Last month, AutoSuccess began an exciting new journey — one that will allow us to take our mission of serving automotive sales professionals to the next level.

After 16 years as a solo publication, AutoSuccess has joined the Babcox Media family, giving us greatly increased access to resources and expertise. With the tools now available to us through this merger, we’ll be able to bring even more ideas, strategies, educational opportunities and content to our audience.

First, an introduction and a little information about our new partner. Babcox is a privately held, family-owned company headquartered in Akron, Ohio, a city that has historically been linked to the automotive field through the tire industry. Babcox started in 1920 with a publication titled India Rubber Review — which is still in publication as Tire Review — and has grown into a multimedia company focused on the automotive and motorsports industry. Babcox is also part of several major events in the automotive and motorsports industry and is well-regarded and respected in the field.

Babcox came to AutoSuccess because our publication fills a need in their family of publications — reaching automotive dealers. They saw what we were accomplishing in our industry and realized that both companies could help the other. We can give them access to new and used vehicle sales professionals in a way that makes sense with their other properties, and they, in turn, can provide us with opportunities and resources we could have never achieved otherwise.

With this partnership, AutoSuccess has gone from being an “only child” publication to having many sister publications. Babcox produces more than 75 digital and print properties, and includes publications such as aftermarketNews (AMN), AMN Global, BodyShop Business, Brake & Front End, Counterman, Engine Builder, Fleet Equipment, ImportCar, Motorcycle & Powersports News (MPN), Servicio Automotriz, Shop Owner, Speedville.com, TechShop, Telematics Talk, Tire Review, Tomorrow’s Tech and Underhood Service. Each of these magazines and Websites in some way deals with a facet of the automotive and motorsports market, and we’ll all be able to pull information and ideas together and cover our field in a way that simply wasn’t possible before.

The pairing of AutoSuccess and Babcox is one that will benefit both companies. This wasn’t a merger of necessity, but one where the whole exceeds the sum of its parts. In addition to the new opportunities presented to us, the fact that Babcox is a family-owned, independently held organization fits in well with the team spirit that we’ve worked hard to cultivate at AutoSuccess. Instead of having to assume a “corporate” mentality, we’ve been brought in as part of the family, a factor that we see leading to only good things in the future.

So, what does this mean for our readers? Our focus is not straying — and will not stray — from the needs of the automotive dealerships we’ve served for almost two decades; we know who we are and we know what we do makes a difference to sales professionals in that field. What it does mean is that we’ll be able to reach our audience in new and exciting ways and offer more ideas and strategies to help our audience grow and succeed.

The business world is constantly evolving, and perhaps nowhere as rapidly has it has in the automotive sales field in recent years. With this new partnership, AutoSuccess is poised to keep up with emerging trends and meet our audience where they wish to be reached. Our aim is the same as it has ever been: to provide sales professionals with the information they need to take advantage of the existing and new tools available to them. The difference now is that we’ll have new tools ourselves to accomplish this goal. From our magazine to our podcasts, from our newsletter to our Website, from our Webinars to social media platforms, we’re looking for ways to constantly improve to better serve our audience.

​We’re excited to see what this merger means for the future, and with the support, resources and knowledge that we now have access to, that future has never been brighter. It’s going to be great ride, and we’re glad you’re here to share it with us.