Mobile Electronics Magazine September 2016

September 2016

me-mag.com

rate le e c c a o t y r t s e indu h t r o f s ll a c e w is o t h r s e r p e x v e e & t s s ic e B ct technology, ta

Winning Formula

Ed Weber’s Multi-Stop Career Adds Up to Profit for Foss Chain

Tech Support

The Difference Maker in Choosing Top Vendors

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 !

RVCLPM (Chrome) RVCLPMB (Black Chrome)

RVC800LPWIRB (Black) RVC800LPWIR (Chrome)

License Plate Camera 120º view

IR License Plate Camera 120º view

On Star ! OE STYLE REARVIEW MIRROR with Built In 4.3” LCD (Manual Dimming)

RVC180B Split Screen 180º Rear/Front Camera

NEW !

RVC1500 Mini Surface Mount Camera Incredible Low Light !

PROFESSIONAL GRADE 7 PIECE DASH PRY TOOL SET! Easily Remove Trim, Molding, Door Panels and Dashboards !

4.3” LCD Rear View Mirror with OnStar !

Manual Dimming Includes Cable Adaptor Adjustable Parking Lines

!

NEW PT700

NEW !

Adjustable Parking Lines

RVMMMDOS

OE STYLE REARVIEW MIRROR with Built In 4.3” LCD (Auto or Manual Dimming)

PT700

Auto Dimming !

Rear View Mirror Monitor

RVM430NG

Adjustable Parking Lines

RVM430MMD RVM430MAD

WIRELESS CHARGING CRADLE For Samsung Note/S3 and iPhone 4/5

USB POWERED PODS AND EXTENTIONS

Just drop the phone into the charging cradle for instant charging

Samsung Note 2/3 & Samsung S3/4 Dual USB Power Output

Dual USB Power POD with Mount

12 VDC Input Air Vent Mount

iPhone 4/4S and iPhone 5/5S

Surface Mount

Round flush mount

Dual 2.1A / 2.1A Output

Volt Meter

USBD12V

DVM100/DVM200

1 amp & 2.1 amp USB output

HDMI / USB Extension

USBR12V

USBRHDMI

. . . y ad

e R u o y Are 11” WIDESCREEN FLIPDOWN MONITOR

With Wifi Steaming & Built In Multimedia Player •11” WideScreen 16:9 • Built-in IR Multi-Media Player • 2 Audio / Video Inputs • SD Card Reader + USB Input

• Built in Wireless Wifi HD receiver • Built in SD card player • Audio Video inputs • Wireless IR headphone transmitter • Wireless FM transmitter • Led Dome lights • IR Remote control

( ( ( (

Wirelessly Stream !

1080 HD Content from your smartphone

(

NEW !

AXFD102HDWF

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

DVD9800

Wirelessly Stream !

1080 HD Content from your smartphone

7”

((

9”

((

Wirelessly Stream !

7” DASH MOUNT NAVIGATION AND DVR • 7” LCD Display • iOS, Andriod and Win8 Supported • 12 million pixels • 1920 X 1080 Resolution • Auto Recording while Driving • TF memory Card • Power Protection Supported • Screen Saver Supported • Auto Switching Supported • Front Facing Camera

(

9” PORTABLE CAR ENTERTAINMENT SYSTEM

1080 HD Content from your smartphone

17”

NEW !

AXFA11WF

• 9” LED backlit High Resolution Digital Panel • Works in all type of Cars • Multimedia DVD Player • Supports 3-In-1 SD Card Slot, USB, DVD • HDMI Input • Dual IR Wireless Headphone Transmitter Built-in • FM Transmitter Built-In • Game Controller • Slim Design • Touch Button Controls

10.2”

(

(

( ( ( ((

Wirelessly Stream !

1080 HD Content from your smartphone

(

10.2” OR 17” WIDESCREEN FLIPDOWN WITH WIFI STEAMING

AXDNAV700

Volume 33// Issue 10

Ad Index Accele .............................................................. p. 2 & ®3 Bracketron .......................................................... p. 37 Clarion ....................................................................... p.9 Elettromedia: Hertz / Audison.................. p. 47 Firstech/Compustar ..................................... p. 59 Harman/JBL ......................................................... p. 7 InstallerNet ......................................................... p. 27 Memphis Audio .................................................. p. 13 Mito ......................................................................... p. 57 Mobile Electronics ............................................. p. 11 Scosche ................................................................ p. 35 SiriusXM ................................................................ p. 12 Sony .......................................................................... p. 5 StreetGlow ......................................................... p. 46 Voxx ....................................................................... p. 60

40 FEATURES 14 // News Feature: KnowledgeFest 2016

After two decades, KnowledgeFest has firmly established itself as a must-attend event for the 12-volt industry. This year’s event featured more exhibitors and attendees than ever, with it all culminating at the Mobile Electronics Industry Awards.

32 // Real World Retail: Foss Audio & Tint

This four-store retail chain has been tearing up the Pacific Northwest since 2002 with a combination of employee empowerment and military precision. Those traits and more contributed to the shop winning Retailer of the Year for 2016.

40 // Behind the Scenes: Epsilon

Being featured on the price is right is one way this multi-faceted manufacturer has emphasized its focus on providing the right price per product to its customers. But how does it handle the other parts of its business?

44 // Business Feature: Helping Hands

It’s easy to complain about poor tech support when you only see one side of the story.

But for these unsung heroes, the truth of the daily grind is much more complicated.

48 // Tech Today: The Magic Of Carbon Fiber

24

Joey Knapp sits this one out but provides a forward for Installer of the Year Matt Schaeffer’s tutorial on how to get the most out of the powerful fabrication tool.

ARTICLES 24 Retail News/Who’s Who 54 Installs On the Cover

No event brings people in 12-volt together more than KnowledgeFest, which is growing every year. It’s one thing to write about it but another to attend and see just how powerful the concept of putting hundreds of people together under one roof to talk about their craft can be. There’s only one other contributor to getting those people to talk in abundance about the ups and downs of their industry: alcohol.

COVER DESIGN: ROBIN LEBEL

4 Mobile Electronics  September 2016

DEPARTMENTS 6 Feedback 8 Editor’s Forum 10 Stats 12 Helpful Stuff 28 New Products 58 From The President

facebook.com/me-mag

Sound meets safety.

Stay safe on the road with the Sony XAV-AX100 AV Center.

Shipping November 2016 Sony prides itself on well controlled authorized distribution and online marketplace compliance. Š2016 Sony Electronics, Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited. Sony and the Sony logos are trademarks of Sony Corporation. Android Auto works with devices using Android 5.0 software or higher. Some devices may not yet support Android Auto, see the Google site for the latest list of compatible devices. Android Auto and its logo are trademarks of Google Inc. Apple CarPlay works with iPhone 5 and newer phones. Apple CarPlay and its logo are trademarks of Apple Inc. Features and specifications are subject to change without notice.

 feedback

It’s Who You Know...

Dave Clews uses classic car shows to build his client base, while Bryan Piper experiments with Facebook Live, allowing his social media page to trend on a Sunday.

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

EDITORIAL Solomon Daniels 213.291.7888 • 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 TM

“I co-chair a large local car show that attracts several hundred customs, classics, street rods, and tuner cars. It has been good for my business because these vehicle owners now see me as not only a car audio specialist but also a “car guy”.

People owning this type of vehicle want to know that the people working on their rides understand and appreciate what they mean to them. It doesn’t generate big numbers of vehicles but it does give us the opportunity to work on them and these people usually have a higher disposable income level and will spend money to get the job done right and with quality products. And we get to work on some cool rides.” Dave Clews, 12-volt Dave’s Audio, Pottsville, Pa. “Sell what you believe in. It makes you appear more honest and sincere. Don’t be afraid to give a little; you’ll get more than you think. In the last few years we added custom vinyl which has been very successful. Profits are very similar to window tint. We just recently added lift kits and off-road accessories. There is a bid demand for that in our area and it should be profitable.” John Draper, Custom Tint & Sound, Covington, Ga. “I had an ad in a local magazine for a year and didn’t get a ROI.” Rommel Miranda, Car Audio, Radio & Security, Charleston, S.C. “Social media is required in today’s world.

Make sure you use it to promote your

business.” Greg Tackett, Greg’s Custom Audio, Video & Car Stereo, Pikeville, Ky. “We have recently had great success with Facebook Live videos. We’ve been doing work from our fab shop. There’s been enough of a reaction to have us trending on Facebook on a Sunday evening.” Bryan Piper, Resonance Auto Craft, Corpus Christi, Texas “Others can learn a lot from how we use Facebook. We use it almost exclusively in marketing our brand. Learning the ins and outs of how to effectively market and target your customer base is crucial. Our Facebook marketing has helped us build our shop’s fan base up to over 7,200 fans and it accounts for 35 to 50 percent of our monthly sales. If you would like more details feel free to contact me on our Facebook page at: www.facebook.com/ AltimateAutomotive1.” Dave Brondstetter, Altimate Automotive, Bay City, Mich.

“We hired another customer as a future installer. He is currently training and job shadowing our techs. If you can find one, build one! This will be our second customer hire. Business is performing very well and very strong with a big increase in all categories and monthly sales records broken. We expanded our facility again and added another 1,600 square feet for detailing and high-end window tint.” Eric M. Carter, Cartronix, Inc.

6 Mobile Electronics  September 2016

mobile electronics association

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 213.291.7888 • 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. ISSN# 1523-763X 3) Date of filing: Sept. 1, 2016. 4) Frequency of issue: Monthly. No. of issues published annually: 12) 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 2016. 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%.

me-mag.com   7

editor’s FORUM Liability: A Poor Excuse for Not Embracing Safety Safety is the biggest opportunity to come to the mobile electronics industry in a long time. Don’t let fear stop you.

At the safety roundtable during KnowledgeFest, the subject of store liability came up as a deterrent to prioritizing the sale of new devices on the market. My first thought was …

Really?!? In this industry, with this much opportunity, this is what we are worried about? Here are two points that will hopefully clarify the issue for proactive retailers who are holding back.

1. It is nothing we haven’t seen before. Remember navigation, remote start, heck—even keyless entry? At some point in their evolution, each of these product innovations was seen to have some danger quotient that could cause safety or property damage issues. And yet, all of these are afterthoughts today. We think nothing of adding these to a customer’s car, and customers think nothing of using them.

2. At the same time, it’s like nothing we’ve seen before. The difference between those other product categories the new slew of safety devices can be wrapped up in one word: commoditization. Typical product evolution starts with the innovator, and then adaptation by known competitors, with each adding new features or benefits. Today, there are more unknown companies—and even overseas factories— marketing these products directly to retailers and even consumers online. And it’s happened before our known vendors have fully integrated the category. So while it may seem cool that there are a lot more choices at varying price points, the quick commoditization means that standards of quality have not yet been set. So nobody really knows what’s good versus what just rolled off the assembly line with minimal testing.

As a result, the carmakers have their bona fide Tier1 and Tier2 suppliers, and we have the Wild West.

But there are three things we have to do (note that I didn’t say can do, because this is an opportunity we can’t pass up) to make this a safe and profitable category for us.

1. Standardize installation practices. For the most part, we know what goes into a 360-degree system: cameras under the side mirrors along with front and rear. But vendors and retail technicians have to combine experience and expertise to promote the best positioning, angle, etc., to create a reliable outcome. And yes, this may need to be done per vehicle model. The same diligence has to be observed with lane departure, collision avoidance systems and alien attack detection (coming in 2020).

8 Mobile Electronics  September 2016

2. Know who you’re in bed with. If you’re buying from some overseas factory or an unknown company on eBay just to get the lowest price, common sense will tell you that you’re exposing your company to enormous risk. Even if the product works out the door, you don’t know when it might fail. But here’s one thing you do know: you know which companies you work with take pride in their products and invest in intensive testing to ensure that they work as they should, now and years from now.

And yes, there is a higher price for that. But if they offer a safety device, you’ve got the backing of a company you trust.

3. Step up and do your part. The SHIFT campaign at KnowledgeFest this year wasn’t about change. It was—and is—about dynamic adaptation to keep up with how customers perceive the products and features available for their vehicles. As their expectations evolve, we shift into higher gear to make sure we are meeting their needs with products and expertise. This means that we have to be EXPERTS on every new thing that rolls off the factory floor. We need to know which models have features as standard, which offer them optionally, and which don’t offer them at all. This presents a low hanging fruit opportunity when these customers drive into our bays. It also means we—individually and collectively—need to do our homework.

For those of you still on the fence about making safety a big part of your store’s marketing, think of it like this: Surfers don’t paddle into shore. They ride the biggest wave back with little to no propulsion effort. In our industry, that big wave is the amount of money being spent by OEMS to tell end users about the benefits of safety products. To us, that’s free advertising. We already have the same products. We KNOW how to interface them safely. And we are going to be doing our homework on new vehicle opportunities. SHIFT isn’t a theme for us; it’s our new mission. Embrace it in our day-to-day practices and let’s ride the wave for as long as we can.

OFFER YOUR CUSTOMERS THE BRAND BOAT BUILDERS TRUST MOST Clarion Marine Systems Now Available to 12V Dealers through

Starting August 2016, 12-volt dealers across the U.S. will gain access to Clarion’s extensive and purpose-built marine product line, including industry benchmark source units, speakers, amplifiers, remotes, and accessories through Petra Industries.

Every Clarion marine system and accessory endures a battery of character defining tests. By replicating prolonged UV exposure, simulating the humid saltwater environment and rigorously testing for thermal shock to imitate quick changes in temperature, we ensure that Clarion products are built to withstand the harshest day on the water. Here is your chance to offer your customers the very best in marine audio and entertainment products.

For more information, contact a Petra representative at 800-443-6975 or visit clarionmarinesystems.com or petra.com/clarion-marine

    

 stats

Facebook Advertising:

Do You Use It?

U SE OF A FACEBOOK E G BUSINESS PA Yes

a personal No, but we use siness page for the bu No

EFFECTIVE OF FACEBONESS ADVERTISI OK NG 30%

30%

92%

23%

20%

23%

5% 3%

25%

10%

8% 0 1

Not effective

2

3

4

5

Significantly effective

MONTHLY FACEB ADVERTISING SPOOK END $0 $50 or less $51 - $100 $100 - $250 $251 - $500 More than $500

10 Mobile Electronics  September 2016

U SE OF FACEBOOK ADVERTISING

12%

48% 8% 16% 8% 8%

Yes; frequently / Yes; occassionally selectively / Yes; very seldom we’ve tried it No

33% 33% 17% 17%

SHIFT.

