NTP Distribution Adds to Canadian Sales Team

In the wake of aftermarket supplier NTP Distribution Inc.’s 2013 Tradeshow, the Wilsonville, Ore.-based company reported “exceptional growth” in its customer base in the U.S. and Canada.

“RV dealer attendance at the 2013 NTP Tradeshow exceeded all expectations,” said Jon White, vice president of U.S. sales at NTP. “The U.S. and Canadian attendance at the NTP show was up over 50%.”

According to a press release, the show ran Feb.12-15 in San Diego. “Each year, the NTP show gets better and offers more experiences and training for our parts and service team,” offered an NTP customer. “I am looking forward to their event in 2014 and what they will be creating for sales promotions as well as training.”

With the growth, NTP has expanded its Canadian sales team. The company said that, in part, success came from the logistics expansion that NTP gained by utilizing Keystone Automotive Operations Inc.’s network of five distribution centers and 20 cross-docks servicing North America. Keystone Automotive acquired NTP in October of 2011.

“We are now able to offer the same level of service that RV dealers receive in the U.S. to our Canadian counterparts”, said Ralph Ruzzi, vice president of sales for Canada.

Rob Edwards, RV sales manager for Canada, added, “Since last fall, we’ve added three outside sales representatives to our RV team in Canada.”

They include:

• Bryon Booth is representing NTP Canada across Central, Eastern & Northern Ontario. “With an incredible 26 years of RV aftermarket experience, Bryon has an invaluable wealth of knowledge for NTP Canada, and his Ontario RV dealers to enjoy and appreciate,” Edwards noted.

• Brian Campbell is representing NTP Canada across Western Ontario. He has over 25 years of experience and expertise, encompassing a broad selection of consumer goods, RV products, safety, and towing equipment. “His proven customer service and passion for the RV community will be a great asset to our expanding Canadian Team”, says Edwards.

Progress Mfg. Earns NTP Top Vendor Award

For the fourth consecutive year, Progress Manufacturing Inc. received the Top Vendor Award from NTP Distribution Inc., presented during NTP’s 2013 National Dealer Conference in San Diego.

“We are honored to receive this award again,” stated Rich Elliott, sales manager at Progress Manufacturing, in a press release. “This award is recognition of the continued investment we make in building strong relationships with our distributor and dealer partners.”

Progress Manufacturing, creator of The Original Equal-i-zer Sway Control Hitch, supplies the RV industry with high performance towing hitches and other innovative towing product solutions.

For more information about the company call (800) 478-5578 or visit their websites, www.EqualizerHitch.com and www.FastwayTrailer.com.

 

Cequent Receives NTP’s Vendor Partner Award

Plymouth, Mich.-based Cequent Performance Products was presented with a 2012 Vendor Partner Award at the 2013 NTP Distribution Tradeshow and Conference last week.

According to a press release, the honor follows last year’s “Vendor of the Year” award and is a reflection of “the mutual respect held by both organizations.” The show was held Feb. 12-15 at the San Diego Convention Center and was the largest event in NTP’s history.

“We are honored to receive this award,” said John Walsh, vice president of sales and marketing for Cequent. “Cequent works hard to maintain great relationships with all of its distributors but it is always very gratifying to receive their appreciation. Working face-to-face with the NTP sales team and the RV dealers who drive our mutual success is a great opportunity to share our new product features and cement a strong start for the coming season.”

Cequent supplies NTP with some of North America’s most recognized brands including Reese, Tekonsha, Bulldog, Bargman, ROLA, Tow Ready and Draw-Tite.

 

 

Atwood Earns Vendor Partner Award from NTP

Atwood Mobile Products was presented with a 2012 Vendor Partner Award at the 2013 NTP Distribution Tradeshow and Conference. According to a press release, the show was held Feb. 12-15 at the San Diego Convention Center and was the largest event in the company’s history.

Trey Miller, director of sales, aftermarket, for Atwood noted, “We are very pleased to receive this award. Atwood is focused on continued support of our customers and continuous product improvement and advancement. With Atwood bringing so many new products to market it is imperative that we are in close contact with our distributor partners to ensure their teams are well versed on the advantages these products bring to the market.”

In keeping with the event’s movie theme, Atwood’s booth featured various props depicting the movie The Wizard of Oz.

“The venue provided a great environment to interact with dealers,” Miller added. “The addition of various decorations to people’s booths based on the show theme, including many suppliers dressing in costumes, added an extra touch of fun.”

NTP Draws Record Crowds to San Diego Show

After a year of hard work integrating the operations of Wilsonville, Ore.-based NTP Distribution Inc. and its new parent company, Keystone Automotive Operations Inc., the company’s management feels the mission of fusing the two companies’ cultures and operations together was complete before the lights went on last week (Feb. 12-15) for the NTP Show at the San Diego Convention Center.

