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Mobile Electronics Industry Hall of Fame Announces the Class of 2026 Inductees
The Mobile Electronics Association proudly introduces the 2026 class for the Mobile Electronics Industry Hall of Fame, honoring individuals whose contributions have profoundly shaped the industry.
Mike Anderson
Former Executive Director, Alpine Brand Business Unit – Alps Alpine North America, Inc.
Mr. Anderson has over 33 years of dedicated service, Mike Anderson is a highly respected veteran in the automotive electronics industry. He retired in February 2023 as Executive Director of the Alpine Brand Business Unit at Alps Alpine North America, concluding a remarkable career that began in 1990 as Northeast U.S. Sales Manager.
Throughout his tenure, Anderson progressed through numerous leadership roles, including sales, marketing, OEM business, and product planning. In 2017, he was selected to lead the aftermarket brand division, overseeing all aspects of sales, product strategy, and marketing across North America.
Under Mike’s guidance, Alpine achieved major industry recognition, including being named the 2023 Vendor of the Year by Mobile Electronics and earning the GM Supplier of the Year award in 2022—marking the company’s 11th consecutive honor.
Known for his collaborative leadership and deep commitment to retail partners, Mike successfully cultivated a robust aftermarket presence for Alpine products. Colleagues and industry peers credit him with strategic vision and unwavering advocacy for quality and service.
Mr. Anderson retired in early 2023. He plans to remain connected to the industry while focusing on family, personal interests, and new endeavors.
Micah Ansley
Founder, AAMP of America / American Garage
Mr. Ansley is a renowned entrepreneur and business leader best known for founding AAMP of America in 1987 during his time at Missouri State University. With a lifelong passion for cars and electronics—particularly classic automobiles—he transformed AAMP into a market-leading provider of automotive electronic accessories, including the globally recognized brands Stinger and Peripheral.
Under Ansley’s visionary leadership as CEO and president, AAMP of America achieved remarkable success. The company became #33 on the INC 500 list of America’s fastest-growing privately held businesses and doubled its growth approximately every five years, even through three separate exits—while Ansley retained significant equity. Stinger and Peripheral remain top-tier brands in the automotive electronics industry, celebrated for their blend of performance, quality, and affordability.
Born into a military family, Ansley spent his youth moving frequently, instilling in him a strong work ethic, adaptability, and a deep appreciation for engineering and innovation. These qualities have fueled both his corporate achievements and his current venture, American Garage, which applies the same customer-first principles—quality products, fair pricing, and exceptional support—to elevate the home-garage lifestyle.
Now based in Pisgah Forest, North Carolina, Ansley maintains a balanced life that blends business acumen with outdoor pursuits—his interests include working with horses, hiking, and caring for trout—as well as a commitment to family. With over three decades of industry leadership, Ansley remains a respected voice in automotive electronics and garage innovation.
Peggy Finley
Former President and Owner of K40
Ms. Finley is a celebrated leader and innovator in the mobile electronics industry, best known for her transformative tenure as President and Owner of K40 Electronics, a custom radar and laser detection systems firm based in Elgin, Illinois. She joined the company in 1981 as an executive assistant and quickly distinguished herself by rising through the ranks to become its top salesperson by 1985. In 1992, she was appointed President and, in 2009, she acquired ownership of the company. Under Finley’s leadership, K40 evolved into a nationally recognized brand, revered for its high-quality products, exceptional customer service, and strong dealer relationships. She emphasized a culture of employee empowerment, profit-sharing, and community engagement—guiding the company to contribute around $600,000 to the Boys & Girls Club of Dundee Township and earning accolades such as West Dundee’s declaration of “Peggy Finley Day” in 2014.
Finley also secured her place as an inventor in the radar detection space, co-authoring patents such as U.S. Patent No. 7,298,248 for a vehicular communication system designed to monitor and communicate speed detection alerts. Her leadership was recognized with the 2013 Lifetime Achievement Entrepreneurial Excellence Award from the Daily Herald and Business Ledger.
