What’s Happening Audio Systems, Moreno Valley, Calif. Javier Gutierrez has been a part of the industry for 15 years and became interested in car audio as a teenager. “I asked my dad if I could drop school for one year to learn as much as I could. By the time I had to go back to school, I had learned all the basics in car audio,” Gutierrez said, adding that in the following years, he worked weekends and it took him a year to master basic car alarms. “The next year, I learned remote start.” After 10 years in car audio, Gutierrez focused on fabrication and opening his own shop. “Learning and running my own business was tough, so in 2017 I decided to join forces with my father. Now I mainly fabricate in our shop.” For the last year, he said he’s been learning CNC work, 3D programs and laser techniques, which he added have helped make fabrication easier and more detailed. In all of this, Gutierrez said, “My staff have all contributed to the shop’s standards and quality.” The biggest recent change has been the purchase of a CNC, he added, noting that it’s helped bring in higher ticket sales and resulted in a more polished finish. In the last year, the biggest challenge proved to be moving to a new location. “It’s been like starting all over again,” he said, “but we still have our following from our old location.” Moving forward, Gutierrez hopes to eventually open a second location. “My team works hard to make cars sound good and look good,” he said. His professional influences include his father, as well as Jaime Palafox, Matt Schaeffer, Nick Apicella and Yacdiel Ruiz.
Car-Tunes, Inc., Greenville, Miss. In 2001, Kimberly Trainer purchased Car-Tunes, Inc. and has been owner ever since. Trainer’s son, Dalton, is the business’s head installation technician. “Chris Spencer is our other installation tech,” Trainer said. “Jacob Mallette is our dedicated inside sales pro, the newest member of our team. He has worked here. for almost six months.” The latest project at the shop, Trainer added, has been the construction of an addition that will expand the installation department. An early influence in her career, Trainer said, was sales trainer Eddy Kay. After meeting him at a seminar, she said he called her and asked her for her thoughts about women in the industry for Mobile Electronics magazine. “This led to my first communication with Solomon Daniels, whose many editorials over the years have definitely influenced my perspective on how to stay professional and relevant in our
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ever-changing world,” Trainer said. Another influence in her career, she said, is Mike Cofield of MESA. “From employee incentive programs to inventory control to documentation of company policies, he has shared great ideas with me. Bryan Schmitt has also been a great influence. In this
industry, the sharing of knowledge and ideas is what keeps moving us forward.” Trainer sees a lot of company growth in the next few years, which she hopes will allow them to reach additional clientele. “As Car-Tunes, Inc. keeps evolving, we will keep learning and growing right along with it,” she added.
