Today from 4pm to 5pm Eastern Standard Time, Solomon Daniels, Editor-in-Chief of Mobile Electronics magazine, will field your questions on participating in the 2014 Mobile Electronics Industry Awards on the Facebook Advisory Group. The page is located at https://www.facebook.com/groups/1457574061132022.

If you’re not a member, submit a request on the page and you will be accepted to participate in the discussion.

“This year we’ve had the help of dedicated industry professionals to make the process for our Industry Awards better, yet we know that participants will still have questions,” said Daniels. “The group meeting today is the best time to answer those questions, and the answers will be archived for others who visit later.”

The Top 50/100 nominations opens today. Visit http://bit.ly/MEAwardsOpen for rules, guidelines and submission requirements.

Submit your nomination video at https://www.hightail.com/u/2014IndustryAwards by May 19.

6-1-2017, Mobile Electronics Magazine -- As a 12-year-old, Jeremiah Mojica loved music. Like most kids his age, he was looking for something to become enamored with. He became a musician. As a bass player and guitarist, Mojica played everything from Hard Rock and Metal to Reggae. Soon enough, as he worked at his parents' retail store, GNC Customs in Goshen, Ind., he found he liked something even more: car audio.

"Our parents had a business in 2002 and we wanted to specialize in something. It was a hobby at first. We had the radio shop and I wanted a stereo in my car. I wanted something loud and cool," Mojica said. "I was a teenager at the time. It segued into us wanting to be a better shop and me being a better installer."

During an early install at the age of 14, Mojica, who had little experience up to this point, had just finished installing a system for a client when the man approached him with a request. "I didn't know what I was doing. When I was done, the guy asked if I could make it cleaner. From then on I realized that there's more. There's always been more," Mojica said. "The insecurity of it shows that I know I can be better. It's important to know that you can try and mess up but just start over and try to do something different again."

As a Top 50 Installer, Mojica has his chance to show the industry the results of that early mistake, which includes further education at an installation institute in Orlando, Fla., as well as an MECP certification. Beyond that, Mojica knew the value of continuous improvement, which allowed him to find his own voice as a fabricator.

"I like to have a plan before I go in. I do some sketches before I start and ask a client what they want to do with their vehicle. It doesn't make sense to do a crazy truck build if they're using it for groceries," Mojica said. "Every part of an install that I do is an extension of who I am. I'm meticulous but also very easy going. I love Metal music but also love Jack Johnson and Jason Mraz. I knew that when I was younger I wanted to be artistic and express myself in some way. That's why I started with music, so I can express myself. I didn't realize that being a fabricator does the same thing."

Read the rest of the story HERE.

Mobile Electronics magazine has officially announced the Top 50 Retailers and Installers of 2015. The list is the first phase of the awards judging that leads up to the Top 12, and finally the Retailer and Installer of the Year awards, which will be announced at KnowledgeFest 2015 in Dallas, Texas on August 17. For more information, visit www.meindustryawards.com

The following is the list of Top 50 Retailers, in alphabetical order:

Adrenaline Autosound - Clayton, NC

Al & Ed’s Autosound – Pacoima, CA

Audio Designs & Custom Graphics – Jacksonville, FL

Audio Innovations of Fresno – Fresno, CA

Audio Solutions StL – St. Louis, MO

Audio Works – Newark , DE

Auto Trim Design – Amarillo, TX

Autosound Lab – Fresno, CA

Bay Area Audio Visions – Corpus Christi, TX

Blvd Customs Of Lakeland – Lakeland, FL

California Audio – WVC, UT

Car Concepts – Salt Lake City, UT

Cartronix Inc  – Valparaiso , IN

Cartunes Inc. – Atlanta, GA

Custom Cars Unlimited – Salem , VA

Dr Dashboard – Evansville, IN

Driven Audio – Abbotsford, BC

Driven Mobile Electronics – Chantilly, VA

Elite Audio – Spartanburg, SC

Eminent Hi-Fi – Rexburg, Ind

Explicit Customs – West Melbourne, FL

Extreme Audio – Mechanicsville, VA

Foss Audio & Tint – Tukwila, WA

GNC Customs  – Goshen , IN

Handcrafted Car Audio – Chandler, AZ

Industry Auto Designs  – Las Vegas, NV

JML Audio of St. Louis – Fenton, MO

Kingpin Car & Marine Audio – Wilsonville, OR

Mobile Edge – Lehighton, PA

Mobile Toys INC – College Station , TX

Musicar Northwest – Portland , OR

NVS AUDIO – Linden, NJ

Ocala Car Audio – Ocala, FL

On The Go Tech – Black Earth, WI

Perfectionist Auto Sound & Security – Anchorage , AK

Prestige Car Audio & Marine – METAIRIE, LA

Sound Connection Inc – Baxter, MN

Sound FX, Inc. – Lewes, DE

Sound Wave Customs – Virginia Beach , VA

SoundFX – West Warwick, RI

Sounds Good Stereo – miami, FL

Soundsgood Auto Service – Coquitlam, BC

SoundWorks Car Audio & Security  – Anchorage, AK

SRQ Customs – sarasota, FL

Stereo King – Portland, OR

Stereo Solutions – Redding, CA

Tint World, LLC. – Boca Raton, FL

Tip Top Customs – Morris , IL

Tunes-N-Tint – Lakeland, FL

Westminster Speed and Sound – Westminster, MD

 

