LDJ Auto Body's Car, Truck, and Motorcycle News Announces Auto Parts Supplier of the Month For September, 2012

LDJ Auto Body's Car, Truck, and Motorcycle News Announces Our First Automotive Industry's

Automotive Parts Supplier of the Month

Allen's Used Auto Parts of Tampa, FL!

"LDJ Auto Body News has gone through some major renovations in the past 30 days.  We've added many great new concepts to our line-up to help our readers and those in our industry gain knowledge of things happening in our industry and we've added some exciting new regular features", said Dee Blackman, Senior Editor of the newsletter. "One of the things we are adding is our "Supplier of the Month" award that is given to auto parts and auto industry suppliers who go above and beyond the call of duty in their respective niche to provide a great experience for their customers.  In an economy where everyone is affected by price, it's important that we give recognition to those that do their best to offset the ever increasing prices for both consumers and businesses, thus affecting the industry as a whole.  We want to let people know that there are companies out there who go the extra nine yards to provide the best customer service while still keeping pricing at a minimum."  

A big congratulations to Allen's Used Auto Parts of Tampa, FL for being named LDJ Auto Body's Car, Truck, and Motorcycle News' "Automotive Industry Auto Parts Supplier of the Month" for September, 2012.

Located at 5509 E. Broadway in Tampa, FL, Allen's provides new, aftermarket and recycled parts for auto industry businesses and consumers alike.  Their staff is friendly and knowledgeable and they keep a vast inventory of used parts.  Their huge inventory of mechanical parts and body parts is well maintained and impeccably organized.  "I have been doing body work for 40 yrs.", said Larry Blackman of LDJ Auto Body and Mechanical, Gibsonton, FL, "and I was extremely impressed by the organization of their parts inventory.  In our business, it is key that the used body parts we buy for our customers are in good shape and Allen's is the first place we call when looking for used parts.  They tell us when our order will be ready and we plan our job scheduling based on that time frame.  If Allen's tells us our order will be ready for pick-up at a certain time...it is.  That's as important to us as the price.  Nothing is worse than having to tell a customer that their vehicle will be late because your supplier didn't deliver on time.  That just doesn't happen at Allen's.  These guys do great work and we depend on them."

In addition to their parts supply, Allen's also offers auto repair services like parts installation, tune-ups, oil changes, and more, all of which are reasonably priced and expertly done by their staff of knowledgeable mechanics.   "It's a great place to do business and we even send our own customers there to buy their parts. There aren't many suppliers that I'll actually send my customers to," said Blackman, "When it comes to that, you have to really be the best. We don't make recommendations like that lightly.  This is a competitive business and you have to be careful when you recommend someone to one of your own customers.  There has to be an amount of trust there and that takes a lot of time to build.  Allen's is one of those places."

EDITOR'S NOTE

Allen's Used Auto Parts of Tampa, FL is owned by Hoss who works the counter along wiht Dean, Brian, Mike, and Todd.  This hard-working team of auto professionals assembled by Hoss will provide you with a great customer experience.  Whether you are an automotive industry business owner or just the owner of your favorite vehicle, you owe it to yourself to give Allen's Used Auto Parts of Tampa, FL a try.  We highly recommend them for all your auto parts and service needs.  Give Hoss a call today....we promise you won't be disappointed.  Tell em Dee sent you!

Congratulations guys......and keep up the great work!

-Dee Blackman
 Senior Editor and Publisher
 LDJ Auto Body's Car, Truck, and Motorcycle News
 Happy Motoring!

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LDJ Auto Body News Welcomes Don Elfrink, New Contributing Author

LDJ Auto Body News Welcomes Our Newest Contributing Author, Don Elfrink of AutoMatStore.com!

We are thrilled to welcome Mr. Don Eflrink of AutoMatStore.com as our newest contributing author here at LDJ Auto Body's Car, Truck, and Motorcycle News.  Don has done several guest posts for us in the past and had such a great response from all of our readers that he is going to be a regular here at LDJ Auto News.

For those of you who don't know Don, here's a short bio to bring you all up to speed as to Don's expertise in the automotive industry.  We are looking forward to some great upcoming articles from Don Elfrink and welcome him to the new team here at LDJ Auto News.  We'll be running new articles by Don regularly, so be sure to register now so you don't miss any of the great info Don Elfrink has to offer and be sure to stop by his website at www.AutoMatStore.com for some great deals too!

Check out AutoMatStore.com for some great ideas on floor mats for your car or truck!

Here Don Elfrink's autobiography!  Look for more article soon!

An Entrepreneur for Life

I’m no stranger to owning my own business – I’ve operated several over the past three decades. I’ve owned everything from a vending business (which wasn’t one of my best decisions, by the way), to an expedited delivery business, a trucking business, a manufacturing business and, today, an ecommerce website. I’ve also been involved in entrepreneurial enterprises since college. You might say it runs in my family.

Getting Off to a Good Start

I actually left college after completing my junior year at the University of Missouri in St. Louis so that I could go to work in our family business. We operated an LTL (less than truckload) trucking business in the greater St. Louis area. I learned the ropes and honed my skills in St. Louis, and then made the move to Columbia, Missouri, where I opened and ran a terminal that served the central part of the state.