Produced by TM

mobile electronics association

Thank You to Our Partners KnowledgeFest®, the mobile electronics industry’s largest educational event.

Our biggest and best ever with record-breaking attendance.

Our Partners support MEA’s mission to educate, inform and empower the industry!

DIAMOND PARTNERS

PLATINUM PARTNERS

GOLD PARTNERS

SILVER PARTNERS

OEM INTEGRATION SPECIALIST www.cybcar.us navi@cybcar.us 1 888 686 6227

 helpful stuff

The Third Wave: An Entrepreneur’s Vision of the Future by Steve Case BOOKS:

www.thirdwavebook.com

We’re on a roll with the tech revolution and already embarking on what can be called the third wave of the Internet.

According to Steve Case, co-founder of AOL and an accomplished entrepreneur, it will be unlike anything we’ve seen to date transforming the economy and our daily lives.

Paying homage to futurist Alvin Toffler (from whom Case got the book’s title), Case offers insights into some of the most important business decisions of our time and what will happen next. The

first wave was AOL and other companies setting the scene for consumers to connect to the Internet. (Hard to believe, but back in 1985 when AOL came on the scene, just three percent of Americans were online). The second wave has been about apps and services on top of the Internet. This Third Wave will be centered on entrepreneurs transforming industries like health, transportation, energy, and food. Ultimately, Case predicts, tech companies today and of the future—many of which may no longer be based in Silicon Valley—will have to rethink their relationships. The new rules, he writes, are partnerships, policy and perseverance.

SITES TO SEE:

Duolingo

www.duolingo.com

Everyone learns in different ways and learning a new language (Spanish, Italian, German, anyone?) can be an incredible asset in the workplace. Many haven’t attempted it because it can be expensive and time consuming. Until now. Duolingo is like getting access to a private tutor through technology—and it’s free. Offering a game-like approach to linguistic learning, it has earned fans all over the world. There are more than 59 language courses (with more currently in development) across 23 languages.

Every ride is so much sweeter with the

Built for the pro. Designed for custom installation.

And it looks as good as it sounds.

Features: • Connects to any car stereo—no need to replace head unit • Full-color, touchscreen display showing album and channel logos • Includes FM direct adapter (FMDA25), flush mount kit & hardware • Perfect for new or pre-owned vehicles not equipped with satellite radio • Compact size allows for placement flexibility: 4.1" x 1.7" x 0.5"

NEW!

Plus your customers receive

3 Months Free Service

with activation of the All Access Package.

See Offer Details at siriusxm.com/nevermissabeat

Plus Free Activation. Over $70 value.

Contact your local authorized dealer or distributor to get more information about this exciting new product. © 2016 Sirius XM Radio Inc. Sirius, XM and all related marks and logos are trademarks of Sirius XM Radio Inc. All other marks, channel names and logos are the property of their respective owners. All rights reserved.

12 Mobile Electronics  September 2016

APPS/SOFTWARE:

TaskRabbit www.taskrabbit.com

While you’re busy being productive at work, there are countless things that need to get done during any given day. Sometimes it’s nice to have some extra help which is how errand app TaskRabbit comes in handy. The premise is simple: pick a task from the list of popular errands and chores at a set hourly rate. Get your house cleaned before out-of-town guests arrive, have shelves installed, get a prescription picked up. Within minutes of your request, you get connected with a skilled tasker. The tasker completes the job, and bills directly in the app. Taskers, by the way, undergo an extensive selection process and all jobs are insured for $1 million. Cancel or reschedule any task for free with at least 24 hours notice. So next time you’re overwhelmed with too long a to-do list, check out TaskRabbit as an easy way to offload some errands. Active in 19 cities and counting, TaskRabbit is available in San Francisco (Bay Area), New York City, Los Angeles and Orange County, London, Boston, Chicago, Washington DC, Atlanta, Austin, Dallas, Denver, Houston, Miami, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Portland, San Antonio, San Diego, and Seattle.

SERVICES:

Deputy

www.deputy.com

Hiring, firing, training, managing—the upkeep of a retail staff is loads of work especially when it comes to setting up schedules. Time sheets and charts can be headache inducing. With Deputy, you can create, update, and cancel shifts using your mobile device. Employees get schedule updates and notifications wherever they are by messages that are sent by text, email, or the web. Not only is it easier for managers, but staff likes this too for its ease of use with switching days, requesting time off, and other schedule issues. Deputy has reasonable pricing plans that start at $1 per employee per month.

BIGGER, LOUDER, STRONGER The New Memphis

A bold new look, a whole new attitude.

Call your local Memphis Audio rep today to see what the buzz is all about.

800-489-2300

www.memphiscaraudio.com

@memphiscaraudioUSA

@Memphiscaraudio

me-mag.com 13

 knowledgfest 2016

Into High Gear In its 20th year, KnowledgeFest reaches new heights by offering retailers the tools to shift their businesses to coincide with current technology trends.

The event also saw a new batch of industry award winners crowned to help usher in the next era of 12-volt.

WORDS BY TED GOSLIN PHOTOS BY LUCAS FRANGIOSA

14 Mobile Electronics  September 2016

me-mag.com   15

ďƒŽ knowledgfest 2016

Former Installer of the Year Tom Miller teaches a class as part of the Fabricator/Technician education track.

M

ilestones happen every day. People make goals and achieve them. But those milestones are almost never achieved without sacrifice.

After 20 years, KnowledgeFest has reached a rare milestone in the 12-volt industry, having created a place for anyone who loves car audio to come and learn new skills to enhance their craft. This year's event took place at the Hilton Anatole in Dallas, Texas August 20 to 22 and included over 40 exhibitors, 23 classes, nearly 50 product trainings and the culmination of a new round of winners at the 2016 Mobile Electronics Industry Awards. The city has hosted the event since 2010.

To house the event, the Hilton Anatole provided 10 classrooms, a trade show hall, a ballroom for the town hall and industry awards, and access to several restaurants, bars, shops and a brand

16  Mobile Electronics  September 2016

new water park for hotel guests. The city itself also played host to visiting attendees thanks to its wide selection of quality restaurants, including many BBQ joints close to the hotel.

Guests were able to pre-register for classes using the website Kfest.me, which also served as the digital schedule of events for guests to check during the three-day conference. The event marked the first time the website was used as a primary resource for the event schedule.

All of this was presented in cooperation with several manufacturers who operated as sponsors for the event, in addition to the registration fees paid by attendees. However, the largest contributor to the event could not be measured in money or time, but passion. To last 20 years, an event like this would not be possible without a continuous drive from its attendees and educators to help improve the industry and overcome all obstacles

over the years. Thankfully, it has all of the above.

Day 1 - Bad Weather, New Faces Being that Dallas is located in a central location to the rest of the country, one might think it's accessible enough to limit travel issues to a minimum. But mother nature doesn't always play by the rules. Due to inclement weather, many attendees coming from the east coast were delayed up to a day. Some of those attendees were also educators, like Matt Schaeffer, whose class, "The Perfect Pic: Better Photography to Promote Your Business," was postponed until the final day, while taking the place of a cancelled class, "Public Relations: Let the Media Market For You." Thankfully, those were the only courses impacted by the weather problem. Meanwhile, in Dallas, the rain poured on and off like a faucet throughout the event,

Exhibitors brought their A-game this year in terms of high-quality vehicles, which included this Polaris Slingshot (Kenwood, top) and custom Jeep (Orca, right).

while hotel guests, including some KnowledgeFest attendees, kept a close eye on the rain to give themselves enough time at JadeWaters, the new water park on the hotel grounds. The park features a lazy river, swim-up bar and water slides. Despite the lack of pool time available, attendees found plenty of ways to socialize outside of classes, including between classes in the hallways, at the bars, outside with a cigarette, or on the show floor, which started with a bang on day one, with every booth seeing some action from the get-go.

Several companies made their debuts at the show in

2016, all offering a different category of product. Omega Research & Technology came to showcase a wide array of products, but geared its presentation towards the most relevant technologically advanced products, including its new Linker smartphone control app. The platform allows GPS tracking and is designed to incorporate linking between home alarm and vehicle security monitoring. The company, which has been around since 1971, chose to make this year its first at KnowledgeFest due mainly to the evaporating presence of 12-volt companies at shows like SEMA and CES,

Retailer Ashraf Farrag poses for a picture while attending his very first KnowledgeFest.

me-mag.com   17

 knowledgfest 2016

Jeff Fay of Harman delivered a speech on the state of the industry during the Town Hall panel on opening night.

John Schwartz (left) speaks with retailers Mark and Erica Fung (right) while showcasing his latest Soundskins products during the Mobile Electronics Show.

18 Mobile Electronics  September 2016

where it primarily showcased in the past, according to Mike Thompson, product development manager at Omega.

"With technology shifts being so rapid these past few years, dealers are struggling to keep up. The industry needs a regrouping internally so we can figure out where to go," Thompson said. "We're really excited to come to a show with a 100 percent focus on the aftermarket.

There's a solid state of unrest throughout the country so dealers are struggling and are more reluctant to go to shows like SEMA and CES. Although we do a lot of International business, I really feel like KnowledgeFest helps us turn our attention more to our domestic guys."

On the 12-volt accessory front was F.A.S.T. Rings, the foam acoustic sealers that have become a popular commodity thanks partially to their being sold and promoted by Mobile Solutions. The rings represent an expanding market for 12-volt accessory products that saw several other vendors present on the floor as well, including Kingpin University, Mobile Solutions and SoundSkins.

As a trend, the majority of the companies featuring new products either were enhancing already popular products or adding to an emerging market, such as safety. One such product was the Bury Hands Free Car Kit, presented

by John Haynes of Al & Ed's Autosound.

The German manufacturer has decided to branch out into the North American market in preparation for a continuing trend of OEM add-on products in upcoming vehicles.

Speaking of vehicles, the show floor had no shortage, with many vehicles being decked out with the latest products, not just from one company, but multiple companies at once. Installation expert Gary Biggs, for example, brought his own BMW, which featured the new Audiocontrol DSP and Audiofrog component speakers as part of its custom system.

Orca also delivered a show-stealer with its custom Jeep that looked like it was straight out of an Indiana Jones movie.

According the Nalaka Adikari of Orca, the vehicle, which featured a variety of the company's best products, is for sale at a whopping $128,000 price tag.

Arguably the most talked about element of the show, besides the vehicles, was the networking aspect, which took place not just in the booths, but at the tables during the Mobile Electronics Association (MEA) members-only lunch. The lunch provided an opportunity for anyone to sit down with their favorite vendor or retailer and pick their brain about best practices while enjoying a hearty meal.

the OEMs can't respond that fast. This new use case is going to change our world. The car is the best place for that to happen."

to a Tesla dealer with his wife. He noted how the experience caught him off guard being how unique it was compared to a typical visit to a car dealer.

"They didn't mention price or try to sell us a car. They only spoke about technology. They talked about the features of their cars and how exciting they are—how their technology is top tier," Schmitt said. "Their marketing strategy Talk of the Town is different. Someone As day one came to buying a Tesla is geta close, opening night ting it as a secondary kicked off the show with car. They love music the Town Hall presentaand gadgets and the tion, moderated by Chris cars are minimalisCook, president of MEA. tic to look at. Electric Brian Layton (right), owner of former Retailer of the Year Sound In contrast to past years FX, discusses ways to sell safety products, while Steve Witt of Ameri- cars are not going when retailers took the away. As a value propcan Road Products (left) looks on. stage either alone or osition we could put with an equal number of very efficient class D, manufacturers, this year's presentation The theme of the night centered on high-efficiency amps in those cars. Proconsisted purely of manufacturers and how the aftermarket has an opportunity vide a solution for your customers." allowed each panelist a short presentato capitalize on emerging tech categories When asked how the industry can shift tion to give their perspective based on like safety, OEM integration, Bluetooth with emerging technology, the speakers the theme of how retailers can "SHIFT" and the connected car. That opportuemphasized personal expertise overall. with the latest technology trends rather nity is thanks largely to the inability of "Most people have not experienced what than change their entire business model automakers to keep up that pace and the we can do with sound quality. We're the to adapt. fact that the majority of vehicles on the ones who have to go out into the commuThe presenters included Jeff Fay from road in the U.S. today are 11 years old on nity to show what this is all about," said Harman, Brett Riggs from AAMP Global, average, added Brett Riggs from AAMP Manville Smith of JL Audio. Schmitt of Mark Ruttledge from Automotive Data Global.

Mobile Solutions went a step further.

Solutions, Manville Smith of JL Audio After each speaker presented, Cook "We need our own systems in our and Bryan Schmitt of Mobile Solutions. offered the panel several items for cars," stressed Schmitt, who received an Each related current market trends to discussion. The topics included store preapplause for the comment. "We need what their company is doing or their gensentation to customers, types of products something compelling. I put a system eral strategy for the industry to stay on carried and how best to educate customin my wife's car and played her favortop of latest technologies. ers as to what's possible in the vehicle. ite artist, Norah Jones. She cried and "When the MP3 came out, we were a "We need to ask ourselves about what I thought, 'This is what it's all about.'" little slow to embrace that little device. customers want. Do you have something Jeff Fay added to the idea by suggesting We thought CDs would last forever. in your store that gives you gooseowners and managers install systems in The iPod changed the world," said Fay bumps?" Schmitt said. "People who come their employees' cars to help empower from Harman. He went on to explain to us want to personalize their car. That them to take more ownership of both the that we currently live in a world with will never die. We need to add that value products and business as a whole. many eco-systems that until now, did and show the separation from what the not converge. "There are redundancies factory offers to what we offer and why Days 2 and 3 - Voices In The Crowd in ecosystems. Each exists in its own it's better."

