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Making the Grade. The top 100 installers of 2007-2008
From the Editor[Mobile Electronics Magazine]: Announcing … The Top 50 and Top 100!
Tuesday, October 09, 2007 -- To All Our Valued friends and Colleagues:
It’s my pleasure once again to announce the Top 50 Retailers and Top 100 Installers in the nation for 2007-2008!
“The List" as it’s often referred to internally, consists of the stores and installers that our industry’s reps and manufacturer sales personnel felt were prime examples of professionalism, service and expertise. These are the people who, when one talks about car stereo as a profession, they can point to any one of these stores and installers and say, “They embody what this industry is all about.”
(Not that anyone uses the word “embody” anymore, but you get the point.)
Usually, the list is first revealed in the November issue of Mobile Electronics magazine, but we’re releasing it first on Hotwire and me-mag.com to give the nominees a chance to correct any misspellings or other information before it’s solidified in print. That’s right – as good as we try to be, there’s still that guy who prefers “Josh” over “Joshua,” or more often the case, “Mac Daddy” over “Leslie.”
But seriously, being on either of these lists is an honor, and I can say this based both on the comments that the reps submitted with their nominations, and the reactions of retailers and installers themselves as we interviewed several for an upcoming story.
It’s such a recognized honor, in fact, that Harman International. makers of JBL and Infinity car audio products, is sponsoring the Top 50 Retailers throughout the voting process. Parrot, makers of Bluetooth-enabled handsfree products, is sponsoring the Top 100 Installers. The certificates that each nominee will receive are created and presented on behalf of the sponsors.
We recognize that not everyone gets Hotwire, our—I mean, the industry’s e-mail newsletter (though they should), so please feel free to pass this message to others, especially to those on the list. If there are any corrections that need to be made, please send them to me directly at solomon@me-mag.com, and we’ll get them handled promptly.
So now I’ll get back to gearing up our Website for the voting process, which we’re calling “The 30-Day Sound-Off” – giving everyone in the industry the chance to vote for their favorite stores and installers. See you in the November issue!
Solomon Daniels, Editor
Mobile Electronics Magazine
The Top 100 Installers - 2007-2008
Chico Abrego - Beach Auto Sound - Huntington Beach , CA
Azad Ahmadi - Tweeter - Fairfax , VA
Ron Albanese - Car Toys - Houston , TX
Kenny Alvertini - Soundelux - Chula Vista , CA
John Amen - Sounds Incredible Mobile - Danbury , CT
James Anderson - Benchmark Motoring - Bellevue , WA
Ken Bell - Radioactive Autosound - Ontario , CA
Robert Bess - Audio Specialists - Hopkinsville , KY
Mike Betts - Audio Workx - Pittsburgh , PA
Mike Binney - G & M Stereos - Ontario , CA
Josh Bordner - Los Labs - Ft. Wayne , IN
Marcelo Borin - Midway Car Center - Lowell , MA
CJ Boyer - Sound Waves Inc. - Ramsey , MN
Joshua Brunelle - SoundCraft Car Stereo - Waterford , CT
Mike Buotte - Unique Auto Styling - Meriden , CT
Guerry Byers - Audio Outlaws - Buda , TX
Scott Carincross - La Jolla Audio Inc. - San Diego , CA
Jeremy Carlson - Soundcrafters - South Daytona Beach , FL
Bobby Carson - Ray's Electronics - Addison , IL
Rich Clark - Enriched Mobile Electronics - Santa Rosa , CA
Curt Clayton - Auto Trenz - Independence , MO
Steve Coogle - Xtreme Autosound - Louisville , KY
David Cruz - Grand Prairie Audio - Grand Prairie , TX
Robert Davidoski - Mobile-One Autosound - Houston , TX
Rob Diaz - Superior Radio - Saugus , MA
Charles Dixon - Audio Logic - Hollywood , FL
Scott Doran - Car Concepts - Salt Lake City , UT
Dave Ellers - Sound FX - Lewes , DE
Jay Enge - Car Fi - Springfield , MO
