electronics  November 2015

A 10-24 bolt and a 8-32 bolt will attach the pods to the pillar.

do it again. I simply overlaid the shell back on the pod and traced the opening where the pod base was cut out from.

At this point I could move on with the attachment. I decided the pods were going to be bolted to the pillars in two places. Additionally, the front of the pods have a slight angle at the front, so when they were blended in, the front would lock into the recess.

To make sure I had plenty of clearance around where the hardware would be used, I drilled the mounting holes from the outside of the pillars.

Then I just placed the pods onto the traced outline and, from underneath, marked where the holes went. Then I drilled the holes for the actual screw size and rivet-nuts.

I used rivet-nuts to add a threaded insert into the fiberglass (see the tips and tricks section next month for how I did that part).

gHeavy Lifting The pods could now be bolted to the pillar. The pods and pillar were going to be covered with an OEM headliner material. The material

is fabric with a very thin foam padding. I needed to compensate for that material thickness so I used foam tape to make up the difference. I applied the foam tape around the perimeter of the base of the pod. I then taped up an outer perimeter on the pillar. This would serve as the line for me to know where to spread the filler. The tape will be removed when the filler is just getting to the green state.

That will leave a more clean line, and reduce the amount of sanding necessary. Because I was going to be filling in a bit larger gap between the pillar and the pod, I added into the filler some glass bubbles/microspheres to the filler. These help make the filler thicker and easier to form. Once the filler started to set up, I rough sanded the high spots with some 36 grit sandpaper. I then let it completely cure. The majority of the heavy fabrication work is complete at this point. Fit and finish work and final upholstery/paint is left. In the next article we will finish up the pods and also look at a few tips and tricks. ď‚ľ

The resulting shape after the frame is covered and fiberglassed turned out great. Minimal filler is needed to smooth out the piece.

Taping the perimeter and areas that will be in contact with excess filler helps to reduce the work required to finish the pods.

A number of templates were made for the baffle and associated trim pieces in this project.

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 installs

SHOWTIME

SUBMITTED BY OSCAR JL RODRIGUEZ, OSCAR’S AUDIO DESIGNS, CORPUS CHRISTI, TEXAS

To use his own Hummer H3 at car shows, Rodriguez worked to create something memorable in both look and feel. The front doors contain 8-inch JL Audio ZR drivers; the rear doors contain 6.5-inch ZR components powered by JLXDV2 800/8 amps. The A-pillars contain 5.25 ZR components. The doors are lined with 3/8-inch acrylic rings and Infiniti mirrors lit with blue LEDs. 52 Mobile Electronics  November 2015

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 installs

Continental Panels Submitted by Leo Tester, DelCol, Randfontein, Gauteng, South Africa This build from a South African installer features a 1994 Nissan 1400, brought to him by a coworker looking to replace his previous panels which were in poor condition due to the previous owners cutting the door panels and door itself.

The tester used 3mm masonite for the panels, and Gemkem adhesive and leather vinyl was used as the covering. The old panels were used as templates to get the lay-out of the bolt and clip points. For the kick-plates with the mid-ranges he used cardboard to get the over-all trace for the design. This helped to ensure correct mounting points were used and to help him avoid creating his own to save time.

Since the vehicle is a daily driver, and the owner didn’t want big sound, a 55W head-unit, 2 mid-ranges and 2 6X9s were installed, which were placed beneath his seats, each in its own box.

54 Mobile Electronics  November 2015

Eco Truck

CHALLENGE Submitted by Steve Brondsetter, Altimate Automotive, Bay City, Mich.

Building an enclosure can be tricky business, especially in a vehicle with limited space. That’s the challenge Brondsetter was tasked with when this 2015 Ford F150 was brought to him. A down-fire dual 8-inch sealed enclosure was crafted to fit perfectly beneath the seats. Two S-84D Power Bass 8-inch subwoofers were used.