Perhaps the greatest strength of our trucking business was our ability to deliver overnight to destinations as far away as 400 miles, which was unheard of in the industry. However, even with our excellent service, we were limited by the geographic area we served. To supplement our trucking service, I started an expedited business, which gave us a greater serviceable area and more profitability. Unfortunately, four years after I moved to Columbia, the family trucking business was sold. Like they say, though, when one door closes, another opens. That’s when I expanded my expedited business to include truckload services and began doing business with clients across the country.

Entering the Automotive Industry

Really, it was my time spent in the trucking business that helped me get involved in the automotive world. One day, I visited a client that manufactured automotive floor mats. One of his designs really caught my eye – it was manufactured for a full-size van, and covered both front floorboards, as well as the area between the seats. I saw immediately how it would benefit truck drivers, so I asked my client if he had floor mats that would fit 18-wheelers. He said no, but that if I could provide templates and patterns, he could make them for me. They were a huge hit with truck stops, trucking companies and truck manufacturers, and after a few years, I actually bought the floor mat plant from the original owner. I was now in the automotive industry.

Finding My Own Success

There are many different aspects to owning a manufacturing business, but one in particular helped me establish my current business, AutoMatStore.com. In the manufacturing process, we created an inventory of overruns, returns and obsolete products we had a hard time finding a market for. However, with the advent of the Internet, especially sites like eBay, we were able to address that issue.

That was when I realized the potential of the Internet. I sold the manufacturing business about seven years ago so I could start up an Internet ecommerce site focused on automotive floor mats. We decided from the beginning that customer service was going to be the difference between our company and our competitors, and it provided to be the lynchpin of our success. With our emphasis on customer service, we have realized an astounding growth of between 15 and 20% every year for the past five years, during a time when the auto industry was suffering one of its worst slumps in history.

Forward to the Future

Of course, we’re not content to rest on our laurels. Our plan for the future is to create similar ecommerce sites that focus on either a specific type of item, a specific vehicle or a specific vehicle type. That specific focus and our drive to provide outstanding customer service will help us stand out in the market.

Don Elfrink is the owner and operator of AutoMatStore, an auto floor mat company based out of Columbia, Missouri. Before AutoMatStore.com, Elfrink was the operator of a company that produced automotive accessories. AutoMatStore.com focuses on all-weather, logo, carpeted and molded car mats.

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Police state

What to do first weekend back from an epic ride OS. Go for a ride of course! Beautiful spring weather here now, perfect day for riding even though the police of this state tried to ruin it. Lots of police on Advancetown road with some sort of concealed trap targeting motorcycles. Next what appeared at first like a RBT at Canungra was actually a roadblock for only motorcycles. What follows is a

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Automotive Memories.....Your First Driving Experience, A Moment Locked In Time.

There Are Some Things in Life We Never Forget

No Matter How Old and Forgetful We Become!

Share Your First Driving Experience!

Don't Forget to Add Your Pics!

As we age, many things in our lives become distant, blurry, half-memories.  We don't actually forget them, they just become a little blurry! LOL.  However, one thing just about everyone can remember is the first time they drove.  It's just such a great feeling that it becomes burned in.  It's just a great feeling!

Add caption

While reading through my daily reading digests, I came across an article in one of my favorite blogs, Jalopnik.com.  The article entitled, "How Did You Learn To Drive?", by Patrick George, caught my eye and my husband and I just started reminiscing about how we learned to drive. That feeling of "total control" when you first take the wheel, no matter what age you are, is just really "cool"! LOL  It's a great topic of conversation not matter where you are or who you're with because EVERYBODY has a story to chip in.  Try it next time you need to "break the ice" at a boring occasion, you'll be the hit of the dinner table!

1959 Oldsmobile 98 Regency...the car that
'daddy let me drive'!

My own experience happened when I was just 5 or 6 years old, (ok, I'm a little unclear of the exact age, but, I am....whoops, almost gave it away there!  Suffice it to say, it was quite a few years back....LMAO!), and my dad, a Chicago police officer, sat me on his lap and took his own hands off the whee and let me drive his 1958 Oldsmobile down the road....  Now, if you're any kind of mathematician at all, that should give you a pretty good idea of the year we're talking about!  Anyway, what an awesome day that was.  It changed the way I felt about everything!  From that time on, all I wanted to do was grow up enough to experience driving on my own.  Now my hubby, Larry, says the first time he ever drove was with his dad in a 1959 Studebaker Lark! (We're pretty close to the same age, although, he does have me by a couple years! LOL)

Larry's first "drive", 1959 Studebaker Lark. (Kinda
looks like a "Rolls Royce 'wannabee"! LOL

Regardless of what year it was or who it was that let you drive, I'll bet you can answer that question without too much hesitation, right?  Like I said, it's just an awesome feeling to have that much control over something that powerful and the first time you do it....well, it makes an impression!.  