The following is the Top 50 Installers, in alphabetical order:

Tim Baillie

Barry Barth

Michael Betts

Charles Brazil

John Cage

John Castilleja

Robert Chin

Rich Clapp

James Coil

Steve Coogle

Matt Cropper

Brandon Douglas

James Drinkut

Dave Evans

Andrew Evens

Nicholas Frazier

kyle golden

Brandon Green

James Halter

Jeff Harper

Jess Hogan

Erik Hoss

JP Jones

Kevin Kessler

Jason Kranitz

Joshua Landau

Brent Leavitt

Steve Ledford

Dan Macilwain

David Martire

Rob Miller

Scott Miller

Brian Mitchell

Jon Murphy

James Ngim, Jr.

Chris Ott

Chris Pate

Danny Pepper

Bryan Piper

Matt Porter

Keith Price

Carlos Ramirez

Alex Sanchez

Alain Sanvil

Matt Schaeffer

Jamie Schuh

John Schumacher

JT Torres

Bryan Turvaville

Sage Weir

5-26-2017 -- Mobile Electronics magazine has officially announced the Top 50 Retailers and Top 50 Installers of 2017. The list includes repeats from past years like installer Charles Brazil from First Coast Auto Creations and retailer JML Audio of St. Louis. 

The list was selected during a judging process after retailers and installers followed specific instructions on how to either nominate themselves or others for the Top 50. The process will continue with voting to determine the Top 12 and eventually culminate with several awards, including Retailer of the Year at the 2017 Industry Awards, which takes place on Monday, August 14 in Dallas, Texas. 

For a complete list of the Top 50 Retailers and Top 50 Installers, visit the Industry Awards website at: http://meindustryawards.com/?page_id=2312.

5/31/2016 -- Prestige  Car Audio & Marine drops 2 spots to #7, while the other “Car Audio & Marine,” Kingpin, climbs into the top 5 retailers. On the installer side, the top 5 remain cemented while Jeremiah Mojica moves up 2 spots to #10.

Retailer Standings (Industry votes only; highest to lowest)

Rank	Retailers	%Vote
1	Musicar Northwest – Portland, OR	9.4%
2	NVS Audio – Linden, NJ	5.0%
3	Soundscape Car Audio – Plano, TX	4.8%
4	Sound Depot and Performance – Gainesville, FL	3.9%
5	Kingpin Car & Marine Audio Inc – Wilsonville, OR	3.8%
6	GNC Customs – Goshen, IN	3.7%
7	Prestige Car Audio & Marine – Metairie, LA	3.6%
8	Cartronix – Valparaiso, IN	3.5%
9	Mobile Toys – College Station, TX	3.2%
10	Cartunes – Atlanta, GA	3.1%
11	Al & Ed’s Autosound – Los Angeles, CA	2.9%
12	Absolute Electronix – Rockville, MD	2.8%
13	Radios Knobs Speakers and Things – Pontiac, MI	2.7%
14	Spokane Audio Video Experts – Greenacres, WA	2.5%
15	Foss Audio & Tint – Tukwila, WA	2.4%
16	Stereo King Oregon – Portland, OR	2.4%
17	Driven Mobile Electronics – Chantilly, VA	2.2%
18	Sound Wave Customs – Virginia Beach, VA	2.0%
19	Explicit Customs – West Melbourne, FL	2.0%
20	Westminster Speed & Sound – Westminster, MD	2.0%
21	Dr Dashboard – Evansville, IN	2.0%
22	JML Audio of St. Louis – Fenton, MO	1.8%
23	Elite Audio – Spartanburg, SC	1.8%
24	JC Audio – Jackson, TN	1.7%
25	Ocala Car Audio – Ocala, FL	1.6%
26	Driven Audio Ltd. – Abbotsford, BC	1.6%
27	Stereo Solutions – Redding, CA	1.5%
28	Audio Designs & Custom Graphics – Jacksonville, FL	1.4%
29	Industry Auto Designs – Las Vegas, NV	1.4%
30	SRQ Customs – Sarasota, FL	1.4%
31	Audio Solutions StL – St. Louis, MO	1.3%
32	Tip Top Customs – Morris, IL	1.3%
33	Sound FX, Inc. – Lewes, DE	1.1%
34	Blvd Customs of Lakeland – Lakeland, FL	1.1%
35	The Car Audio Shop – High Ridge, MO	1.0%
36	Extreme Audio – Mechanicsville, VA	1.0%
37	Autosound Lab – Fresno, CA	1.0%
38	Greg’s Custom Audio, Video & Car Stereo – Pikeville, KY	1.0%
39	California Audio – WVC, UT	0.9%
40	Tunes-N-Tint – Lakeland, FL	0.8%
41	Sound Auto – Hamilton, NJ	0.7%
42	Sound Solutions – Gulfport, MS	0.7%
43	SoundsGood Auto – Coquitlam, BC	0.7%
44	Dreamworks Motorsports – Roxboro, NC	0.6%
45	Distinctive Car Toyz – Pleasantville, NJ	0.6%
46	Adrenaline Autosound – Clayton, NC	0.5%
47	Audio Expert Car Stereo – Clearwater, FL	0.5%
48	The Sound Shop – Indian Trail, NC	0.4%
49	Auto Trim Design – Amarillo, TX	0.4%
50	Cypress Auto Sound & Tint – Cypress, CA	0.1%

