[SEMA Series] Roy Littlefield, Sam Ferberbaum, Lance Bullock, Norris Marshall, and Michael Mathis

Episode 154

Roy Littlefield, Sam Ferberbaum, Lance Bullock, Norris Marshall, and Michael Mathis

2024 SEMA Roundup Series - Episode 2/3

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Roy Littlefield is the CEO of Tire Industry Association. He has been with the organization since 1979 and advocates for right to repair legislation. Roy encourages listeners to visit the TIA website and get involved in the organization’s advocacy efforts.

Sam Ferberbaum is the President of Prinx and Fortune brand tires. He has over 20 years of experience helping companies grow and improve customer retention and revenue. He has spent the last two years in his role at Prinx Chengshan Tire and previously worked for eight years at Toyo Tires.

Lance Bullock is the President of OE Wheels, 4PLAY Wheels, and Defiant Wheels. Lance has contributed to the modernization, direction, and growth of OE Wheels for over two decades. The company’s Defiant Wheel recently won a SEMA design award.

Norris Marshall is Co-founder of Blueprint Engines and serves on the board for SEMA. His company manufactures crate engines for a variety of makes and models and strives to make it easier for enthusiasts to modify their vehicles.

Michael Mathis is the President of Atturo Tires. Atturo had a record-breaking year, increasing brand awareness through sports sponsorships and a national TV campaign. The company is launching the Trailblade HT, a new all-weather tire, and adding 20 new sizes to their A810 performance tire.

In this episode…

The automotive aftermarket industry is facing challenges and opportunities as technology evolves and consumer preferences shift. How are industry leaders addressing issues like right to repair, product innovation, and market expansion?

According to Roy Littlefield, Sam Ferberbaum, Lance Bullock, Norris Marshall, and Michael Mathis, the industry is actively working on several fronts. They emphasize the importance of right to repair legislation, with efforts being made at both state and federal levels to ensure independent repair shops can access vehicle repair information. Product innovation is also a key focus, with companies developing new tire designs, wheel styles, and engine solutions to meet changing consumer demands. Additionally, these leaders highlight the significance of trade shows like SEMA for networking, showcasing new products, and building relationships with customers and partners.

On this episode of Gain Traction, join host Mike Edge at SEMA, where he talks to Roy, Sam, Lance, Norris, and Michael about right to repair legislation, new product launches, the importance of face-to-face interactions at trade shows, sports marketing strategies, and the value of industry associations like SEMA. They also discuss market trends, product innovations, and strategies for growth in the automotive aftermarket industry.

Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn:

[02:20] How TIA advocates for the tire industry at SEMA
[04:02] The progress of the Right to Repair Act
[06:01] Prinx and Fortune’s innovative strategies at SEMA
[08:53] The evolution of aftermarket wheels with OE and 4Play
[11:16] How BluePrint Engines easily enhances car performance
[12:10] SEMA’s impact on building industry relationships
[14:27] Ayturo Tires’ new releases and sports marketing success

Resources mentioned in this episode:

Quotable Moments:

“We got as far as we ever have with a federal bill. The Repair Act had 56 bipartisan co-sponsors split right down the middle and for the first time we got it passed out of the subcommittee unanimously.” – Roy Littlefield
“We will have a new Prinx and Fortune AT2 product that will be launched in the second quarter of 2025 — we’re very excited about that.” – Sam Kelberbaum
“We’re very proud of our aftermarket line, 4PLAY Wheels, for trucks, Jeeps, and SUVs. That’s our industry-defining patented products.” – Lance Bullock
“We are a crate engine manufacturer and we manufacture engines that will go in GM cars, Ford cars, Chrysler cars. These are 100% new engines and most of the content is our own.” – Norris Marshall
“We were on some 200 different broadcasts for Major League Baseball games this year. We’re getting into the NHL. We’ve got NBA courtside signage going right now. And then our national TV campaign has really done a lot to raise our brand awareness.”- Michael Mathis

Action Steps:

Attend industry trade shows: Engaging in events like SEMA provides a unique opportunity to meet industry leaders and potential collaborators in one place.
Enhance networking skills: Networking effectively is crucial for building relationships with customers and partners.
Stay informed on legislative issues: Awareness and participation in advocacy can ensure that your business supports favorable legislation and adapts to potential regulatory changes.
Leverage marketing opportunities: By exploring diverse promotional platforms, you can reach broader audiences and solidify your brand’s presence in the market.
Invest in product innovation: Continuously develop and introduce new products to meet evolving market demands.