Spokesmen from both the automotive and RV sides of the aftermarket parts and accessory distributor were candid last week during the company’s trade show and dealer conference about the challenges they faced in 2012 after Exeter, Pa.-based Keystone purchased NTP in October of 2011. And they all felt that the company was better off in terms of delivery times, dealer support, revenues and market share.

“We have over a thousand dealers here, by far our largest show ever, including being up triple digits (in dealer attendance) from Canada,” NTP Vice President of Sales Jon White said in addressing dealers and exhibiting suppliers on opening day. “We’re very happy to see that growth over the border. We have the largest number of suppliers ever, and our biggest booth count. So, we are very excited for the next couple of days.

“Now, we know that in 2012 we had our challenges — like any integration, we had our ups and our downs and things took some time to be resolved — and we appreciate your loyalty and your patience,” he added. “I am very lucky to have such a tremendous sales team out in the field, working with you guys on the phones and in person, and also to have such a great customer base who came up with the patience as we worked through our issues. So, for that, I thank you.”

Although NTP never announced it, the supplier involvement reportedly exceeded 200 companies.

Keystone President & CEO Ed Orzetti sees “phenomenal momentum” within the company, not only in the extent of integrated operations. “But when I say we’ve integrated fully, it’s the whole fulfillment system, and that’s what Keystone brought to the party for NTP and for the RV dealers. It’s a fairly unique logistics network,” Orzetti told RVBUSINESS.com.

As an individual who’s experienced plenty of private equity acquisitions, Orzetti describes the company’s 2012 transition as one of the best he’s seen. “Now, look, with integration, there’s always bumps in the road and its ugly,” he said. “But when you move fast, you get through them. You figure out what the problems are and you move forward. But I will tell you this: The nice thing is that the integration is fully behind us.”

At the same time, Orzetti maintained, NTP jumped from the nation’s No. 3 to No. 2 distributor of RV aftermarket parts and accessories.

“By the way, a couple of other exciting things happened,” he added. “You know, NTP was predominantly a West Coast company. They laid the foundations for some things in the Southeast and Central (regions). NTP is now a full national company.

“But it gets even better because there’s now an NTP Canada, which didn’t exist when we entered the picture,” said Orzetti. “And while we don’t reveal the numbers, we had a lot of Canadians here (in San Diego) and we had special Canadian social events for both our Canadian and U.S. customers on separate nights. The NTP business model has now been rolled out to Canada as well as the rest of the U.S.”

NTP President Greg Boyd says the transition started “right out of the gate” with a plan that involved the blending, where appropriate, of warehouses. The end result is a distribution system that includes 23 cross-docks across North America plus warehousing and facilities expediting next day service.

“Our success is also represented in our customers,” said Boyd. “Certainly, we had their loyalty going through the change. But the true test of success is the fact that we’ve grown exponentially over this last year, all while going through this change. So that’s a true test, not only with our existing customer base — and certainly some of the trials and tribulations we had in transitioning — but gaining market share and new accounts as we went through it all.”

 

 

Winegard Receives NTP Vendor Partner Award

During the 2013 National Dealer Conference in San Diego, NTP Distribution Inc. honored Winegard Co. as a 2012 Vendor Partner. This marks the fifth consecutive year Winegard has received an award from NTP.

“It is a great honor for Winegard to receive this elite award once again,” said Keith Larson, national sales manager for mobile products at Winegard. “Winegard is committed to innovating new cutting-edge, high quality antennas. This year we launched the Carryout Anser Portable Satellite Antenna and Rayzar Portable Indoor HDTV antennas that have resulted in great success at the dealerships.”

Winegard, based in Burlington, Iowa, supplies their diverse line of satellite and over-the-air HD antennas to NTP, including TRAV’LER, RoadTrip, Carryout, Sensar, Rayzar and RoadStar along with a wide variety of accessories. For additional information visit Winegard.com.

 

Report: Private Equity Firm May Sell NTP Parent

Private equity firm Platinum Equity is exploring a sale of Keystone Automotive Operations Inc., which makes specialty auto parts and is also parent to NTP Distribution Inc.

According to a Reuters report citing “three sources familiar with the matter,” Platinum Equity, which acquired Keystone through an out-of-court debt restructuring in 2011, has hired investment banks Baird and UBS to run a sale process that could fetch between $400 million and $500 million.

Representatives for Platinum, Keystone, UBS and Baird were not immediately reached for comment. The sources declined to be named because the matter is not public.

Exeter, Pa.-based Keystone sells aftermarket automotive equipment and accessories in North America, such as light truck accessories, specialty wheels, tires and suspension parts and high performance products. It acquired NTP in October of 2011.

Keystone changed hands among private equity owners a few times over the past decade.

Private equity firm Bain Capital LLC bought Keystone in 2003 from investors led by buyout firm Advent International.

