Third generation in the aftermarket.
25+ years inside the automotive aftermarket. Not learning your industry. Already knowing it.
Robert's story.
Where I come from
I grew up in the automotive aftermarket. Not watching it from the outside, but as the third generation of a family that lived it.
My grandfather worked in the aftermarket for New England Wheel and Rim Company, headquartered in Boston, through the 1950s and '60s.
My father spent nearly five decades working for some of the best-known brands in the business, including Monroe, Meineke and Sullivan Tire. He's my hero. He taught me what hard work means. He taught me to represent a company with pride and respect the brand you carry. And he showed me how much a strong brand is worth, and that keeping it strong takes consistency every single day.
What the business taught me
I've spent more than 25 years inside the aftermarket myself, and every stop taught me something I still use.
I started out of college with BWP Distributors, a member of CARQUEST. It was the best education I could have asked for. Working with shop owners and technicians every day, I learned how much they value their time and what matters most to them when they choose a part. I also helped launch CARQUEST's first online parts ordering program for shops. It gave me an early look at where the business was headed and how technicians were really choosing parts.
From there I moved into senior sales and marketing at Schrader, an early manufacturer and supplier of TPMS to the industry. A brand-new technology meant a lot of education: for tire retailers, for tire supply distributors and for the techs doing the work. I built relationships with retailers and distributors across the country in those years, and the trust we built still holds today.
Then I joined HELLA, the German OE brand with an international aftermarket, to lead sales and marketing. HELLA was a strong brand serving very different markets, and each one needed its own identity. HELLA lighting had a long history in off-road, but a younger generation of enthusiasts was coming up that didn't know the name. At the same time, the shops and technicians who work on European vehicles needed to see HELLA for what it is: a German OE supplier with real engineering pedigree.
Those were two audiences with two different stories, and one campaign trying to speak to both would have confused everyone. So we carved them apart. In off-road, we showed up at the events, on the vehicles and in the content where enthusiasts would see HELLA earn its place. In the European market, we put the OE pedigree front and center for the shops, technicians and owners who care about it most. That work is the clearest proof of what I believe about this industry. Brands win when they show up where their customers are, with the story that matters to them.
That time taught me where trust is earned in this industry: in the bays, at the counter, in the shop and through the people who stand behind a brand. A technician trusts what works on the lift. An enthusiast shares what they saw prove itself on the track. A counter pro recommends what they know won't come back.
Why I started aftermarketREADY
Over the years I watched a gap open up. Aftermarket companies didn't stop caring. The way customers find and judge products changed faster than most brands could keep up.
Today a technician might ask an AI assistant which part fits. An enthusiast watches a build video before they ever visit a website. A shop owner hears about a product from a rep, a forum and a race weekend before placing an order. Plenty of brands are great at engineering, quality and service. Far fewer are great at telling that story where today's customers are listening.
aftermarketREADY exists to close that gap. We decide where your brand needs to show up, make sure it shows up well, and turn that presence into credibility and demand.
“Powerful brands aren't built on flash. They're built on clarity, consistency and delivering on your word. In the aftermarket, your reputation is your legacy.”
What we believe.
Demand beats discounting.
When a brand earns trust, it creates demand price alone can't touch.
Proof beats claims.
A part proven on the mountain, on the lift or in a creator's build says more than any ad.
The channel still matters.
Distributors, jobbers, counter pros and installers decide what moves. Every program has to work for them too.
Measure everything.
Track what turns into demand, cut what doesn't, and double down on what does.
Built to fit the program.
Every aftermarket brand is different: different products, different customers, different place in the market. So we don't run a one-size program. Robert leads strategy and brings in the people each program needs.
Strategy
Robert leads every program. One point of accountability from the first plan to the last report.
Specialists
Search, AI search, paid media, web and analytics people who have done this work for aftermarket brands.
Crews & creators
Video crews, photographers, drivers, race teams and creators who can prove a product in the real world.
We ran our own launch first.
Strategy, script, production and distribution, run the same way we run a client launch.
Find Robert.
Ready to
create demand?
Tell us what you're trying to accomplish. We'll help work out what needs to happen next.