Bestbuy Distributors—a solid force in the Canadian Aftermarket since 1955.
The story of Bestbuy and its people needed to be told commencing with now President, Bill Hay who started his career at BF Goodrich industrial division. Within two years, he moved into their automotive segment (belts/hoses) and so began his automotive aftermarket career. Almost 40 years later, he still loves it!
Eventually joining Dayco Canada, Hay spent 34 years there ending up as Vice President managing the Canadian marketplace. “I really cut my teeth at Dayco—a major supplier. Then I decided the distribution side of the business seemed very interesting. An opportunity came up and I moved to that sector. I was amazed at the daily activity on the WD side—you never know how the day will unfold.”
How Bestbuy functions
Recently, Bill joined Bestbuy Distributors as President, having known this organization from his supplier days, their support actually helped launch his Dayco career. “Now being part of Bestbuy is like a joyous homecoming! It’s a shareholder-owned company and major player in the Canadian Automotive Aftermarket. They’re governed by a Board of Directors made up of Shareholders who own/operate their wholesale parts distribution businesses on a daily basis. This ensures the Board of Directors has significant aftermarket knowledge and, together with myself and my senior management team, we deliver and cater to the company’s relevant wants and needs! A Bestbuy Shareholder enjoys all the benefits and rewards of a very aggressive day-to-day program paving the way for success. Additional profits generated on an annual basis by the organization are shared amongst its Shareholders… proving that ownership clearly has privileges!”
Hay learned about Team Effort years ago. “I firmly believe it can’t be done solo— the team around you is very important. The Bestbuy Team was the main reason I joined them… specifically the Senior Management VP team, a group of seasoned veterans with years of industry experience and expertise in their respective departments,” he explains. “Bestbuy truly operates as a family—everyone knows everyone; everyone wants everyone to succeed. I’m excited about Bestbuy’s future, we’re very well positioned for continued success.”
The senior management VP team
Andy Murphy, Vice President Sales & Marketing, has been at Bestbuy for a number of years. He has held various senior positions in his career to include Regional Managers’ positions at Acklands/McKerlie-Millen (now CARQUEST) and NAPA.
Murphy’s current responsibilities include developing and managing all Bestbuy sales and marketing initiatives, and his Business Development Sales Team across Canada is responsible for growing shareholder as well as non-shareholder sales.
The marketing team is an experienced group led by Marketing Manager Karen Barkin, whose team excels at building, executing and managing all marketing programs. Barkin is one of the “go-to” people on the Team.
Scott Stone, Vice President Purchasing, started with a Bluestreak territory right after graduating University where he learned the business and understood the challenges facing the Installer and Wholesaler. He eventually took on national responsibilities, developing support programs and materials to help drive sales and gain market share. Later joining MOOG Automotive, he helped to develop a strong Canadian market presence and seamlessly fit all brands together.
Stone’s last 17 years were spent at Mevotech in a senior role, helping them convert their business from a product line based on remanufacturing CV axles, steering, and water pumps to a North American leader in chassis, control arms, and hub assemblies. Now at Bestbuy, Stone’s years of industry experience position him well to ensure Bestbuy has the right products for success.
He says, “Our Bestbuy team is made up of dedicated, hard-working departments committed to delivering excellence to our shareholders, and focused on bringing a winning attitude to all they do. I feel very fortunate to be included in these exciting times as we continue to expand our reach and drive success in our business model.”
Mike Palmer, Vice President Finance is a CPA and CA who joined Bestbuy in 2018. Although relatively new to the company and automotive sector, Palmer is deeply experienced in all distribution sectors gained from an outside perspective of being an advisor and auditor for 25+ years.
Palmer’s focus at Bestbuy is to enhance and modernize systems and processes to ensure strong control, corporate governance, and sound financial management practices. He draws on his advisory experience to help Shareholders in issues of succession, M&A and financial structuring.
Nathan Pickard, Vice President Operations has over 15 years’ experience in operations and sales in the automotive aftermarket. Pickard leads Bestbuy’s operational efforts overseeing warehousing, customer service, quality assurance, and IT. Since he joined Bestbuy in 2016, Pickard’s leadership has focused on technology-driven business solutions and on delivering an exceptional customer experience.
Prior to joining Bestbuy, Pickard worked for NAPA. Experience gained running stores allows him to align both short and long-term goals in warehousing and technology to properly support Bestbuy shareholders.
And that’s how “The Team” works and runs Bestbuy.
