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MTA/Motovan sales meeting brings big news

Fifth distribution center opened in September

Vendors and reps in attendance at the Motovan Corp./MTA Distributing annual sales meeting at the Disneyland Hotel in August came away with news that MTA’s growth has forced it to open a fifth distribution center.

MTA’s fifth distribution warehouse is located in Albany, New York, and opened Sept. 1.

Attendees at the MTA annual sales meeting were treated to a tour of the nearby Yoshimura R&D facilities.
Attendees at the MTA annual sales meeting were treated to a tour of the nearby Yoshimura R&D facilities.

“We’ve been populating the New York warehouse with product, and we’ll have purchase orders from there,” MTA national marketing manager Jeff Laird said. “We’re growing our footprint and cutting down the shipping times to certain regions and creating new territories within the U.S.”

Vendors and reps from all over North America converged on the Anaheim, California, site from Monday through Thursday, and many brought their families to visit Disneyland on all or parts of Friday through Sunday.

During the week of meetings, the attendees received more good news when it was announced that Yoshimura R&D had signed on as a vendor. The exhaust system manufacturer provided two charter buses that picked up attendees at the hotel and shuttled them to Yoshimura factory headquarters in nearby Chino, California, for a factory tour. An In-N-Out Burger truck greeted them for dinner.

MTA executives James Paladino and Greg Blackwell provided an introduction to the company to kick off the meeting.
MTA executives James Paladino and Greg Blackwell provided an introduction to the company to kick off the meeting.

“We got to tour the manufacturing, racing and R&D facility, and basically enjoy their company and have open discussions with them,” Laird said. “It was nice to pick up a brand that put so much into their launch.”

James Paladino, CEO of Motovan Corporation/MTA Distributing, greeted the 60 vendors, along with over 100 team members consisting of sales reps from the U.S. and Canada, as well as marketing and purchasing staff. Greg Blackwell, president of MTA Distributing, also shared an overview of the company’s growth.

Laird said the format allowed vendors to set up shop for only one day in the exhibit space. Most vendors opted for 10-foot-by-10-foot booths.

An efficient setup allowed vendors and reps to make effective use of their time at the meeting.
An efficient setup allowed vendors and reps to make effective use of their time at the meeting.
Yoshimura provided two charter buses to bring MTA vendors and reps to its facilities in Chino, Calif.
Yoshimura provided two charter buses to bring MTA vendors and reps to its facilities in Chino, Calif.

“We rented out two halls, so that one was getting set up for the next day between 3-7 p.m., while the meetings were going on in the other room,” Laird said. “It worked out great.”

House brands such as ZOX, Olympia and SHOT were well received. SHOT’s chief designer traveled from the brand’s European headquarters in France to meet with reps.

With the additional vendors coming on board, MTA continues to add staff. Three sales reps were hired a week prior to the show. In 2016, the marketing department has gotten a boost with the hiring of a marketing coordinator, SHOT brand manager and web programmer.

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“A lot of dealerships are wanting to do business with us, with all the changes that are happening in the market. It’s nice to see dealers looking for different options,” Laird said. “We’ve also had a lot of vendors reach out to us, so we’ve been selective to make sure they’re the right fit for us and we’re the right fit for them. We’ve picked up a lot of brands lately that complement our existing line.”

Sena spent time with reps going over the latest features of its Bluetooth communication devices.
Sena spent time with reps going over the latest features of its Bluetooth communication devices.

Among those are UFO Plastic, Torc1 Racing, TM Designs, TOM TOM, LIQUI MOLY, Bark Busters and C&L Group (Hot Cams, Hot Rods, Vertex Pistons, etc.).

“We’re trying to get our portfolio fully built to where we have a lot do offer the dealerships,” Laird said. “We’re going in with great programs, and we’re going to have shorter shipping times as we keep looking to improve warehouses. We’re starting to get our feet underneath us as we head in the right direction, whereas before we were running wide open. Now we’ve hired so many people recently that we can focus on what we need to do.”

 

 

 

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