Strategy in TECH...
On Friday, Masimo Corporation (Nasdaq: MASI) notified the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) that current director Robert Chapek has tendered his resignation from the Masimo Board of Directors. According to the SEC filing, his resignation is effective as of the date of the 2025 annual meeting, an event that has yet to be scheduled.
The Consumer Confidence Index (CCI), one of two major indexes tracking consumer sentiment on the U.S. economy, dropped in January, following what appeared to be a turning point to the negative side in late December. The CCI, a monthly survey of consumers conducted by The Conference Board and widely followed by economists as a reliable gauge that probes consumers’ thoughts on the economy – both in a rating of their present conditions…and in their rating of the near-term future prospects.
What does this unexpected decline mean for the economy?
Daisy, the new national brand that is both acquiring and franchising custom integration businesses, announced today that it celebrated the Grand Opening of its newest franchise location in Ocala, Florida on January 25th. This new location, owned and operated by Bert Herrero, joins the ever-expanding Daisy universe.
But wait! That name…Bert Herrero…sounds familiar. Isn’t he already a part of the Daisy organization?
Note to Reader: This post is the second part of a two-part series. In Part One, each of the directors of the three operating buying groups in Nationwide’s CI Division shared the details of their individual and group progress in 2024. You will want to read – or reread – that post first, as it helps Part Two make more sense.
Nationwide Marketing Group’s Custom Integration (CI) division made serious progress in 2024 as part of the organization’s ambitious Drive to 1,000 plan – seeking to build a collective CI membership of 1,000 dealers strong. In my previous post, the executives instrumental in achieving that progress – Andy Orozco (Nationwide’s Senior Vice President of Custom Integration), Patrick McCarthy (Executive Director, Azione Unlimited), Hank Alexander (Executive Director, Oasys Residential Technology Group), and Chris Whitley (Executive Director, Ellipsys Commercial Technology Group) – shared the highs and lows of building a business the likes of which we’ve never before seen. Now they share their plans for 2025…
Strata-gee has learned that the U.S. District Court in the District of Utah has granted a Joint Motion to Dismiss all claims between Snap One, LLC (now part of Resideo) and AVA, Inc. The motion is the result of a negotiated settlement between the parties. This solves one-half of a lawsuit originally filed in August 2023 between Snap One, LLC (plaintiff) versus AVA, Inc. (defendant), and Josh.ai, Inc. (defendant).
Josh.ai is not part of this settlement so that case carries on.
In the wake of its acquisition by Bose last November, I have learned that there has been a significant shift in McIntosh’s go-to-market strategy. Multiple sources are reporting that McIntosh Group has terminated all independent manufacturer sales representatives. This move appears to contradict statements made by a Bose executive during the original announcement of its acquisition of McIntosh in November.
AVPro Global Holdings LLC, a company holding a diversified portfolio of top custom integration brands, such as AudioControl Pro, Murideo, Bullet Train, and more announced on Monday that it has selected Loel Wheeler to be its Vice President of Sales for Murideo – the company’s testing and measurement tools division.
In a move I have been anticipating for weeks, the Sonos Board has finally made a move and dismissed Patrick Spence as CEO as of this morning, Monday, January 13, 2025. The company has named a member of the Board – Tom Conrad – as an interim CEO, while a search has been launched for its next CEO.
Premium Audio Company (PAC), a division of Gentex Corp. that oversees the Onkyo, Integra, and Klipsch audio gear, has launched an interesting new series of electronics including an amplifier, preamplifier, and integrated amplifier at CES 2025 taking place in Las Vegas, Nevada this week. This new series is called the Onkyo Icon Series, a line of high-fidelity electronics that the company says is “a bold step forward in the brand’s evolution.”
Much like the last few years, exhibitors at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas have largely focused on advances in artificial intelligence (AI). All major manufacturers spoke to it…none more deeply than LG, whose 45-minute press conference began with AI…ended with AI…and had a lot of AI in the middle.
