Strategy in TECH...
I have recently learned about the death of a dear friend and personal mentor, Merrill Smith. Formerly a prominent executive in our industry, Merrill passed away late last year in Orange, California. He was a unique and savvy leader who touched many lives by helping them navigate the vicissitudes of business and life’s daily challenges. He will be missed by all those who knew him best.
Savant Systems, Inc. today announced that it has named Bryce Judd as its Chief Revenue Officer (CRO) for the professionally installed smart home solutions and Savant Power business units. You may recognize that name as Bryce was head of sales for Control4 from 2016-2020.
Several sources have reported that Parasound Vice President of Sales Larry Bennett has left the company. Bennett was one of the first people brought in when new owner David Sheriff purchased the company from retiring founder Richard Schram and has been at his side during a challenging transition period. I reached out to both Larry Bennett and CEO David Sheriff, finally connecting with Sheriff late Wednesday afternoon, to learn more about this unexpected news.
In a new filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Masimo Corporation (Nasdaq: MASI) reveals that Bilal Muhsin, its Chief Operating Officer (COO) has sent a conditional letter of resignation to the Board of Directors. The move is yet another escalation in the proxy war for control of the company between Masimo management and activist investment group Politan Capital Management – one of the company’s largest shareholders that already holds two seats on its Board.
Jeff Murray, CEO of AVPro Global Holdings (parent of AudioControl), was named “Person of the Year” at InfoComm 2024 by Commercial Integrator (CI) magazine. Part of its CI Best awards program, Murray was selected as its first-ever Person of the Year, a new category for the award program.
Tributes on social media began flowing over the weekend as news emerged late last week that Rondi D’Agostino, co-founder of premium audio brand Krell, had died. While details on the passing remain sparse, the high-end community is mourning the loss of the leader of an iconic audio brand.
Azione Unlimited, part of the Nationwide Marketing Group family of dealer buying groups, announced this week that Brad Camp has been elected to the organization’s Board of Advisors. Unique to the world of buying groups, Azione not only places executives from the dealers who are members of the organization on their Board, but also seats executives from vendors and supporting service organizations.
Azione Unlimited, part of the Nationwide Marketing Group family of dealer buying groups, announced on Wednesday that it was naming well-known Azione executive Patrick McCarthy as Interim Director. McCarthy steps in as the operational head of the organization – the position recently vacated by the retiring Richard Glikes, the founder of Azione Unlimited.
At the recent 2024 Oasys Summit, I had the opportunity to meet with top Nationwide Marketing Group executives who were all directly involved in the birth of the Oasys Residential Technology Group, as well as the greater strategy of the Nationwide Drive to 1,000 initiative. I spoke with Dean Sottile, Andy Orozco, and Hank Alexander, each of whom offered interesting insights and perspectives on the progress of this grand adventure they have collectively embarked upon.
Draper at Home, a division of Draper, Inc., announced this week that it has appointed a National Director of CI (custom integration), a new role at the company. The company said it created the new position in response to the continuing growth in Draper’s custom integration business.
