AMN Drivetime

Hosted by Babcox Media

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Aug 2026

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About the show

The AMN Drivetime podcast will entertain and educate listeners, conversing with today’s top aftermarket drivers and industry leaders who are having an impact on the automotive aftermarket industry. This bi-monthly podcast offers candid, one-on-one conversations between Babcox Media CEO Bill Babcox and notable figures in the automotive aftermarket, sharing their experiences and life lessons as they have traveled the aftermarket.

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August 20, 2026Episode 9321 min

Episode 93: Cloyes Chairman, President and CEO John Hanighen on Being the ‘Gold Standard’

Hanighen discusses how Cloyes leverages its OE engineering heritage by developing aftermarket solutions that make repairs more efficient for technicians. One of the company's most significant innovations has been its timing kit strategy, which packages all required components into a single solution to help technicians complete repairs correctly the first time while reducing warranty claims. Hanighen notes that kits now account for approximately 80% of Cloyes' sales.

July 9, 2026Episode 9226 min

Episode 92: Premium Guard CEO Anan Bishara on Best-in-Class Solutions

This episode of DriveTime features Anan Bishara, founder & CEO, Premium Guard, Inc. Following Premium Guard's acquisition of key intellectual property and related assets from First Brands Group, Bishara said the company's strategy for revitalizing legacy brands—including Autolite, FRAM, TRICO, ANCO, LuberFiner and StrongArm—was built around three priorities: people, intellectual property and physical assets. He said PGI began recruiting key engineering, sales and product management talent months before the acquisition closed, ensuring the company had the expertise in place to successfully integrate and grow the brands

May 12, 2026Episode 9121 min

Episode 91: Gates' Americas President Tom Pitstick on Being Driven by Possibility

In this episode of DriveTime, Tom Pitstick, president, Americas, Gates Corporation talks about the company’s “Driven by Possibility” motto that influences not only his leadership approach and strategic direction with the aftermarket, but also how his teams are driven to support customers from the shop level all the way up to its big distribution partners.

May 7, 2026Episode 9012 min

Episode 90: FORVIA HELLA President and Managing Director Mike DeWitt on 'Zero Failures' Benchmark

In this episode of DriveTime, Mike DeWitt, president and managing director, FORVIA HELLA, explains that the combination of HELLA with Faurecia under the FORVIA umbrella represents a strategic evolution that brings together two highly regarded Tier 1 suppliers with complementary strengths in innovation, engineering and quality.

May 5, 2026Episode 8915 min

Episode 89: D-A Lubricant Company EVP John Noal on Synthetic Supply Constraints

D-A Lubricant’s John Noal discusses synthetic shortages, rising costs and how supply chain issues are impacting service and inventory decisions.

May 4, 2026Episode 8823 min

Episode 88: MEMA Aftermarket Suppliers' President Emily Poladian on Driving Value

In this episode of DriveTime, Emily Poladian, president of MEMA Aftermarket Suppliers, talks about her admiration for the aftermarket after a successful 27-year career at Bridgestone where she led two different business units. Despite its size and influence, she says the industry maintains a close-knit, relationship-driven culture that makes her feel right at home. On Right-to-Repair legislation, Poladian is seeing stronger momentum than at any point in recent years, though outcomes remain uncertain given competing priorities in Congress. She emphasizes that the issue ultimately centers on consumer choice and affordability. Poladian notes that meaningful progress will require alignment across the aftermarket ecosystem—including suppliers, distributors, retailers and repair shops—to present a unified voice and find a common ground.

April 29, 2026Episode 878 min

Episode 87: MPA VP of Sales Ron Aparicio on 'Honoring the Sales Cycle'

In this episode of DriveTime , Ron Aparicio, vice president of sales, Motorcar Parts of America (MPA) discusses how the company is reinforcing its position in the aftermarket by focusing on relationship-driven sales, customer alignment and product quality rooted in both new and remanufactured offerings. He said success in today’s environment depends on “honoring the sales cycle,” meaning respecting customers’ time, understanding their business pressures and bringing meaningful solutions rather than simply pushing products.

April 28, 2026Episode 8613 min

Episode 86: NTN Bearing Corp. President and CEO Tom Mohrdieck on Premium Brands

In this episode of DriveTime, Tom Mohrdieck, president and CEO, NTN Bearing Corporation of America, discusses how the company is leveraging the OEM pedigree it built over 108 years in OEM and industrial markets, according to Tom Mohrdieck. He said the company has spent the last decade investing in aftermarket growth, with a global goal of generating 40% of turnover from the aftermarket by 2035.

April 27, 202621 min

Episode 85: Schwartz Advisors' Co-Founder and CEO Rick Schwartz on the Next Wave of VIO Growth

In this episode of DriveTime, Rick Schwartz, Co-Founder and CEO, Schwartz Advisors, talks about Schwartz Advisors’ new VIO forecast report, the SA Mobility Aftermarket Report, is designed to give the industry a clearer picture of where the vehicle fleet is headed by analyzing the VIO by powertrain rather than relying only on total vehicle count. Schwartz said simply citing a U.S. parc nearing 290 million vehicles can be misleading without understanding the mix of internal combustion vehicles, hybrids, EVs and eventually autonomous vehicles. While total VIO growth remains modest, the average age of vehicles continues to climb, supporting aftermarket demand. With projections extending to 2050, the report is intended to help executives and investors plan for long-term structural change.

April 27, 2026Episode 8420 min

Episode 84: NEXUS' Robert Roos and Thierry Mugnier on Global Collaboration

In this episode of DriveTime, Robert Roos, president and CEO of the Pronto Network, as well as president of NEXUS North America, and Thierry Mugnier, the co-founder and chief finance and innovation officer at Nexus Automotive International, discuss the Nexus Business Forum in Lausanne, Switzerland, and the growing importance of global collaboration across the automotive aftermarket. The event brought together hundreds of leaders from around the world, including a larger-than-usual North American presence, allowing distributors and manufacturers to build relationships, compare market challenges and prepare for the future of vehicle service.