Transcript

Announcer:

Welcome to the Gain Traction podcast, where we feature top automotive entrepreneurs and experts, and share their inspiring stories. Now, let’s get started with the show.

Mike:

Hi, folks. Welcome back to the Gain Traction podcast. I am Mike Edge, your host. You all know Tire Business, the leading publication in the tire industry. Well, now they are the exclusive media partner for Gain Traction, and Gain Traction is their exclusive podcast. Couldn’t be more excited. You’ll be able to find our podcast at tirebusiness.com. Big shout-out to Don Detore and his team for making this possible. We’re very excited to be part of the Tire Business family.

Today’s podcast is the second of the 2024 SEMA series, where I interviewed 15 industry leaders at SEMA, and then we segmented them into three parts series with five interviews in each. This is part two.

But before we begin, a little word from our sponsor, this podcast is brought to you by Tread Partners, the leading digital marketing agency for tire and auto repair operations that have five to hundreds of locations. Multi-location shops face an entirely unique set of challenges. Tread Partners gets it. If you own five locations or more, or let’s say you’re the operational manager, or COO, or president, et cetera, or you’ve got hundreds of locations, or you’re part of private equity, don’t waste time and money with marketing agencies that don’t specialize in this space. Get with Tread Partners today and make your marketing predictable and profitable with clear reporting. To learn more, visit treadpartners.com.

All right. Let’s get this podcast started. As I said, this is part two of the SEMA series. And today, you’re going to be listening to Roy Littlefield with TIA, Tire Industry Association, Sam Felberbaum, with Prinx and Fortune Brand tires, Lance Bullock with OE Wheels and 4Play Wheels. Norris Marshall with Blueprint Engines, and he’s also a board member for SEMA, and Michael Mathis, who’s with Arturo Tires. Couldn’t be more excited about this, and sit back and enjoy it. Thank you.

All right, folks. I’m here with Roy Littlefield the fourth, vice president of Government Affairs for TIA, the Tire Industry Association. And actually, I had his dad on a couple years ago on this podcast, and it was an honor to have him. It’s an honor to have you, Roy.

Roy:

Thank you so much. Really appreciate you having me, Mike.

Mike:

Yeah. So tell us about what TIA does at SEMA. Your advocacy, what you do in the industry, but then why is SEMA so important?

Roy:

Sure. SEMA is so important because it’s really the premier show for the industry. Everybody’s out here. And for us, the Global Tire Expo is really our portion of the show, which encompasses the entire South Hall. If you want to see tires, come and see us here. For TIA, it’s where we do a lot of events for our members and things like that. And on Monday, we had our industry reception, and what we also did this year was we held a right to repair summit. We had a tremendous response for that. We had over 70 industry representatives there.

Mike:

Wow, that’s awesome.

Roy:

Yeah. And really just bringing the awareness to this issue, which is really front and center right now.

Mike:

Well, and I’ve done a little advocacy there too. Your dad and I talked about it a while back, and then Tim Winkler out of VIP Tire and Service up there in Maine, he’s been a big proponent up in that area of the Northeast, I think.

Roy:

Yeah. This is an issue we’ve been talking about for several years now, and continuing to try and make a push. And those state efforts have really been important. We’ve made some progress up in Maine and in Massachusetts, but we really need some federal codification here, and get Congress behind the bill.

Mike:

Are we getting anywhere?

Roy:

Well, we were getting there this year. We got as far as we ever have with a federal bill. The Repair Act had 56 bipartisan co-sponsors, split right down the middle. And for the first time, we got it passed out of the subcommittee unanimously.

