AAIA Town Hall Online Registration Opens

Online registration for the 2011 AAIA Town Hall at AAPEX in Las Vegas is available. To download the registration form, visit www.aftermarket.org and click on “Meetings/Events.” Hosted by the Automotive Aftermarket Industry Association (AAIA), the Town Hall, sponsored by Polk, will be held Wednesday, Nov. 2 at 7 a.m. in the Venetian Ballroom in the Venetian Hotel.

Tickets for the 2011 AAIA Town Hall include a full buffet breakfast. Individual tickets are $100 for AAIA members and $115 for non-members, and a table of 10 is $850 for AAIA members and $1,000 for non-members. For more information, visit www.aftermarket.org.

The Town Hall program will feature individual presentations by three top industry thought leaders:
• Mario Gabelli, Chairman and CEO, GAMCO Investors, Inc.;
• Tim Rogers, President, Polk; and
• David Portalatin, Executive Director of Industry Analysis, The NPD Group.

Polk, a provider of automotive information and marketing solutions, is the primary sponsor of Town Hall. Six member companies of the Automotive Warehouse Distributors Association (AWDA) are contributing sponsors, including:
• Aftermarket Auto Parts Alliance, Inc.;
• Automotive Distribution Network;
• CARQUEST;
• NAPA;
• Federated Auto Parts; and
• National Pronto Association.

About AAIA
AAIA is a Bethesda, Md.-based association whose more than 23,000 members and affiliates manufacture, distribute and sell motor vehicle parts, accessories, service, tool, equipment, materials and supplies. Through its membership, AAIA represents more than 100,000 repair shops, parts stores and distribution outlets.

When Your Shop Is Worth Much More Than You Thought

Although every sale of a shop in which I am involved has its own unique set of circumstances, which makes my job both very interesting and very challenging, Cowden Automotive stands out as particularly memorable because I was able to demonstrate to the long-time owner, Paul Cowden, that his business was worth about three times what he had initially thought.

Case Study: Owner of San Francisco-based Import Service Shop Delighted to Discover Just How Valuable His Business is to Qualified Buyers
I sometimes share case studies of the clients I have been able to assist in my role as an aftermarket business broker and provider of intermediary and advisory services. I do that when I think the story will provide a reader in similar circumstances with new insights or helpful information.
In the case of Cowden Automotive, Inc., I acted in a consulting capacity assisting the owner and his broker in valuing the business, creating a marketing plan, finding a qualified buyer, and arranging financing for the sale.
Although every sale of a shop in which I am involved has its own unique set of circumstances, which makes my job both very interesting and very challenging, Cowden Automotive stands out as particularly memorable because I was able to demonstrate to the long-time owner, Paul Cowden, that his business was worth about three times what he had initially thought.
Needless to say, delivering that kind of good news to a shop owner is a rewarding experience. Discovering that the sale of his business would result in his retirement nest-egg being substantially larger than he had ever thought was a fitting tribute to someone who had spent his entire working career as a busy automotive service shop owner.

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