So that's the question of the day.....what was the very first vehicle you got to drive?  We'd love to hear your stories (and see your pictures!).  Larry and I had a good 1 hour conversation that included some really good memories and lots of comic relief!  Larry's got me digging around in the old picture boxes and trying to find some our old photos.  If I find them, I'll be glad to publish them for ya!  Be sure to send us your pics too!  Let's see what some of us were driving around back in the day!

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New Comments Thread on The Art of Custom Car and Motorcycle Maintenance!

We Have Added "Disqus" to Our Blog

Please Let Us Know If You Like It!

We have added the "Disqus" commenting thread app to both of our blogs.  Please give it a try and see how you like it!  We are trying to keep up with the times and were told that using a better "Comment" box application would make it easier for our readers and for us to keep track of our comments.

If anyone has commented and did not receive a reply, we apologize for that.  We had a few glitches to overcome when we upgraded, but, everything should be working now......we hope!

Thank you to all our readers for your patience....we're looking forward to some great stuff starting this week!  Check back Tuesday for a list of all our changes and new features!

If you have any questions or suggestions, please let us know!  We're always open to suggestions.

Stay tuned for some great new articles this week!  September is the start of our new format (see LDJ Auto Body's Car, Truck, and Motorcycle News for complete details).

We've got lots of great things in store here too!

Talk to y'all on Tuesday!

Have a safe and happy Labor Day Holiday.

Happy Motoring!

Larry and Dee Blackman

LDJ Auto Body & Mechanical

www.ldjautobody.com

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USA and Canada motorcycle tour

I have had a wonderful time touring North America, the roads were superb and the riding exceeded my expectations by a long margin. I started in San Francisco, renting a BMW R1200RT from Eagle Rider. The rental process was smooth and having stayed nearby I simply walked to the shop signed the papers and loaded my gear onto bike and was riding away about 15 minutes later. I left my suitcase with

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Welcome to the NEW & IMPROVED LDJ Auto Body's Car, Truck, & Motorcycle News!

September 1st Marks the First Day of Our New Format Here At LDJ Auto Body's Car, Truck, and Motorcycle News

Register Now to Make Sure You Don't Miss ANY of The Great New Features Starting Today!

You can register via email or RSS feed. We're compatible with all readers including Google Reader, which we recommend.  LDJ Auto Body's Car, Truck, and Motorcycle News is now available via your smart phone! Our mobile site is now optimized for most mobile operating systems including tablets.

We decided that the official end of Summer would be the official start of the new and improved features being implemented here at LDJ Auto News!  We're excited about our new format and we're sure you'll enjoy all the great information that passes through our doors.  

Here's An Overview Of Our Newest Features

• You'll enjoy a host of new guest bloggers.  Each week, we'll have at least one new guest article from some of the most interesting and influential people in the auto industry. 

www.caruserreviews.com

• New car, truck, and motorcycle reviews from some of the best review sites on the Internet to help you find your new car, truck, or motorcycle.  We do the research so you don't have to.  From pricing to accessory packages, you'll love our new review section.

• New automotive product and accessory information.  Here you'll find information on the latest, greatest car, truck, and, motorcycle parts, accessories, and even clothing and gear.  Our bloggers will research and review the best products and find the best places to buy them.  We'll be updating our affiliate lists so you'll be able to find those products at the lowest prices possible right here in this blog.

• Live "chat" with one of our professional technicians here at LDJ Auto Body & Mechanical!  We're excited about this great new feature.  People will be able to chat live with Larry Blackan, Dee Blackman, Rich Downs, and more.  Information for the "do-it-yourself" project owner straight from the pros who do it for a living.  Get tips on choosing paint and materials for your project vehicle. Tips on bodywork, tools, proper procedures and more.  Get recommendations on what accessories are best for your particular application, and just about anything else in the automotive industry.  Live "chat" is active now.  Simply scroll down to the bottom right of the screen and click on "Contact Us" to initiate a live chat conversation.

• Each month we will be featuring a specific job or project.  Each feature project will include start to finish progress reports along with "how-to" articles, detailed pictures and descriptions of the work being done, and instructional videos.  There will also be a "discussion" forum regarding each project so you can ask questions and get exactly the information you need from our professional technicians.

• We will continue to provide you with a list of the best suppliers for ALL your automotive and motorcycle parts and accessories.   We strive to make your automotive accessory shopping experience a good one.  We monitor feedback on all of our affiliates and ensure that only the best suppliers with the best prices are listed here.  We'll continue to do our homework so you don't have to.  Our list of automotive specialists continues to grow, so be sure to check out our pages for the best bargains in town!

Next month, we are working on a "classifieds" page to allow our readers the ability to list their cars, truck, motorcycles, and related parts for sale to other readers.  Listing your vehicles and parts is free!  Reach thousands of buyers with similar interests to help you sell your items fast.

We hope you like our new format and we'd love to hear your opinions, good or bad, along with any ideas you might have for what you'd like to see here.  We look forward to seeing all of you here again and meeting all our new subscribers too!

Happy Motoring!

-Larry and Dee Blackman

LDJ Auto Body & Mechanical

Gibsonton, FL

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