Installer Standings (Industry votes only; highest to lowest)

Rank	Installers	%Vote
1	Matt Schaeffer – Safe & Sound Mobile Electronics – Chantilly, VA	11.5%
2	Carlos Ramirez – NVS Audio – Linden, NJ	4.8%
3	Miguel Vega – Titan Motoring – Nashville, TN	4.6%
4	Chris Ott – Amplified Autosports – Tampa, FL	4.1%
5	TJ Carlson – Kingpin Car & Marine Audio – WIlsonville, OR	3.3%
6	Brent Leavitt – Low Notes Garage – Boise, ID	3.2%
7	Christerfer Pate – Mobile Toys Inc – College Station, TX	3.1%
8	Bryan Piper – Resonance Auto Craft – Corpus Christi, TX	2.9%
9	Barry Barth – Prestige Car Audio & Marine – Metairie, LA	2.7%
10	Jeremiah Mojica – GNC Customs – Elkhart, IN	2.7%
11	Mike Schwitz – Sound Connection – St. Joseph, MN	2.7%
12	Charles Brazil – First Coast Auto Creations – Jacksonville, FL	2.6%
13	David Cruz – Soundscape Car Audio – Plano, TX	2.6%
14	Aaron Garcia – Perfectionist Auto Sound and Security – Anchorage, AK	2.6%
15	Steve Coogle – Discount Audio – Louisville, KY	2.5%
16	Andrew Emelander – GNC Customs – Goshen, IN	2.4%
17	Tim Baillie – Audiolines Mobile Sound- Burnaby, BC	2.4%
18	Jeff Cantrell – JC Audio – Jackson, TN	2.3%
19	Nicholas Frazier – Innovative Concepts – West Springfield, MA	2.3%
20	Scott Miller – Explicit Customs – West Melbourne, FL	2.3%
21	Dan Macilwain – Sound Advantage – Rochester, MI	2.2%
22	Warren Williams – Hi-Tech Car Audio – El Cerrito, CA	2.1%
23	Cj Silvey – Foss Audio and Tint – Puyallup, WA	2.1%
24	Erick Markland – Markland Designs – Lithonia, GA	1.8%
25	Daniel DiCampli – Windward Audio – Kaneohe, HI	1.8%
26	Matt Cropper – Stereo King – Portland, OR	1.6%
27	Mike Sandoval – Sound Warehouse – Salt Lake City, UT	1.5%
28	Tyler Wilson – Spokane Audio Video Experts – Greenacres, WA	1.5%
29	B.J. Curcio – After FX Customs – Stamford, CT	1.5%
30	David Kosakowski – Total image – McKees Rocks, PA	1.5%
31	Adam Perkins – Sound Wave Customs – Virginia Beach, VA	1.3%
32	Andrew Evens – Industry Auto Designs – Las Vegas, NV	1.2%
33	Brandon Green – The Car Audio Shop – High Ridge, MO	1.1%
34	Jason Stone – Stereo Solutions – Redding, CA	1.1%
35	John Schumacher – Audio Solutions StL – St. Louis, MO	1.0%
36	John Cage – Spokane Audio Video Experts – Greenacres, WA	0.9%
37	Rob Miller – JML Audio of St. Louis – Fenton, MO	0.9%
38	Bryan Turvaville – Auto Trim Design – Amarillo, TX	0.8%
39	Aaron Markwell – Godspeed Rides – Sarasota, FL	0.7%
40	Jon Schmitz – Mach 1 Audio – Washington, MO	0.7%
41	Vinny Tullo – VIP Customs – Earlysville, VA	0.7%
42	Alan Hogan – Baileys Audio – Lake Charles, LA	0.7%
43	Michael Oechsner – Mobile Edge – Lehighton, PA	0.7%
44	Alain Sainvil – NVS Audio – Linden, NJ	0.6%
45	Brandon Douglas – Adrenaline Autosound – Clayton, NC	0.6%
46	Dan Castro – The Car Audio Shop – High Ridge, MO	0.6%
47	John Phillips – Stereo One Carbondale – Carbondale, IL	0.4%
48	Colton Wadley – Pro Audio – Provo, UT	0.4%
49	Sam Lee – Audio Xcellence – City of Industry, CA	0.2%
50	Jonathan Moore – Dreamworks Motorsports – Roxboro, NC	0.1%