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Tri-State Hires David Prater as EVP Corporate Development
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By Counterman
DMA announced the appointment of David Sapp as its new assistant product manager.
During his tenure as an account manager at Auto Plus Auto Parts, Sapp significantly increased local accounts in the Chattanooga area, achieving a notable 15% year-over-year sales growth, DMA said in a news release.
His role as a broker account manager at Capital Waste Services saw him successfully elevate national brokerage accounts by 26% year-over-year and increase local sales in the Chattanooga/North Georgia markets by 18% year-over-year.
Sapp’s leadership as sales and marketing director at Ken Smith Auto Parts Inc. resulted in the development of the online sales program, increasing annual revenue from $600,000 in 2012 to $2.8 million in 2018, DMA noted.
Sapp holds an A.S. in Automotive Technology Management Services from the College of Central Florida in Ocala, Florida, and a bachelor’s in theology from CIMN in Santa Rosa Beach.
“David’s proficiency in product analytics, coupled with his hands-on experience in the industry, positions him as a valuable asset to our product development team,” stated Trevor Potter, DMA chief product & marketing officer.
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By Counterman
Photo caption: From left, Claudia and Dr. David Fry (standing) are pictured as Dr. Fry receives the Wings of Freedom Award in 2022 in Bay Harbor, Michigan.
Northwood University announced the passing of former President David E. Fry, “a visionary leader, esteemed educator and beloved patriarch in the Northwood University family.”
Fry, who served as Northwood’s CEO from 1982 to 2006, passed away Tuesday, Dec. 19.
“Dr. Fry fostered Northwood University’s growth and progress as the longest-serving president and left an indelible mark on the institution,” reflected Northwood President Kent MacDonald. “Today, Northwood continues to advance the mission personified by Dr. Fry to develop free-enterprise leaders across America and around the world.”
Fry began his distinguished career as an economics professor with research and teaching interests in business, global economics and free markets. As president, he focused on creating an environment where this passion could be passed on to generations of students through the University’s philosophy, which values individual freedom and responsibility, earned success, moral law and the importance of free enterprise.
Fry proudly exemplified these institutional tenets of “The Northwood Idea,” the university said.
“Dr. Fry’s legacy includes leading Northwood through significant change, including growing the University academically from an institute to a university and opening the DeVos Graduate School of Management in 1993,” stated Kristin Stehouwer, provost, and vice president, academic affairs. “The more than 23,000 students who proudly graduated from Northwood University while Dr. Fry was leading from the helm – alumni who have gone on to impact private industry – is a testament to his leadership.”
The Early Days
At age 22, David Fry was part of an extraordinary faculty class recruited to Northwood in 1965. He became an intellectual descendant of Dr. V. Orval Watts, Northwood’s first legendary faculty member who gave shape and form to The Northwood Idea. Beloved in the classroom, Fry was named “Outstanding Teacher of the Year” by students in 1967 and 1968.
Fry was so talented that the school’s founders – Arthur and Johann Turner and Gary and Willa Stauffer – promoted him to an administrator role in 1969. In 1971, the founders gave him a mission to plant seeds of enterprise in Indiana, where he flourished. As much as he enjoyed teaching, he had an inherent gift to lead, inspire optimism, and influence different constituencies to share a common dream.
Along the way, he had taken time to establish solid academic credentials. Just as the school’s fortunes started to sour in the mid-1970s, Fry had fortuitously taken a sabbatical to earn his doctorate in business administration.
In a historic move, the Northwood Board of Trustees appointed Fry president and CEO of the Northwood Institute in 1982, making him one of the youngest college presidents in the United States.
Nancy Barker, a Midland resident who has served multiple roles with Northwood since 1971, including vice president of university relations, reflected on how he started as a young professor and eventually became one of Northwood’s greatest leaders.
“David evolved over the years. He was respected and had a wonderful relationship with the professors because he had been a faculty member and fully understood their important role in the classroom and for the success of Northwood,” Barker said. “David was a dynamic and challenging leader. He expected and encouraged those around him to do their best and gave them the support and opportunity to do that. His officers were a team who worked pretty much 24/7, as did he. David took the original Turner-Stauffer vision to a whole new level; his impact was international and yet still very personal.”