Chris Fiorino - Auto Sound Innovations - Eldersburg , MD
Keith Gantt - Sound Sensations - Marietta , GA
Chad Gaynor - Sound Waves - Parsippany, NJ
Luke Gray - Hardcore Enterprises - Tucson , AZ
Frank Green - Neptunes Marine Audio - Stockton , Ca
Frank Guarneros - Extreme Car Audio - Morristown , TN
Nick Henson - Roberts Mobile Electronics - Louisville , KY
Carlos Hickman - Los Labs - Ft. Wayne , IN
Charles Hobbs - Walnut Creek Customs - Walnut Creek , CA
Casey Hurd - Car Stereo Guys - Santa Barbara , CA
Justin Iverson - HiFi Shop - Roy , UT
Johnny Justice - Sound Sensations - Marietta , GA
Howard Kamish - Howard's Electronics - Glenwood , IA
Jeremy Katz - Advanced Audio Designs - Sharon , MA
Chris Kill - Advantage Audio - Norman , OK
Kelly Kitzman - Sound Waves Inc - Ramsey , MN
Chris Klagholz - Sound Waves - Prospect Park , PA
Danny Kogan - Crazy Bob's - St. George , UT
Jason Kranitz - Kingpin Car Audio/Motoring - Wilsonville , OR
Joshua Landau - JML Audio - St. Louis , MO
Mathew R. Layfield - Sound Off Audio Inc. - Blountstown , FL
Ryan LeBlanc - Boomer McLoud - Nashua , NH
Jackson Lee - Security & Sound Systems - Honolulu , HI
Kenyon Lee - Audio Video Integration (AVI) - Newton , MA
Ki Se Lee - All Star Sound - Long Beach , CA
Dan Lixey - Extreme Car Audio - Grand Rapids , MI
Tom Mangs - Audio Advisors - West Palm Beach , FL
Justin Marks - Area 41 - Kennesaw , GA
Mike McDaniels - Radio Clinic - Chattanooga , TN
Scott McKinnon - Sound of Tri-State - Wilmington , DE
Danny McMillian - Stereo One - Cape Girardeau , MO
Jeff Meece - California Soundworks - Lancastrer , CA
Tom Miller - SK MobileWorks/Stereo King - Happy Valley , OR
Ryan Miyashiro - AMS Car Stereo - Santa Clara , CA
Brian Mobley - Sound Decision - Montgomery , IL
Matt Murray - Audio Source - Columbus , IN
John Ng - KS Autotek - Philadelphia , PA
Erich Nitz - Elite Car Audio Inc. - Sandy , OR
Ryan Norris - Chucktronics - Lodi , CA
Ernesto Ornate - Sound Innovations - Hayward , CA
David Ortiz - Evolution Autosound - Lawndale , CA
Michael Owens - Extreme Car Audio - Morristown , TN
Derek Pace - Cerified Sounds - Wailuku , HI
Chad Paredes - Extreme Audio Systems Hawaii - Honolulu , HI
Chris Pate - Car Toys - Tulsa , OK
Kevin Pendley - Carolina Car Stereo and Security - Morganton , NC
Pete Riker - The Specialists, Inc. - Tucson , AZ
Nelson Rivera - Ultimate Audio - Orlando , FL
Scott Rosen - Sound Sensation - Auburn , MA
Jason Salas - Auto Marketing Services-AMS - Madison , WI
Dusty Santeler - Lakeside Audio - Conroe , TX
Joey Schultz - Eminent Hi-Fi - Rexburg , ID
Bob Schumacher - Custom Sounds - Austin , TX
Craig Seagraves - Precision Auto Stereo - Hayward , CA
Greg Serneda - Shockwave Customs - Frankfort , IL
Dave Serrambana - AJ's Car Audio - Terryville , CT
Matt Shay - Audiowerks - Tewksbury , MA
Earl Shimabukuro - Island Sound Customs - Honolulu, , HI
Bill Smith - Precision Auto Stereo - Hayward , CA
Jeffery Smith - Audio Designs of Atlanta - Stockbridge , GA
Brady Smith - HiFi Shop - Roy , UT
Stuart Suelze - Car Audio Depot - Modesto , CA
Travis Swore - Ideal Audio - Pocatello , ID
Tony Taylor - Warehouse Car Stereo - Stockton , CA
Yu Vang - Auto Sound Lab - Fresno , CA
John Verissimo - Auto Sound Lab - Fresno , CA
Tim West - Benchmark Audio - Horseheads , NY
Brian Whitney - Bud's Car Stereo - Danville , IL
Micah Williams - Audio Specialists - Madisonville , KY
Chris Yato - Competition Sound Works - Artesia , CA
Dustin Younger - Good Vibrations - Hutchinson , KS
Hotwire newsletter [Mobile Electronics Magazine] - 11-27-2007
Top 50 / Top 100 Voting Update #3: Same Players, Different Places
Tuesday, November 27, 2007 -- California’s Competition Soundworks moves up 3 spots to overtake Audio Logic; a shift in the Installer top ten puts Tom Miller behind Yato, Davidoski and Carlson. VOTING ENDS THIS FRIDAY! The top 12 vote-getters in each category will move on as finalists for Retailers of the Year and Installer of the Year.
