Issue link: http://undercardigest.epubxp.com/i/532830
July 2015 29 ufacturing, to mufflers, and to con- verters that we have our own Aristo catalyst technology manufactured in house, we have a distinct advantage that will continue to allow AP to excel and be a full-service supplier in the exhaust and emissions industry whether it be in the light vehicle OEM replacement market, the performance aftermarket, or for heavy-duty appli- cations. Most customers in the ex- haust market prefer to purchase from one supplier if possible. The reason they have to go to some of these niche suppliers is primarily a lack of prod- uct coverage in some areas. We intend to close our coverage gaps in the com- ing year to help our customers reduce their reliance on these niche applica- tions, thus improving their supply- chain efficiencies by consolidating those purchases. 6. The Audax Group also owns Curt Mfg., which makes towing products. Are there any distribu- tion or sales-team advantages the two companies can share? Audax is the financial partner of several automotive aftermarket com- panies including Curt, Centric, Wheel Pros, Rough Country, and several others. Where it makes sense for those companies to collaborate, it will cer- tainly be something that we evaluate in order to do what's best for our cus- tomers. As I'm sure you read a few weeks ago as an example, Vange Proimos (former CEO of AP and now executive chairman of the AP board) was appointed to the board of directors for Centric, while Dan Lelchuk was appointed to the board of AP. By hav- ing these two gentlemen on our re- spective boards, given the amount of experience and the relationships they've built through the many years they've been in this industry, both companies will benefit. 7. Are you continuing to consider buying other exhaust acquisitions and other undercar parts manu- facturers? My team and I are putting a five- year plan together of which acquisi- tions will be a core part of our strategy. Acquisitions, as well as other M & A (mergers and acquisi- tion) mechanisms, are an excellent tool to enhance our capabilities and improve our product offering to better service our cus- tomer. Our vision at AP is to be our cus- tomers' Best-Value Provider in the emissions and ex- haust aftermarket. In order to accom- plish this, we need to provide our cus- tomers with the products they need at a competitive price. The more products and seg- ments of the market our customers par- ticipate in, the more opportunity we have to evaluate and consider becoming a more fully inte- grated supplier to them. Our primary focus right now is in the exhaust and emissions products, but will certainly be looking at adding other undercar parts if we feel it adds value to our customer base and to AP. 8. You have a military background (West Point & Army Corps of Engineers). Does that experience help in reviewing and reorganiz- ing a company such as AP? I spent 11 outstanding years in the military (four years at West Point and seven years active duty) and had the opportunity to see and do things that have had an enormous impact on who I am today as a person and as a leader. I have several core philosophies that I've developed through the years – many of which were generated from my time in the service. First off, I truly believe in a healthy work-life balance and putting your family first. After being deployed multiple times, I learned to truly appreciate every sec- ond I had with my family after seeing some of the things I experienced in dif- ferent parts of the world. Second, not sure who coined the phrase "Life is not a dress rehearsal," but I fully agree with that concept. You spend a lot of your time at work, so I am adamant with my team that if they aren't having fun with what they are doing, I will support them in every way to find something they will have fun doing – even if that means leaving my team. Third, I don't settle on people. I surround myself with a top- notch team of leaders that know how to get things done and take care of their people and customers. And lastly, I look for lead- ers first. Great lead- ers can compensate for not having 100% of the skills they need because people will follow them. I always tell my team I'm not an expert at sales, IT, finance, operations, engineering, or supply chain, but I know how to lead those functions to accomplish the goals of the organization. 9. Are there other topics you would like to add in order to in- form distributors and shops that buy AP products? First, we really appreciate the loy- alty of our customers. Vange has done a fantastic job over the years building inseparable relationships with AP's customers because he was focused on customer service. I intend to continue to foster those relationships and im- prove upon them. As AP continues to expand our presence, our commitment to our customers is to be the best com- pany with which to do business going forward – whether that's product cov- erage, cataloging, fill rates, quality, competitive pricing, or customer ser- vice. ■ The industry is certainly going through a transformation and a slow-growth period driven by the quality of exhaust systems and how long they now last.