Renkus-Heinz strengthened its production and engineering departments. Lectrosonics has a new chairman. ASG launches its AI practice. There was a lot that has gone down in Pro AV. Here are some of the people moves and partnerships you may have missed.
[The Road to InfoComm 2024: Everything You Need to Know Before You Go]
People News
Advanced Systems Group Launches “AI and Advanced Analytics” Practice
Advanced Systems Group has launched its “AI and Advanced Analytics” practice, allowing for delivery of complete AI solutions. The AI team will focus on how the latest developments in AI can optimize and grow client operations.
Leading the sales team for the AI and Advanced Analytics team is Tyler Berry who serves as director of sales, AI and Advanced Analytics. Among the AI practitioners on Berry’s team are technologist Tom Leinberger, who serves as AI technology lead. Leinberger has over 20 years experience designing and configuring AI solutions for a range of applications and industries. He’s led numerous projects, including using AI to automate wafer (integrated circuit) defect detection in manufacturing. An accomplished author, Leinberger has written countless expert articles including for technology provider CDW, BizTech magazine, and FinTech magazine. He’s also been a featured speaker at Quant Strat and several other AI industry-specific events.
In-house ASG experts will partner alongside strategic advisors from Augmented AI, a strategic AI advisory and solutions provider with a long history of experience in AI and machine learning. Augmented AI is an essential part of ASG’s AI and Advanced Analytics practice for industries including healthcare, life sciences, manufacturing, security, hospitality, energy, retail, and financial sectors, as well as the media and entertainment industry.
Augmented AI brings a wealth of experience leading AI-powered digital transformations for global enterprises. They’ve partnered with major technology providers such as NVIDIA, enabling high-powered compute and AI infrastructure necessary to build AI products and solutions. Lingam served as Chief Data Officer and Chief Data and AI Officer for Fortune 500 companies. He’s also a published author, featured speaker at AI conferences, and board member for AI and Business Analytics at McCombs School of Business at the University of Texas, Austin.
Renkus-Heinz Strengthens Production and Engineering Departments with Two New Hires
Renkus-Heinz continues to build both production and engineering departments with the addition of two new team members: Joe Kaveney assumes the role of industrial engineering manager and Andrew Gizara joins as electrical engineer.
Kaveney will be working closely with VP operations Jim Mobley to optimize the production process while Gizara will be working with engineering manager Chad DeFranco in product design and development.
Kaveney brings a wealth of engineering expertise to his new role. His diverse career spans from earning a U.S. patent in the solar industry to implementing approved processes in the aerospace sector.
Gizara is an inventor with an impressive portfolio of over twenty U.S. and foreign patents whose distinguished career spans decades in the fields of scientific instrumentation, AI, computers, networking/telephony, chips, and aerospace. The move to Renkus-Heinz marks Gizara’s return to his first passion—audio electronics, where his fascination began in his early teens through experimenting with and building loudspeakers, amplifiers, mixers and music synthesizers.
Lectrosonics Appoints Gordon Moore as Chairman of the Board
Lectrosonics has appointed Gordon Moore as chairman of the Board of Directors. He retired as president of Lectrosonics in September 2024, after a 35-year career with the company.
He has been active in the audio and AV industries since joining Lectrosonics in 1988. In 1991, he became an instructor for the ICIA (International Communications Industries Association) Academy, teaching audio systems design, theory, and troubleshooting. In 2000, he was voted Educator of the Year by the INFOCOMM Professional Education and Training Committee (PETC) and in 2015, he was named chairman of that committee. That same year, Moore was appointed as president at Lectrosonics, after serving as VP of sales and service. He is presently very active in local professional and civic groups, including the Rio Rancho Chamber of Commerce, who recently named him Member of the Month, and their mentoring arm, Leadership Sandoval, as well as his church, Rio Rancho United Methodist, where he serves as chairman of Technical Ministries.
Production Manager Dee Potter Marks 50th Year with Celestion During Its Centennial Year
As Celestion celebrates the company’s 100th anniversary in 2024, it shines a spotlight on its longest-serving employee, production manager Dee Potter. With an illustrious 50-year career, Potter’s journey embodies the essence of perseverance and dedication in a continually evolving industry.
