Strategy in TECH...
On Monday, all Strata-gee SYNCH subscribers received an invitation to participate in a survey from me titled COVID-19 Impact on Tech. I am seeking your help in better understanding the impact of this strange new normal of pandemic propagation in which we all find ourselves trapped. Many of you immediately responded and I thank you so much for that. But more responses are needed…
On the same day that CEDIA sent an alarming communication to attendees of the previous Florida Tech Summit, the company announced it will cancel the next Tech Summit in Vancouver. This event was scheduled to take place this Thursday, March 12th – only days after the Association notified attendees of their Florida Tech Summits on February 25 & 27 that they had been exposed to COVID-19 from an affected employee of one of the event exhibitors.
The Custom Electronic Design and Installation Association (CEDIA) sent a letter via email on Tuesday to all attendees of the recent Fort Lauderdale & Tampa, Fl Tech Summits notifying them of their exposure to coronavirus or COVID-19, the rapidly expanding viral infection that has become a global pandemic. An employee for an exhibitor at the Tech Summit was said to have tested positive for the virus, and CEDIA asked all attendees to “take precautions.”
When last we heard from Audio Design Associates just this past December, the company had put out a statement to industry media that a company shutdown was likely imminent. This was shocking news from a company with a long and venerable history as both an integrator and a well-respected manufacturer of custom integration gear.
Now, we learn from a Strata-gee reader that Audio Design Associates has apparently closed their location in Yonkers, NY …
High performance loudspeaker manufacturer Bowers and Wilkins (B&W) sent a letter to their dealers last week addressing issues that have arisen recently, especially as they pertain to the management of the company. As is often the case with this company, the letter answered some questions…but raised others.
What if every time you rolled a truck on a service call with a Level 1 tech, you could be fully assured of a complete resolution to the client’s satisfaction no matter how complex or sophisticated the system issue? Does that sound like a dream? No…that sounds like Help Lightning.
*By now you’ve likely heard about the massive sell-off on Wall Street over the last week or two that is largely a reaction to the spreading coronavirus pandemic and its potential impact on markets. Although not a new situation, coronavirus (now known as COVID-19) has spread around the world and is now making its way into the United States – potentially putting U.S. markets and companies like Emerald Expositions in jeopardy.
But while most public companies have seen their stock values drop during this market decline, Emerald Expositions has seen the market value of their stock decline at a much greater clip… What’s going on?
When news first appeared two months ago that Frank Sterns was making the move from Sony to Sound United, many folks asked…why? At Sony, he was a top executive with a global CE leader positioned at the top of the industry food chain…a backbone-of-the-industry brand…the inventor of many of the core technologies used in just about every home in America today. Yes, Sound United is a global player as well, but in a much more limited way…and focused exclusively in only one area…audio.
Maybe you’ve heard the buzz about a major shake-up taking place at B&W. Reports out of the U.K. say that Gideon Yu, Greg Lee, David Liu and others have all stepped down from the Board of Directors. There is a link being passed around to a web page for the “Companies House,” which is a government-connected registrar of companies and corporations. The link goes to a page which indicates that several B&W executives and directors have “resigned” their positions. So just what is going on?
Sony Electronics Inc. announced that it has appointed Jeff Goldstein as head of sales for the custom integration channel. Goldstein, who is said to have a multi-decade career at with the company and who is well versed in the custom channel will continue to build on the brand’s success with this channel.