In February 2025, after more than four decades of commitment, Finley announced that K40 would cease operations in May, marking the end of its remarkable legacy. Throughout her career, she remained dedicated to innovation, customer-first values, and social responsibility—leaving behind a legacy of leadership, community impact, and technical achievement.
Ron Freeman
Former President and CEO of AAMP Global
Mr. Freeman is a seasoned executive renowned for his pivotal role in transforming AAMP of America (later AAMP Global) into a global powerhouse in automotive and mobile electronics. Freeman assumed the position of President and CEO in early 2015, and was appointed Chairman in January 2015, overseeing the company’s strategic direction through a period of aggressive expansion.
Under his leadership, AAMP Global executed a bold growth strategy, including the acquisition of seven companies and expanding its workforce to roughly 250 employees, servicing more than 5,000 customers worldwide ceoutlook.com. During this time, the company broadened its footprint into new markets and reinforced its position as an international innovator in automotive electronics and engineering.
Freeman also played an active role in industry leadership as Chairman of AAMP Global, and served on the Executive Board of the Consumer Technology Association (CTA)—including the Board of Industry Leaders through at least 2017.
In June 2016, he stepped into a new challenge as President and CEO of Instrument Sales & Service Inc. (ISS) in Portland, Oregon, bringing his strategic leadership to a 60-year-old GM remanufacturing and parts organization.
Darrell Edward Issa
Founded Directed Electronics
Mr. Issa is a prominent entrepreneur and public figure who founded Directed Electronics—the company behind the Viper car alarm brand—in 1982. He served as Director and CEO until January 2000, when he stepped down to pursue a career in politics.
Under Issa’s leadership, Directed Electronics rapidly grew from a small startup in Cleveland to a nationally recognized automotive security and convenience products company. Revenues escalated from $1 million in the mid-80s to over $200 million by the late 1990s. In 2005, Directed restructured into a holding company—DEI Holdings, Inc.—as it expanded into consumer audio brands like Definitive Technology and Polk Audio. DEI later launched Sound United, adding Denon, Marantz, and Bowers & Wilkins to its portfolio before being acquired by Harman in May 2025.
Issa’s departure from Directed marked the start of a significant political career. Elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2000 as a Republican from California, he served continuously until 2019, returned in 2021, and has represented districts in the San Diego area (most recently the 48th). During his years in business and government, he has maintained a strong focus on technology, entrepreneurship, and intellectual property.
Today, Issa is recognized for building a major consumer electronics enterprise centered on the Viper brand and for a lengthy tenure in public service spanning more than two decades.
Rick Kojan
Former National Sales Manager for Sony Car Audio
Mr. Kojan is a long-serving Sony executive whose more than three decades with the company include a pivotal role in rebuilding its aftermarket car audio business into a competitive Tier 1 brand. As Head of Sales for North America Mobile Electronics, he has been a steady advocate for the independent specialty dealer channel and a consistent presence at industry events.
Kojan’s path into mobile electronics began in Northeast Ohio. While attending Kent State University, he worked full-time at Ohio Sound Stereo, a multi-store specialty retailer in the Cleveland area. After graduation he faced early rejections from other brands due to limited outside sales experience, but a Sony representative named Zack Blocker took time to coach him on interview preparation. That act of kindness opened the door, and Kojan joined Sony, beginning as a regional sales assistant focused on store detailing and training.
In 2002 he moved to the car audio headquarters team in Park Ridge, New Jersey—his first extended time away from Northeast Ohio—where he gained broader product and operations experience that included travel to Japan. Around 2011 he assumed greater responsibility for the aftermarket car audio division at a challenging moment. The business faced distributor issues, product leakage, and persistent rumors that Sony might exit the category. Kojan has described the situation candidly as “a dumpster fire.”
