Andy Murphy is Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Bestbuy Distributors and has been at that company for a number of years.

Murphy got hooked by the automotive aftermarket 46 years ago! It seems that a friend’s father had started a jobber store in Georgetown (where Murphy lived) and needed occasional summer help. Enter Murphy, who fortunately had a car and used that for delivering parts for the store earning $20.00 per day plus gas! When Murphy finished high school, the store owner asked him to work full time… and the rest was history. From driver to counter person, eventually store manager and creator of his own sales territory, Murphy became firmly entrenched in the automotive aftermarket!

More responsibilities

Murphy went on in his career to hold regional manager positions at Acklands/McKerlie-Millen (now CARQUEST) and NAPA, where he focused on the Collision Industry Supply side, eventually becoming involved in launching the CMAX stores in Ontario.

At Bestbuy, Murphy has a great responsibility as Vice President with the Sales and Marketing Team, helping build, develop and manage all the sales and marketing initiatives. In addition, he’s responsible for Shareholder as well as Non-Shareholder Sales. He also works with the Business Development Team across Canada to bring new Shareholders to Bestbuy and works with current Shareholders to help them grow their businesses.

Murphy is grateful to have been in the aftermarket business for over 45 years, remarking, “There have been a lot of great moments and none more rewarding than what I have been doing since joining Bestbuy in 2010.”

Advice to young people

We asked Murphy if he had any sound advice for young people looking at a career in the aftermarket. “There is an abundance of opportunities in the Automotive Aftermarket for young people—everything from the various positions working in stores, distribution centres or with manufacturers. It’s a great business. I owe everything I have to the Automotive Aftermarket.

“The aftermarket is a stable area and needs talent for all sectors. There are equal opportunities for males and females but unfortunately, it is overlooked by many as a great selection in a solid sector.”

Challenges and opportunities

We also asked what Murphy thought were the challenges and opportunities facing the industry today.

“Challenges: Parts proliferation—the amount of new part numbers each year. Cars are lasting longer, so jobbers and WDs have to keep SKUs on the shelf longer, which is hard to manage.

• Having the latest information available that will enable all technicians with the ability to repair all vehicles.
• Attracting young people to this business, as it doesn’t appear to be on the younger generations’ radar.

“As to opportunities, I see access to OE parts through the aftermarket instead of the dealer. More and more OE Manufacturers are opening up the availability of their OE parts to the aftermarket through traditional WD channels. All new vehicles being produced—electric, autonomous—will still need parts of some sort, and we have to be ready. Our Vendor Partners have to be ready. The entrepreneurial opportunity in our Industry is still a huge draw. For those who want to own or run a business, put their stamp on it, and build a successful company, the opportunities are always going to be there.”

“I also believe the aftermarket is full of prosperity—the future, in my opinion, is bright. Will the landscape change? Absolutely, but there will always be room for the true entrepreneurial spirit of the Canadian Automotive Aftermarket.”