Mike:

Awesome.

Roy:

We were looking good for committee vote, and unfortunately it got held last minute. We’re going to have to reorganize this Congress now, get this bill back, and get the industry organized early on this bill.

Mike:

Is there a deadline where there’s going to be a pain point for the independents and the people that want the information?

Roy:

Well, that’s my worry. I think right now the average vehicle on the road is about 13 years old, so most of the things coming into our shops, we can work on. But as these newer vehicles, a lot of them really 2020 and newer, are going to cloud-based systems when it comes to accessing this repair information. Without that, it’s really shutting us out.

Mike:

Where can somebody right now find out more information to educate themselves?

Roy:

Right now, we would love for you to just go to tireindustry.org, our website, reach out to me. I’d love to get more people involved in our advocacy efforts. We’re really trying to get the message out with what we’re doing. We have a newsletter that goes out every Monday to everyone in the industry, just to let people know what’s happening. But we’re going to need the industry organized. We’re going to have to write letters to Congress. Grassroots efforts is the only way we’re going to beat this, because there’s a lot of money being spent by the OEMs, and especially by the dealerships to try and monopolize these repairs in the future.

Mike:

All right, folks. Make sure you go to tireindustry.org and find Roy Littlefield and reach out to him. And Roy, I’m glad you were on the podcast. Thank you for being here.

Roy:

Thank you so much. Appreciate it.

Mike:

All right, folks. Mike Edge here again with the Gain Traction Podcast. I’m sitting with Samuel Felberbaum, he is the president of Prinx and Fortune. Sam, it’s been a while.

Sam:

Mike, nice to see you this evening.

Mike:

Yeah, welcome back to the Gain Traction podcast.

Sam:

It’s a pleasure being here. Thank you for calling us to speak.

Mike:

Yeah. I’m excited to hear, what do you got going on this year for 2024 SEMA?

Sam:

Well, for 2024, we have a booth down in the South Hall for all of our US and international customers. And we also have a suite over at Resorts World where from Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, in our time blocks, it allows us to sit with all of our customers, discuss what they have in mind from 2024. It allows us to discuss with them where we see opportunities, and together being able to put together a program to grow our mutual business in 2025.

Mike:

It sounds to me like you have been talking a little bit today.

Sam:

More than normal. Yes.

Mike:

Well, I would say that it is very effective for you guys to have so many customers in one spot, hour after hour, for three days straight basically, right?

Sam:

Yes. It’s like being in a car wash. You come in, you get a wash and rinse, and out the door you go. Because the customers are on a timeframe too, to meet as many of their other vendors. We’re cognizant of their time, and we want to make sure that we are as efficient as possible when they come to meet with us.

Mike:

And I’m sure you feel like you’re being redundant, but really every conversation is probably unique in and of itself, because everybody’s got different needs and you’re trying to match up.

Sam:

Yes. There’s some similarity overall, but actually to your point, we are doing things that are direct for those customers.

Mike:

Yeah, that’s awesome. What do you guys see coming into 2025? Anything exciting?

Sam:

Well, from our standpoint, we will have a new Prinx and Fortune A/T2 product that will be launched in the second quarter of 2025. We’re very excited about that. We’ll be rounding out our four season lines for both Prinx and Fortune, so we’re very excited about that as well. And then of course, with the TBR business, with the latest anti-dumping ruling, we’re going to continue to plow forward and work to continue to earn our customers business, both for Fortune and Prinx.

Mike:

Awesome. Well, thanks for being on the podcast again, and good luck at the show.

Sam:

Mike, thank you, and it’s a pleasure joining you.

Mike:

All right. Thanks.

All right, folks. Mike Edge here again at SEMA 2024. I’m with Lance Bullock with OE Wheels and 4Play wheel. Lance, welcome back to the Gain Traction Podcast. I think it’s been a couple years.

Lance:

It has been a couple years, Mike. You did such a great job last time and I’m looking forward to it at this time.

