Drew Fondren, (March 27, 2026)

The curtain has closed on Automotive Parts Associates’ 2026 Annual General Meeting, which was held March 20 - 23 at the Renaissance Nashville Hotel in Nashville. The successful event brought together APA shareholders, TruStar members, and supplier partners for several days of collaboration, strategic discussion, and relationship building.

The meeting opened with a lively welcome reception that gave attendees the opportunity to reconnect with industry colleagues and set the tone for a productive weekend. Date Night followed, providing suppliers with the opportunity to host shareholders and members for dinner and continue conversations in a more relaxed setting, helping strengthen relationships across the APA community.

Throughout the weekend, attendees also participated in scheduled one-on-one sessions featuring fast-paced, 20-minute meetings between shareholders, members, and supplier partners. This structured format encouraged productive discussions and allowed participants to connect with multiple partners while making the most of their time together.

In addition to these networking opportunities, attendees heard valuable updates on the state of the automotive aftermarket from Bill Hanvey of the Auto Care Association and Simeon Gutman of Morgan Stanley. Jason Popillion of Cyphernova also delivered a presentation exploring the expanding role of artificial intelligence and its growing influence across the automotive aftermarket.The meeting concluded with the annual awards dinner, recognizing outstanding performance and long-standing commitment across the organization.

The award winners are as follows:

Shareholder Awards:
• Ambassador Award – Brown & Sons
• Milestone Award – 50 Years – JR Auto Parts 
• Milestone Awards – 40 Years – H&H Wholesale Parts, Metric Auto Parts 
• Milestone Award – 30 Years – POJA Warehouse 
• New Member Recognition – Lang's Auto Parts, Atlantic British, Prime Auto Parts, DEPSI Auto 

Supplier Awards:
• APA Supplier of the Year Award – FCS
• Distinguished OE Partner Award – Denso
• Outstanding Marketing Partner Award – DRiV
• Cornerstone Award – Mevotech
• Technology Award – Autologue
• Content & Catalog Excellence Award - DRiV
• APA Supplier Champion Award – Gina Williams of Bosch

“Bringing nearly 300 attendees together in Nashville created a tremendous environment for collaboration, meaningful conversations, and celebrating the strength of APA and TruStar,” said Steve Tucker, President of APA. “Meetings like this don’t happen without a great deal of planning behind the scenes, and I want to thank our APA staff, especially Jan Larson, our Director of Marketing, for delivering such a successful and engaging event for our shareholders, members, and supplier partners.”

APA extends its sincere thanks to all attendees, presenters, and sponsors who contributed to making the 2026 AGM a resounding success. The organization looks forward to building on the momentum from this event as it continues to support its network throughout the year. APA/TruStar’s 2027 Annual General Meeting is scheduled for March 12–16, in Charlotte, NC.