Top 25 Vote-Getters in Each Category
Based on 3,155 Votes. 7 votes removed for incomplete contact information (i.e. no last name); 144 votes removed for non-industry affiliation.
Top 25 Retailers as of Nov. 27
1 . Crutchfield the Store -- Charlottesville, VA
2 . Z Tech Audio + -- Terre Haute, IN
3 . Competition Soundworks -- Artesia, CA
4 . Audio Logic -- Hollywood, FL
5 . Audio Designs of Atlanta -- Stockbridge, GA
6 . Car-Fi -- Springfield, MO
7 . Audio Specialists -- Hopkinsville, KY
8 . Custom Sounds -- Austin, TX
9 . Drive-In Autosound -- Colorado Springs, CO
10 . Security and Sound Systems -- Honolulu, HI
11 . Audio Excellence -- Orlando, FL
12 . Car Toys -- Seattle, WA
13 . Car Concepts -- Salt Lake City, UT
14 . Sound Sensations -- Marietta, GA
15 . Horizon Car Audio -- Canton, OH
16 . Kingpin Car Audio -- Wilsonville, OR
17 . Elite Car Audio -- Sandy, OR
18 . Osprey Wireless -- Norwood, MA
19 . Al & Eds -- Van Nuys, CA
20 . Autosound Lab -- Fresno, CA
21 . Progressive Auto Sounds -- Aiea, HI
22 . Ray's Electronics -- Addison, IL
23 . Sound Decision -- Montgomery, IL
24 . La Jolla Audio -- San Diego, CA
25 . Shockwave Customs -- Frankfort, IL
Top 25 Installers as of Nov. 27
1 . Chris Yato -- Competition Sound Works -- Artesia, CA
2 . Robert Davidoski -- Mobile-One Autosound -- Houston, TX
3 . Jeremy Carlson -- Soundcrafters -- South Daytona Beach, FL
4 . Tom Miller -- SK MobileWorks/Stereo King -- Happy Valley, OR
5 . Jeffery Smith -- Audio Designs of Atlanta -- Stockbridge, GA
6 . Micah Williams -- Audio Specialists -- Madisonville, KY
7 . Chris Pate -- Car Toys -- Tulsa, OK
8 . Dan Lixey -- Extreme Car Audio -- Grand Rapids, MI
9 . Jay Enge -- Car Fi -- Springfield, MO
10 . Charles Dixon -- Audio Logic -- Hollywood, FL
11 . Casey Hurd -- Car Stereo Guys -- Santa Barbara, CA
12 . Jason Salas -- Auto Marketing Services-AMS -- Madison, WI
13 . Jeremy Katz -- Advanced Audio Designs -- Sharon, MA
14 . Joshua Landau -- JML Audio -- St. Louis, MO
15 . Carlos Hickman -- Los Labs -- Ft. Wayne, IN
16 . Michael Betts -- Audio Workx -- Pittsburgh, PA
17 . Robert Bess -- Audio Specialists -- Hopkinsville, KY
18 . Chad Paredes -- Extreme Audio Systems Hawaii -- Honolulu, HI
19 . Danny McMillan -- Stereo One -- Cape Girardeau, MO
20 . Earl Shimabukuro -- Island Sound Customs -- Honolulu, HI
21 . Brian Whitney -- Bud's Car Stereo -- Danville, IL
22 . Yu Vang -- Auto Sound Lab -- Fresno, CA
23 . Erich Nitz -- Elite Car Audio Inc. -- Sandy, OR
24 . Jason Kranitz -- Kingpin Car Audio/Motoring -- Wilsonville, OR
25 . Scott Doran -- Car Concepts -- Salt Lake City, UT
Top 50 / Top 100 Voting Update #2: Car-Fi Moves up 3; Davidoski Ties for No. 2 Spot
Tuesday, November 20, 2007 -- Car-Fi moves from No. 10 to No.7 in heavy voting, while Mobile-One's Robert Davidoski ties last week's frontrunner Jeremy Carlson for the No. 2 position, behind new leader Chris Yato.
Top 25 Vote-Getters in Each Category
Based on 2,475 Votes. 28 votes removed for incomplete contact information (i.e. no last name); 67 votes removed for non-industry affiliation.