On the second day of KnowledgeFest, world. They are months old now instead To illustrate his point, Schmitt told the courses continued to showcase their indiof years, which is good news for us since audience a story about a visit he made vidual popularity with packed rooms full

me-mag.com   19

 knowledgfest 2016

20 Mobile Electronics  September 2016

2016 Mobile Electronics Industry Award Winners Retailer of the Year, Single Store SoundScape Car Audio

Rep Firm of the Year Marketing Pros

Runner Up - Retailer of the Year, Single Store Kingpin Marine & Car Audio

Sales Representative of the Year Kris Bulla

Retailer of the Year, Store Chain Foss Audio & Tint

Top Vendor, Autosound & Video Orca Design & Manufacturing

Runner Up - Retailer of the Year, Store Chain Stereo King Oregon

Top Vendor, Accessories & Materials Mobile Solutions

Installer of the Year Matt Schaeffer

Top Vendor, Connectivity & Integration AAMP Global

Runner Up - Installer of the Year Christerfer Pate

Top Vendor, Security & Convenience Firstech

Trusted Tech Carlos Ramirez

Top Vendor, Safety & Driver Assistance K40 Electronics

Career Achievement Award George “Doc Thunder” Reed

Vendor of the Year AAMP Global

Rookie of the Year Austin Thorne

Most Improved Location or Chain Cartronix Best Online Presence NVS Audio

Expeditor of the Year Auto Trim Design

Best Customer Retention Program Al & Ed’s Autosound

Distributor of the Year AM Distributors

Best Customer Experience Sound Wave Customs TOP 12 INSTALLERS

Bryan Piper, Resonance Auto Craft, Corpus Christi, Texas Charles Brazil, First Coast Auto Creations, Jacksonville, Fla. Brent Leavitt, Low Notes Garage, Boise, Idaho Matt Schaeffer, Safe and Sound Mobile Electronics, Aaron Garcia, Perfectionist Auto Sound and Security, Chantilly, Va. Anchorage, Alaska Christerfer Pate, Mobile Toys, Inc., College Station, Texas Barry Barth, Prestige Car Audio & Marine, Metairie, La. T.J. Carlson, Kingpin Car & Marine Audio, Wilsonville, Ore. Carlos Ramirez, NVS Audio, Linden, N.J. Miguel Vega, Titan Motoring, Nashville, Tenn.

David Cruz, SoundScape Car Audio, Plano, Texas Chris Ott, Amplified Autosports,Tampa, Fla.

TOP 12 RETAILERS

Cartronix, Valparaiso, Ind. SoundScape Car Audio, Plano, Texas Prestige Car Audio & Marine, Metairie, La. Musicar Northwest, Portland, Ore. NVS Audio, Linden, N.J. Kingpin Car & Marine Audio, Wilsonville, Ore.

Cartunes, Atlanta, Ga. GNC Customs, Goshen, Ind. Al & Ed’s Auto Sound, Los Angeles, Calif.

Foss Audio & Tint, Tukwila, Wash.

Mobile Toys, College Station, Texas Stereo King, Portland, Ore.

me-mag.com 21

 knowledgfest 2016 for why retailers should get on board with selling the product, how to select vendor partners and how to approach selling the category to customers. But several retailers in the audience voiced concerns and made suggesMobile Electronics magazine Editor-in-Chief Solomon tions throughout Daniels once again presented the awards as master of the seminar that ceremonies. turned it into more of a discussion and brainstorming session, which was a pleasant surprise to the panelists who welcomed the comments and worked to find solutions.

"I don't want to offer a product to my customers Pete Daley (left) presented the Career Achievement that only lasts 18 Award to car audio legend George “Doc Thunder” Reed (right). months. I want it of eager-to-learn attendees. While topics to last," said Dustin Daigle of Prestige Car like fabricating to factory fit and practiAudio and Marine. "The problem for us is cal tuning for a profit went as expected the liability of it. I don't want to be drillto emphasize all necessary points, there ing holes in someone's car for a product was an element to most courses that prewhen a new one comes out six to eight senters encouraged but could not predict: months later." great questions from attendees.

Witt responded by saying, "That's no In order for attendees to maximize different than when we started Alpine their experience, they are encouraged back in 1979. Those first head units, you'd to participate in a more active manner push eject and the tape went into the by asking questions during classes and back seat. There are definite good and panels. This is understood by presenters bad products, but it's important to know as well, as most made that point known. the products and choose the best partOne example of this took place in the ner that works for you." Former Installer course, "Business Roundtable: Leveraging of the Year Jon Kowanetz also chimed New Opportunities in Safety and Driver in from the crowd. "One big benefit of Assistance." The course consisted of a a demo vehicle is not just to sell things panel that included two retailers, Brian you're one hundred percent confident Layton of Sound FX and Mark Millar in but to use it as a test vehicle for new of Westminster Speed and Sound, and products. Nothing in our vehicle was pertwo manufacturers of safety and driver manently installed. It's an opportunity to assistance products, Steve Witt of Amertest things out without fully committing ican Road Products and Phil Maeda of and not on a customer's car."

Rydeen Mobile Electronics. During the This was a common occurrence in session, the presenters made their case other courses, where attendees brought

22 Mobile Electronics  September 2016

up relevant concerns, with panelists and other attendees helping to find solutions. But that session didn't end with how to find the best vendor partners in safety, but how to sell the products to an unaware public.

Phil Maeda of Rydeen Mobile Electronics chimed in with a James Bond reference, noting how "cool" his in-car gadgets were and how the responsibility to make that fantasy a reality rests with the aftermarket. "A lot of people don't think this category is sexy. It's our job to make it sexy. How can we make it sexy?"

The final two days of the show featured a wide array of class topics, from the hyper specific (“Margin Merchandising: Product Positioning For Profits” with Omar Jawad and John Schwartz) to more general overview (“Training And Retention: A Storewide System That Works For Everyone” with Del Ellis and Brian Layton). The topic of training and employee empowerment became a particular point of interest for Layton, who expanded on the idea during the course, “CEO Roundtable: Identifying and Overcoming Obstacles.”

"A big part of the push in my personal life is I feel I'm a people developer. I've made an investment in myself to put my people in a place where they can win," Layton stressed. "I believe that together, everyone achieves more. I invest back into my company through my people."

To help empower staff to grow and become more valuable to both themselves and the business, he has them write down personal goals then gives them more responsibilities in alignment with those goals to show them a pathway for growth. "When you hand the keys to the kingdom to someone who didn't think they had what it took, it's amazing what you get. As a result we see a whole new mind set from them. My customers are number one but employees come first.

That's my motto."

The owners in that course acknowledged that even the most loyal employees may eventually move on, and an owner needs to be prepared for that. "I think being an entrepreneur is like liquid," said John Schwartz, owner of Perfectionist Auto Sound & Security. "Bruce Lee said

be like water. You have to be fluid. With systems in place, we didn't miss a beat when the sales manager quit."

Some attendees saw the value in attending classes outside their comfort zones as a way to enhance their overall expertise in the field. One such person was Top 12 Installer David Cruz of SoundScape Car Audio.

"KnowledgeFest has always been a great opportunity not just to learn but also to network. You can meet people in person that you've spoken to on social media throughout the year," said David Cruz, Top 12 Installer and lead fabricator for SoundScape Car Audio. "Other than the fabrication classes that I attended, the owner/manager classes are great for learning cool techniques on selling and getting more money into the door."

As the sessions continued, addressing concerns became a continuous theme in each class as some presenters, like John Haynes of Al & Ed's Autosound, knew how to address the biggest problems of their topics ahead of time based on years of experience on the topic. During his class on how to compete with the Internet, Haynes stressed the importance of making sure customers come out to a shop and make a purchase so that shop can retain future business with that customer.

"Sixty-eight percent of people who are unhappy with businesses don't ever return. That's a lesson I had to learn the hard way at the start of my career," Haynes said. He explained how a customer drove to his store on a rainy day and asked him to match the price of a competitor. He asked his installer about it and eventually turned it down citing that the price was too low and wouldn't be worth it to his shop's bottom line. That customer wound up going to the competitor, doing continuous business with them and sending all their friends to that shop.

The owner of the competitor thanked Haynes for the business. When Haynes told his boss, his response was obvious.

Haynes messed up. His lesson was shared for the benefit of the class.

In order for retailers to compete with both competitors and the Internet, they need to be willing to "split the baby," as

Haynes put it.

"I've never believed in discounting your labor. I believe you're worth it if you believe you're worth it," he said. "If you do the math, labor is a critical part; cash will be the same or more. The fear is that you'll lower your margin. You don't bank margin, you bank money."

The Big Night No matter how many classes retailers attend, how many conversations they engage in or how many products they view on the show floor, for 12-volt retailers, sales staff and installation technicians, there is arguably no greater moment than hearing your name called for one of the top awards in the industry.

The 2016 Mobile Electronics Industry Awards took place in the Imperial ballroom, located within the Hilton Anatole premises. The ballroom (the same one used for the Town Hall presentation) was chosen for its size, given the larger number of attendees this year, estimated to be over 1,200.

The night began with dinner and drinks for all guests, who were seated at round tables throughout the ballroom, some being reserved for award nominees, including the Top 12 Installers and Retailers.

Chris Cook introduced the awards by stating that this year's KnowledgeFest is the best ever, with both a record number of exhibitors and retailers attending.

After his introduction, Solomon Daniels, editor-in-chief of Mobile Electronics magazine, began his hosting duties by noting how much fun the event was this year, along with the process for judging of this year's awards.

"It was a great experience judging this year. The entries weren't super serious but were well done, from the Top 50 entries, all the way to the Top 12," Daniels said.

The awards kicked off with the vendor award category, with Best Vendor, Audio and Video going to Orca Design & Manufacturing. Another award of note went to K40 for Top Vendor, Safety & Driver Assistance.

"We were talking at our table earlier that our first KnowledgeFest was in 2010, right after I acquired K40 Electronics,

and literally no one would speak to us," said Peggy Finley, president of K40 Electronics. "They didn't like our company and certainly didn't like our products.

And because of all of you with all of your input and because of our desire to be better, this really means a lot. Now we have a thousand friends that we didn't have before."

One standout element of the show was with the audio/video causing issues at different points, including during the presentation of the Career Achievement Award to George "Doc Thunder" Reed, who had a dedication video with various industry notables speaking on his behalf.

Luckily, Pete Daley of rep firm Marketing Pros, spoke on his behalf, noting his contributions to the industry as a founder of sound-off competitions and the overall impact he's had on the industry in the 1980s and 90s. The video can be viewed at: https://vimeo.com/180209348.

The industry awards concluded with the Retailer of the Year awards going to Foss Audio & Tint for best store chain and hometown favorite SoundScape Car Audio taking it home for single store.

Carlos Ramirez received the coveted Trusted Tech award, while Christerfer Pate of Mobile Toys received the Installer of the Year Runner-up trophy. Vendor of the Year went to AAMP Global while Rep of the Year went to Kris Bulla.

Perhaps the most notable moment from the awards came after its conclusion, with Installer of the Year winner Matt Schaeffer delivering his acceptance speech in full tuxedo via YouTube video.

Schaeffer had to leave the show early due to his wife on the verge of going into labor that day. Thanks to clever editing, he injected himself into a video taken of his award presentation at the event.

"This community opened my eyes to the real possibilities to the quality of work that can be achieved in this industry," Schaeffer said. "If you are that guy out there that's where I was six years ago and you are stuck in routine, get out there, shake it up and be better than yesterday."

The next scheduled event is KnowledgeFest Spring Training on April, 10-12, 2017. ď‚ľ

me-mag.com   23

 retail news

The Ideal Model Model Electronics has been in business 40 years and combines several factors, including nimbleness, to adapt to continued changes in the industry.

WORDS BY ROSA SOPHIA

Left to Right: Todd Thompson, George Rath, Pete Loveras, Luis Reyes, Dan Winston, Bekim Hoxha, Emmanuel (Manny) Angeles-Paniagua, and Andy Mon

24 Mobile Electronics  September 2016

C

ontinuing to succeed in the 12-volt industry has proven difficult for many in today’s market, but Model Electronics in Ramsey, N.J. has reached a significant milestone despite it all—40 years in business. According to the company, they began in 1976 repairing CBs, radios and speedometers. In April of 1987, Thomas Churchill joined Model. In 2003, he became VP and one of three owners.

“I’m day-to-day. The other two are semi-retired,” Churchill said. Ten years ago, the company moved from New York to New Jersey—six miles away—having outgrown their location. “The other portion of our business had grown substantially, so the company moved in separate divisions.

What we did was, instead of leaving the retail location in New York, we put it across from a slew of car dealerships in a busy part of New Jersey,” Churchill said. The business was upgraded to a brand new facility. “It’s one of the best-looking locations for car audio, car anything … anything to do with 12-volt around.” Currently, the retail location has nine employees, and the company owns two

warehouses. “We distribute all across the US for different OEs on a constant basis. We do a lot, all tied to 12-volt.”

The focus of Model is on the retail side, which grew an “unprecedented 25 percent year over year,” Churchill said.

“We’re on target to be 10 over that. Our focus is adding features to vehicles.” He cited collision avoidance as an example. Model also installs a lot of amplifiers and custom systems. “We still do remote starts, even though that’s dwindling.”

Versatility is an important factor when it comes to the longevity of the company. “Because we’re a single store, we can be extremely nimble,” Churchill explained, stating that what the business focuses on can change with the market. “We quickly refocus to what it is that’s actually popular at the time, so we’re not stuck or drawn down. We’ve also invested a lot of money into various things in the technology side.

As cars become more complicated, we’re able to handle them as they come out. That’s extremely important.”

Churchill stated that Model is “fully capitalized to the utmost.” Of the 12-volt

a specific audience, Model gets results. “That’s when you’re successful, when you target your ultimate customer.” They even advertise on the Hallmark Channel, because a big portion of their customer base is female.

“In the retail location, as cars started to change, our advertising money and everything else we spent was extremely low. As cars became more sophisticated, less upgrades became available. We knew we’d have to get the message out,” Churchill said. “We went to television, print, web services, and we invest constantly a huge portion of money on advertising.

We have a customer appreciation day with a cookout. Tons of people stop by. It’s to get the people back into the store that have been previous customers, not to get them to buy. It’s a really good way to give back to the customers.”

He attributes the success of the company to the people they surround themselves with. One of Model’s installers has been with the company for 23 years, while another has been with them for 18. Other staff members have been with the company for eight and nine years. “Our employees are most important to us,” he said, “and by doing the right thing by the employees, we get the best results.” 

»

industry, he said, “This is absolutely one of the worst times I’ve ever seen. That is a big, big point of contention with everybody.”

Model’s ability to adapt is one of the keys to its continued success.

“There are new solutions for vehicles and we take full advantage of that. From a technical standpoint, we understand. We share that over to our retail side. I think that’s one of our absolute mainstays—our ability to understand functionally what is changing and how everything goes.”

