AMN Drivetime
The AMN Drivetime podcast will entertain and educate listeners, conversing with today’s top aftermarket drivers and industry leaders who are having an impact on the automotive aftermarket industry. This bi-monthly podcast offers candid, one-on-one conversations between Babcox Media CEO Bill Babcox and notable figures in the automotive aftermarket, sharing their experiences and life lessons as they have traveled the aftermarket.
Episodes
March 18, 2024 • 20 mins
Grace Hovis's journey in the family business, Hovis Auto and Truck Supply, highlights the balance between honoring tradition and seeking innovation. Founded in 1952, Hovis Auto and Truck Supply Inc. has evolved from a small operation into a major player in the automotive parts distribution space. This evolution was fueled by a willingness to adapt and innovate, a lesson Grace learned from an early age.
"My father brought me and my...
"My father brought me and my...
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March 4, 2024 • 23 mins
As MEMA commemorates its 120th anniversary, it's an opportunity to reflect on the organization's profound impact on the automotive aftermarket industry. Founded on March 2, 1904, MEMA has evolved from a modest gathering of parts manufacturers in Cleveland, to a pivotal force in the global automotive landscape. In this episode of AMN Drivetime, sponsored by AISIN, Bill Long, president and chief executive officer, discusses MEMA's re...
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February 5, 2024 • 38 mins
Serendipity led Jon Owens, national sales manager for Epicor, to find the automotive aftermarket. Jon started out in sales for Timken Roller Bearing in Canton, Ohio, and describes finding the aftermarket after graduating from college as being in the right place at the right time. However, it wasn’t until he took over the NAPA Auto Parts account for Timken and started going to meetings, such as the AWDA Conference, where he truly re...
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January 9, 2024 • 30 mins
Jeff Koviak describes his “master’s degree” in the automotive aftermarket as owning two muffler shops in Port Huron, Michigan, for a few years. He was at the ripe, young age of 24 and this stint came after he served as a Walker Exhaust territory manager with Tenneco in Detroit.
Koviak calls that his first official job in the aftermarket, but in reality, his first experience in our industry dates back to his days in vocational auto m...
Koviak calls that his first official job in the aftermarket, but in reality, his first experience in our industry dates back to his days in vocational auto m...
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December 4, 2023 • 21 mins
In its 81 years in business, MANN+HUMMEL has prided itself on being family-owned, remaining steadfast to its mission: separating the useful from the harmful with its filtration products. Yet, over the years, its products have evolved as the company has innovated to meet the demands of its customers. About 25 years ago, the innovation and heritage of MANN+HUMMEL attracted its current president and CEO to the company and he hasn't lo...
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November 8, 2023 • 38 mins
When Mike Palm tells you he's a jack of all trades at CRP Industries, he's not lying. Just look at his resume. He started with the company in 1986 as a graduate of Shippensburg University, just outside of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. He found a marketing assistant job at CRP through a newspaper ad. In the early days, he became involved in product development, digging into vehicles to look at parts that CRP could create. He also dipped...
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October 10, 2023 • 26 mins
When you’ve worked for a company for more than 40 years, you certainly know “where the bodies are buried,” as they say. But more fascinating, you’re a walking history book, seeing the company through its ups and downs, successes and flops and stellar innovations that have defined the next generation of the aftermarket.
Jeff Kritzer, president and CEO of BendPak, is one of those guys.Kritzer started at BendPak, a California-based com...
Jeff Kritzer, president and CEO of BendPak, is one of those guys.Kritzer started at BendPak, a California-based com...
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October 6, 2023 • 27 mins
As a 30-plus-year automotive aftermarket veteran, Ted Hughes has seen change after change in the industry. He's experienced countless technological improvements. During his almost 24 years as head of marketing for MAHLE, he charged head-first into the digital era -- embracing digital media, e-commerce and a "data is king" mindset. Yet despite the evolution of the industry, one aspect has remained true: nothing beats the solid relat...
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September 6, 2023 • 17 mins
The Schwartz name is synonymous with the automotive aftermarket. It started with Mort Schwartz, an engineer by training who served as chairman and CEO of four different automotive aftermarket companies from the 60s to the 90s. Mort's service to the aftermarket, including as a member and chair of various aftermarket committees, spans more than 40 years, and now his son, Rick, is following in his footsteps to make the Schwartz name a...
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August 23, 2023 • 17 mins
Michael Ceritano's resume includes an array of positions from around the aftermarket: marketing manager, car wash consultant, owner of an auto accessory business, aftermarket sales director and now COO. With a career spanning 30-plus years in the automotive aftermarket, Ceritano has used his industry expertise combined with his business savvy and willingness to learn new skills to grow GSP North America's business exponentially in ...
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August 18, 2023 • 14 mins
Upon celebrating his 80th birthday and 64 years in the automotive aftermarket, Jim Franco is as energized as ever about the business opportunities he sees in the market today. As president and CEO of Autologue Computer Systems, Jim has been in the software industry since the mid-80s and has seen a huge technological evolution–not only on the parts side but also the hardware and software side. While some may lament the changes that ...