Top 25 Retailers as of Nov. 20
1 . Crutchfield the Store -- Charlottesville, VA
2 . Z Tech Audio + -- Terre Haute, IN
3 . Audio Logic -- Hollywood, FL
4 . Audio Designs of Atlanta -- Stockbridge, GA
5 . Drive-In Autosound -- Colorado Springs, CO
6 . Competition Soundworks -- Artesia, CA
7 . Car-Fi -- Springfield, MO
8 . Audio Specialists -- Hopkinsville, KY
9 . Car Concepts -- Salt Lake City, UT
10 . Custom Sounds -- Austin, TX
11 . Audio Excellence -- Orlando, FL
12 . Security and Sound Systems -- Honolulu, HI
13 . Car Toys -- Seattle, WA
14 . Sound Sensations -- Marietta, GA
15 . Kingpin Car Audio -- Wilsonville, OR
16 . Autosound Lab -- Fresno, CA
17 . Al & Eds -- Van Nuys, CA
18 . Osprey Wireless -- Norwood, MA
19 . Elite Car Audio -- Sandy, OR
20 . Sound Decision -- Montgomery, IL
21 . Progressive Auto Sounds -- Aiea, HI
22 . Ray's Electronics -- Addison, IL
23 . Shockwave Customs -- Frankfort, IL
24 . Horizon Car Audio -- Canton, OH
25 . La Jolla Audio -- San Diego, CA
Top 25 Installers as of Nov. 20
1 . Chris Yato -- Competition Sound Works -- Artesia, CA
2 . Jeremy Carlson -- Soundcrafters -- South Daytona Beach, FL
2 . Robert Davidoski -- Mobile-One Autosound -- Houston, TX
4 . Jeffery Smith -- Audio Designs of Atlanta -- Stockbridge, GA
5 . Dan Lixey -- Extreme Car Audio -- Grand Rapids, MI
6 . Tom Miller -- SK MobileWorks/Stereo King -- Happy Valley, OR
7 . Charles Dixon -- Audio Logic -- Hollywood, FL
8 . Chris Pate -- Car Toys -- Tulsa, OK
9 . Micah Williams -- Audio Specialists -- Madisonville, KY
10 . Jay Enge -- Car Fi -- Springfield, MO
11 . Casey Hurd -- Car Stereo Guys -- Santa Barbara, CA
12 . Jason Salas -- Auto Marketing Services-AMS -- Madison, WI
13 . Jeremy Katz -- Advanced Audio Designs -- Sharon, MA
14 . Joshua Landau -- JML Audio -- St. Louis, MO
15 . Michael Betts -- Audio Workx -- Pittsburgh, PA
16 . Danny McMillan -- Stereo One -- Cape Girardeau, MO
17 . Scott Doran -- Car Concepts -- Salt Lake City, UT
18 . Yu Vang -- Auto Sound Lab -- Fresno, CA
19 . Robert Bess -- Audio Specialists -- Hopkinsville, KY
20 . Carlos Hickman -- Los Labs -- Ft. Wayne, IN
21 . Chad Paredes -- Extreme Audio Systems Hawaii -- Honolulu, HI
22 . Brian Whitney -- Bud's Car Stereo -- Danville, IL
23 . Chris Kill -- Advantage Audio -- Norman, OK
24 . Derek Pace -- Certified Sounds -- Wailuku, HI
25 . Earl Shimabukuro -- Island Sound Customs -- Honolulu, HI
Top 50 / Top 100 Voting Ends in a Flurry; Results 12/6
Monday, December 03, 2007 -- Voting to determine finalists for Retailers of the Year and Installer of the Year ended Friday, November 30, capped by a rush of last-minute votes. In all, more than 4,000 votes were cast, with 153 coming on the last day.
This year’s voting, which has been sponsored by Harman International (Top 50) and Parrot (Top 100), produced new names, tough competition, and of course, controversy. Several retailers expressed surprise and disappointment that Crutchfield made the Top 50 list, not to mention that the store was in the No.1 spot on voting as of the last update.
“Crutchfield has continued to excel, not only in the traditional 12-volt products, but bringing new technologies to the market and educating consumers about a technology’s value,” wrote the rep who nominated the company.
“I would like to see a list of the vendors and reps that voted Crutchfield as top retailer. That would be real conducive to their business,” commented a retailer.
Jeremy Carlson of Soundcrafters in South Daytona Beach, Fla., and Robert Davidoski from Mobile-One Autosound in Houston, Texas, both newcomers to the Top 100, have cornered two of the top three spots in the voting in the last two updates. They’ve traded spots with multiple nominee and former Installer of the Year Chris Yato, who was in the No.1 spot as of the last update.
The final tally will be announced on Thursday, Dec. 6. This gives the Mobile Electronics staff ample time to go through the votes and check for accuracy.
“The voting process this year has been mostly legitimate, with the exception of retailers and installers who mistakenly thought that their customers were eligible,” said Solomon Daniels, editor of Mobile Electronics. “I personally go through each vote, and in cases where there were a lot of consumer votes from a store, we’ve called the store to clarify the rules.”
Car Audio and Electronics promote the Top 100 Installers of 2008