Marketing and advertising locally helps keep Model top-ofmind. “We also give to various charities. We think that’s very important, giving back to the community,” Churchill said. “We purchase baseball field signs for little league. It’s building the brand. People say, ‘I need this, I’m going to Model.’ We’re very structured in the colors of our logos, our website. We do not sell over the web.” When it comes to competing with the Internet, Model focuses on the customers’ needs. If applicable, they will install equipment that a customer purchased over the Web. “We will install anything in new condition.”

Television has been the best advertising tool for the company. “It depends how you do it,” Churchill added. By ensuring the advertisements are targeted to

Who’s Who John Draper

Custom Tint & Sound Covington, Ga. Years of industry experience: 24 Hobbies: Motorcross and family What you’re really good at: I’m honest, sometimes too honest

Kevin Cornutt Stereo King Portland, Ore.

Years of industry experience: 32 Hobbies: Family and traveling What you’re really good at: Looking at the problem calmly and able to solve it rationally

Ted Stotz

Installation Plus Escondido, Calif.

Years of industry experience: 38 Hobbies: Music, classic cars, bikes, leather tooling What you’re really good at: Adapting to changes in the mobile electronics industry

Nick Akin

Musicar Northwest Portland, Ore. Years of industry experience: 10 Hobbies: Experiencing art What you’re really good at: Elevating the client experience and empowering others with the tools to succeed

me-mag.com 25

One Plus Two

As a former Top 12 installer known for his fabrication skills, Schuh made sure that crafting top quality builds in the same vein is a big focus at his shop.

Left to right: Jamie Schuh, Mark Kauffman and John Cage.

After going from a one-man show to hiring two new employees, Spokane Audio Video Experts has been able to take on a higher volume of work.

WORDS BY ROSA SOPHIA

Until recently, Spokane Audio Video Experts in Spokane Valley, Wash. consisted of only its owner, Jamie Schuh, who started out about 11 years ago as an expeditor for car dealerships. In 2015, he was named a Top 12 Installer. Now, the business consists of Schuh, Mark Kauffman and John Cage. “My overall sales for this year are hopefully going to be about double what I did last year,” he said.

When the expeditor side of the business no longer interested him, he “focused more on retail and the custom side of it, and my wife and I moved where I built a shop just for the retail portion of it.” The shop does a lot of high-end custom audio builds.

It can be difficult to find good employees, especially in the 12-volt industry. In Schuh’s case, things happened naturally.

“They were working for some competitors in town and they started following the work I was doing—builds, custom stuff,” he said. “They contacted me about wanting a job. And then I got to a point where I was busy, so I took one up on it. And the

26 Mobile Electronics  September 2016

same with the next employee. Kept getting busier and busier.”

Since Spokane Audio Video Experts does not have a traditional retail store, Schuh’s employees can fill the role of either salesmen or installers. “They are 95 percent installers. I do 95 to 98 percent of the sales,” Schuh said. “I always encourage them to sell if they get the opportunity. We’re a word-of-mouth shop.

We don’t advertise. Nothing like that. All we really do is Facebook posts and Instagram posts and we rely on referrals.”

Schuh runs the business out of a 40 by 84 foot building. “The front 40 by 60 is our main work area for cars and boats and all that,” he explained. “The rear 24 by 40 is our fabrication room and bathroom. When you walk into the shop, you’re walking into where we’re working.

We don’t have a storefront or display. We don’t believe in that. We show the cars we’re working on and let them listen to those.”

Having extra help has allowed Schuh to generate more business. “Before, I

didn’t quite get to everything in time, so there were a few deals that I probably lost because I booked out too far. It’s improved on that end.”

Most recently, “We’ve done a couple wakeboard boats—Nautique—that have been pretty big builds, eight amps in each boat, multiple batteries. We’re using sound processors like Mosconi where there’s not very many people in the marine market doing that type of stuff.”

Schuh advised businesses not to be afraid to lose a sale because of higher cost. “I learned that the hard way over 10 years, always trying to get every sale. Usually the customer that wants it for cheap is not going to be happy no matter what.

I think we’re still below industry average for what we charge, but we produce in the top 10 percent of quality work.”

He also reminded owners to make sure they invest in good tools to get the job done right. “That’s what’s made a big difference for us,” he said. “Don’t try to cut corners on materials. You’ll end up doing it twice.”

S

T G IDE U

AL

LO

ER/STO RE

FI

HICL E

DE

VE

CATORS

TE

CHNICAL

OBD-II

ALLATIO ST

T

RO

P

M

AN

IN

NTENT CO

N

CATORS

AGEME

N

LO

P P ORT

T IN

O

GRAM

S

SU

ERNET

F T N GS HI

Installation Everything.

me-mag.com 27 www.InstallerNet.com • 800-444-1644

 new products

The Best of KnowledgeFest 2016!

Alpine Electronics www.alpine-usa.com

Notable: Alpine Electronics of America, Inc. has expanded its lineup of Jeep Wrangler products with the introduction of the HCE-TCAM1-WRA rear view camera system, which is now shipping. The HCE-TCAM1-WRA is compatible with the 2007Up Jeep Wrangler JK and is the company’s second camera system developed for a specific vehicle.

AudioControl DM-810 DSP www.audiocontrol.com

Notable: This 8-channel in, 10-channel out DSP processor includes speaker and line level digital audio inputs, Bluetooth capability and a USB port.

The device can be tuned in conjunction the Audiocontrol Mobile Tools app.

Audiofrog Multi-seat Stereo www.audiofrog.com

Notable: The Multiseat Stereo™ made its debut at KnowledgeFest 2016 and is designed to provide precise audio staging for every seat. It is the first multichannel audio processing platform developed and optimized specifically for the automotive aftermarket. Audiofrog’s Multiseat Stereo is made possible through a collaboration with PerfectSurround, maker of an award-winning multichannel upmixing process in use by top film, broadcast and recording studios in over 50 countries.

The development of Multiseat Stereo signals the beginning of a product line expansion for Audiofrog, which plans to introduce digital signal processors with Multiseat Stereo and complementary amplifiers that also include DSP in 2017.

28 Mobile Electronics  September 2016

Bracketron Multi-Vehicle Mounts www.bracketron.com

Notable: The Multi-Vehicle Mounts (MVM) offer a way to ‘hard mount’ a phone or tablet holder in a vehicle, according to the company. Each kit includes the MVM-15 and MVM35 mounting brackets, phone or tablet holder plus adapter plate and hardware. These mounts allow professional installers to creatively cut, bend and shape each bracket for a factory-like holder in virtually any car. MSRP for the kits range between $24.99 and $39.99.

The show featured over 40 exhibitors with the latest in aftermarket technology. Also featured this issue are accessory products from Bracketron and FLI Charge.

Bury Hands Free Car Kit www.bury.com

Notable: Making its debut at KnowledgeFest, this German manufacturer has partnered John Haynes of Al & Ed’s Autosound to showcase its hands free kit to the U.S. and North American market. All versions of the kits feature Bluetooth, micro USB phone charging, auxiliary input ports and 30 Watt built-in amplifiers.

F.A.S.T. Rings

www.fastringsinc.com/ Notable: The 12-volt accessory company attended its first KnowledgeFest to feature its sole product, the F.A.S.T., acoustically sealing transducer rings. The rings come in sizes of 5x7, 6x9, 8-inch, 5.25-inch and 6.5-inch sizes. Prices range between $24.99 and $29.99 per kit.

FLI Charge And MITO Revive In-vehicle Charging Device www.flicharge.com

Notable: FLI Charge and MITO Corporation have introduced ReVive, a new wireless charging system for cars and other transportation vehicles. Unlike other in-car charging systems, the FLI Charge ReVive 36-watt charging system can charge multiple devices simultaneously and is “significantly more powerful than existing inductive in-vehicle chargers,” according to the company. Consumers will be able to charge smartphones, tablets and all other USB powered devices using a FLIcase or one of the universal FLIcube or FLIcoin adapters, placed anywhere, in any direction on the surface of the ReVive system.

JL Audio System Tuning DSPs www.jlaudio.com

Notable: JL Audio has created TwK-88 and TwK-D8 system tuning DSPs that use an in-house software which allows the installer to tune the vehicle. The adjustments and settings can be made via computer by users of any skill level (beginning, intermediate and expert) using JL Audio’s TwK-TuN app.

The expert level allows full manual controls with input mixer, parametric EQ and signal diagnostics. me-mag.com 29

 new products

Kenwood DDX374BT Monitor Receiver www.kenwood.com/usa/car/

Notable: The 2017 product offering from Kenwood is a double-DIN monitor receiver with Bluetooth compatibility, dual phone connection slots and offers one video input for rear view cameras, wireless music browsing and Android Rapid Charge.

Kingpin University Seat Buddy www.kingpincaraudio.com

Notable: This installation tool acts as a table for in-vehicle work. Soldering tools and Tesa tape can sit conveniently in the side pockets and allow the user to solder directly on the main area of the table to keep from damaging the car at all. The table includes a magnetic tray to keep screws secure during installation.

MECP Database Upgrade www.mecp.com

Notable: The database now boasts Microsoft Dynamic CRM and gives the ability to track individual certification and where they are working. The features provide a platform to eventually provide consumers with a locator to get products installed by Master Certified technicians.

30 Mobile Electronics  September 2016

Mobile Solutions Polarity Tester www.mobilesolutions-usa.com

Notable: The latest item from Mobile Solutions is an accessory that comes with its own disk and generates the tone to test polarity. The Pt2 is priced at $60.

www.mosconi-america.com/

Omega Research Linker Smartphone Control App

Notable: Said to be the highest resolution signal processor on the market when it is released, the H12 will accept a 32-bit 192 kHz signal. The device has two digital inputs and one digital outputs, will have an MSRP of $1,399 and is scheduled to ship in October.

Notable: The platform allows GPS tracking in addition to its initial service plan which has been restructured to allow the new service. The app will also allow linkage to home alarm and DIY home and car monitoring.

Mosconi H-12 Processor

Sony XAV-AX10 Head Unit With Smartphone Compatibility www.sony.com/electronics/car-marine

Notable: Sony Electronics has announced its new XAVAX100 in-car audio system, featuring Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility. The XAV-AX100 receiver offers the latest smartphone connectivity with the ability to play a variety of media files and get the most up-to-date information on-the-go.

www.caralarm.com

VOXX Electronics Radar Based Blind Spot System www.voxxelectronics.com

Notable: With a sensor that’s built into the inside of the bumper, there is no need for drills for Voxx’s latest safety product offering. The kit also includes an accelerometer and infrasonic technology that blocks red light cameras.

me-mag.com 31

real world retail

Collective Independence Ed Weber has mastered the art of leading by example, allowing his chain of 12-volt shops to operate independently thanks to his belief in individual responsibility.

WORDS BY TED GOSLIN

Ed Weber, Owner of Foss Audio & Tint

32 Mobile Electronics  September 2016

Four-star United States military general "Stormin" Norman Schwarzkopf was known for successfully driving out Saddam Hussein's Iraqi forces from Kuwait in 1991. To his troops, he was known as a man of great wisdom and leadership who believed in individual responsibility. He once said, "The truth of the matter is that you always know the right thing to do. The hard part is doing it.” Schwarzkopf's words carried beyond his troops and impacted one man in particular: Ed Weber, owner of 12-volt chain Foss Audio & Tint.

The company consists of four retail stores located in cities just South of Seattle, Wash., which include Tacoma, Kent, Tukwila and Puyallup. With 26 employees under his watch, Weber doesn't have time to babysit. Having a military background has helped him learn the value of independence, which includes following the words of Schwarzkopf when it comes to trusting his employees to know and do "the right thing" for the business. But those aren't the only words from the late general Weber found use in.

"Norman Schwarzkopf said he's so successful because he makes decisions fast. 'The enemy will spend so long but I'll make a decision so fast that I'll make the second before they've made their first,'" Weber said. "Sometimes it's better to make the wrong decision so at least you find out it was wrong faster. But it's gotta be a close debate.

Sometimes the answer's obvious and simple. If it's close, just make the decision. I literally flipped a coin to decide which house I was going to buy."

While quick decisions and self-reliance are important to Weber, he also acknowledges that not just anyone has what it takes to be a leader. "We're management light. It's the hardest position of all to fill. The traditional theme of making your best performer your manager is flawed. Just because I'm a great salesperson doesn't mean I'm going to be a great manager of people," he said. "I was a good salesman so I got to be a manager, but I don't know that the two things necessarily have any correlation. I look for somebody who can help build a team."

Acoustic Intelligence Given his knowledge of the Tao of Schwarzkopf, it's fitting that Weber spent time in the military—the Air Force, to be exact. But a military background isn't all he brings to the table as a mobile electronics expert.

"I've always been into music. I DJ'd when I was in the service. When I got out after four years, I was applying for jobs everywhere," Weber said. "I found a guy who needed someone who knew audio and I did, so I went to Smith's Home Furnishings and sold home appliances and electronics like big screen TVs, washers and dryers."

After working his way up the ladder and being promoted to manager, he moved with the shop to Florida, only to find himself out of work when the company went bankrupt a short time later. " They were sued for false advertising. It cost them over a quarter of a million dollars cash fine," Weber said. "The biggest thing I learned there was to find someone who's good at something and copy what they do. They went bankrupt right before Christmas. I went to work for the Good Guys, worked there one year then got a job as distributor rep for Pana Pacific, a long-time 12-volt distributor."

During this time, Weber was able to hone his skills as a salesman, working directly with retailers all throughout his territory in the Pacific Northwest. "I went to stores to sell product in circles until somebody said yes and they were my guy. It was challenging in the beginning because there was not a lot of income. I did pretty good there," Weber said.

To help each facility run more smoothly, employees are empowered to operate independently, without direct oversight from management.

me-mag.com   33

real world retail

FAST FACTS

Foss Audio & Tint www.loveyourstereo.com

Foss Audio & Tint is a chain of four retail stores located in four different cities in Washington state: Tacoma, Kent, Tukwila and Puyallup. The Tukwila store consists of 10,000 square feet, while Takoma has 5,000 square feet, and the remaining two have 4,000 square feet each.

Each store (except Tukwila) has roughly the same layout with 600 square feet of showroom space, 400 square feet of stockroom/office and the rest of the square footage used for the install bay. The Tukwila location has double the space in each aforementioned section. All locations are located next to high traffic areas for both vehicles and walking traffic. Primary marketing includes word-of-mouth, regional car shows, social media, email newsletters, mailers and Google Adwords. The stores have 26 total employees.

