Auto Value News
Spring 2009
Published for Auto Value and Automotive Parts Headquarters Employees
More New Stores
A New Company Store, A New Independent Customer And A Facility
Bottineau, N.D.
New Corporate Store
Bottineau
In November, APH purchased the Auto Value Parts
Store in Bottineau, ND from Lynn and Robyn Engelstad.
Bottineau is about
30 minutes west
of our new store
located in Rolla, ND
– at the foothills of
the majestic Turtle
mountains. Lynn will
continue to manage
the store, utilizing
his years of experience to help grow
the business.
Robyn and Lynn Engelstad
Pine River, Minn.
New Facility Ribbon Cutting
Pine River
Members of the Pine River Chamber of Commerce and
folks from APH joined the Pine River store team for a
ribbon cutting ceremony at their new parts store on
December 17th. “We’re proud to officially introduce
our new parts store to the public,” said Tim Gangl,
store manager. “This is a very exciting time for all of
us as we continue to grow and expand, allowing us to
reach more people and provide better service. The new
store is located right on busy Highway 371.
Hutchinson, Minn.
New Independent Customer
Hutchinson
Also in November, the APH changeover team spent
a week in Hutchinson, MN turning the Parts Plus
auto parts store into an Auto Value auto parts store.
Hutchinson is approximately an hour south of St. Cloud
and is best known as the birthplace of Les Kouba, the
popular wildlife artist. Tony
Forbes is a second generation
owner who
purchased the
business from
his father, John,
in 1992. A six
bay service
Tony Forbes, Craig Forbes and Rod Schmeling center, which
is also owned and operated by Tony, is attached to his
parts store.
left to right: Shawn Olivier, Jon Anderson, Corey Bartlett, Tim
Gangl, Phil Bahl, Diane Johnson (Chamber President) and Jim Sabas
(Mayor)
New Regional Store Manager
Tim Clark
Tim Clark came on board in January as the new regional manager
for central Minnesota. Tim brings
with him many years of experience in the aftermarket, most
recently, a regional manager for
the CarQuest organization. Prior
to that, Tim was a regional man
Tim Clark continued on page 2
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New Store Managers
Bob Cords
Faribault, MN
Bob came on as the new manager of the Faribault, MN
store shortly after Ed Caron announced his retirement
last October. Bob is
an industry veteran,
working for the NAPA
organization for
almost 15 years in
addition to Owatonna
Ford/Chrysler, Factory
Motor Parts and Arnold Motor Supply in
Fairmont, MN. Bob has
an 11 year old daughter named Brianna
and recently became
engaged to a wonderful lady. “Welcome to the family, Melissa!” In Bob’s spare
time, deer hunting and fishing pretty much take priority
over just about everything.
Todd Cummings
Hinckley, MN
Todd took over the ship in Hinckley, MN last November
and is no stranger to the automotive industry. Prior to his
new role as manager, he worked as an outside salesperson for our stores in the Cambridge and Princeton markets. He also spent a short amount of time working for a
new car dealership. In the early years, Todd owned and
operated a used car business and a rental car business.
Todd and his wife, Patti, have two single sons, Travis (24)
and Michael (21). In their spare time, Todd and Patti cruise
on their Harley Davidson Road King on the nice days as
well as in their fully restored, ’69 Dodge Charger on the
not-so-nice days.
Patti and Todd Cummings
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Tim Clark continued from page 1
ager for Ziebart. Tim and his wife Kathy reside in
Maple Grove, MN and have three children: Kyra
(22), Justin (12) and Elizabeth (8). Tim coaches
youth hockey and basketball. And, when he has
spare time, it’s off to the golf course “attempting to put a little ball in a little hole with a big
stick – from a long ways away.”
We’ve Got The Parts.
We’ve Got The Smarts.®
APH is in the process of trademarking a new
slogan, designed to be the cornerstone of future
marketing efforts. The new slogan hits on the
two most important issues when it comes to satisfying customers: getting the right part the first
time and offering the necessary advice to complete the job. That’s why customers keep coming
back to Auto Value.