Mike:

Well, look, SEMA’s very exciting. You guys are here, obviously, representing your wheels. What do you got going on special this year?

Lance:

Well, we’re very proud of our aftermarket line, 4Play Wheels for truck, jeeps and SUVs. That’s our industry-defining patented products. You probably see maybe imitations floating around SEMA. What got us here was our OE Wheels replica line-up, and most recently we’ve launched Defiant Wheel, which is a direct bolt-on vehicle-specific-style wheel, which really is picking up traction. We’re happy to show all of our customers our new products.

Mike:

That’s awesome. So Jordan, he’s one of your key people, won an award last year?

Lance:

Yeah. Jordan is our designer. You’re right, he won the 2024 SEMA Design Award for one of our Defiant Wheels, that fits Tesla, that he designed. We’re very proud of that design. He does a heck of a job. He also designs all of our 4Play wheels as well.

Mike:

What do you guys mostly get out of SEMA? Is it the relationships? Is it a combination of things?

Lance:

I think you’ll probably find the same answer and over and over. Such an opportunity to meet with so many people in one place that you have already established a relationship with. It’s always productive when you have a customer that you can actually show the wheel to, versus a Zoom or a phone call. Really, really a different experience. Just like this podcast, it’s nice to do a face-to-face, Mike.

Mike:

It is fun. For me, I’m doing behind Zoom, so I don’t get to see people personally. It’s fun to engage somebody face-to-face, look them in the eye, talk to them, and then obviously have conversations before and after the recording.

Lance:

Yeah, it’s certainly cool.

Mike:

But listen, I can’t say enough. I’m glad to have you back on the podcast, and I hope the show goes great for you guys.

Lance:

All right. Well, I know things are going well for you too. Congratulations and thank you.

Mike:

Yeah, thank you.

Hey folks, I’m back at it. I’m with Norris Marshall. He is with Blueprint Engines, co-founder, and he is also a board member of SEMA. He’s never been on the podcast. Norris, welcome to the Gain Traction podcast.

Norris:

Mike, great to be here. Really appreciate it.

Mike:

Yeah, we love having you. Listen, you’re a niche in the market. Tell us about Blueprint.

Norris:

We are a crate engine manufacturer, and we manufacture engines that will go in GM cars, Ford cars, Chrysler cars. These are a hundred percent new engines, and most of the content is our own, so we have a large engineering staff. We design all of our own components, and at the end of the day we assemble and test every engine that we make. They’re all dyno-tested, and we’re trying to make it easier for folks to hot-ride their car, or build a restomod, or just add some fresh power to that old pickup.

Mike:

Leads me to the next question. If someone says, man, I just heard this interview, that’s why I need something like that, or I’m looking for a supplier, how do they reach you guys?

Norris:

It’s simple, Blueprintengines.com. And all the major distributors also carry our product, so we’ll work with you directly or you can buy it from Summit, Jegs, all those guys.

Mike:

Oh, perfect. Well, tell us about SEMA. You’re obviously on the board, you believe in it. What’s SEMA do for Blueprint?

Norris:

I’ve been on the board of lots of different organizations, and I’ve been part of lots of different trade associations, and I am just so impressed with what SEMA does. Yeah, there’s some spots that aren’t perfect, and people complain about it, but SEMA is an awesome organization that supports our industry in a few ways. One is this trade show is fantastic. I think there’s 150,000 people, I don’t know how else I can get in front of 150,000 people in four days, and have product here that I can show them, and they can touch it and feel it.

Mike:

And especially people that are coming out knowing what they’re looking for, and then they can look you up through the… The SEMA app is unbelievable, by the way. That thing is so convenient. And if they find you as a supplier, then they know where to go to find you. It’s mapped out real easy. Then you get to meet them.

Norris:

Our booth staff that’s here, I think has about 12 people. We have two different booths. And by the time we get to the show, I wouldn’t say that our days are filled with appointments, but everybody has had somebody reach out to them and say, hey, I want to come by the booth. I’ll be there at 10:30, or whatever. We all have this master schedule, and we see all these customers and potential customers that are coming. It’s a very effective way for us to meet our customers.