Under his sales leadership the division recovered. Sony Car Audio earned Mobile Electronics magazine’s Vendor of the Year award for multiple consecutive years. The turnaround centered on strengthening relationships with independent specialty dealers served through authorized distributors across the United States, Alaska, Hawaii, and Canada, as well as Crutchfield. Product strategy shifted toward amplifiers, speakers, and subwoofers to better position the brand as factory integration increased. Kojan also oversaw the relaunch of the Mobile ES (“Elevated Standard”) line, returning the brand to its roots in high-performance sound quality for specialty retailers.
Throughout his career Kojan has emphasized loyalty to dealers, long-term brand rebuilding, and the value of mentorship—frequently citing the early guidance he received as a model for how the industry should operate. He remains a familiar face at distributor shows, KnowledgeFest, SEMA, CES, and other industry gatherings, representing the realities of running a focused 12-volt business inside a large global company.Rick Kojan’s career reflects persistence, relationship-driven sales leadership, and a sustained commitment to the specialty mobile electronics channel.
Patrick M. Lavelle
Former President and CEO of VOXX International
Mr. Lavelle is a renowned executive in the consumer and automotive electronics industry, celebrated for his transformative leadership of VOXX International Corp. Over a distinguished 48-year tenure, he rose from a regional audio salesperson in 1970 to President and CEO in May 2005. He also served on VOXX’s Board of Directors beginning in 1993.
As CEO, Lavelle oversaw VOXX’s growth into a diversified global enterprise—leading strategic acquisitions including Klipsch, Acoustic Research, Jensen, Code Alarm, RCA, Magnat, and Heco, and building robust international market channels. Under his guidance, the company became a dominant force in automotive entertainment and vehicle security systems.
During his leadership, Lavelle also held pivotal roles in the Consumer Technology Association (CTA), including Chairman of the In-Vehicle Electronics Board and sits on the CEA’s Executive Board as a past chair. He remains actively involved in broader industry dialogue and mentorship.
Under his stewardship, VOXX maintained stable executive leadership: in October 2023, the company extended his CEO contract through February 2025, underscoring the board’s confidence amidst market challenges. His compensation for FY 2023 totaled approximately $1.03 million, reflective of his leadership and operational responsibility.
Pat Lavelle’s legacy lies in his strategic vision, capacity-building through mergers and brand integration, and steadfast presence in industry governance. His influence has left a lasting impact on VOXX’s trajectory and the consumer electronics sector at large.
Keith Lehmann
Former Executive Vice President of Kenwood USA Corporation
Mr. Lehmann is a seasoned executive in the consumer electronics industry, most notably serving as Senior Vice President of Consumer Electronics Sales at Kenwood USA Corporation beginning in 2006. With over two decades of industry experience at that time, he led significant growth initiatives in Kenwood’s car electronics business, after having served as Vice President of the company’s Car Electronics Division.
Before joining Kenwood, Lehmann accumulated substantial experience at major audio brands, including roles at Harman Consumer Group and Alpine Electronics, where he developed deep expertise in market strategy, product integration, and field sales leadership.
Despite limited publicly available information about his subsequent career, Lehmann’s impact at Kenwood is underscored by his leadership during a period of product expansion and elevated retail partnerships across North America.
Jeffrey Maron
Founder Osprey Car Audio and Alarms
Mr. Maron is the founder and visionary behind Osprey (Osprey Car Audio & Alarms / Osprey Wireless / Osprey Automile), a family-owned leader in mobile electronics and vehicle outfitting since 1985.
Born in Hartford, CT, and raised in low-income housing, Maron turned an early passion for cars, CB radios, and aftermarket audio into a thriving business. He began by installing car phones from his garage, rapidly expanding into auto security, remote starts, and premium car audio installations.
Under his leadership, Osprey grew into a prominent Greater Boston retailer (now based in Canton, MA), known for expert craftsmanship, superior customer service, and strong dealer partnerships. The company later diversified into Boston Truck & Van Outfitters, providing commercial van and truck upfitting solutions.
With over 40 years of experience, Maron serves as Vice President of Business Development for The Osprey Companies, emphasizing integrity, quality, and innovation in the mobile electronics and automotive aftermarket industries.