After a tumultuous five-year period, which began in 2012 when Thiel was sold to Tennessee private investor David B. Griffin, we can now confirm that Thiel Audio has been closed for good. Failing some kind of 11th hour rescue, another great American audio brand will be relegated to the dustbin of history.
Bob Brown
DeFuria Memorial Service Set by Family
Stephen DeFuria, a well-known industry executive passed away early Sunday morning last weekend as we previously reported. At the time of that announcement, the family had not had the opportunity to make all of the necessary final arrangements before that post was published.
Now we have the latest information on DeFuria’s memorial service… [Read more…] about DeFuria Memorial Service Set by Family
Stephen DeFuria, Top Audio Executive & Friend to Many, Dies
Stephen DeFuria, a top specialty audio industry sales executive uniquely conversant in both high-end AND more mainstream audio, died early Sunday morning after a long battle with cancer. DeFuria was 61-years old and passed away at home with his family at his side.
See more on the passing of Stephen DeFuria… [Read more…] about Stephen DeFuria, Top Audio Executive & Friend to Many, Dies
Millson Custom Solutions Goes From Crawl to Jog in Just One Year
Millson Custom Solutions Celebrates Its First Birthday
Most new start-up companies like Millson Custom Solutions (MCS) choose to develop a new product concept and spend their first year setting up distribution, making sure internal systems operate smoothly as sales begin to happen, and in general scale slowly before they take that next step in expansion. It’s sort of a crawl before you walk – walk before you run strategy.
But not MCS – no sooner did they get their remarkable CinemaFrame launched, then the company rolled out a second product, their RSMS Roller Shade Mounting System and then a third product, the FutureFrame.
How did they pull that off?… [Read more…] about Millson Custom Solutions Goes From Crawl to Jog in Just One Year
Dysfunctional CEDIA Board Cited in Resignation Letter
We reported to you last month that, in an unexpected development best described as surprising, two members of CEDIA’s Board of Directors – Bob Brown and Richard Millson – abruptly resigned their positions within 24-hours of each other. We learned of this through our industry sources, not from CEDIA – which has yet to make any official statement about this unusual event. While we were able to confirm the incident had happened, since none of the parties would speak to us about it, we were unable to report on the reasons behind why this double resignation occurred in the first place. Now…we have more information.
See the surprising news we have learned over the last few weeks… [Read more…] about Dysfunctional CEDIA Board Cited in Resignation Letter
Two Directors Abruptly Resign CEDIA Board of Directors in Apparent Sign of Turmoil
BREAKING NEWS
Two members of the Board of Directors of CEDIA have abruptly resigned within 24-hours of each other in what appears to be a sign of turmoil roiling the organization’s Board, multiple sources told us. According to reports, Richard Millson of Millson Technologies and Bob Brown, a well-known industry consultant, have both abruptly resigned their positions on the Board.
See more on this surprising news out of CEDIA… [Read more…] about Two Directors Abruptly Resign CEDIA Board of Directors in Apparent Sign of Turmoil
Tons of Turmoil at Thiel; Is There Yet Another New CEO?
Tipped off by a source, we have learned that the turmoil at Thiel Audio continues, as yet another wave of executives have arrived and departed – leaving the company ostensibly leaderless and seemingly adrift in the market. The revolving executive door at Thiel seems to be an annual event as we await news on yet another team to jump in the saddle…or into the fire, depending on your perspective.
See more on what we’ve learned… [Read more…] about Tons of Turmoil at Thiel; Is There Yet Another New CEO?
Taking Integration to a Whole New Level; Millson to Launch CinemaFrame at CEDIA Expo
Strata-gee EXCLUSIVE
Well-respected custom integrator Richard Millson, founder of Vancouver, BC-based Millson Technologies, has some 25-years of experience in high-end residential AV and automation systems installation. Many of these installations were in luxury high-rise condominium developments, trendy boutique hotels, and high-end homes. After literally tens of thousands of installations, Millson knew well the gaping holes in the market that manufacturers simply weren’t addressing.
So Richard created a new company, Millson Custom Solutions, to address these gaps. And the first product from MCS, four years in the making, is CinemaFrame – an amazing in-wall high-performance home theater solution.
See more on the remarkable CinemaFrame invisible home theater system… [Read more…] about Taking Integration to a Whole New Level; Millson to Launch CinemaFrame at CEDIA Expo
Thiel Audio: DeFuria & Brown are Out; Is the Other Shoe Dropping?
BREAKING NEWS
Our inquiry started innocently enough. Last week, we received an emailed press release that contained this headline: “VANA Ltd. Appoints Stephen DeFuria as Director of Sales, East.” Now we generally receive dozens of press releases every day – but this one caught our immediate attention…literally causing us to pick the phone to make a call for confirmation. Why? Because Stephen DeFuria was part of a team hired by Thiel Audio to help turn that business around – and now, only one year later, he is out…with no explanation. But that was just the beginning.
Now, there’s reason to question whether the “other shoe” may be dropping at Thiel… [Read more…] about Thiel Audio: DeFuria & Brown are Out; Is the Other Shoe Dropping?
Kathy Gornik: Why I Sold Thiel…
*Strata-gee.com EXCLUSIVE*
Much has been written on the changes at Lexington, KY-based Thiel Audio Products Company (Thiel) in the wake of its purchase by a group of Tennessee investors that we first reported last November. Shortly after their acquisition, strata-gee.com was invited to speak with Bill Thomas – one of those Tennessee investors and now the new CEO of Thiel Audio. And a couple of months after that, we had the opportunity to speak with new Thiel interim COO and Board member Bob Brown.
But many Thiel-related reps and dealers kept asking us about co-founder and former President Kathy Gornik. Some of this curiosity was related to rumors that Gornik had been forcibly removed from the respected high-end loudspeaker company that she helped found. And some of the interest centered around an unanswered question, not covered by any of the press (including Strata-gee.com) as to why Gornik decided to sell the company.
