Federated Honors Member Tim Trudnowski With Industry Advocacy Award

The second-ever Federated Industry Advocacy Award was recently presented to longtime Federated member Tim Trudnowski at the annual Federated national meeting held in Phoenix, AZ.

(L to R): Federated members Tim Trudnowski, president of Parts Wholesalers, Inc. and Dick Beirne, president of United Auto Supply.

“At Federated, all our members play an active role in the aftermarket, but Tim Trudnowski really stands out with his willingness to volunteer his time and knowledge to help the industry prosper,” said Rusty Bishop, CEO of Federated Auto Parts. “Over the past year, Tim has done an admirable job as vice chairman of AWDA and we know he will do a tremendous job when he takes over the chairmanship this October. We congratulate Tim on receiving our Industry Advocacy Award, a recognition that he truly deserves.”

Trudnowski is president of Spokane-based Parts Wholesalers, Inc., one of Federated’s oldest members. He currently serves as vice chairman of the Automotive Warehouse Distributors Association (AWDA), a position he assumed in October 2011. In October 2012, he will become chairman of AWDA, a position he will hold for one year.

Parts Wholesalers, Inc. started its longtime affiliation with Federated Auto Parts in 1985. In 1986, the company purchased its first stand-alone store, the original Motion Auto Supply, in the Spokane valley. While this store location was eventually closed in 1989, the name continues on. Today, Parts Wholesalers, Inc. is a 100-percent employee owned company consisting of eight store locations that operate as Automotive Jobbers Supply and Motion Auto Supply. They also supply parts to independently owned jobber stores in Washington, Idaho, Oregon and Montana.

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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