Styling & Performance - June 2008 - (Page 6)

SOAPBOX Settling In he pace of change is a funny thing. Sometimes it seems like eons of waves beating against a rock to make a little itsy, bitsy piece of sand. Other times, boom, the sky seems to drop on our heads. Here at Advanstar, Styling & Performance’s publishing house, we recently experienced a bit of both. The entire company went through a hard-knocks evaluation of which direction we wanted to take moving forward and what we needed to do to get there. It came down to one trigger word: Internet. Yes, the vast cyberworld that has lingered for the past two decades, challenging individuals, small businesses and conglomerates to enter its domain, has beckoned and it’s time we answered. To that end, Advanstar made huge investments to ensure that the properties under its umbrella are ready to take on the challenge. We combined our automotive and off-road groups, which meant that we made some unfortunate-but-needed structural changes. Enter … me. You might wonder where Mike Anson is, who I am and what my plans are for Styling & Performance. First, Anson will now be a regular contributor to Styling & Performance. With his deep knowledge of the automotive industry, he will help keep us—and you—updated with the most relevant news in the specialty-parts segment. Now, about me; before coming on board, I was a contributing writer for Styling & Performance and the former editor of this magazine’s sister publication, Off-Road Business. I won’t run through my resume but, having worked on six different trade publications and contributing to half a dozen others, I will say that my experience extends throughout business-to-business publishing. I won’t call myself an automotive guru, either—I admit that I hadn’t experienced more than 300 horsepower before setting foot inside Advanstar—but I do know the ﬁnite details of journalism, and thanks to time as managing editor of Dirt Sports and Off-Road Business magazines I have become an automotive enthusiast. Really, what’s not to love about nitrogen-charged shocks? Now you’re probably wondering what will come of this magazine. My job is to organize this publication into the market-leading information depot that’s lacking in the automotive specialty-parts segment today. The contents of Off-Road Business magazine has now been absorbed into Styling & Performance, completing the specialtyparts aftermarket niche. T For Off-Road Business readers, expect off-road coverage in every issue of Styling & Performance, in addition to news-driven articles to help you run a better business. In addition to incorporating the off-road niche into the magazine’s specialty-parts focus, Styling & Performance will feature more human-interest departments that we hope you’ll ﬁnd valuable, impactful and relevant. One department, for example, will spotlight innovative speed shops and jobber/retailer operations. If you know of a long-standing shop that has weathered the tests of economic times, a retailer that still provides its region with uncompromised service, or a speed shop with a killer brand image and marketing campaign, write in and tell us about them. Styling & Performance still plans to showcase a knockout magazine, with top-quality eye candy in the form of kick-butt photography, but overall, expect to see shorter feature stories that are broken up into more-readable, easily-searchable sidebars. Our goal is to provide sound technical and management information and trends to the independent service provider, in order for him or her to make money with specialty parts and accessories. Finally, it’s safe to say that our industry lives, breathes and dies by new products. To that end, Styling & Performance will continue offering extensive new product coverage in the way of a newly-created department called “Word on the Street,” reader-generated surveys on the hottest-moving products in this $38 billion marketplace. It’s sure to help you stock the right products that get those cash registers ringing. The entire staff of Styling & Performance is dedicated to serving your needs. Write us a letter. Tell us what you want to see and how we can provide top-notch information to help your business. Let’s take Styling & Performance to the next level … together. Nguyet Le Thomas Editor in Chief nlthomas@advanstar.com 6 Styling & Performance I Uniting The Specialty Parts Industry

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Styling & Performance - June 2008

Styling & Performance - June 2008 Contents Soapbox Buzz Making Money with 1967-72 Chevrolet/GMC Trucks, Part II Red, White, Blue... & Green Limiting Installation Liability The House That Jack Built MAP vs. MVP Pricing Supply Line Distributor Directory

Styling & Performance - June 2008

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