About Us

Built by retail operators, for retail partners.

The Auto SKUS Group was founded on a simple premise: the automotive aisle deserves the same category rigor that food and HBC get.

Our Story

We started where the decisions get made — in the buyer's office.

The Auto SKUS Group was born from a frustration every automotive category buyer knows: too many vendors show up with catalogs. Not enough show up with category programs.

We set out to build a different kind of automotive consumer goods company — one that thinks in planograms, not pallets. One that engineers margin backward from the shelf price, not forward from the factory gate. One that shows up to line reviews with data, not just decks.

Today, we develop, source, and distribute automotive consumer products across eight core categories, serving the largest retailers in North America. Every SKU we bring to market is built to the same standard: retail-ready, margin-positive, and designed to sell through.

How We Operate

Principles that show up in every buyer conversation.

// Buyer-First Thinking

Every conversation starts with your targets — category goals, margin floors, and planogram constraints — not our product list.

// Margin Discipline

If we can't hit the retailer's GMROI target at a shelf price the consumer will pay, we go back to engineering — not back to the buyer with a higher cost.

// Speed to Shelf

From concept to DC-ready in weeks, not quarters. Our sourcing and compliance teams run in parallel, not in series.

// No Surprises

EDI compliance, labeling requirements, testing certifications — all locked before the first PO, not scrambled after.

Leadership

Operators who've sat on both sides of the buyer table.

Two partners. Decades of combined experience in automotive retail, category management, and manufacturer-side go-to-market. We keep the team lean and the standards high.

Rick Stempien

Partner

Rick is a seasoned automotive sales executive with 20+ years of experience selling into retail and aftermarket channels. His career has been built entirely within the automotive parts and accessories industry, holding Vice President and SVP-level sales roles at marquee manufacturers including First Brands Group, Hopkins Manufacturing, Trico Products, and Holley Performance Products. Rick has deep expertise managing national retail accounts, developing channel strategies, and driving revenue growth across both OEM and aftermarket distribution networks. He is a recognized leader in translating manufacturer capabilities into retail shelf performance.

Chris Angell

Partner

Chris is a marketing and brand executive with extensive experience connecting manufacturers to retail buyers and consumers. His background includes hands-on retail channel work at Best Buy and Nokia/HERE, managing major accounts including Amazon, Costco, and Garmin. At ShopperTrak, a retail technology manufacturer, he led a global rebrand and top-of-funnel pipeline growth. He later spent 8+ years at Wiser Solutions, a retail intelligence platform serving consumer goods manufacturers, driving consistent pipeline and demand growth. Chris brings a rare blend of retail buyer knowledge, brand building, and manufacturer-side go-to-market expertise.

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Ready to bring category thinking to your automotive aisle?

Let's talk about what your next line review needs.

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