Potter’s start with Celestion dates back to 1974 when, at the age of 16, she joined her mother on the company’s production line. In those days, Celestion was housed in an old building and conditions were less than ideal. “The roof leaked, and then the drains would leak,” says Potter. “If we had torrential rain, we would get wet from the top and from the bottom. The floors were soaked. It wasn't a very glamorous place to work. At the time, we thought it was hilarious.”
Yet she persevered, and what started as a job quickly transformed into a passion, particularly as Celestion transitioned from home hi-fi systems to guitar cabinet transducers and pro audio PA systems—what she affectionately calls “big power.”
Potter’s journey within Celestion mirrors the company’s evolution over the decades. Rising through the ranks, she assumed roles of increasing responsibility, ultimately becoming a pivotal figure in Celestion’s success story.
On the eve of her retirement from Celestion, looking back, Potter says she wouldn’t change a thing. “I’ve only ever looked back with fondness,” she says. “I’ve had no bad experiences. I’ve probably made some bad decisions at some stage, but we all have. I honestly don’t think I would change anything because I think that's made me, me.”
Visual Sound Hires New Director of Technical Operations
Visual Sound welcomed Daniel McKenzie CTS, DMC-D4K, as director of technical operations. McKenzie will be based out of the company’s headquarter location in Broomall, PA and will serve as the technical operations lead for Visual Sound’s three business units and industry-specific solutions teams. McKenzie is an engineer leader with over 25 years of Pro AV industry experience and has a proven track record of managing projects from conception to completion, and beyond.
Before joining Visual Sound, he was the director of engineering for IMS Technology and brings key industry experience and a wealth of knowledge designing, implementing, and managing audiovisual solutions. Prior to his tenure at IMS, McKenzie began as a senior installation technician and was promoted to field engineer for Judge Audio Visual.
Danny Clarke Joins the International Team at IAG
Danny Clarke has joined the Pro team as regional sales manager at International Audio Group. With over 25 years of Pro Audio business experience, Clarke is a familiar and respected face in the industry and brings a wealth of experience to IAG and the group's portfolio of professional brands. He will be working closely with Nick Williams, global sales director, to support current Wharfedale Pro business partners and to develop new market opportunities.
Company News
Check out LG’s New Business Innovation Center
LG Business Solutions USA has opened its latest Business Innovation Center (BIC), a 3,600-square-foot showroom at LG Electronics’ North American headquarters in Englewood Cliffs, NJ.
The new center provides resellers, partners, and customers with a one-stop technology showcase that demonstrates LG’s full portfolio of innovative commercial technologies and wide-ranging business solutions. This newest location joins LG Business Innovation Centers in Atlanta, Chicago, and Los Angeles.
According to David Bacher, head of marketing at LG Business Solutions USA, the latest LG BIC assists business-to-business (B2B) partners and customers as they research and plan for the future of their workspaces, customer environments and commercial establishments.
Designed as a walk-through experience, BIC visitors are welcomed by LG’s full line of CLOi autonomous mobile robots including CarryBot, GuideBot and ServeBot, alongside an impressive wall-sized LG DVLED (direct-view light-emitting diode) display.
The new BIC is a centerpiece of the LG North American Headquarters Innovation Campus, which is a showcase for environmentally friendly design, having achieved Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Platinum certification, the highest-level rating that distinguishes buildings that promote employee well-being, are energy and water efficient, and preserve open space and ecosystems. The campus is one of only 10 new construction buildings in New Jersey to earn the LEED Platinum distinction.
PPDS Certifies Appspace 'Work Management' Platform' for Philips Android SoC Digital Signage Displays
Appspace has been certified as an official PPDS Wave ProStore premium application, making it even easier to deploy the workplace management and experience platform with Philips Android SoC displays, including the Philips Signage 3000 Series (Q-Line), Philips Signage 4000 Series (D-Line), and the Philips Interactive (T-Line).
[The Digital Signage Best Practices Guide]
Features at a glance:
- Digital signage: Get information across on workplace displays, allowing visitors and staff to interact.