KEY STAFF

Owner - Ed Weber Marketing and Merchandising Manager Jay Smalls

The company recently took a bus ride to Audiocontrol’s Seattle headquarters for a product training, which provided both a team-building opportunity and education on new products.

34 Mobile Electronics  September 2016

Spending most of his time on the road, Weber established relationships with some of the top retailers in the country, including John Coleman, owner of Stereo King in Portland, Ore. Weber next went to work with Clarion under the tutelage of Bud Coe, who worked directly under Coleman previously, until Coleman opened Stereo King.

"That was a whole different animal. I had what was closer to A-line structure.

I was a distributor rep in a smaller line. It's different than being a factory rep," Weber said. "I started distribution with Coe. That went well. The Northwest was always a great market for Clarion."

After three years of working for Clarion, the company laid off a large number of reps, including Weber, which led him to work for Bob Oliver at Oliver Marketing. One of his clients at the firm was Foss Audio, a struggling chain that had closed two locations due to poor business. Having seen the success that Coleman had with his chain and having built up a strong knowledge base on the 12-volt industry from his time as a sales rep, Weber saw an opening.

"When their store manager called me to see if they could carry Rockford, I saw they were in Washington and the other was in Oregon. I said I had a 'friend' who wanted to buy a store. The 'friend' was me, of course," Weber said.

"I thought about it for a long time. When you're a rep you have all these theories of what you want to do with a business like that, but I wanted to find out."

He made the decision to buy the business and cashed out his 401K to use as the

down payment and starting funds. The first store opened on December 23, 2002. "I went in on a shoe-string budget. It makes it so much more difficult. I had to go to my former boss and get a display and assemble it myself early in the morning before the store opened," Weber said. The lack of start-up cash extended beyond displays and into product. "If I sold four items, I had to go pick up those four items before the store opened the next morning."

Despite his early struggles, Weber was able to turn a profit and eventually decided to purchase a second store in Issaquah. As the years passed, the business continued its upward trend, resulting in the expansion of three more shops. While the company currently has four shops, having lost its lease on the Issaquah location, Weber is confident they will soon be back online with the fifth shop.

"Two months ago is when the Issaquah store closed and we're looking at new options as we speak.

That one was kind of weird.

The showroom and install bay were in separate buildings but in the same parking lot," Weber said. "Things work out the way they should."

Line Of Sight Today, the business is in a continuous state of growth, with more revenue coming in with four stores than it did with five, according to Weber.

"When we open up the new one we'll grow even more. As long as we keep getting better, our business will keep growing," he added.

For Weber, solid profitability begins with a strong

presentation. The layouts of each store are different due to the building design of each. "We definitely put our own flavor and spin on them.

Every store I bought was a little bit tired. You put some fresh energy, a fresh coat of paint, freshen up the displays, re-laminate and it's surprising how much impact that has," Weber said.

Each shop consists of a small showroom and large installation bay, to keep the focus less on displays and more on the needs of the customer. "We don't have 20 radios on display, we have a couple of radios. Whenever we display merchandise, we have a video display above it," Weber said. "It seems modern and warm but not your typical walk into a stereo store where there's 36 head units on display. If you want information, look at the 32-inch TV in front of the radio. Our biggest merchandise strategy was born out of necessity."

Of the 26 total employees, each store consists of two to three technicians and one or two sales staff.

Shops are effectively run by the employees on site, with no store manager employed.

Weber acts as a regional manager, frequently checking each shop on his own, but admits he could use some help in that capacity.

"I would like someone to be a regional manager for us.

When I hired the first one years ago, I looked for someone tougher than me because I'm the nice guy boss. Big mistake," Weber said. "Always look for someone who is going to build your team. When you've got five people, the structure for the most part is 'do what you know is right.'

You don't need a big complicated employee manual.

You shouldn't have to explain that they need to show up on time."

Due to the company's commission-based pay structure, all employees are empowered to run the business as their own without the need for immediate oversight. It also helps that the majority of employees have vast experience, with the average age being around 35 years old.

That's not to say that each store doesn't have a designated leader to take charge, but no person has been designated with the "Manager" title for each store, per se.

This system allows Weber to try different people out in the role, not so much to find the next manager as to give them all the experience of leadership.

"There's usually a guy at each store who is a leader.

We sometimes let different people do that so everybody gets to grow into that role," he said. "We do meetings; I'll have different people run the meeting. I try to give everybody an opportunity to be that person."

Staff are trained in-house to adhere to company procedures, with most acquired from inside the industry. "We used to steal them from Car Toys; we don't have a bad relationship with them. I used to work with them as a rep. We still have a relationship but it's more competitive in nature," Weber explained.

"In the past we mostly hired people from other shops.

We're starting more and more to train them from scratch.

The nice thing if you train them that way is they do things your way. When you

me-mag.com   35

real world retail

The shops conduct regular in-house trainings using conference rooms like this.

Product is stocked so well that Foss runs frequent sales to off-load unsold items.

What Friends Are For

“A key vendor of ours is Kenwood.

I’ve been with them for over 15 years.

Their reps are very understanding and cooperative.

“Our top-selling product from them is the KDC-X500. Customers like the improved sound quality through Bluetooth. I’m most excited about their Apple CarPlay products.

“They support us as a retailer by working directly with us individually and as a member of M.E.S.A.” 36 Mobile Electronics  September 2016

hire people from other shops, they know more but also have more bad habits."

Health insurance is provided for all employees after a six-month evaluation period.

As an added benefit, Weber even provides employees free financial advice on occasion.

"I do occasionally give money management classes, talking to guys about investing their money. The better their lives are financially, the happier they are," he said.

Happiness is key to making employees feel welcome, and contributes to the average tenure of five years, according to Weber. That idea works in congress with the entrepreneurial spirit he's instilled with the pay structure. "They're running their own business. We just happen to run business together. I really look at them as business partners; that's why they stick around."

Company meetings are held once a month and feature regular training on new products and process changes.

As a special treat, the whole company recently took a trip to Audiocontrol to participate in a nine-hour training, loading up on a party bus and enjoying food and drink at the Seattle-based facilities.

"We walked away with everybody being much smarter, both about their products and audio in general," Weber said. "We also do our own in-house monthly training with reps on how to improve and the next month we discuss how it went."

Base of Operations With a well-trained, happy staff of experts in each store, the company can direct its attention toward customer

satisfaction, its most potent sales tool. The breakdown of work at Foss consists of around 10 percent for window tinting, 10 percent for custom work, 20 percent for vehicle interlocks (from DUI convictions), and the remaining 60 percent in traditional audio (receivers, speakers, amps), alarms, remote starts and safety products (backup cameras and sensors).

Being that each store is located in a different town, the custom demographic varies. "Kent is culturally diverse with lots of small tickets making it more of a grind. The Puyallup store has a fair amount of custom and classic cars. Takoma sells big bass while Tukwila is a mix of custom, regular retail and commercial, being that it's located in a big business, industrial area," Weber explained.

Procedurally speaking, when a customer walks through the door, staff avoid the standard, "How are you doing?" question. Instead, they are more topical, asking direct questions like, "Did you come in for the sale today?"

They also lead with qualifying comments about the customer's vehicle to break the ice.

Next, a tour of the store is offered (if there's time), along with an explanation of what sets Foss apart from its competitors. "We use superior installation techniques.

On our Facebook page, we post pics of installations we do with caption that says, 'Who does this?' It'll show five different connections of a harness on a radio from a previous shop. That means there were five different installers who thought they should get a new harness and do it right,"

Weber said. "Then we show them what we do in a comparison picture where wires are soldered and heat-shrinked. We don't call out the perpetrator, though."

All employees wear vendor-supplied shirts with their name and company logo embroidered on them. Each facility is equipped with waiting rooms that include big screen TVs, Keurig coffee makers, water dispensers, charging stations for cell phones and movies. "An install can take six hours. You've got to make sure they are comfortable," Weber said. "At the Tukwila store there's a park next door so grown-up kids can play frisbee."

To acknowledge the delicacy of what his interlock customers are going through, Weber went the extra mile. "For customers who got a DUI and are waiting for an interlock, we offer them a separate waiting room. We don't want them to get embarrassed."

Scouting Reports While Weber claims the technique sales

staff use to fully qualify customers right when they walk in is commonly used in the industry, there's another reason he believes so strongly in it. "I send secret shoppers to competitors’ stores. Those competitors don't consistently sell or go to cars. We try to do the right things consistently. That's why we do well," he said.

Knowing what other shops do also helps Weber to know how hard he can push for a sale with customers. He stresses that while some in the industry think pressure is bad, he argues it's good up to a point.

"We don't want to avoid sales pressure. Uncomfortable pressure is bad.

But I think putting a little pressure on a customer is a good thing," Weber said.

"The way to overcome that is to teach them how to do it without being negative. Pressure is relative. You don't want the customer to feel beat down when they leave. Any great salesman uses pressure as part of their arsenal. I don't think you can be a great salesman without pressure."

Weber added that competition between salesmen for bonuses and spiffs can be a good thing, too, as long as there is balance and fair play. "Competition between salesmen is good. I want them to feel competitive with one another. Just not in a bad way. Not all competition is negative," he said. They need to understand where the line is drawn. The line is a lot further away than most people think it is."

Transmission Received To promote his stores, Weber budgets about three percent of total sales on marketing. Given that it's such a small amount, he makes sure to use it as efficiently as possible by dividing it into three categories: social media, Google Adwords advertising and promotional events like car and boat shows.

"The Good Guys Car Show is a national event that goes all over. It's a big classic car show. We go there either to have a booth or spend time and energy passing

Sony is a registered trademark of Sony Corporation of America. JVC is a registered trademark of JVCKENWOOD USA Corporation. Pioneer is a registered trademark of Pioneer Electronics (USA) Inc.

me-mag.com   37

real world retail

Although only 10 percent of the company’s business is custom work, all stores have fully-equipped fabrication rooms.

A Good Friday

“The best promotional event we ever put on was a Black Friday event. You can do it, you just have to work at it.

“Our goal was to have a better than average day.

It’s always just been a normal day sales.

“We planned by having promotion-worthy things that will draw attention. We worked on vendors to have it all in place we had a plan not to just sell a bunch of cheap stuff but to have steps that made sense. You have to promote well in advance; make fliers, hand them out a few weeks in advance.

“The major components of the plan were to sell specific items, have staff excited and sell items in order. We had some contests specific to selling certain items. The first ticket over $100 gets $50.

“The biggest challenge we had was our own mind set that nobody wants to come here on Black Friday, they all want to go to Walmart for a $13 80-inch TV. The way we overcame that was putting a promotion together that was strong with really good deals.

“Our goal was met. It was the first year we exceeded it. We wanted to do double what we normally did on a Black Friday. We definitely exceeded that.

“What we would have done differently is have more promotion and put more dollars into advertising.”

38 Mobile Electronics  September 2016

out cards," Weber said. "With the 10 by 20 booth, we meet and greet, give out prizes and just have a good time. It's just as important that you have fun as it is to sell. People go to car shows to have a good time, not to experience a sales process."

In addition to those strategies, and word-of-mouth, the company sends out regular e-newsletters and mailers for promotional events. It gets help from M.E.S.A. (Mobile Electronics Specialists of America), a membership group that provides retailers with group buying help and marketing services. "M.E.S.A. really helps with our seasonal marketing. They already have it put together for us for the 4th of July sale, Mother's Day sale and others. You pick which one you want and go," Weber said. "There's a lot of work that goes into that."

While the company does not do tent sales due to the competitive edge that Car Toys has in that event, it does participate in every major holiday and conducts inventory blowouts every month. "I haven't found a month yet that I don't want to blow out my inventory," Weber said.

Lead By Example As a Top 12 Retailer and finalist for this year's Retailer of the Year award, Foss has certainly reached what some consider as a pinnacle in its 14-year history. For Weber, those achievements are well-earned.

"We've been in the top 50 four years in a row, two times in the Top 12. I now feel that I deserve it. I do appreciate consistency," he said. "The biggest factor to our success is that we keep trying to get better. We added Delphi connectors six to eight months ago. It's a much better connector than what we had before. What have you done in the last year to make your installs better?"

Part of continuous improvement includes learning from mistakes, Weber acknowledged. "I make mistakes hiring or firing.

You're going to go through those," he said. "The other major learning experience was in 2008 when the economy went bad. That was tough.

When the state tells you they need to go into your bank account and take money. I made deals with reps and

when they are in need. "Mark Tombrowski, a regional manager for Audiovox, was in a bad motorcycle accident. On September 24, I'm going to hold a casino night fundraiser for him at the Tukwila store.

There's a Facebook page for event," Weber said. "Part of it

“When you’ve got five people, the structure for the most part is ‘do what you know is right.’ You don’t need a big complicated employee manual. You shouldn’t have to explain that they need to show up on time.”

-Ed Weber employees and they all got paid. You learn as you go, but you can't call it a mistake if you were doing something you just didn't know. A mistake would be thinking you know everything and stop trying to get better. Fortunately, we haven't made that one yet."

Keeping in touch with other retailers throughout the country has been a big part of Weber's education over the years. Not only does he attend trade shows like KnowledgeFest, but he goes to other retailers for advice and best practices.

"I've traveled the country to visit other retailers who I think are good to see what they do and learn from them.

I worked with Tom Miller at Pana Pacific. I notice that he travels around learning from people. As good as he is, he doesn't think he knows everything," Weber said. "If you are that guy, you probably won't be that guy very long."

Aside from learning, Weber believes in helping others within the 12-volt community

is to raise money and part to let Mark know that as a community we are there for him."

To reach the highest heights of 12-volt, Weber believes above all that self-belief and keeping an eye on the present are key components.

"As an industry we need to stop convincing ourselves that we're going to be obsolete in a few years. New cars are a small percentage of our business. They always have been and always will be. The more complicated they make cars, the more they beat us," Weber said. "I've been here a long time, approaching 30 years in the industry. We seem to always figure it out. Today is the future's 'good ol' days.'

Every five years, what was the 'good ol’ days' becomes newer.

Staying profitable in this business is two-fold. Appreciate what you have and keep trying to get better. For every guy who closes his shop that thinks business is horrible, there's a young kid opening his shop who thinks it's awesome." 