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August 7, 2023 • 38 mins
For many in this industry, the automotive aftermarket is in their blood. They grew up in the business, whether it was wrenching in the summers in high school or hanging out with their parents at their place of work. This was the case for Travis Roffler, who has been the director of marketing of Continental Tire the Americas for almost 18 years and is a tire guy through and through.
Growing up, Travis remembers wrenching with his dad...
Growing up, Travis remembers wrenching with his dad...
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July 14, 2023 • 20 mins
Continuous improvement, known as “lean” in the manufacturing world, has been a guiding force for Ben Pryor, vice president of commercial for the Coats Co.
Earlier in his career at Hennessy Industries (parent company of Coats), Pryor spent four months learning lean principles by going to the “gemba” – a Japanese term that refers to the place where the work is done.
Pryor, appearing on “AMN Drivetime” with Bill Babcox, says the four-...
Earlier in his career at Hennessy Industries (parent company of Coats), Pryor spent four months learning lean principles by going to the “gemba” – a Japanese term that refers to the place where the work is done.
Pryor, appearing on “AMN Drivetime” with Bill Babcox, says the four-...
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July 10, 2023 • 32 mins
In the last three years, Aisin World Corp. Of America has experienced its fair share of changes. As a result of the pandemic, the company expanded its operations. In 2021, it merged two business units to create Aisin Corp. to better foster synergies within the group and address future challenges like electrification. That same year, the company rebranded, and now, it’s ready for the mobility challenges that await the aftermarket.
“...
“...
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May 18, 2023 • 18 mins
At the helm of one of the automotive aftermarket’s leading remanufacturing firms, GB Remanufacturing President and CEO Michael Kitching says he’s proud to see remanufacturing getting the attention it deserves as a key player in the growing sustainability conversations taking place today.
GB Remanufacturing was founded by Mike and his father Bill Kitching in 1986. The company remanufactures and distributes premium gasoline and dies...
GB Remanufacturing was founded by Mike and his father Bill Kitching in 1986. The company remanufactures and distributes premium gasoline and dies...
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April 13, 2023 • 24 mins
In this latest episode of AMN Drivetime, Babcox Media CEO Bill Babcox sits down with Daryl Benton, vice president, sales and marketing automotive aftermarket, North America, MANN+HUMMEL, to discuss a wide range of topics, including Daryl’s own career path from consumer products to the aftermarket, celebrating the 100-year anniversary of the Purolator brand and the way MANN+HUMMEL’s mission contributes to the health and safety of mo...
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March 10, 2023 • 19 mins
In this latest episode of AMN Drivetime, Babcox CEO Bill Babcox sits down Dr. Thomas Litzinger, who was named executive director of the University of the Aftermarket at Northwood University in October of 2022.
An accomplished aftermarket executive with more than 30 years of experience, Dr. Litzinger also is a proud Northwood grad. He earned his bachelor of science degree in business administration there, and his master of science de...
An accomplished aftermarket executive with more than 30 years of experience, Dr. Litzinger also is a proud Northwood grad. He earned his bachelor of science degree in business administration there, and his master of science de...
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February 8, 2023 • 21 mins
In this latest episode of AMN Drivetime, Babcox CEO Bill Babcox sits down Rick Maxwell, president and owner of Cleveland-based United Motor Products.
Rick Maxwell is what some in this industry call a “lifer.” He’s been involved in the industry since he was about eight years old, working along his father, who began as an aftermarket salesman in 1965 for the originator of B’laster.
“He worked for a couple other companies in sales, an...
Rick Maxwell is what some in this industry call a “lifer.” He’s been involved in the industry since he was about eight years old, working along his father, who began as an aftermarket salesman in 1965 for the originator of B’laster.
“He worked for a couple other companies in sales, an...
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January 10, 2023 • 46 mins
Dave Caracci is a guy who can wield a wrench as deftly as he can a sales pitch.
In this latest episode of AMN Drivetime, Babcox CEO Bill Babcox sits down with Dave Caracci, longtime aftermarket veteran who currently serves as executive director of the Automotive Sales Council. While he racked up a stellar career as an aftermarket sales professional, Caracci has many skills he has cultivated over his long and successful career. Dave ...
In this latest episode of AMN Drivetime, Babcox CEO Bill Babcox sits down with Dave Caracci, longtime aftermarket veteran who currently serves as executive director of the Automotive Sales Council. While he racked up a stellar career as an aftermarket sales professional, Caracci has many skills he has cultivated over his long and successful career. Dave ...
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December 19, 2022 • 37 mins
In mid-November, the Motor & Equipment Manufacturers Association (MEMA) made a major announcement about a new business structure to better position the organization and the vehicle supplier community for the future. The 118-year-old organization will now operate under one umbrella — MEMA — and will represent automotive and commercial vehicle suppliers with two groups: MEMA Aftermarket Suppliers Group and MEMA Original Equipment...
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