Chris Baer says the definition of resilience is the ability to successfully bounce back and maintain focus and well-being in the face of adversity. In 2025, it’s also never been a better descriptor for the VIPAR Heavy Duty Family of Companies.
Speaking Monday during the opening general session at the company’s IMPACT Conference in Orlando, Fla., Baer, VIPAR Heavy Duty president and CEO, and Bill Nolan, chairman of the board and president of PBS Truck Parts, say they have never been more impressed by the strength of their operation than this year. The economic uncertainty that has permeated the carrier and manufacturer segments in 2025 hasn’t missed the aftermarket. Business has been choppy and inconsistent.
But VIPAR Heavy Duty and Power Heavy Duty distributors have met the market’s challenges head on, leveraging their entrepreneurial spirit, customer knowledge and agile strategies to not only sustain business but grow in the face of stiff market headwinds.
VIPAR Heavy Duty Chairman Bill Nolan of PBS Truck Parts gives his opening address during the 2025 IMPACT Conference opening general session Monday in Orlando, Fla.
“It seems like our environment just keeps getting crazier and crazier,” says Nolan, “and yet we continue to grow and strive.”
He adds, “In rising to the occasion, we keep finding more ways to win in the marketplace.”
And that growth is not just visible in the company’s growing sales totals and buying power. VIPAR Heavy Duty has added seven stockholders and 42 points of sale since its 2024 IMPACT Conference; Power Heavy Duty has added 10 members and 16 locations. Overall, the company has added more than 300 points of sale to its overall network size in the last decade. Baer says that growth speaks to the VIPAR Heavy Duty Family of Companies’ forward-thinking goals to be the premium independent parts distribution network across the Americas.
“My message this week is we are resilient, strong and growing,” he says.
Baer also used Monday’s opening general session to touch on some of VIPAR Heavy Duty’s newest innovations and resources that will help its distributors continue to grow.
The company’s new NetSuite cloud-based ERP system will go live in early January, and Baer says the new all-in-one platform will offer real-time visibility, industry-specific solutions and enable data-driven decisions for all users. Additionally, the company launched its rebate management system PARTSPHERE RMS 2.0 last spring, which offers enhanced transparency of historical data, advanced filtering and viewing options, new reports, future-ready customization and integration, strengthened data security and more.
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Monday’s session touched on VIPAR’s growing team. In addition to several key new hires, Baer also announced VIPAR Heavy Duty has appointed Jeff Paul executive vice president as of Jan. 1, 2026.
“Jeff sets a high bar for commitment, drive and integrity, and our organization is fortunate to have him to guide the ship in future years,” says Baer.
Bair also announced that Jim Pennig, who retired from his position as Vice President of Business Development this past summer, will return to the company to redesign its national accounts program. All the moves will help continue pushing the company forward, Baer says.
Supplier insights, industry giving also highlighted during general session
Monday’s opening general session concluded with two presentations from outside the VIPAR Heavy Duty Family of Companies by MEMA Aftermarket Suppliers’ Shannon O’Brien and John Kairys of the Automotive Aftermarket Charitable Foundation (AACF).
O’Brien offered a VIPAR-specific version of her popular Talk From the Top research program, in which she surveyed the group’s supplier base to better understand their challenges, relationships with stockholder and member companies and market expectations moving forward.
O’Brien says VIPAR Heavy Duty’s suppliers believe their relationships with the group and its distributors are wonderfully strong but admits nothing is perfect. She says vendors still want to communicate better with distributors and recognize they need to bolster their data assets so distributors can better utilize them on their side, particularly in e-commerce and digital solutions.
O’Brien also notes vendors believe the aftermarket’s independence, resiliency and speed to market is its greatest asset, noting that while mergers and acquisitions are inevitable, bringing operations together often can create short-term headaches that are hard for both sides to manage.
Kairys used his time to showcase the AACF and the support it can offer VIPAR Heavy Duty and Power Heavy Duty distributors since partnering earlier this year.
Kairys says AACF exists to help support employees during times of extreme need. He says the foundation can be a lifesaver for employees at the worst times of their lives, and urged the audience to support the foundation so it can do the same for their employees.