Mr. Bad Mouth

“We had an employee hold an SPL contest in our parking lot. They told everyone to buy online and the focus was not to buy from our stores. 40 cars competed. I’d say that about 150 to 200 people showed up.

“The people we threw the event for were telling people in conversation not to buy from stores. Competitors were saying this to attendees. You would hear conversations walking around. We heard it two or three times. They think how they put their system together and the products they use are the only way to go. They promoted off-brand products online.

“The goal was to promote the business and have fun with an SPL contest. Also to gain some additional business. We promoted

by Facebook and email. People still came through the store but there was no increase in sales; we had a less than good day.

“Looking back, we shouldn’t have done it.

Considering the money and effort for what it took to put that event together, it would be better just to rent a space.” me-mag.com 39

 behind the scenes

The Right Price

To remain competitive in a world of emerging technology and shifting consumer priorities, aftermarket manufacturer Epsilon offers its brand’s products at price points that match their capabilities.

WORDS BY JAMIE SORCHER

A

s things typically go in the consumer electronics world, you can start out in one place and end up somewhere completely unexpected. Such was the case with Paul Goldberg, who took the reins at the Montebello, Calif.-based Epsilon

40 Mobile Electronics  September 2016

Group of Companies more than 18 months ago as VP of sales and marketing.

Started 35 years ago by brothers Jack and Don Rochel, Epsilon has grown from its roots as a single brand, Power Acoustik, to an industry leading outfit that houses several major names under

its umbrella including Farenheit, SPL, Soundstream, and Precision Power.

Surprisingly, Goldberg’s career hasn’t included car audio at all. He worked for DXG Technology Inc., a maker of digital cameras and camcorders. He spent time at Epson America, MicroCom, and

“When we design something, engineers talk to chip makers about all the great technology that can be incorporated into a product. If you incorporate this great tech into a product, you also have to consider what the consumer wants.”

Paul Goldberg, Vice President of Sales and Marketing, Epsilon Diamond Multimedia where he spent 10 years selling cable modems, routers and graphics cards for gamers. “I’ve been in just about everything over the years.”

But being a newcomer to the 12-volt world definitely has its advantages. “The reason [the Rochel brothers] brought me on board was because of my different perspective than a lot of vets in the business,” Goldberg said. “My background is computers, peripherals, connectivity, video, still pictures—and all of these technologies are now being incorporated into the connected car environment. I’m not a hardcore audiophile, but I’ve come into this industry with a lot of experience in other consumer electronics categories and have an understanding of the different channels for those kinds of technologies. So that is where my perspective differs and gives me the ability to take a look at where this company can go and will go into the future as opposed to the same things that have been done already.

What are we going to do, come out with another thousand-watt amplifier? What consumers want is access to technology at a reasonable cost—and that is what we do.”

All In The Family With his fresh outlook, Goldberg is focused on positioning all of the company’s diverse brands to a more discerning consumer base. “We’re looking to differentiate,” he said. “One of the issues is that

me-mag.com 41

 behind the scenes

Soundstream MobileLink X2 AVN source units feature mobile device integration to enable complete control of smartphones and tablets. Any smart device display is mirrored to the head unit’s larger LCD screen via USB, and all commands are sent via Bluetooth 3.0 connection.

The Power Acoustik MOFO-122X 12-inch subwoofer is a re-design of the previous model made to increase efficiency by using a non-pressed pulp cone for durability and smooth low bass. Like the original MOFOs, the new models use an aluminum dustcap that couples to the voice coil former and extends over the cone.

42 Mobile Electronics  September 2016

a lot of the different models have similarities. We need to have each model in each brand do its own thing and exist on its own rather than be a clone of another brand.

There has been a lot of diversification in the last year. You’ve seen the graphic user interface with video products. The performance and design with speakers and amps are now very different.”

The products also target different price points and address different concerns of consumers in the marketplace, Goldberg noted.

The growth strategy that has been in place has paid off, he said, with market share and profitability results to prove it. “We’ve grown by six or seven percent, very profitable,” Goldberg said.

“We’re about 12 to 14 percent ahead of where we were last year at this time.”

The backbone of the effort is about having the right product. “In general, we’ve been very successful in head units that incorporate navigation,” Goldberg said.

“Our competitors have been indicating that that’s been on the decline, but our customers have said they’re coming to us because we produce a great product at a great price. A lot of our units allow you to plug in your smartphone and mirror what’s on your display.

Incorporating your smartphone into your head unit has been a real winner for us in terms of where we have gone.”

The company has also added digital amps to its lineup—ones that are smaller and throw off much less heat with more power than the gigantic amps that have been the norm in the business for a long time. “Even though it’s technology that has just started being embraced by the consumer, it is a good strategy because

it’s growing.”

Speaker technologies have also been expanded with a variety of woofers at different price points that are both efficient and capable of handling a range of amp power. “Those have done very well for us,” Goldberg noted.

To steer product development in the right direction, Goldberg has implemented something he has found successful in his previous lives—the focus group. “When we design something, engineers talk to chip makers about all the great technology that can be incorporated into a product. If you incorporate this great tech into a product, you also have to consider what the consumer wants. We’ve gotten a lot of consumer feedback. We create prototypes, get consumer feedback, and based on that feedback decide what features will be included in products.

We’re just seeing now how it is starting to pay off.”

Connecting With Consumers It’s not enough to have the right product. It’s also important to find the most meaningful ways to reach consumers and potential shoppers. “We participate in a variety of shows directed at the consumer,” Goldberg said. Events are supported with a variety of materials like t-shirts, giveaways and things of that nature.

And, of course, there is the major tech event that everyone attends—CES—which has become an increasingly important show for Epsilon. “We see it as a start-ofyear kick-off for our company,” Goldberg said. “We generally are introducing our products earlier, but this is the first opportunity for a lot of our channel customers—and our competitors—to actually see the products functioning live. Before it’s either vaporware or something you read about in a press release, this gives our customers a chance to get their hands on something and to see it actually working. And that is really what it’s all about in our business.”

One of Epsilon’s signature marketing opportunities is participating as a regular on the television show “The Price is Right.” The company started this over a year ago and just renewed its commit-

ment for a second year.

“It’s worked out tremendously for us,” Goldberg said. “We’ve found we got a lot of consumer inquiries because of it. It’s a Soundstream package. Anyone who contacts us wanting to purchase one we refer to our dealers. It’s hard to track sometimes, but we have verified that approximately 3000 to 3,500 sales have happened as a result of our participation on the show.”

New Horizons One issue that many companies have had to deal with is the impact of the Internet and how to handle e-commerce.

“I don’t understand the resistance to Internet sales,” Goldberg said. “It’s a methodology to provide product to your customers, and if you do it in an orchestrated matter it can coexist with your dealer base. If it’s poorly implemented and poorly controlled you get channel conflict.”

Another big change for 12-volt companies is embracing social media which Epsilon has done effectively. “We’ve increased our Facebook following by approximately 80 percent in the past year,” Goldberg said. “We do Twitter feeds as well.” A newsletter to the dealer base goes out on a regular basis with updates about products that are shipping, key features, events the company will be participating in, and success stories.

According to Goldberg, the newsletter has made an impact along with more frequent press releases. “We send them out when we’ve brought new individuals into the company or when we have new products shipping,” he said. “We put a lot of news out now which is a major change for us in the past year and a half. We also participate with a lot of our resellers, providing them with information. Our key partners are Sonic and Crutchfield. We go out of our way to support them with information for their customers.”

The Ties That Bind An important focus for Goldberg since joining the company is building and maintaining a strong rapport with Epsilon’s existing retailers as well as find ing new dealers to add to the fold.

“Our regional management is equipped to do impromptu training,” Goldberg said. “We have two individuals who are equipped to do training sessions.” The company also offers a webinar program with 30-minute webinars for partners free of charge. The session is available on YouTube post-webinar.

Also important for keeping the peace with retailers is a MAP program implemented for certain products, primarily in the Soundstream line. “We enforce MAP pricing,” Goldberg said. “We ensure there is adequate space for our partners to be profitable in the marketplace. We do embrace the Internet. We’d be foolish not to. A lot of consumers prefer to purchase their product that way and we want to take advantage of it. We do recommend where our dealers should be in the marketplace, but we can’t tell them what to charge.”

As for finding new dealers, the company relies heavily on the direct sales force to make the initial contact. “We have direct salespeople situated on the East and West coasts and Midwest,” Goldberg said. “We have a network of reps that report to them that are constantly traveling in the field providing a service with the existing dealer base. We will recruit new dealers who are appropriate for the channel.”

Above all, Goldberg said, the density of an area has to be taken into account.

“We don’t want to have 20 dealers in one square mile area,” he said. “We’re trying to create a marketplace where dealers can be profitable with product. We evaluate the service capabilities of a dealer’s square footage, storefront look, if it’s inviting and clean, and as a consumer, if you would be interested in going into that location and doing business there.

We also check credit and other business relationships. We take a lot into account to make a decision whether to add a dealer to our base. We’re trying to hook up with dealers that provide a high level of service to our customers.”

Building a Bond With a privately owned company and family-oriented management style, Epsition

has a culture that fosters long-term relationships versus quick here-and-gone partnerships.

“We treat our customers like family members,” Goldberg said. “Our long-term relationships with customers are between five and seven years. We’re not looking at short-term relationships. We provide a high level of back-end customer service and customer support. If any of our customers have an issue, we take care of them quickly. Anything that passes my desk is handled immediately. We empower a customer to repair or replace a product under warranty.”

Relationships outside the company are highly valued and nurtured, but so are ones internally. Along with quarterly national sales meetings where there are trainings and discussions, there are also dinners and team building activities.

“There was an event we did in Los Angeles,” Goldberg explained. “A venue in the city emulates the movie ‘Saw.’ Everyone has to work together to get out. It’s a challenging type of thing. We’ve also done paint ball in the past with teams. We even did a trip to a Go Kart track that’s not too far from our place.”

In the past 18 months, Goldberg had to evaluate the sales force to be sure he had the right mix of folks to accomplish all that he wanted. “We made changes where we felt it was appropriate,” he said. “We turned about 25 percent of the rep force and 75 percent of the employees that worked for us. We cleaned house because we needed people with different skill sets.

We have acquired those people and that is what has made a big difference in the direction of the company and the outcome in the last year and a half.”

As the company progresses, Goldberg said the most important tactic for continued success is valuing Epsilon’s unique and different brands. “For consumers who want to buy our products, we are endeavoring to ensure that you buy the proper solution at the proper price point,” Goldberg said. “Whatever you need, we have a solution that will meet your price and performance needs. That’s what we’re focused on.” 

me-mag.com 43

 business feature

Helping Hands Knowledge, patience and follow-through are essential to a good tech support call, according to retailers and vendors alike.

WORDS BY ROSA SOPHIA

A

uthor Charles Dickens once said, “No one is useless in this world who lightens the burdens of another.” In the world of mobile electronics, not only is this true, but it’s essential—because without good product knowledge, patience and a willingness to help others in the industry, owners and installers would struggle to find success.

Both retailers and those who have worked on the vendor side of things agree that a good knowledge base, patience and following up with callers are key aspects of a positive tech support call. John Schwartz of Perfectionist Auto Sound in Anchorage, Alaska has seen both sides of the coin as retailer and vendor. “I personally have been on the vendor side.

44 Mobile Electronics  September 2016

I worked for Compustar for years as a tech support manager,” he said. “I think understanding the issues the clients are having and working through those are key. Patience is key.”

A positive or negative experience with tech support will affect all those involved, including customers on the retailer side.

Tyler Ide of Absolute Automotive in St. Francis, Minn. remarked on how important it is to find the answers needed right away. “It’s either I get help or I don’t and then I have to tell the customer I have to fix it later,” he said. “Just be more available. And know your product.”

Knowledge Counts A recent survey by Mobile Electronics magazine was used to explore the reasons

and issues behind tech support experiences, and the feedback provided some illuminating results.

According to the survey, retailers prefer a “knowledgeable support person” who takes the time to provide quality information, rather than simply reading out of a book. H & N Brothers has three companies under its umbrella—Cadence, Oncore and Logic Soundlab. As Lead Engineering and R & D Technician, Matt Borgardt handles tech support calls and finds that customers often have trouble getting the help they need elsewhere.

“The reason I still stay in the tech side of things is because to me, it’s about customer support,” Borgardt said, adding that until he finds people he feels comfortable with in a tech support position, he will continue to field the calls himself.

“I want our customers to feel comfortable when we tell them what we do.”

In the survey, 61 percent of 208 respondents said they “very seldom” call their vendors for tech support. 27 percent call tech support once or twice a week. When

retailers do call tech support, are their needs being met?

For Ide, who has been working in the industry professionally for five years, timeliness is very important. “One company I deal with, they have created a forum online so if its afterhours they are still available,” Ide said, stating that he once reached out to the company online at two in the morning and someone got back to him immediately. “With them, every time I have an issue it is solved.”

On the other hand, Borgardt has gotten calls about products his company does not even manufacture, and described a situation in which a customer called him about another company’s product. When he advised them to call that company instead, “he said, ‘That’s not so easy,’” so Borgardt called for him. “I said, ‘Hey, guys, I need to get something for woofers.

I’ve got a customer of yours that needs help.’”

The tech support person claimed they were unable to help, and didn’t know what to do. “I had to go online. I’m the tech guy calling you to help your customer,” Borgardt said. “I’m doing the work for another company. That’s ridiculous. That’s just not right. I cannot allow that to happen with my customers, so I went the extra mile to help the guy because he’s followed me from company to company to company. They felt comfortable to call because they knew they’ll get answers,” he added. In order to help the customers, a vendor must know their product well.

Schwartz agreed, noting how frustrating it can be for a retailer when they feel as if they know more than the tech support person. “As a vendor, I think we have to know our product inside out,” he said. “We need to have knowledgeable people to answer the phone or email. I think this helps a lot. On the retailer side, something I try to fix with my own staff is how long they wait to call tech support.

I think having all the info—car, products, connections, firmware—really helps the process.”

What Retailers Look For Other than vendor tech support, 68 percent of survey respondents said

they turn to Facebook groups when they have problems. 59 percent turn to online forums. Josh Mojica and Andrew Emelander of GNC Customs in Goshen, Ind. utilize helpful online forums if they have questions. “If it’s a quick question you’ve got 50 guys willing to help answer the question. That’s been useful,” Emelander said of Directed and Compustar’s peer networks on Facebook.

