Retail News

LIS Audio Expands Product Offers to Improve Business

Sometimes the best way to improve your business is to widen the range of products offered, and for Spring Hill, Kansas-based LIS Audio, which has been open for a little over three years, that meant adding Morel, Kicker, Compustar PRO and AutoTech Engineering to the lineup.

Shop owner Cameron Powell, who has spent roughly 10 years in the mobile electronics industry, noted that LIS Audio’s main specialty is custom fabrication. After attending KnowledgeFest Dallas, however, as well as speaking with others in the industry, he, along with others in the shop, decided to bring in these products based on recommendations.

In execution, this means expanding high-end offerings, which a brand like Morel covers. Powell also noted that the business was aiming to catch up with the European crowd. Additionally, though LIS Audio offers a lot of well-known brands, Powell wanted to expand that further with the addition of Kicker, which, he noted, was “the top of the well-known brands.” These moves will give clientele a wider variety in terms of choice on a higher-end level, rather than just keeping things limited to current offerings.

Now an authorized dealer for these brands, the shop also put out a press release about the new products in January. Powell noted that there has already been excitement from high-end clientele, and there already seems to be interest in these products for the future.

Ultimately, Powell will be returning to KnowledgeFest next year. As he noted, the business is open to growth, feeling things out and “creating our own foundation for what we’re doing,” according to Powell.

Josh White Completes MECP Master Test for the Fourth Consecutive Time

Josh White, a member of the 12-volt industry since 2002 who currently works as an OEM integration and fabrication specialist for AutoFX, recently announced that he had passed the MECP Master Text for the fourth time in a row. AutoFX is located in Tacoma, Wash.

According to the MECP, the MECP Master Installation Technician is intended for those with a high degree of knowledge for both diagnosis and repair of faults related to installation. The test itself is 200 questions divided between five section, and the certification, once acquired, is valid for four years.

White noted that he chose to enter the industry right after high school. His father was a woodworker and carpenter who did audio enclosures and audio, while also working with pianos. White described himself as someone whose “heart is in the bay.”

Previously, he worked for Compustar for four years, where he primarily did desk work, but he wanted to get back to installation. When he worked at Best Buy, one of his mentors was master certified, which inspired White to go for his own certification. He’s gotten the certification four times since then, and since achieving this, White is now a potential candidate to be grandfathered into the system. This requires the next step of honorary status, writing a letter and hopefully being accepted.

Moving forward, White is also planning to continue teaching at KnowledgeFest. He also intends to start a 12-volt happy hour in the Pacific Northwest, based around previous positive experience he had at a similar event when he was living in Phoenix, Ariz. To White, it’s about keeping the outreach open.

Columbus Car Audio and Accessories Hires Team Member to Expand Wheels Business

Even though a part of the business might be struggling, sometime the long-term best move is to strategize and expand on investment. For Columbus Car Audio and Accessories, this meant adding Tony to the team to help expand wheel sales. According to sales manager Jay Cook, the shop has since sold five times as many wheels than it had previously. Cook has been with the shop since 1998, and the shop has been open for around 42 years. The business has a location in Columbus, Ohio, along with Reynoldsburg, Ohio.

Customarily, Columbus Car Audio specializes in the meat and potatoes of the industry: remote starts, leather interiors, audio and other points of focus. Jay noted that since the business name is “Columbus Car Audio and Accessories,” the owner wanted to bring in the tire business as well. To address this, the shop hired Tony, an industry veteran who spent the past five or so years specializing in that business.

Previously, the shop’s wheel business had been struggling. Cook noted that customers may generally not have known that the business offered that kind of work.

“I have a lot of clients who’ll bring their cars straight from the dealership or wherever they’re buying it from, and it’s, like, okay, ‘Do it all. I want it all to be done. I don’t want to have to come back.’ But none of us knew how to sell rims and tires. […] I can help someone pick something out, but I don’t know all the offsets and that stuff, and that’s where Tony comes in,” Cook said.

He also went on to add that the business is focused on becoming the local expert for most everything 12-volt, and while the shop isn’t quite there yet, the business has made a commitment to getting there.

The shop has known Tony for years, as he previously worked for a competitor, and Tony’s own history includes doing wheels and tire work for a boutique shop, among other appointments that made him the obvious choice for Columbus Car Audio and Accessories.

Pictured in the team photo, from left to right: Pedro Gamino, Tony Barker, Jayson Cook, Brandon Brown, James Marvin and Denny Smith. The wheel display is from 5 Axis Innovations.