Top 10 Most Popular Articles & Episodes of 2025

1. Podcast: MEMA's Ben Brucado on Service, Sustainability, and Trump Administration Tariffs 

Ben Brucado, vice president of membership and engagement at MEMA, talks about how tariff policy is reshaping supply chains and service operations across the aftermarket. 

2. Protecting Your Customers From Counterfeit Auto Parts

Bob Stewart, president of the Automotive Anti-Counterfeiting Council, an alliance of North American automakers, writes that counterfeit parts pose a serious safety and business risk to shops and customers alike, which requires both vigilance and education to curb. This piece provides actionable strategies for identifying and preventing counterfeits from entering your supply chain.

3. Mann+Hummel Unveils Walmart Exclusive Purolator 20K Premium Oil Filter

In the spring, Mann+Hummel hosted a major product launch with its then-newest oil filters. This release reflected the growing importance of retail partnerships in the aftermarket, with implications for both shop sourcing and customer availability.

4. NAPA Now: Category Management the NAPA Way

Category management has become a crucial competitive tool for parts distributors seeking to optimize inventory and boost profitability. This deep dive with Danny Huffaker, senior vice president, product and marketing for NAPA, shows how the auto parts supplier approaches the strategy that shapes its distributor operations.

5. Steve Tucker: Thriving in a Competitive Industry

A candid profile of Steve Tucker, president ot Auto Parts Associates. Gain practical insights from Tucker as he talks about his background, life in the aftermarket, leading an association, and his management philosophy. 

6. Pedler: Catalog Chaos—How the Aftermarket Went Digital and Nearly Imploded

Columnist Courtney Pedler, co-founder and CEO of Autology Data Management Group, shares a humorous account of the digital transformation crisis that nearly broke the parts catalog ecosystem, with lessons for how the industry adapted.

7. Pedler: Hell's Revenge at the Parts Store: A Memoir

A sharply written memoir from Courtney Pedler that captures the human side of working at an auto parts counter, with wit, emotion, and real-world perspective.

8. Hughes: A Look at Right to Repair from the Distribution Side

Ted Hughes, executive Director of AWDA, a community of the Auto Care Association, talks about how Right to Repair has become a major policy battleground with direct implications for how parts flow to independent shops. This analysis breaks down the distributor perspective on a legislative issue that could reshape the entire aftermarket.

9. Podcast: The Impact of Mental Health on Your Business Decisions 

Licensed therapist Margaret Light takes listeners on a journey that bridges personal wellness and business leadership, addressing how mental health affects decision-making in high-stress industries.

10. Faulkner: Beyond the Box—3 Keys to Customer Engagement

In this strategic piece on customer engagement that applies broader business principles to the specific challenges of parts distribution and shop relationships, columnist Adam Faulkner offers actionable thinking for distributors and retailers looking to strengthen customer loyalty.