“It’s someone who’s already been through the problem. You can do it while you’re on hold typically and find your answer before anyone answers the phone,” Mojica added. In the survey, 34 percent of respondents said short hold time was one of the best things about a positive tech support call through a vendor. By finding ways to decrease hold time, vendors can help to bridge the gap.

Hold times can be particularly stressful if a retailer is waiting for an answer to try to help a customer. “Once you get them on the phone, they’re helpful unless you get that one guy in a bad mood,” Mojica said. However, despite long hold times, GNC Customs has had very positive experiences with tech support in the past.

While the shop deals mostly in Directed Electronics, according to Mojica, “We’ve dabbled in Compustar.” When they had problems, they called Compustar’s tech support. “One of their techs in particular, Danny, he basically set the bar so high for tech support. He was on vacation and he called back. That’s pretty awesome and he didn’t need to do that. On the opposite end, I contacted another tech and he never responded, same company. That was just something that he did we were really impressed by.”

Setting up more online options could give vendors more ways to help retailers. Borgardt is doing just that. “On our Cadence side, I’m implementing a system you see on other websites.” Customers will be able to ask questions on the Web, giving them access to a support database. “I decided it would be a good idea to implement this on our own site. The knowledge base is huge. You have to fill it, to help with basic questions like, ‘If I have this amplifier, what woofer would be good to go with it?’” The goal is to make customers comfortable. “That’s the main

Matt Borgardt manages the tech support of three different brands at his workspace, seen here.

Considering the complexity of manufacturing large quantities of products, retailers like GNC Customs need to be prepared for situations where product fail to work or need guidance from tech support to properly function.

me-mag.com 45

 business feature to work as it was designed.”

Knowledge and caring for the customer are essential when it comes to quality tech support.

“We’ve been blown off,” Mojica said, in reference to past negative experiences, in which the tech support person seemed to be talking down to them. “I imagine thing. I don’t want my customers feeling they have a lot of calls who lost within what they’re doing. I don’t don’t have legitimate questions. That, want to make it confusing and difficult,” as professionals, makes it difficult and Borgardt added. With different options frustrating. We’re supposed to be workavailable, retailers won’t need to rely ing together. When you feel like they’ve solely on a phone call. already judged you and are discountIde stated that results of a tech support ing you before they hear a word, that’s call depend on the company he’s dealing frustrating and discourages people from with. “Some people just don’t know their wanting to call.” own product,” he said. “Whereas other Ide has found that Compustar and companies, specifically I’m talking to the Automotive Data Solutions have provided people who designed the products, they him with the best technical support. go beyond what they do and care about “They never treat you like you’re stupid. what they do. They want their product They deal with hundreds of people. They care about what they do,” he said of Automotive Data XHP SERIES Solutions. “They do way more than The World’s Most Advanced anyone else. I deal LED Headlight Conversion System with Compustar a lot more and they are the same way.”

• 6000 Lumens

• 6500K Color temp

Following Up

• CANbus Ready

When it comes to vendors improving tech support calls, the survey revealed that only 17.11 percent of respondents felt that the best part of their tech support calls to their most valuable vendors was callbacks. If follow-up calls are being forgotten or neglected, this is one aspect vendors could improve upon.

Borgardt noted that the first most

• Plug-n-Play • Adjustable Beam • 6063 Aluminum •

LED Chips

Call for more information:

1.800.STREETGLOW

46 Mobile Electronics  September 2016

important part of a tech support call is knowledge, the second is patience and the third is follow-through. “Not all support can be immediately taken care of,” he said. Sometimes calling back is necessary. “It’s not on purpose, but it can fall through the cracks. Keep your nose to the grindstone in terms of following through.

I have customers who call and ask for equipment that we haven’t made in 15 years.”

When Borgardt first came to Cadence about four and a half years ago, all of the original crew had left. “Within a sixmonth period, I had to take a massive crash course,” he said. “That includes stuff in the 90s. I have the girls upstairs, but they know nothing about car audio.”

All support calls and questions are sent directly to Borgardt, and sometimes he has to call the customer back while he looks for answers. “Every once in a while, they’ll throw out a name, or half a part of a name and I’ll have to call them back,” he added. “I have to hunt for this.”

However, most problems are solved in one phone call. According to the survey, 59 percent of respondents said this was the best part of a tech support call. In-store manuals, co-workers and peers also provide good sources for information.

Borgardt said that when it comes to calling tech support, it’s important that retailers feel comfortable with the person they’re talking to. “The biggest issue that I have is I want the person to be knowledgeable. Let’s say I have to call in for my phone system,” he said. “I want to be able to know the guy knows what he’s doing immediately. Time is money. If I’m an installer, and I’m having to call in for something quick but I have to drag ten minutes or five minutes on the phone with tech support and I leave that conversation feeling that I know more than he did, that’s bad. That’s what we don’t want to have.”

When people call Borgardt for tech support help, he stated he sometimes has difficulty understanding the inflections in people’s voices. This is where it’s essential that a tech support person should have the patience to listen closely. “Because it’s very easy to jump to a conclusion due

to someone dancing around an issue,” he said. “My main goal is to make sure they feel very comfortable and allow me to help them diagnose what’s going on. In a lot of questions, they will become defensive immediately.” Borgardt finds that this has happened when the customer has made a mistake or has done something incorrectly. To ensure the call remains positive, it is important to maintain patience and understanding. By applying this practice on both sides, retailers and vendors alike can work together to meet and exceed each other’s expectations.

Exceeding Expectations While there are some areas in which tech support excels, there are other areas that could use improvement. Retailers and vendors agree that knowing the product is essential. It is difficult to feel confident in tech support when it sounds as if the individual is simply reading from a manual. To meet and exceed expectations, increase knowledge, practice patience and always follow through.

Borgardt stated that, in the past, he had to call tech support frequently. He has been in the industry for over 30 years. “I’m not super happy about tech support,” he said. “I have customers call me because they know me from years and years ago. The thing is that I have people call me asking my help for products I don’t make, because they know they can get the help from me in comparison to someone reading out of a book. There are other support experts out here, but we’re very few. That’s the real problem I find in the industry.”

Tech support experiences vary person to person, but is tech support in general a weak point in the 12-volt industry?

“I can see how one would feel that way,” Mojica said. “For us, being independent, I personally get to hand-pick what we sell. If I start to have continuous issues with a company and there’s no support, then it’s time to change companies.” Recently, GNC Customs has had issues with one of their vendors. “My customer is waiting three to four months for a response. That’s not acceptable,” he added.

Borgardt said that earlier in his career, his main reason for calling tech support was knowledge. “I would lean on the manufacturers to help me,” he said. “It was a learning curve. I still call myself an installer, but I haven’t technically been an installer for about 15 years.” Borgardt added that he still actively installs in order to remain informed and he feels tech support in the 12-volt industry could use vast improvement. “Sometimes people are just embarrassed to call. My door is always open to all customers. I don’t care what they’ve bought or when, I will be happy to help.”

Best Practice Working together is important.

Emelander stated that going into a tech support call with a negative attitude impacts the direction of the call. “First off, you’re probably mad because you have a problem. Take five minutes. Take a breath before you call,” he said. “If you go in with a bad attitude, they will come back at you with a bad attitude. Tell them everything you have going on, what you’ve tried and try to reach a solution together.”

Emelander and Mojica also stated the importance of taking the time to “know your product … before you make the phone call and waste someone’s time. Not just the tech but those waiting on hold as well.”

Best advice?

Be patient and understanding.

“The other thing I would suggest is we need to check our egos from time to time,” Mojica said.

“Sometimes you have an off day and you forget one little

step. Not to sound redundant, but always read the manual.”

Schwartz agreed and also recommended 12-Volt Insiders for additional help and knowledge. “Having good relationships in the industry is awesome,” he said. “I think that we can all work on our thoroughness and try to eliminate easy problems before we call tech support. It's nice to be versed in the product as well.”

Borgardt advised vendors to ensure they have the knowledge they need when it comes to responding to tech support inquiries. “Make sure you understand your products, whether old or new,” he said. Borgardt added that some companies are so large they may require different levels of tech support. “Make sure those people are in the right places.

Time is money for everybody, whether it be a customer or dealer. We want to make sure they are taken care of immediately— and they’re on their way and making money.” 

me-mag.com 47

 tech today

The Magic of Carbon Fiber

Expert installation technician Matt Schaeffer reveals how carbon fiber can change the game for even the most challenging of fabrication jobs.

FOREWORD BY JOEY KNAPP WORDS BY MATT SCHAEFFER

Matt Schaeffer, 2016 Installer of the Year I hope you liked our series on building a false floor. I think Bing did an excellent job breaking down the process of installing equipment into a spare tire well. For the right client, that is an excellent location to fit audio gear, and still keep the functionality of the trunk/hatch space.

In this article, we are going to be taking a look into using carbon fiber in our installations. Admittedly, I don’t know too much about carbon fiber. I recently completed an installation in which I had to machine and clear coat

48 Mobile Electronics  September 2016

some carbon fiber pieces. I kind of cheated, though, and used pre-made sheets of carbon fiber. We are going to learn how to make pieces using real carbon fiber cloth.

When I decided this needed to be the next topic for an article, two people came to mind as guest authors. The first was Junior Ngim of Sound Innovations in Union City, Calif. I have always followed Junior’s work on Facebook, and was fortunate to meet him during a visit his shop a number of times when I lived in California. Junior makes a number of carbon fiber accessories for cars, and does a great job integrating carbon fiber in his installations. The second person I thought of—and the guest author of this article—is Matt Schaeffer. Like I do with Junior, I have followed Matt’s work on Facebook and Instagram for quite some time. Matt does incredible work. In addition, he makes some really great videos highlighting his work and techniques. He has one such video on laying carbon fiber.

To provide insight on the subject, Matt agreed to share his steps for creating and finishing pieces in carbon fiber. Let’s see what he has to say.

Matt Schaeffer’s Big Question So what exactly is carbon fiber and why do so many manufacturers use it? Well, let’s start with the basics. Carbon fiber is five times as strong as steel, two times as stiff, yet it weighs about two-thirds less.

Why is this important to car manufacturers? It is simple weight reduction. Weight reduction means better gas mileage and quicker acceleration. The other perk is that it’s a very aesthetically pleasing material. If carbon fiber is so great and offers so many benefits, why is it not yet mainstream? The answer is price when compared to materials like steel. Steel is about 40 cents per pound while carbon fiber is about 15 dollars per pound.

Another big factor is time. Manufacturers can easily bend, cut, weld and repair steel. The carbon fiber process is quite detailed and lengthy. There are many steps which we will cover in this article, explaining how to manufacture a part from start to finish.

Why should we care and why should we know the process? More and more car manufacturers are using real carbon fiber in the interiors as accent panels.

This is important to us in the car audio

industry, because we as fabricators and installers need to use materials we find in the car. For example, if I am building a subwoofer enclosure for a Porsche 911, the first thing I am going to do is observe the materials the manufacturer chose for the interior of that particular car. Typically, at minimum, I am choosing three to four different materials to incorporate into the part I am building. When you look at the interior of any car, there are a vast combination of materials, textures and design details. Naturally, if you are going to add a beauty panel or subwoofer enclosure, you need to match the materials and textures that are already set in place by the manufacturer. Can you imagine if a car’s interior consisted of one or two materials? We as designers and fabricators need to focus on these details.

If the car came with real carbon fiber, use real carbon fiber. I often see hydro-dipped pieces installed into cars that come with real carbon fiber. Why are we doing this?

Sure, it is quicker. But does it match? I don’t think so. Not even close. When I am designing my enclosure or panel, I am hunting down the same exact twill and weave of carbon. A perfect match is the only match. The closer you get to duplicating the OEM design and materials, the more your part will pass as OEM. A lot of people associate me with being the “carbon fiber guy” in the industry.

Sure, I have dabbled with it over the years making some simple panels and interior pieces. But it was not until I took on the Chevy Camaro ZL1 job that I finished last year that I took it on full-force.

When this Camaro came in, the only source of carbon fiber was an insert on the hood. I told the client that I wanted to use it in the trunk for some accent panels. This meant I had to remove a ton of interior trim and change it over to carbon fiber. Since there was no carbon fiber in the interior and I was planning to add it to the trunk, I had to carry that throughout the entire interior to make it pass as the original design. I had to step completely out of my comfort zone.

This was a massive challenge with a ton of unforeseen obstacles that I had to overcome. Trust me, I have figured out every way to not lay carbon fiber. One of

my favorite quotes is, “The master has failed at everything the beginner has never tried.” This simply means that you have to try your hand at something. You will make mistakes and grow from them.

With that being said, break your comfort level of using the same materials on every job. Use what the manufacturer uses, and if you have never used it before, take a risk and try something new.

Before we start laying carbon fiber on our first piece, let’s understand the different weaves and what they mean to us. The most popular is 2x2 twill weave.

This is the pattern we are most familiar with when we think about carbon fiber.

This fabric follows a distinct diagonal pattern. The pattern goes over two intersecting warps and under two (which is why its called 2x2). The benefit of this weave is that is looser and more pliable.

This means it can be stretched to curves and offers fewer complications. However, this also means that we need to handle it more carefully than a 1x1 weave as it is very easy to distort the pattern. The 1x1 weave or “plain” weave is the second most used fabric type for automotive manufacturers. You can find this a lot in Porsche and in the BMW M3 and M6.

The 1x1 weave looks more like a checkerboard where the weave pattern goes one up and one down. Plain weave is a tightly woven fabric and is easier to handle without distorting the weave. This means that it is much more difficult to wrap over counters since the weave is tighter. The last style that is mainstream in exotics is the satin weave. There are multiple variations to satin weave fabric which will make it much more difficult to match up.

In most cases, satin weave is the most pliable based on how it is structured. You can get extreme contours even with the hand laying method. The last term you need to know when it comes to choosing your carbon fiber weave is the letter “K.” The K refers to one thousand individual strands of carbon per fiber bundle. Each strand is much smaller than human hair.

If you have 12 weaves per inch, you have 12 fiber bundles per inch, and in each fiber bundle of 3K fabric you have 3,000 strands of carbon. A typical 1K fabric is 3.74 ounces per square yard. 3K fabric is

5.7 ounces per square yard. In most cases you will use a 5.7-ounce fabric and up.