- Space reservation: Help everyone find and reserve rooms, desks, and more at your office locations.
- Intranet: Unite everything employees need for work in a single hub, personalized to every worker.
- Employee app: Reach frontline and on site teams with a mobile experience that goes everywhere.
MSolutions Ignites North American Presence Through Symco
MSolutions has established a channel partnership in North America with Symco acting as its regional manufacturer’s representative. The partnership will offer a substantial boost to MSolutions’ brand visibility and product availability in the Eastern United States from West Virginia north through New England, while accelerating delivery times and adding key support services through the region.
MSolutions has gradually developed a global presence over the past eight years, strengthened through distribution channels and technical support teams in Europe, U.K., Australia, Japan and parts of the Middle East and Asia-Pacific. MSolutions has taken a more grassroots approach in North America, mainly leveraging in-house resources and general business relationships to bring its product line and its benefits to installers and field technicians.
Symco’s full-service operation adds sales, marketing, and business development resources through the entire region that will quickly build on MSolutions’ accomplishments to date. Additionally, Symco’s in-house engineering resources bring systems design experience and technical support skills to the integrators and end users that install, use and maintain AV and IT systems. And while MSolutions offers a broad range of technology across diverse AV environments, Symco has a secret weapon in the MSolutions line that is a clear differentiator from other companies: A well-established handheld, modular test device that place the power of on-site verification, troubleshooting, and problem-resolution directly in the palms of the installer.
Blaze Audio Selects the Henderson Company for Representation
Blaze Audio has appointed the Henderson Company as the company’s new sales representation firm throughout the U.S. Northeast region, including Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, and upstate New York. With the addition of the Henderson Company, Blaze Audio solidifies its presence throughout this all-important territory. The company joined Blaze Audio in November 2023.
Among the Henderson Company’s key attributes is its strength to identify the most viable sales network for a vendor’s products, maintain a consistent, smooth flow of sales, and facilitate a constant, accessible stream of communication between all parties. With its company headquarters located in Harvard, MA, the Henderson Company is well positioned for the various product training / demonstration sessions and related functions essential to successful professional audio sales.
Sales director John Beaudette and operations director Jon Dusoe are the two principles of the Henderson Company. Beaudette joined the company in 2014 as the administrative manager and quickly moved into outside sales—bringing in new clients while offering exceptional customer service. Dusoe, joining in 2015, totes his experience as sales and training manager of three Guitar Center locations, in addition to playing as part of the Boston and touring casts of the internationally renowned theater company Blue Man Group. Together, they bring a rich combination of knowledge and experience to the Henderson Company.
Symetrix and WyreStorm Launch Xyte-Powered E-Commerce Stores
Xyte announced that two of its audiovisual customers, Symetrix and WyreStorm, are launching e-commerce stores built on Xyte Device Cloud (XDC). Through their respective e-commerce stores, Symetrix and WyreStorm make it easier and more cost-effective for channel partners and end users to unlock new features for existing devices.
Through WyreStorm’s new e-commerce store, its customers can access SSH tunneling, the latest capability launched by Xyte. SSH tunneling allows OEMs and channel partners to manage connected devices in secure fashion via end users’ on-premises device web interfaces. By establishing this XDC-powered e-commerce store to offer secure remote connections, WyreStorm is now able to support its value chain partners’ preferred methods of work.
Adamson Nears Completion of$4M Electronics Expansion
Adamson is nearing completion of its new electronics production facility. The all-new Fuji high speed PCB assembly line can place 188,000 components per hour, with extreme repeatable accuracy, backed by three levels of Automated Optical Inspection. The 16,500-square-foot footprint has in-floor heating, leading-edge lighting and air handling.
This investment is crucial in both expanding production capacity to meet the demand for the new VGt flagship powered loudspeakers and the aggressive pursuit of the highest-tech audio manufacturing.
Fuji production equipment is the essence of Industry 4.0, with complete connectivity from design and prototype, through New Product Introduction (NPI) and following with complete integration into ERP. production flexibility, predictive maintenance and automatic changeovers are the essence of the smart factory.
