Automotive Parts Associates (APA) named award recipients at its 33rd Annual Shareholders’ and Manufacturers Conference this week.
The Headquarters Manufacturer of Choice Award was given to Bosch for having the fastest turnaround time from application of part to product availability, for the ease of doing business with them and for their responsiveness to the needs of members and company headquarters.
Federal Mogul received the Marketing Partner Award. Federal Mogul continually supports and sponsors the APA promotions, and also was recognized for their national ad campaigns, seasonal promotions and their strong technical training programs, APA said.
The Professionals’ Choice Vendor of the Year went to AMS for their excellent fill rate, outstanding cataloging, new numbers, ease of doing business with and their long-term commitment to APA.
The Branded Manufacturer of the Year recipient is Denso. Denso was recognized for consistently being first to market with new model year parts, their quick turnaround time and high fill rates on replenishment orders, their new product categories and superior cataloging.
UCI-Fram Group was recognized at this year’s meeting for their success at last year’s meetings. Receiving the “Largest Total Manufacturers Orders at the 2013 One-on-Ones.”
APA also recognized members for their longevity and dedication to the aftermarket and the APA group. Automotive Warehouse Co. is celebrating 60 years in business in 2014 and Stempf Automotive Industries is celebrating more than 75 years in business.
Retiring APA President and CEO Dan Freeman was recognized for his 25 years of service to APA and the automotive aftermarket. “We could never put a value on the amount of time and hard work Dan gave us over the past 25 years. His leadership and steady hand kept APA on a continued course of growth and prosperity for the time of his tenure at APA,” said Gary Martin, APA’s new President and CEO.
APA’s Annual conference ran Thursday March 20 through Saturday March 23. In addition to a very crowded and exciting one-on-one event, the attendees enjoyed a private dinner at George Ranch, many played a nice round of golf in the annual tournament. A Telematics Panel and a Business Building Ideas Panel consisting of members and manufacturers was brought back for a second year and APA shareholders were updated on all the new an impending business for the group at their business session.
Automotive Parts Associates, Inc. is a member-owned cooperative made up of over 110 member shareholders, distributing auto parts from over 300 locations. APA shareholders create over a billion dollars of purchasing power annually. For information about APA membership, contact APA Headquarters at 913-310-9250.
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