Most manufacturers use a 10 to 20 ounce fabric in the interiors of their vehicles.

The heavier the fabric, the more dimension and depth your piece will have when you are finished.

The last question I always receive is, “What resin do I use?” The wrong answer here is polyester resin. A lot of people tend to use this because it is cheap when compared to epoxy resin. Polyester resin is inflexible and will spider-crack with little force. It will also shrink over time and will warp its final shape, resulting in gaps from your original starting point.

Maybe the biggest negative is that it is not UV resistant and will turn yellow over time. How many times have you seen a yellowed carbon fiber hood? I know I have—a lot. These companies use polyester resin because it is dirt cheap.

Do not use anything other than epoxy resin. It is extremely flexible which allows a part to absorb a high level of shock without breaking. Epoxy resin will not spider-crack. If it reaches its maximum bending point, it will simply crack at its initial point of stress. Other benefits include UV resistance. It will not shrink and it has a transparent finish that allows for a deep 3D appearance.

Now with all this in mind, we have to learn the process. Lucky for you, I have made all the mistakes for you so hopefully you can hit the ground running. There are multiple ways to tackle the carbon fiber process. There is hand laying, vacuum bagging and resin infusion just to name a few. They all have their benefits, but the one thing we all have in common is our hands. We will be going into detail with hand laying the material. Laying carbon fiber is a lot like fiberglass. Most of us can say we have done this in the past. The only difference is, once you lay the material, everything from that point forward will be your finished product. As a result, attention to detail is absolutely key. A simple distortion in the weave, a bristle from your brush, or an air bubble in the epoxy can kill your project and force you restart.

me-mag.com 49

 tech today

STEP 1: Identify Your Piece Are you wrapping an existing panel or are you making one from scratch? If we are making an all carbon part, then we will have to lay multiple layers for strength. Laying carbon fiber from scratch is a lot like building layers with fiberglass. In this case, we only care about the top or the finished layer. Usually, I have a wet out table (a piece of 1/8-inch acrylic) next to my part where I can saturate the carbon fiber with epoxy and transfer it to my layers of carbon. I will use a fiberglass roller and eliminate any air bubbles between the layers of carbon. Once I reach my desired thickness, I will hand lay and wet out the top layer without the fiberglass roller. The reason for this is the roller can often distress the weave of the carbon fiber, creating an imperfection. I like to stay away from the roller altogether on the last aesthetic layer for this reason. If we are overlaying an existing panel, we first need to identify what our original part is made out of. Epoxy resin will stick to just about anything.

Obvious materials such as HDPE (high density polyethylene) should be avoided at all cost. If I could choose a plastic, I would choose PVC Sintra. If you are going to be using a porous material such as MDF, just be sure you seal the material first with a poly primer or a coat of epoxy. The reason for this is that as the epoxy heats itself while curing, this will expand air underneath it, forcing it out to form bubbles in the resin. Make sure that the part you are overlaying in carbon fiber is painted black.

That way, if there is any gap in the weave, it is completely unnoticeable.

50 Mobile Electronics  September 2016

STEP 2:

STEP 3:

WRAP YOUR PART IN CARBON

MIX YOUR EPOXY AND BRUSH ON

This is much like wrapping a panel in vinyl. We have all done this before, so this is a breeze. Lay your panel onto your roll of carbon fiber and tape along your cutting edges.

The reason we add the tape is to keep the carbon strands together while we make the cut. Once the material is cut to length, I will spray aerosol adhesive very lightly across my panel (just enough to tack it down and keep it in place while the epoxy cures). Lay your carbon very carefully onto your piece, making sure your weave is in the correct direction. I like to get a coworker or two help hold the carbon over the piece while I direct the material where it needs to go carefully. Once you have your piece looking great from the front, flip it over and spray a small amount of adhesive around the back edges of your piece to wrap over. Picture yourself wrapping the back of a trim panel with vinyl. Cut the material about an inch or so overlapping the edge of your piece, then use some painter’s tape to tape from the edge to the back inward part of your panel. This is to hold down the carbon and also to ensure you do not get excess epoxy on your piece.

Mix your epoxy to harden per the manufacturer ratio.

Have a heat gun ready and when your epoxy is mixed, turn your heat gun on high and hit the inside of your mixing cup for a few seconds to eliminate any standing air bubbles in your epoxy. This will quickly evaporate any moisture inside the resin as well as thin your epoxy. Make sure your piece is free of any debris and start brushing on your epoxy. You can either use a small foam roller or a chip brush. You have more control over the piece using a chip brush, but you must be careful not to lose bristles in your epoxy. This first coat is going to be very light. It will be just enough to cure the carbon in place. Be sure not to fully saturate the carbon, as this can cause the glue to delaminate from the piece and your carbon to become free-moving.

Use the heat gun once more over your piece to eliminate any air bubbles that might be sitting on the surface.

Another method is to put some methylated spirit in a small mist bottle and spray over the surface. The alcohol does not adversely affect the resin and evaporates quickly, but acts long enough to reduce the surface tension and pop the air bubbles.

STEP 4: A FULLY SATURATED SECOND COAT Repeat with the mixing of your epoxy and hit it with your heat gun. Make sure your first epoxy layer is fully cured and wipe it clean with alcohol. Make sure your piece is free of debris and apply a generous layer of epoxy onto your piece.

Your epoxy should fully coat and fill in any divots on your piece.

me-mag.com   51

 tech today

STEP 5: EXAMINE AND WET SAND YOUR PIECE Examine your piece and make sure it is fully cured. Check the epoxy manufacturer for cure times. Most epoxies vary, and temperatures and humidity vary in different parts of the country so I cannot approximate this time frame for you. Start by removing the tape from the backside to reveal the raw carbon. Your epoxy should have covered the overlapping edge to the back of your piece. At this point, I take my 45-degree hand grinder with a 3M ROLOC disc and grind the back edge at an angle to remove the excess carbon from the backside. Make sure to keep your finished edge unharmed. Use a block sander with 220 grit and start wet sanding your piece. I like using Soft Sanders foam sanding blocks because you can evenly contour the sandpaper to different shapes. Keep wiping your piece dry every two minutes or so to see if you have a smooth surface (free of any dips or valleys). If at any point the debris from your sandpaper turns black or gray, then immediately stop. At this point you have started to sand into the carbon. If you sand to far into the carbon, you will eliminate one of the top weaves of carbon. This will ruin the pattern and become an obvious defect in the piece. More times than not, this will force you to start over.

If you have sanded smooth, then continue to block sand to 400 and proceed to step six. If you sanded into the carbon, then repeat steps four and five until the part is free of pits.

STEP 6: CLEAR COAT At this point, your piece should be block sanded to 400. Take some rubbing alcohol and fully clean your piece so that it is ready for clear coat. Talk to your nearest auto body shop to see if they can recommend any good clear coats. I generally use a spot clear with a flex agent. I shoot a clear coat because it will protect the epoxy and offer a deeper finished look of the carbon weave. I tend to shoot four to five layers of clear depending on the size of the piece. Follow the flash and cure times of the brand of clear coat that you use.

52 Mobile Electronics  September 2016

STEP 7: WET SAND AND BUFF When your clear coat has fully cured, start with 1,000 grit sandpaper, depending on how well you shot your clear coat. The goal here is just like sanding the epoxy. Achieve a consistently flat finish to clear coat. Once you are flat and free of any pits or runs, finish with 1,500 to 2,000 grit. At this point, you are ready to buff your piece to a mirror finish. I love using the 3M 39060 compound because it will take out a majority of sanding scratches from about 1000 grit and will polish it to a mirror finish. I use a hand polisher with hard foam pads for smaller hand held parts, and a larger rotary polisher for exterior parts. You can find both of these at your local tool provider. Buff your piece with rubbing compound, stopping every minute or two to wipe your piece clean and evaluate. Continue until you have achieved a perfect mirror finish.

STEP 8: TAKE A SIGH OF RELIEF You are done! I didn’t say it was going to be easy. Carbon fiber will never be quick work from start to finish, but it is very gratifying. It is one of the most aesthetically pleasing materials to look at, and the work to get there makes it that much more rewarding once you install your finished part in the car.

me-mag.com   53

 installs

Super Coupe

SUBMITTED BY GEORGE SMITH, MOBILEWORKS, SANTA MARIA, CALIF.

John “Hop O” Watanabe is a longtime car club president and member of Touch of Style car club who travels all over Southern California attending events and showing off his 1984 Cadillac Coupe De Ville. The goal of this build was to complete his car by putting some finishing touches on it.

The system began with a Pioneer AVH-7700 audio video head unit that went through a Cerwin Vega 4-Channel amp and Cerwin Vega 1000 watt mono-block. The front speakers consist of Infinity 4x6 Kappas with Infinity 6x9 speakers in the rear.

A custom trunk was built around the four batteries and hydraulic pumps and cylinders.

The most challenging part of the build involved the center pumps and keeping the batteries charged. Four 6-volt batteries are wired together to create the current for the hydraulics. The client requested the batteries be hidden, but remain accessible for charging. This 24-volt system has a external battery charger that he connects and charges overnight. Mobileworks fabricated side panels and upholstered them in vinyl. GM side post adapters were added in the bottom of the floor panels and allowed batteries to be hidden but also charged.

54 Mobile Electronics  September 2016

me-mag.com   55

 installs

Sea-Ready Ride SUBMITTED BY JEFF SWEERE, SWEET SOUNDS, MANKATO, MINN.

A new client of the shop, who discovered them online, decided to drive over 60 miles to have Sweet Sounds perform a custom install on his 2014 Sea-Doo RXT 260. Despite having extensive experience working on boats and fishing houses, the staff had little experience with Sea-Doos. Since there are few places to mount things on the vehicle, mounting locations had to be fabricated. The speaker plates and subwoofer mount were purchased from SoggyDogAudio.com to save fabrication time.

From there, the battery mount and amp rack were fabricated from scratch. Templates with MDF were built and the final version was transferred to 1/2-inch King Marine Starboard. An ample amount of stainless steel bolts and vibration resistant nuts hold everything together along with a few stainless steel screws where needed.

The systems includes a 3-way set of Focal Flax PS165 F3s in the front, a set of 2-way Flax PS 165FX in the rear and a front-mounted Flax Sub P 25 F 10-inch subwoofer, all powered by a Memphis Marine MXA5.750 five-channel amp.

56 Mobile Electronics  September 2016

With a12V HOTSPOT in Your Car

➤ & network compatible models available. ➤ Once installed, the Hotspot will turn on & off with the key. ➤ Connect up to 10 Wi-Fi enabled devices at one time.* *Examples of Wi-Fi enabled devices include Laptop/Notebook Computers, tablets, Factory Infotainment Systems, Aftermarket Radios, Portable MP3 Players, Smart Phones, Gaming Systems and eReaders

www.mito-auto.com (800-433-6486)

me-mag.com 57

Get to the End Knowing what you want to accomplish is not enough. You need to work just as hard to get out of your own way.

All of us have attained some level of success in our lives, whether it be in business, as parents or spouses, or personally.

Whether we planned it or not—whether we realized it or not— somewhere along the line we set a goal and took the steps to see it through to accomplishment. It just shows how amazing we are. And just imagine how much more amazing we could be if we could pull of the same trick on purpose, anytime we wanted!

Actually we can, and in fact the world’s most successful people do just that. But for the rest of us, it’s more of a toss-up. The density of our lives pulls our focus in so many directions that, even when we have a great idea, and we get started on it, there is no clear plan to get through to the end—to fulfillment.

So let’s get better at that. Let’s become better about planning and executing on goals so that we can move forward faster. To start, we need to understand how we stop: What keeps us from accomplishing so much of what we want to accomplish?

Lack of a clear goal. This is an easy one. The guy who says he wants more money doesn’t set a goal to say he wants $50,000 by year’s end. The business owner who wants to improve his walk-in traffic doesn’t set a goal of a 25% year-over-year increase.

Procrastination. This may sound like a generic excuse, but in fact it’s the single biggest killer of goal accomplishment. Procrastination is to goal failure like smoking is to lung cancer: it’s not the actual killer but instead facilitates other elements that weaken and eventually break our resolve.

Let’s say you’re planning a sale. You need a flyer for the sale but don’t have a supplier in mind and can’t create it. Or you need the co-owner’s input on a price reduction but he’s out of town until tomorrow. You need to order inventory from supplier B for the sale but you can’t fix the quantity until you find out how much your main supplier has available. Or, your computer’s hard drive quit, and you remember how you procrastinated on signing up for Dropbox. So you put it off to deal with later. And you don’t.

The third obstacle that kills goals is what I call mountain building.

In our minds we perceive a small obstacle to be a big one; like a small rock so obscured by fog that it looks like a mountain. The fog is our uncertainty of how to get over the obstacle, infused with frustration caused by a lack of time or patience. Eventually

58 Mobile Electronics  September 2016

that fog turns to stone, and we end up with the mountain we unfortunately envisioned.

You have to call a supplier to request an RA but you don’t look forward to the potential confrontation. In your mind it becomes this big negative situation and you end up almost preferring to source a new vendor rather than deal with the problem. Your mountain.

So let’s work on our solutions.

First, know how to set a goal. In the military, leaders are taught to never give a command they know won’t be followed. By the same token, don’t set a goal you know you can’t reach. It simply sucks morale, and your staff isn’t stupid: if they’ve been with you for any amount of time, they also know what is attainable and what isn’t. Also important is to get buy-in on your goal. Take input from others who will be involved, so when you make that final determination of what success means, you’ll be looking at nodding heads rather than shocked faces.

Next is to plan for contingencies and be realistic about your capabilities. Yes, that means to plan for stuff that could go wrong.

Have at least two options for every step. If one supplier doesn’t come through, have another one ready. And as we all know, every financial cost estimate doubles or triples by time a project is completed, so overestimate rather than underestimate.

Finally, break down mountains rather than climb them. Remember that big mountain of an issue? In reality it’s still as small as it was. To get through it, you need to focus on it. Give yourself free time away from everything else. Ask, what is the real issue? What’s the worst that can happen? (Once you know the worst, everything else seems easy.) Then, break the big thing into smaller tasks. Take them on one by one until you get through it.

The progress alone will make you feel better. And this approach always works.

For more information or to become a dealer visit us at: www.voxxelectronics.com/become-dealer/

Š2016 VOXX Electronics Corporation A VOXX International Company