Auto Value Charity Cars
Campaign
Representatives from the Bemidji Auto Value
store, the Northwoods Coalition for Family
Safety, Beltrami Sheriff’s Department and APH
were on hand to present the keys of a vehicle
to a survivor of domestic violence in the Bemidji
area. This presentation was made shortly before
Christmas. Charlie and his team partnered with
a Certified Service Center to refurbish a vehicle
donated by a local Bemidji family. We’re proud
to announce that, with Charlie’s help, the Auto
Value Charity Cars Campaign donated over 500
refurbished vehicles to victims of domestic abuse
in 2008.
left to right: Charlie Algaard, Sheriff Phil Hodapp, Sarah
(car recipient and Stacy (Coalition employee)
Warehouse Expansion
Taking Place Right Now!
March will be the three-year anniversary of the move
to the Clearwater Road facility, a move that has allowed APH to grow to over $70 million in sales. To help
celebrate that anniversary (and allow more room for
growth), APH is once again expanding.
Approximately
15,000 square
feet (of existing shelving)
will be covered
by a mezzanine, which
will provide an
additional 8,300
shelf locations.
This second
deck will be tied into the existing conveyor and computer systems.
These new shelves will house APH’s slowest moving
inventory; freeing up space on the main floor for line
growth and category expansion.
2009 Scholarship Program
For the 6th year in a row, Auto Value is
offering $16,000 in scholarships for store
team members and their families as well
as our Certified Service Center members
and their families. These scholarships are
available for colleges and community colleges as well as technical colleges and trade schools.
Applicants simply need to complete an application
form and submit a 200 word essay on “What I Hope to
Accomplish Through My Post-High School Education.”
Sixteen - $1000 scholarships will be awarded on June
5th. Application forms are available on the APH Intranet
and must be submitted by May 8th to qualify for this
year’s scholarships.
Committed To Training
Fifty-eight store team members took advantage of Automotive Parts Headquarters hosted training seminars
during the month of December. The seminars were centrally located in four different locations throughout the
markets we do business in. The training targeted new
team members as well as those who have been around
for a while and were ready for a refresher course. These
seminars focused on customer service, building custom-
Ready For Parade Season
Being involved in the local community is something
that sets an Auto Value Parts store apart from its competitors. An effective way to accomplish this is by participating in local parades. To help support this initiative, we unveiled our new, custom Chevy HHR parade
vehicle during the annual winter conference in January.
This one-of-a-kind show piece is available to all stores
supporting local parades and car shows as well as other
local community events. Be sure to contact APH Marketing for more information.
er loyalty, product training and our Alliance University
online training site. Automotive Parts Headquarters will
be hosting similar seminars each quarter throughout
2009. Training for store team members and our service dealer customers will continue to remain a priority
within our organization.
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AUTOMOTIVE PARTS HEADQUARTERS, INC.
2959 CLEARWATER ROAD
SAINT CLOUD, MN 56301
ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED
Employee Profile
Bill Rassmussen
Bill has been the manager of the Red Lake Falls store
since 2001. Red Lake Falls is a small farming community of about 1,500 people located in northwest Minnesota. Bill grew up in a military family, allowing him
to see a lot of
our country as a
youngster. Red
Lake Falls became Bill’s permanent home in
1970 when his
father retired.
left to right:
Jamee, Christina,
Bill, Melonie,
JaNae, Kayla
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Bill carried on this family tradition by joining the National Guards shortly after high school. His military career
was highlighted by a peace-keeping mission to Bosnia
and Kosovo in 2003-04. Bill and his wife, Melonie,
have four wonderful daughters: JaNae (22), Kayla (20),
Christina (16) & Jamee (13). For some odd reason, Bill
spends a lot of his spare time out in the garage working
in his small engine business! Bill also enjoys working on
classic cars – primarily station wagons. The added room
allows him to take all of his favorite gals with him on
test drives. Long live the Dairy Queen.
APH Named One Of The
TOP 40 Auto Parts Chains
The January issue of Aftermarket Business magazine named our organization one of the top 40
auto parts chains of 2008. Listed as the seventeenth largest auto parts chain in 2007, APH rose
to the fourteenth spot in 2008. Of the top 40, 18
companies, including APH, reported growth, 10
companies remained the same size and 11 companies saw a decline in store counts.