“All our lives were devoted to Northwood, this small growing institution, and Dr. Fry was our leader who paved the way.”
As involved as Johann Turner and Willa Stauffer were in their respective husbands’ work, so was Fry’s wife, Claudia. She is known as half the team that transformed Northwood from the early 1980s until Fry retired as its president in 2006.
“Claudia was always there for David,” reminisced Dr. Timothy Nash, Northwood vice president emeritus and director of the McNair Center for Free Enterprise. “She was the Rock of Gibraltar, the anchor in his life who played the more direct role in raising their two wonderful children, Daniel and Julie. Claudia has always had a strong intellect, passion, and interest in The Northwood Idea, global economics and business.”
“David has had a much better and more fulfilled life with Claudia by his side, and Northwood has a larger global footprint because of the two,” Nash added.
Expanding Academic Offerings
Under Fry’s leadership, Northwood experienced major academic expansions, including seeing Arthur Turner’s dream of a Florida campus come to fruition in West Palm Beach in 1983. He also fostered professional development partnerships with businesses and industry, the military, and community colleges.
Northwood began recruiting underserved students who needed access to various delivery methods and options to complete their degrees. Now known as Northwood Online, this was the start of Northwood’s Adult Degree Program, a delivery of content that enhanced access to higher education for adult learners who couldn’t attend college due to time constraints.
The DeVos Graduate School of Management was born in 1993 under Fry’s leadership. Since its beginning, the graduate school has attracted students worldwide. More importantly, its graduates have become entrepreneurs, leaders in the industry, mentors, and role models.
A University Well-Led, A Life Well-Lived
After facing many transitional and financial challenges, Fry and his team elevated Northwood to new heights. Campuses expanded, programs improved and grew and university status was achieved. Once back on solid footing, leaders focused on creative opportunities and innovations that lay ahead, distinguishing the Fry legacy.
“David’s great contribution was leadership,” stated Dr. Robert Serum, a long-time academic leader and innovator of international programs at Northwood, who is credited with navigating significant educational innovations for over two decades, starting in the late 1980s. “There are a lot of good managers out there, but there aren’t a lot of good leaders. David could walk into a room full of CEOs, all of whom had big egos, and before you knew it, they all wanted him as a friend. He was very popular wherever he went with faculty and staff, with other administrators and teachers, and especially with businesspeople. He epitomized what they believed in, free enterprise and every dimension of The Northwood Idea.”
Those who worked with Fry noted he had a brilliant mind and was a spell-binding speaker.
“His eloquence was so outstanding,” stated Dr. Marjorie Hohman, former board of trustee member, Distinguished Women honoree, and honorary doctoral degree recipient. “He was a people person, first. He was very good at connecting with people and holding their attention because he was such an eloquent speaker. He could stand in front of a crowd and captivate them because his command of the English language was superb.”
Hohman admired Dr. Fry’s influence on those he worked with. “The most outstanding thing about him was his leadership abilities and how he was able to get the best out of people,” she said. “He was such a mentor to so many.”
In honor of the tremendous progress made under Fry’s watch, the Northwood community came together to fund the David E. Fry Endowed Professorship to celebrate his retirement.
Recognizing his outstanding contributions to Northwood, in 2009, the University vested upon Fry its highest honor, Doctor of Laws, Honoris Causa.
Most recently, in 2022, Fry received the Wings of Freedom Award, created in honor of Northwood University’s own Dr. Dale Haywood. Northwood bestows this honor upon individuals whose lives have contributed to human progress, individual liberty, and economic and social prosperity.
“Dr. Fry’s legacy lives on at Northwood University, and we are forever thankful for his transformative role in our history,” stated President MacDonald. He continued, “Over my career, I have had the opportunity to research academic leaders around the globe and it is clear to me that Dr. Fry was one of the most transformational leaders in American higher education.”
Donors who would like to support Fry’s legacy can do so through a donation to the David E. Fry Endowed Professorship.
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By Counterman
Standard Motor Products (SMP) announced the launch of its all-new corporate website.
