Two years ago, Jim Browning took a leap of faith on his company’s ability to adapt its technology to a completely new market.
Today, Browning’s Corsa Performance (SBN, February 1999) has garnered nearly a 50 percent market share against 14 competitors in the niche after-market industry of exhaust systems for high-performance vehicles, specifically the Corvette.
“Our technology on automotive mufflers has set a new standard,” says Browning, who in 1998 brought in a retired NASA acoustic engineer to help with design work. “What this has done is allow the combination of unrestricted air flow with a sound eliminating the resonance.”
The final product, called reflective sound-cancellation muffler technology, essentially eliminates engine noise from the Corvette’s interior and improves airflow by nearly 45 percent. It also creates more power for the Corvette’s engine — a full seven horsepower more than the factory exhaust system allows.
Browning says now that Corsa’s been able to prove its technology works on the Corvette, company engineers have begun work on new applications for other high-performance vehicles, this while the company retains a 90-plus percent share in its primary product market, marine exhaust systems. The success of both product lines has spurred annual growth exceeding 30 percent over the past two years.
That’s caused Corsa to expand, moving from a 21,000-square-foot building into a 40,000-square-foot building in Berea designed for future expansion to 100,000 square feet. Browning’s added staff as well, growing from 58 employees at the end of 1998 to close to 80 today, with plans to add more engineers and welders before year’s end.
So how has a company that sells directly to the consumer and advertises primarily in trade publications been able to generate such growth?
“The market exploded just as we entered it,” explains Browning. “Our Corvette muffler was well received because it was unlike anything out there.”
And, Browning points out, strict noise laws for boats created increased demand for Corsa’s noise-reducing marine systems to the point where the company strains its capacity in an effort to fill orders.
Corsa’s muffler appeared on the 1998 Indianapolis 500 pace car and again on this year’s Indy pace car, an Oldsmobile Aurora — validation by industry officials that Browning’s technology is superior.
But there’s one more piece of validation that’s even more important to Browning than the company’s growth. In June, he traveled to Le Mans, France, with his own Corvette C5, where he joined a group of American Corvette owners as part of the opening parade for the 24-Hours of Le Mans endurance race. Every Corvette in the pre-race parade, attended by more than 80,000 people, was equipped with Corsa’s exhaust system.
“It’s such a thrill that my product is officially part of these races,” he says. “Sometimes, I still have to pinch myself to realize this isn’t a dream.”
How to reach: Corsa Performance, (440) 891-0999
Dustin S. Klein ([email protected]) is editor of SBN.
