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Becoming
the Number 1 Catalog Company - From 1984-1991
"Mel
and Rich were a great team and carried on the Performance
Products® tradition of striving "To Be The Best" in
servicing customers in their Porsche® automotive needs. Under
their ownership, the catalog evolved. Color and model specific images
were added so that our customers knew exactly what they were buying.
The Porsche® catalog was split into two catalogs; one for air
cooled models and the other for water cooled models. They
computerized everything (remember, this was when desktop PC's were
just beginning to surface) and implemented real-time inventory
availability and order tracking. It wasn't long before we saw our
sales double. All this growth occurred without moving from our 5000
square foot facility in Van Nuys, CA. We were so crowded that we took
over the little space available next door and put trailers in our
parking lot to store additional inventory."
"In
1987 tragedy hit --- Rich became ill and passed away. Our company
culture is largely defined by Rich's management style. He was more
than a wonderful owner/employer, he was a great friend. Rich will
always have a special place in our hearts."
"Uh-oh&ldots;this
meant that Mel was left alone at the helm. Mel did one hell-of-a-job
keeping the company on track. He empowered our employees to take
charge and become decision-makers. He drove home our company
philosophy "To Be The Best" in servicing our customers in
their automotive needs. He continued to grow the company even when
our country's economy was sinking into a recession in the early
1990's. Performance Products® proudly never laid anyone off
during these trying times, we "tightened" our belts and
with Mel's leadership figured out a way to stay on top of the market."
Explosive
Growth from 1991-Present
"In
1991 Mel realized that having a partner meant that he could finally
take a vacation. Mel's friend of 30 years, Ron Rowen, moved from
northern California to partner with Mel. Ron brought to our company
20 years of solid business experience. Mel's vision and Ron's can-do
mentality helped us to get our company to the next level and bust
outside of selling parts and accessories for Porsche® cars to
become a major player in the overall automotive parts and accessories market."
"In
August 1991, we opened our Toyota Truck Division as a new growth
area for our Company. In 1993 we moved into a 25,000 square foot
facility in Van Nuys, CA. We had so much room, we didn't know what to
do --- so we started developing catalogs for other vehicles."
"In
February 1995 we published our first edition of the Ford
Explorer® Catalog. In December of 1996 we launched our
Chevy®/GMC® catalog and in January of 1997 we expanded our
Explorer® catalog to include the complete line of Ford® SUV's
and Trucks. We launched our Internet site to feel out the new medium
and give our customers a place to request their favorite catalog. In
February of 1998 we acquired the leading Mercedes-Benz®
after-market catalog company, Impco®. We produced our first
Jeep® catalog in April of 1998. And in 1998 we added e-commerce
to our web site."
"August
1, 1999, we moved into our new 60,000 square foot state-of-the-art
facility that is equipped to provide these expanded services: An
expanded Call and Customer Service Center to more rapidly process
your orders; a new order tracking system that will enable you to
track your order through an 800 telephone number, or on the Internet;
and expanded online Internet ordering for all vehicles. We now have
an expansive showroom and an installation center is now available to
install most of what we sell."
"In
February of 2000 we went back to our roots and merged with
Automotion® to become the largest distributor of parts and
accessories for Porsche® cars."
Our
People and Our Customers
"Ron
and Mel instilled a family value philosophy in our company. We now
employ several of our brothers, sisters, cousins and parents. Some of
us have even met our soul mates here and are now married. When Mel
bought the company, we were a company of six --- today we have over
100 employees."
"We
truly have the best people. Every salesperson comes to us with a
strong background in the automotive industry. Our warehouse crew is
the fastest and most accurate in the business. In fact, if we get
your order by 2PM PST, we promise to ship it the same day, rushing it
from our warehouse to you. Our buyers are responsible for keeping our
warehouse stocked with the items you want. Another best in the
industry, we have a 98% fill rate (products in stock and ready to ship)."
"Our
research and development marketing group is responsible for our
award winning catalogs. But more importantly they are responsible for
carefully selecting products and since 1964, carry forward our
promise to bring you the very best. As a side note, we pride
ourselves in owning, driving and modifying our vehicles with the
products we sell. And our staff drives most of the vehicles that you
see in our catalogs."
"Our
Internet team is working on a unique web site where you can build
your own personal online catalog for any vehicle. Just tell us the
vehicle you have, and we'll tailor your online catalog to show you
all the great parts and accessories we have to maintain and enhance
it. And keep coming back, over the next year we will be adding all
the products we carry in our huge inventory, give you in-depth
product information and add high tech features that will blow your
mind. Join Performance Mail, our email program to keep updated with
new products, specials and events at our company."
"This
exciting growth is because of you --- our great customers. It's your
input that teaches us how to become a better company. We want to
thank you for having faith in us over the years to do our job right,
accurate and fast --- delivering the best quality at the best price,
guaranteed. We have fun at our job and we hope it shows. We look
forward to continuing our relationship with you in the years to come
for all your automotive needs." |