But the company, which makes discretionary items tied to the economic cycles, grappled with the recession in the following years and Bain’s equity was wiped out when Keystone agreed to an out-of-court restructuring in 2011.

Platinum Equity, one of the company’s bondholders, acquired a majority interest in Keystone by converting its debt to equity.

NTP Projecting Record Numbers for Trade Show

Wilsonville, Ore.-based NTP Distribution announced Atwood Mobile Products LLC as the title sponsor of its annual trade show and conference, which the company is projecting to be its largest event to date. According to a press release, the upcoming NTP show is set to run Feb. 12-15 in San Diego.

“Atwood has been a partner with NTP for over 30 years and we’re proud to have them as the title sponsor of our annual trade show,” said Greg Boyd, president of NTP. “This year, we are seeing increased supplier participation and are expecting a record number of RV dealers.”

NTP said that RV dealer attendance, in part, is being driven by the its “logistics expansion” derived from parent company Keystone Automotive Operations’ network of five distribution centers and 20 cross-docks serving the U.S. and Canada. The expected attendance from Canada alone at the NTP Show is up over 50%.

Atwood will be showcasing some exciting new products at the show this year.

“We have made significant investments in the RV aftermarket,” said Kip Ellis, vice president of sales and marketing. Products such as the Atwood AirCommand and helium refrigerator are well established in the marketplace while the Atwood on-demand water heater is beginning to garner the same widespread appeal.”

NTP will be offering exclusive pricing and promotions at this year’s event. “One area which has generated a tremendous amount of buzz has been the announcement of ‘Power Hours,’” stated Jon White, vice president of sales at NTP. “These at-show-only deep-buying opportunities are attracting a lot of dealer interest”. This year, six suppliers have partnered with NTP to participate in the “Power Hour” program.

 

 

NTP CEO Bob Morter Retires After 32-Year Run

 

NTP Distribution Inc. CEO Bob Morter has retired after 32 years with the Wilsonville, Ore., company.

According to a press release, Morter was instrumental in NTP’s growth from a regional company to the second largest RV distributor in the United States.

After starting as a temporary employee hired for one day’s work in the summer of 1980, Morter advanced throughout other areas of the company. By 1996, he was able to purchase the company and took on the role of CEO.

When NTP Distribution was sold to Keystone Automotive Operations Inc. just over a year ago, Morter agreed to stay on to assist in the transition. As of Nov. 2, 2012, he has retired and is moving into the next phase of his life.

According to the release, his calling has been clear for the past several years to work in ministry. Along with his wife Heidi, he recently finished a trip in his RV across the United States engaging in their newly focused efforts.

 

 

 

NTP Gives to Hall Fundraiser; Adds New Twist

Greg Boyd, president of NTP Distribution Inc., presented a check on behalf of the company for $1,250 to the RV/MH Heritage Foundation Inc.’s fund raiser during a ceremony at the NTP booth at the National RV Trade Show in Louisville, Ky.

After previously donating $2,500, NTP came up with an innovative idea to benefit the RV/MH Hall of Fame’s even further, according to a press release.

The idea was to purchase a $250 brick on the Hall’s walk of fame on behalf of RV dealers that obtained a minimum buying level of products. To sweeten the deal, Jay Hesse, president of Blue Ox, offered to upgrade the dealer’s brick to the larger $500 brick for dealers who made a minimum purchasing level through NTP of Blue Ox products.

The Hall previously announced that the proceeds from the Brick Program would count toward the Hall’s fund raisers.

The resulting promotion by NTP resulted in raising an additional $2,250 to the Hall’s fund raiser.

Below is a summary of donations:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hall President Darryl Searer while accepting the contribution noted, “It continues to amaze me how companies come up with innovative ideas to help the Hall reduce its debt. Besides individual contributions, the Boots Ingram Family’s Challenge grants, our Peer Challenge Program and now NTP’s Brick Promotion idea, has had a very positive impact on the Hall’s effort to pay off its bank loan.

“It’s no secret that the Hall was in jeopardy of closing its doors a year ago, but through the generosity of many individuals and companies, the Hall has been able to survive and is on a path to recovery.”

Searer pointed out that the bank loan to 1st Source Bank has gone from $840,000 in early 2012 to only about $200,000 now.

The current fundraiser is the “Burn the Bank Note” campaign with a goal of raising $150,000 in voluntary contributions by April 30, 2013, to be matched by the Robert “Boots” Ingram family, which has offered a $50,000 challenge grant, and that $200,000 would pay off the Hall’s bank note to 1st Source Bank.

The RV/MH Heritage Foundation is a 501-c3 not-for-profit corporation and all donations are tax deductible. Donors can use our federal ID#: 35-1610362 to verify that they are a 501-c3 not-for-profit corporation in good standing with the IRS.

Gifts may be made by mail, in person at the Hall, by phone at (800) 378-8694, or through the Hall’s web site: www.rvmhhalloffame.org.”

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