Klipsch is doing something good with a portion of their anticipated increased holiday website revenues during the upcoming Black Friday to Giving Tuesday time period. The company will donate a portion of their proceeds to The Autumn Leaves Project – a nonprofit organization that is dedicated to aiding those who are battling one of the deadliest illnesses known, pancreatic cancer.
Strategy
Bowers & Wilkins Restructures in Support of R&D

Bowers & Wilkins (B&W) announced today it has restructured its company in order to further its research and development initiatives. In a brief announcement, only four paragraphs long, new CEO Gregory Lee (former CEO of Samsung North America) said a new, larger research facility will open in 2019.
See more on this announcement from Bowers & Wilkins… [Read more…] about Bowers & Wilkins Restructures in Support of R&D
Foxconn’s Double Dose of Bad News
A Negative Financial Report & a New Wisconsin Governor Add to Headaches
No doubt about it, Apple Inc. supplier Foxconn has had a really bad week. First, last Tuesday Wisconsin voters kicked Republican Governor Scott Walker out of office, replacing him with Democrat Tony Evers. Then early this week, the company released financial results with disappointing earnings that missed analysts estimates. Both of these unrelated events have combined to cause market analysts to question the company’s strategy going forward.
See more on what these events mean bad news for Foxconn… [Read more…] about Foxconn’s Double Dose of Bad News
Expanding Local Presence, SnapAV Acquires Volutone
BREAKING NEWS
SnapAV, a leading provider of custom integration brands and products, announced today that it has acquired Volutone, a respected California-based distributor with seven locations throughout California and Nevada. The move expands SnapAV’s local touch points in a key market, a strategy that first emerged with their earlier acquisition of another large regional distributor in March of this year, Chicago’s Allnet Distributing.
See more on this dramatic advancement of SnapAV’s local strategy… [Read more…] about Expanding Local Presence, SnapAV Acquires Volutone
Tivoli Partners Learn of a Buyout – 1 Year Later
When we last left Tivoli, the company created many years ago by Tom DeVesto who is now the CEO of Como Audio, it was 2015 and they had just been sold by one private equity company, with the help of another private equity company, to a third private equity company. Now word comes that the third private equity company, Serruya Private Equity of Toronto, which Strata-gee wrote about in June 2015, has sold Tivoli in a buyout to the company’s management in conjunction with a financial backer.
See more on the continuing Tivoli saga… [Read more…] about Tivoli Partners Learn of a Buyout – 1 Year Later
It’s Official – Monster Money is Dead
Back in June, Strata-gee reported that Monster Products, Inc. (the former Monster Cable) had filed an S-1 registration document with the Securities and Exchange Commission, laying out its plans to launch a new cryptocurrency known as Monster Money. In addition to this, the company would offer shares in the company as well. The filing got a lot of attention at the time, in part because if successful, it would be the largest cryptocurrency launch ever to that point.
Now, I’ve learned that this initiative has been officially rescinded by the company.
See what we know about the retreat of Monster Money… [Read more…] about It’s Official – Monster Money is Dead
Emerald Expositions CEO Resigns, Q3 Results Released
For Owner of CEDIA Expo, There’s Trouble in Emerald City
Emerald Expositions’ stock nose-dived 19% in early afternoon trading last Thursday as the company released its third quarter fiscal results and announced that David Loechner has resigned as the company’s President and CEO. Current CFO Philip Evans takes over as Interim President and CEO.
What’s going on at Emerald Expositions?… [Read more…] about Emerald Expositions CEO Resigns, Q3 Results Released
Gibson to Emerge from Bankruptcy & Stop Singing the Blues
With Old Debt Gone, A New Leader & Team Arrives
Gibson Brands is on the verge of emerging from bankruptcy a much healthier business in many respects – with less debt, more money in the bank, and a new leader to help the company shed its consumer electronics debacle and reconnect with the musical instrument market. The fifth time, it appears, was a charm as the court has approved the fifth revision of a company submitted turnaround plan that, cuts debt, jettisons former CEO Henry Juszkiewicz, and puts bondholders KKR in the driver’s seat.
See more on Gibson’s dramatic turnaround… [Read more…] about Gibson to Emerge from Bankruptcy & Stop Singing the Blues
Legrand and Lumileds Partner to Drive Adoption of Tunable White LED Lighting
Legrand and Lumileds announced today that they have signed a partnership agreement that is designed to combine forces and help drive industry adoption of tunable white LED lighting. The two will create and sell what they say is a “simple to integrate” and “easy-to-install plug and play solution” that delivers high quality tunable white LED light. This partnership is another example of the growing interest in this more human-friendly lighting solution.
See more on this tunable white lighting technology partnership… [Read more…] about Legrand and Lumileds Partner to Drive Adoption of Tunable White LED Lighting
Does the WAVE/AVAD Deal Signal a New Era in Distribution?
As we reported last week, the world learned that the private equity group that owns AVAD has made another deal, acquiring Houston, TX-based WAVE Electronics, another major custom integration distribution company. After an initial ripple of excitement over the deal, most of us went back to our daily lives – looking at this deal as nothing more than just another private equity acquisition. But there may be more here than meets the eye…