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 installs

Clean & Custom Submitted by Chuck Hulse, Audio & Video Solutions, Pocatello, Idaho A repeat customer tracked down Hulse after he moved his shop. The client brought in this 2014 Chevy 3500HD for a custom sound system from a trusted source. The system consists of two Kicker Comp 12s running off of Memphis PRX 5-channel amp and an Audiocontrol LC6 to clean up the signal. A set of MB Quart QSD-216 components was used in the front doors.

56 Mobile Electronics  November 2015

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me-mag.com 57 www.InstallerNet.com • 800-444-1644

µ guest editorial

2015 Holiday Marketing Guide

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ccording to the National Retail Federation, 20 to 40 percent of yearly sales for small to mid-sized retailers take place within the last two months of the year.

During the holidays, people will be looking for great deals and a really fabulous shopping experience. A successful marketing strategy will include campaigns and sales planned well ahead of time.

Stop and think: how will you appeal to your audience? Email is, as always, a great marketing tool to reach your customers at home, work or even on the go. Hosting events, like Small Business Saturday, is an excellent way to bring your customer directly to you and your store.

Let’s focus on email. Start with a list of recipients—do you have an email database list and, if so, is it up to date? You need to manage your email lists continuously. Your TSS POS system has the capability to help you build and manage your list—you just have to turn the capability on! TSS also integrates with the Revenew marketing engine. If you don’t have an email list, Revenew has the resources to take your existing list of customers and convert them to email. Revenew has roughly a 30% success rate with “email append.” If you have 3,000 consumer names and addresses, we can help you create an email database of nearly 1000 contacts. Email is one of the most effective ways to engage your customers.

71 percent of in-store shoppers say email offers influence them to buy. 74 percent of shoppers say they would be influenced by coupons. When planning your email marketing campaigns, ask yourself these questions: 1) Who will receive these emails?

2) Should I segment my email list?

3) When will I send out my emails?

4) What should the topic/subject line be?

5) Who on my team can be responsible for putting the email campaigns together?

6) What is my final goal?

7) Does the email connect my company with the holiday season?

8) Should I provide an offer or coupon for each campaign?

9) Do I provide a strong call to action with an end date?

10) What do I need to do in my store to echo the spirit of the emails?

There are countless opportunities for you to promote your business during the holiday season. Consider your overall goals

58 Mobile Electronics  November 2015

and begin to develop the types of campaigns and promotions you want to run. Some suggestions from Revenew are: Thanksgiving Week: Wish your customers a Happy Thanksgiving and invite them to come visit you.

Start the holiday season right by being top-of-mind with your local consumer.

Black Friday: Give your customers a reason to skip the big, mega store crowd stampede and visit your store for a better experience with smart deals.

Small Business Saturday (November 28, 2015): Capitalize on American Express’ Small Business Saturday. You do not need to be an American Express merchant to participate. Hold an in-store event with food, music and a great sale! This is definitely a day when consumers expect to make local purchases, and you can join in the momentum. Revenew has created a 12V Small Business Saturday campaign for Mobile Electronics members complete with an event tool kit (www.revenew.com/a-guide-to-event-planning/) to help you plan your special occasion. American Express created Small Business Saturday as a vehicle for supporting smaller local independent businesses—get on board!.

Cyber Monday: For the past 7 years, Cyber Monday has been the most popular day for email marketing. According the Salesforce, about 88% of online resellers send at least one promotional email on Cyber Monday. Let your voice be heard!

A Holiday Event: Last minute gift ideas are always popular.

Emphasize that your company makes the holiday shopping experience enjoyable.

After Christmas Sale: Customers are still in the habit of taking their wallets out of their pockets after Christmas, so throw a clearance sale. This is also a great time to burn through any fourth quarter buying mistakes. My philosophy for this week is, “If you can’t fix it, feature it in an email.” Email gives you the just-in-time flexibility to promote everything that may clog up your 2016 open to buy.

Following up effectively is crucial. After all, the purpose of sending email is to create leads and convert them to sales.

Make sure you are following up with your email recipients in a timely manner. Have your sales people call your customers, particularly if you are hosting an event, and invite them in.

Encourage your customers to forward your email to friends and family.

Email marketing yields an average 4,300 percent ROI for businesses in the United States, so make the most of it this holiday season! 

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