“This new site has been designed to improve the user experience of all stakeholders, providing transparency into the company while showcasing SMP’s history as a leading manufacturer of automotive components,” SMP said in a news release.
A redesigned homepage includes concise information on SMP’s markets, brands and sustainability efforts, as well as the company’s latest news, earnings and featured reports.
Additional highlights include:
A video tour of SMP global facilities An interactive history timeline A new “Investor Essentials” section that presents all financial documents in one place A reimagined news segment that integrates all news stories and press releases with intuitive filtering A comprehensive “Sustainability” section featuring SMP’s ESG story, its latest corporate sustainability report and an area devoted to SMP’s diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging (DEIB) efforts. To view the new website, visit
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By Counterman
Tendeco Sales Inc. has hired Scott Howat as national sales manager, responsible for aftermarket sales in North America for Litens Aftermarket.
Prior to joining the
link hidden, please login to view team, for three decades Howat has made an impact across sales, marketing and product management for the Auto Care Association, Affinia Group, Dana, Echlin and Gates Corp. Howat holds a Master Automotive Aftermarket Professional (MAAP) designation from the University of the Aftermarket and has served in leadership positions throughout the industry, including the Automotive Communications Council and Auto Care Association Marketing and Communications Committee. He was past chairman of the Auto Care Association Events Committee. In addition, he is a past chairman of the AASA Marketing Executives Council, and past member of the MEMA Government Affairs Committee and Brand Protection Council.
“We are thrilled to have an experienced leader like Scott to head our North American Aftermarket efforts as we expand the reach of the Litens brand,” said John Lussier, president of Tendeco Sales Inc. “His broad knowledge of the aftermarket ecosystem will support our strategic initiatives and better serve the needs of our Litens customers.”
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By Counterman
Vertical Development recently announced Shopify integration with ShowMeTheParts cataloging.
“With the launch of our new Shopify integration, we bring together the industry-leading cataloging of ShowMeTheParts with the power and flexibility of Shopify online stores,” the company said in a news release. “Together, they combine to provide customers with an easy-to-implement, turnkey solution for selling auto parts online.
“In seeking out a solution to simplifying auto parts e-commerce, we wanted to develop a truly turnkey solution. With our Shopify integration, Vertical Development is now your one-stop-shop for launching an e-commerce store.”
One of the most difficult parts of managing an auto parts e-commerce store is ensuring key data is presented accurately and updated as changes are made. Managing auto parts data has been a core competency of Vertical Development for more than 30 years, “so we understand the complexities and challenges of presenting and selling auto parts and use quality data as the foundation for success in all we do.”
With accurate data in place, providing customers with an easy way to find products to fit their vehicles becomes the next hurdle to successful auto parts e-commerce.
“For our new Shopify integration, we’ve created a simplified front-end product fitment finder powered by ShowMeTheParts data,” the company said. “Visitors will enter key information into the search and instantly see available products presented to them in an easy-to-navigate e-commerce layout. Your customers can quickly review details, add the part to the cart and complete the sale.”
Vertical Development tested a number of different solutions and “found Shopify to be the perfect solution.”
“No matter if your team has Shopify experience or not, we are confident you will quickly feel comfortable managing the backend of your online store,” the company said.
“Additionally, Shopify is the future of e-commerce and will continue to grow and evolve in the years to come, providing forward mobility. This can be seen in their commitment to developing the Shopify App Store which is full of apps to enhance and customize the overall e-commerce experience.”
Vertical Development noted that Shopify “will give you complete control over the customer experience.”
“You will no longer be selling right next to your competition, and instead will have the full attention of your customers in your custom branded store,” the company said. “Additionally, you can begin to have greater analytic insight into your core customer to inform future direct marketing, sales, or promotions efforts.”
In addition to owning your store, Shopify’s platform supports publishing to other third-party channels. This allows you to have all of the benefits of your exclusive, brand store, while also being able to easily expand visibility to a wider audience, according to Vertical Development.
“Whether you are an existing ShowMeTheParts customer or just getting started, we believe the new Shopify integration provides the easiest and fastest way to sell auto parts online,” the company asserted.
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