Big news this morning out of Sioux Falls, South Dakota as AVPro Global Holdings, LLC, one of the fastest growing companies in the custom integration industry, announces it has named current Chief Technology Officer (CTO) Matt Murray as its new Chief Executive Officer (CEO). Company founder and current CEO Jeff Murray will become the Chairman of the Board in a move that the company says was a long-planned generational leadership transition.
Learn more about the leadership transition at AVPro Global…
AVPro Global, parent company to AudioControl Pro, RTI, AVPro Edge, Bullet Train, Murideo, and ThenAudio, has been in the news frequently over the last year or so, both for new acquisitions (such as RTI), and global distribution expansion. Named to Inc. Magazine’s list of 5,000 fastest-growing companies, AVPro’s aggressive expansion plans have kept management exceedingly busy as it scales its infrastructure to maximize these opportunities.
So, with all this activity, I wondered, is this a good time to implement a management transition? Current CEO and founder Jeff Murray says it is the perfect time for a previously planned generational management transition. In an online interview, Jeff told me the following…
CEO Transition Has ‘Always Been the Plan’
It’s always been the plan to be a multi-generational company. We’ve been kicking it around for more than a year, but we got more serious about planning this transition in the last year. You see what’s happening in technology every day. It just seems to get more and more complex and it constantly changes. And Matt is on top of all of that. So over the holidays, we got to sit around and talk about the idea of a transition in detail, and just determined what direction we wanted to go [with the company]. And at this point, I look at it as this is the best possible move we can make right now as a company, to move it forward the way we want to move AVPro forward.
Jeff Murray, AVPro Global Holdings’ Founder, Chairman of the Board, and now Former CEO
Jeff went on to tell me that as CTO, Matt, who is his son, has not only led the planning for the many products and technologies of the company’s brands, but he has also carried the mantle of the technology used in the systems that run the company. Those initiatives are significant, large-scale projects, including a recent change in the company’s financial and operating software…and the move to include artificial intelligence (AI) companywide…throughout their internal and external systems. (See my recent story on the company’s Tech Sage tech support system powered by AI.)
As Business Rapidly Scaled, Matt’s Skill Set Rose to the Occasion
Jeff has watched Matt thrive in the rapidly scaling business at a time when things can get a bit hectic from time to time. He has also seen Matt develop a broadening set of skills that one would need to be effective as CEO.
“I’ve watched him operate in Asia…operate in Europe…and operate in the U.S….adapting to the unique aspects of each environment,” Jeff told me, with obvious pride in his voice. “I’ve also watched him work with engineers…sales guys…application engineers…and mechanical engineers. He works effectively with them all. Look at our employee turnover – at AVPro, we really, honestly don’t have any employee turnover to speak of. And I think a lot of that is because our hearts are in it. And I know Matt’s heart is in it as well.”
Founder Jeff Murray to Retain Critical Strategic Role as Chairman of the Board
Matt Murray also participated in the interview, and he sought to clarify that his dad will still play a critical role as Chairman of the company, telling me, “He’s still an owner, so of course he’ll have a lot of influence. And, we own both this company and we’re part owners of our manufacturing facility in Shenzhen, China, as well. There’s a lot of work to be done on that front, too. So there are limitless things that I know my dad will be contributing to, especially on the strategic side, such as the broader vision for the company and the long-term development of the company. My job is to run AVPro Global Holdings,” Matt added. “And to make that the best and most profitable it can be.”
I asked Matt if he had thought about how different the CEO role is as compared to the more specific CTO position he has held up to now. In my conversations with him over the last year or so, I sensed he was more of a – hands-on, in-the-trenches, shoulder-to-shoulder with the troops in the field, helping them to win the battle – kind of manager. As CEO, he’ll have a more expansive role, one that will require him to spend significant amounts of time on more strategic projects in other areas of the company that are not at the front lines.
‘I Feel Really Prepared to Take on This Expanded Challenge’
Did he harbor any concerns about this transition?
I’m actually very excited to take on this new role. This was a planned transition. We’ve known it’s been going to happen for a while. So I think that one of the benefits of being a family business is working with my dad for all these years. Over this time, he’s been able to kind of funnel stuff in my direction and give me authority over a lot of additional parts of the business. Even, I would say, things that go well beyond the CTO role I was carrying. To me, that’s good leadership…and good mentorship. You know, I think that’s why I feel really prepared to take on this expanded challenge.
Matt Murray, AVPro Global Holdings’ New CEO
However, Matt says he will continue to work with the team in the field. This is in line with both his and his father’s style of leadership, he tells me.
Matt Intends to ‘Lead the Company From the Front’
“But I plan to stay in the trenches too,” Matt said firmly. “Because both of us believe you should lead a company from the front – and not from the back…pushing everybody to do everything. I don’t think that philosophy is going to change. It’ll still be a lead from the front – be in there with the team, teach the team, help the team, coach the team, and develop the team. A lot of people we’ve had at AVPro have been here for a long, long time. A lot of them in really key positions have come from places outside of the AV industry. We’ve always been really big on hiring local and promoting from within. And that philosophy just develops a really strong culture and team – a team that has been able to take us places. I think it will continue.”
So, how will AVPro Global Holdings under the guidance of new CEO, Matt, differ from AVPro Global Holdings under the previous CEO, Jeff?
What Will Change at AVPro Global Holdings Under New CEO?
From a philosophical standpoint, I don’t think much will change. I think we take a lot from each other in terms of how we want to lead and what the direction of the company is. But there are a few things that I do see changing, such as a deeper implementation of technology we use to run the company, like AI. There’s some things we’re doing with RTI to try to make that brand more future forward. We’re thinking a lot about what our whole concept of what an AV product looks like – as things become less hardware and more software. So, you know, there’s some directional challenges in the technology space, as far as how we go to market with our channel strategy, I’m very, very fortunate that what’s being left to me is essentially in pristine shape right now.
Finally, the two executives emphasized one thing that will never change – an unshakable focus on the integrators who are their customers.
The Core Tenet: ‘We’re Here to Serve the Integrator’
“When we face tough decisions, we just have to go back to our core tenet – Who are we here to serve? We’re here to serve the integrator. And if this is a problem for them, it’s a problem for us. So, you know, we have to fix that problem. And in fixing that problem, we don’t always make the decisions based on what’s best for AVPro. A lot of times, we make the decision based on what’s best for our customer – our installer partners. Over the years, we found that having that mindset pays dividends, because small integrators become big integrators, and if we take care of them, we can have them as lifelong customers and friends. If we’re helping them, they’re willing to help us and stick with us.”
Matt Murray
Learn more about AVPro Global Holdings by visiting: avproglobal.com.
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