Strategy in TECH...
Now just hours away from welcoming in the New Year, it’s time to say goodbye to 2024, a year that was tougher than many expected – and hello to 2025, a new year like many others that offers a promise of new ideas and new opportunities.
Well, here we are again at the end of another eventful year in tech. And it’s that time of the year when I reveal Strata-gee’s Top Ten Stories of the Year for 2024 – another consequential year for the technology industry. Can you guess what the top stories were this year? I can just about guarantee none of you can guess the Top Story of 2024, because it shocked even me!
Readers came through again, delivering another record year for Strata-gee in 2024! Not only is it another all-time record in terms of website content consumption, it’s the third such record in a row! I can’t tell you how much I appreciate the support of readers who continue to select Strata-gee.com as a primary resource for industry news and views. Considering that 2024 was a tough year for most media, I guarantee you that I will not to take your support for granted.
The end of the year has arrived and once again it is time for a bit of a respite. A time to back away from the pressures of daily life to relax a bit and enjoy the company and good cheer of dear friends and precious family.
For Strata-gee, it has literally been a year like no other…and for that, I am so incredibly grateful.
I first heard about Savant’s interest in energy for the home back in 2018 when a company representative walked me through the Racepoint Energy booth at CEDIA Expo 2018. Racepoint Energy was a sister company to Savant and the two were partnering on creating new concepts in automating, monitoring, and controlling power as part of a smart home system. Ultimately, the two companies would merge to become Savant Power which turbocharged the development of deeper integration and automation of energy solutions for the now smarter smart home.
It was March of 2023 when I began picking up on the buzz that something big was in the works in the buying group world. At the Spring members conference of Azione Unlimited, which had been acquired by and was now part of Nationwide Marketing Group, President and founder Richard Glikes introduced Azione members to a new initiative called the “Drive to 1,000.” Although not a lot of details were discussed at this event, clearly something big was in the works.
Now, a little over a year later, I met with the entire management team of Nationwide’s Custom Integration Group, including Andy Orozco (Nationwide Senior Vice President of Custom Integration), Patrick McCarthy (Executive Director of Azione Unlimited), Hank Alexander (Executive Director of Oasys Residential Technology Group) and Chris Whitley (Executive Director of Ellipsys Commercial Technology Group) to take stock of just what has transpired over the last year or so with the new, expanded family of groups that are all under the Nationwide Marketing Group umbrella.
Long rumored and now confirmed, Gentex Corporation (Nasdaq: GNTX), an approximately $2.4 billion supplier of largely automotive-related products, announced this morning that it has agreed to acquire Voxx International (Nasdaq: VOXX) in an all-cash transaction valued at $7.50 per share. The transaction covers all Voxx divisions, including the newly shrunk Premium Audio Company that holds just three audio brands – Onkyo, Klipsch, and Integra.
AudioControl, part of the AVPro Global stable of brands, announced this week a new series of high-performance integrated amplifiers embodying all of the latest technologies under the expanded Bijou Series name. This new series of three models features a super-compact design for install-anywhere flexibility while at the same time employing all of the latest technology, such as Gallium Nitride (GaN) circuitry, Dante networking, eARC connectivity, and more.
Azione Unlimited, a buying group of predominantly custom integration dealers that is part of the Nationwide Marketing Group family of dealer buying organizations, announced recently that it is adding Mike Cleary, Sonance Senior Director of Strategic Accounts, to its Board of Advisors. Unique to Azione, for years it has maintained an advisory board consisting of five dealer members and five vendor members to operate as its “strategic think tank.” The board’s role is to assist group management in fostering innovation, enhancing business success, and strengthening connections within the smart home industry.
It was a cool fall morning as I headed into New York City for a meeting that I’d been anxiously anticipating for weeks. The skies were gray and rain was definitely threatening, but nothing could dampen my interest in meeting with one of the newest key executives already exerting significant influence in our industry – Hagan Kappler, CEO of Daisy.
