New Faces at AASA

Vange Proimos, president of AP Exhaust, Goldsboro, N.C. was elected chairman of the Automotive Aftermarket Suppliers Association (AASA) Board of Governors at the Nov. 8 board meeting.
Proimos and his brothers founded the USA Muffler Shop chain in the 1970s.
The business grew to more than 20 shops throughout northeast Indiana and included a distribution center to service the muffler shops.
In 1994, he and his family started Catco Catalytic Converters, known today as one of the largest aftermarket converter manufacturer in the country. Catco specializes in universal, direct fit and OBDII technology converters.
In 1998, Proimos acquired the AP Exhaust Aftermarket Division with manufacturing facilities in Goldsboro, N.C.
Manufacturing exhaust products for the past several years under the Goerlich’s, Merit, TruckEx and Xlerator brands, the company will begin to market their products as AP Exhaust in 2007.
Other AASA members newly elected to the board include:
Michael Cardone Jr., CEO, Cardone Industries;
David Coolidge, president, Automotive Aftermarket Division, executive vice president, Robert Bosch Corp;
Mike Howarth, senior vice president, KYB America LLC;
Sam Mitchell, president, The Valvoline Co;
Richard Shiozaki is vice president of aftermarket sales and corporate services for DENSO Sales California, Inc; Tom Ward, president, Snap-on Diagnostics & Information Group.
Also at the meeting, Steve Handschuh, AASA executive director, was elected president and chief operating officer of the association.
AASA was created in 2002 by the Motor & Equipment Manufacturers Association (MEMA) as its aftermarket market segment association to exclusively serve manufacturers of aftermarket components, tools and equipment, and related products.