Vision - September/October 2007 - (Page 28) newsline association news & views SBC Member Uses CEA Resources to Motivate His Business Bob Fields, founder of Victory Technologies, is no stranger within the consumer electronics industry. In addition to actively participating on the Small Business Council (SBC), he has served on several boards, committees and working groups in his tenure as a CEA member. In 2002, nearly 15 years after he got his start in a friend’s mobile electronics retail store, Fields began his new small business venture that caters to the retail environment. Victory Technologies provides information technology solutions and data research primarily to mobile electronics retailers and manufacturers. As in-vehicle electronics and the vehicles themselves have become more complex, retailers and installation professionals require an intimate knowledge of the electronics on board their customers’ vehicles. Installers face any number of challenges when it comes to integrating aftermarket audio/video products in newer vehicles, especially related to both physical integration and connection to the vehicle’s data network. Victory Technologies provides the critical, vehicle-specific information they need through turnkey solutions such as custom software, databases and Web-based solutions. Many of the challenges facing Bob’s business reflect the nature of the evolving and sometimes tumultuous mobile electronics industry. As any of Fields’ clients can attest, keeping up with the dramatically changing landscape of in-vehicle electronics is not easy. In June, Fields testified in support of the Motor Vehicle Owners’ Right to Repair Act of 2007, which is being considered by the Massachusetts House of Representatives. The legislation is critical to ensuring aftermarket manufacturers and independent installers have the information needed to access a vehicle. Fields testimony emphasized the importance of creating a level playing field for all installers and ensuring consumers have options when it comes to new technologies used in their vehicle. “Some of my biggest challenges are a direct result of the challenges our clients face,” explains Fields. Uncertainty in his customers’ businesses affects their willingness to invest in solutions providers like Victory Technologies. Fields relies heavily on his dedicated team of employees to keep day-to-day activities running smoothly as he develops strategic relationships and educates clients on the importance of having the right tools to maximize their business opportunities. Fields is active on both the Mobile Division Board and the SBC. “I can honestly say that the SBC has had the most dramatic impact upon me personally and my business,” says Fields. One SBC program that he found particularly relevant was called “Strategic Business Planning for the Small Business Owner” offered at CEA’s 2006 Industry Forum. “I was able to take some of the strategic planning processes and create long term objectives for my company,” he says. For information on SBC-sponsored networking and education events, contact Deb Kassoff at (703) 907-7655, dkassoff@ CE.org or visit www.CE.org. • Listening for a Lifetime CEA hAs pArtnErEd with the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) to educate consumers on the safe use of personal audio technology. The partnership will develop ASHA’s website, www. listentoyourbuds.org, an online resource for young children, parents and educators to inform them about the posssible long-term effects of improper use of devices such as MP3 players and portable DVD players. The kid-friendly “Buds” website features interactive games for children to play while learning about safe listening. ASHA is the national professional, scientific and credentialing association for more than 127,000 speech-language pathologists, audiologists, and speech and hearing scientists. Their campaign “America: Tuned in Today…But Tuned out Tomorrow?” is an award-winning public education campaign that educates consumers about the risk of hearing loss associated with unsafe use of personal audio devices. CEA recommends that consumers set their volume control at a low setting and slowly increase the sound until they can hear it clearly without distortion, then set the sound level and leave it there. Headphones or earphones that are noise-canceling or sound-isolating also can help. CEA’s goal is to keep consumers listening for a lifetime. • New Market Research Studies CEA has polled more than one million consumers since 1994, asking nearly 10,000 questions about technology. Nearly 300 studies are available free to CEA members. Each report contains a written analysis of the key points and essential take-aways about what consumers want from technology. CEA’s latest studies include: • Computer-Sourced Audio Consumption in the Home—June 2007 • HDTV: You Have the Set, But Do You Have the Content?—May 2007 • HDTV Owners and Prospects: Giving a Voice to the Consumer—May 2007 • CE Ownership and Purchase Intentions: Technology Enthusiasts Lead the Way— May 2007 • 9th Annual Household and Teen CE Ownership and Market Potential Study— April 2007 • GPS—Exploring Ownership and Interest—April 2007 For a complete list, visit: www.CE.org/research. • 28 September/October 2007 www.ce.org http://www.CE.org http://www.CE.org/research http://www.ce.org
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