Strategy in TECH...
A guest post by Paul Tamberelli
Long time industry executive Jason Baumann, most recently Regional Sales Manager for Yamaha, passed away unexpectedly on February 21, 2021 at his home in Frisco, Texas (a suburb of Dallas). Jason was just 59 at the time of his passing.
OK…it’s time to for me to come clean, so-to-speak. I wouldn’t be surprised if you were a little annoyed with me when you learn what I am about to reveal. The fact is, I’ve been hiding something from you for a pretty long time. But no more…
This week, high-end specialty brand Bryston announced that long time company Vice President James Tanner had partnered with Colquhoun Audio Laboratories, Ltd. to acquire the company. The news was a bit of a surprise and appears to be connected to Bryston CEO Chris Russell’s decision to retire from the company.
Ft. Lauderdale, FL-based manufacturers representative firm LK & Associates has acquired another Florida rep firm, L.P. Hench in a deal announced Tuesday. This acquisition represents a line and talent expansion for LK & Associates as it continues to enjoy strong growth.
AudioControl announced this week that it has named Ashley Kay as its new Director of Customer and Technical Services. This is a newly created role at the company and represents a meaningful upgrade in customer and technical support capabilities at the specialty mobile and residential electronics manufacturer.
I’m sorry to report that we have some sad news out of Crestron today. On Tuesday, the company announced its long time Chief Technology Officer, Fred Bargetzi, has died. Viewed by many to be a key component of the success of one of our industry’s most respected technology companies, colleagues are said to be “in shock.”
It’s here…we finally made it! Without a doubt, 2020 was one of the toughest years Americans – humanity even – has had to face. While many of those challenges continue (COVID-19, economic recession, challenging politics, racial strife) we are now able to embrace 2021…and with this new year comes the hope for a brighter path forward. We may finally be beginning to move in the right direction, and that makes for a Happy New Year!
On Tuesday, specialty voice control supplier Josh.ai held an event they called their “keynote” which turned out to be a very professionally produced video presentation of a significant product launch for the company. In this presentation, the company Founder and CEO Alex Capecelatro shared his thoughts on smart home technologies, including the thought that smaller is better when it comes to smart home devices.
And with that, Capecelatro introduced their new Nano and Core products.
The Custom Electronic Design and Installation Association (CEDIA) announced at the end of last week that Global President and CEO Tabatha O’Connor will “depart” the organization at the end of her contract period in January. The news caught many by surprise and the organization’s announcement gives no clue as to any of the reasons behind this leadership change.
One of the questions I’m frequently asked is, “When will the economy bounce back to pre-COVID levels so we can all get back to normal?” The answer: We won’t “bounce back” to a pre-pandemic economy, and “normal” won’t be the same. The details on this answer is a topic for another post, but suffice it to say that one of the reasons is due to emerging, unforeseen variables, such as deteriorating employee mental wellbeing issues.
And THAT IS the topic of this post. Two new surveys provide troubling but important data that will impact how – or if – you re-centralize your team…if that’s your plan.