Mike:

That’s awesome. Well Norris, thanks for being part of Gain Traction and I hope Blueprint does great here this year.

Norris:

Mike, thank you for all you do.

Mike:

All right.

Norris:

Appreciate you telling the story.

Mike:

Take care.

All right, folks, Mike Edge here with the Gain Traction Podcast. I am with Michael Mathis with Atturo Tires. Michael, we had you on, I guess the podcast, maybe two years ago, and then we had you on the podcast last year at SEMA. Now we’re 2024, tell us about this year and how things are going.

Michael:

Well, Atturo has had a phenomenal year this year, best year in our history. We’ve really got some great momentum, I think, coming into this SEMA show.

Mike:

You know where I see it, if I could interrupt? Your sports marketing. You guys promote that a lot right now, and I’ve seen you promote it on LinkedIn a lot up there in Chicago.

Michael:

Yeah, for sure. Well, and nationally. We were on some 200 different broadcasts for Major League baseball games this year. We’re getting into the NHL. We’ve got NBA Courtside signage going right now. And then our national TV campaign has really done a lot, I think, to raise our brand awareness.

Mike:

Well, and sports is fun, and you guys are a sporty tire, right?

Michael:

Yeah, for sure. We like to get out there and make a tire for people to go have fun, whether it’s on the dirt or on the road.

Mike:

Yeah. Anything specifically that you want to highlight in 2024?

Michael:

Yeah. Coming into SEMA, we’ve got a brand new product release, our Trail Blade HT. That’s an exciting new addition to the line. It kind of rounds out our light truck offering, SUV crossover-type tire. It’s got a really exciting tread design. It’s got a stylized sidewall that fits in with our Trail Blade series, and I think it gives it a distinct look, which is more and more important, I think, to consumers today. And then we’re also adding another 20 plus sizes to our AZ810 Performance Tire. That’s been a real winner for us so far this year, and now we’ve almost doubled that size range. And all told, in 2024, we will have rolled out over a hundred new sizes.

Mike:

Golly. That’s a lot, man.

Michael:

It’s a huge increase for a small brand like us to really accelerate that.

Mike:

Well, I noticed you also had some on the Tesla truck?

Michael:

Yeah, we’ve got the Cybertruck out here in our booth. Yeah, so we’ve got that. We’ve got a Nissan GTR out here, and then of course, a side-by-side as well.

Mike:

That’s awesome.

Michael:

Yeah, SEMA’s off to a great start for us. It’s just the first day here, but we saw a real surge of traffic coming in this morning, and a packed booth.

Mike:

I’ve noticed this in the last hour. It’s really gotten packed. We’re in the afternoon on the first day here, but it’s really picked up a ton.

Michael:

Yeah. We’re excited for that crowd. We want to make sure we see that carry through for the rest of the week. We’re happy to be out here and be able to see our customers, and then those dealers that are the ones actually out there selling the tires and putting them on the car.

Mike:

Well, it’s always an honor to see you again. Welcome back to the Gain Traction Podcast. Glad to have you, and good luck at the show.

Michael:

Well, we always listen to you guys. Appreciate you including us in it, and thank you for the opportunity.

Mike:

Awesome. Thank you, Michael.

All right, folks. I hope you enjoyed part two of the 2024 SEMA Roundup series. That’s all, folks. We will see you next time on Gain Traction. But before you go, to all our listeners out there, thank you for being part of the podcast. I always like to mention this. We are grateful for you. And if you would like to recommend a guest to me, please email me at [email protected]. See you next time on Gain Traction. Thanks for your support.

Announcer:

Thanks for listening to the Gain Traction Podcast. We’ll see you again next time, and be sure to click subscribe to get future episodes.

Contents hide

1 In this episode…

1.1 Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn:

1.2 Resources mentioned in this episode:

1.2.1 Quotable Moments:

1.2.2 Action Steps: