Business News
Feb 1, 2002 12:00 PM
CORPORATE EVOLUTIONS
Gentner Now ClearOne Communications
Effective January 1, 2002, Gentner Communications Corp. became ClearOne Communications Inc. The company's shareholders approved the board of directors' recommendation for the name change. The company now trades under the symbol CLRO on the NASDAQ stock market.
Gentner's conferencing products will still be branded under the same Gentner name. In November, Gentner announced that it had entered into definitive purchase agreements to sell 1,289,124 shares of newly issued common stock at $17 per share to selected institutional and private investors.
DAR Restructures with AMEK
Harman International Industries announced a restructuring program for Digital Audio Research. DAR will relocate to a new AMEK Manchester location. The company hopes DAR products will benefit from AMEK's state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities, enhancing product consistency and reliability.
SALES TOOLS
NEC Technologies
NEC Technologies' new Visual Systems Extranet site helps NEC partners reduce costs associated with the sale of NEC projector and plasma display products. Partners can track the status of their orders in real time, receive closed-loop leads, learn detailed information about NEC display products and applications, and find NEC-produced literature. The site's document library stores all of the company's spec sheets, order forms and marketing program bulletins.
PUBLICATION
Listen Publishes
Spanish Catalog
Listen Technologies has published its product catalog in Spanish. Find it at listentech.com/Literature.html.
EDUCATION
New Certification Course
Cable solutions manufacturer ICC developed a new Certification Course program. It is a comprehensive, 1-day installer seminar to provide information on current networking and structured cabling standards. Visit icc.com to learn more.
Wiring Installer Certification
BICSI recently accredited Leviton Manufacturing's Installer Certification Program, which provides product and installation training for Leviton Integrated Networks. Those who complete the course receive eight continuing education credits, which can be applied to apprentice, installer and Registered Communications Distribution Designer certification.
CONGRATULATIONS
AudioControl Award
AudioControl's new 5-channel theater amplifier, the Pantages, was awarded a 2002 Innovations Design & Engineering award by the Consumer Electronics Association.
Stardraw Wins Eddy
Explains Stardraw president Randell Green, “The Heritage Theatre software sits on top of the Stardraw platform and enables offline editing of any scenes and settings for the Heritage 1000 console…” This software, developed by Stardraw for Midas, was one of five outstanding new products to be singled out for an Eddy award for major technical advancement in the field of professional audio.
Innovations 2002
The ReplayTV 4000 digital video recorder and the Rio Advanced digital audio center, from Sonicblue Inc., won the Innovations 2002 award sponsored by the CEA and presented in conjunction with International CES. Innovations awards recognize the best designed and engineered products in the consumer technology area.
CONDOLENCES
Gerald Nash, gifted theater designer and champion of the digital cinema movement, died on October 29, 2001, of cancer at his home in Santa Monica, California. Nash was involved in the success of various projects and in the design of pavilions for three world's fairs, as well as the Henry Ford Museum, the National Aquarium in Washington, D.C. and the Simon Wiesenthal Museum in Los Angeles. In the 1970s, he joined Doug Trumbull and was instrumental in the design and development of the systems for what ultimately became known as Showscan. Steve Ferguson, part of the Rapco family since 1990, died on October 2, 2001 at the age of 48, in Cape Girardeau, Missouri. Ferguson was Rapco's national sales manager and had won several Salesman of the Year awards. He was a musician, singer, comedian, songwriter and novelist. A fund to honor Steve Ferguson, “The Rapco Cable Guy,” was established with an initial gift from members of the Alliance of Independent Music Merchants to support the Child Life Department at Cardinal Glennon Children's Hospital in St. Louis. Those wishing to make donations should send a check to The Steve Ferguson Child Life Fund, SSM Cardinal Glennon Children's Hospital, 1465 South Grand Boulevard, St. Louis, MO 63104.
William Stow Grommes, co-owner and founder of Grommes-Precision Electronics Inc., died on November 24, 2002, at the age of 89. He and his late wife, Esther, owned and operated Grommes-Precision since its founding in 1946. The company continues to be run by the third generation of the family.
INDUSTRY NOTES
Limited Edition Dolby
The December DVD release of Touchstone Pictures' Pearl Harbor featured a special, limited-edition Dolby Headphone bonus track. The track allows movie viewers to enjoy the movie's 5.1-channel soundtrack over any pair of regular stereo headphones, using any DVD player or receiver with a headphone jack. This was the first DVD release to feature a Dolby Headphone soundtrack.
Emerging Company
Audiophile electronics engineer Richard Sequerra and audio “renaissance man” Mark Conese recently formed Sequerra Audio Labs LLC in Stamford, Connecticut. Their mission is to manufacture technically and aesthetically perfect professional audio equipment. Though just over a year old, the company has distribution through Transamerica Audio Group. Their first product is the 1070.A microphone preamplifer.
Illinois, Wisconsin Adopt NFPA Codes
The state of Wisconsin has adopted the most recent edition of the NFPA safety code, NFPA 1, Fire Prevention Code. The NFPA is working with the Wisconsin Fire Service and the Wisconsin Department of Commerce to arrange free training sessions and complimentary copies of NFPA 1 and NFPA 101, Life Safety Code, for state authorities.
The state of Illinois also adopted the most recent version of NFPA 101, which specifies minimum building design, construction, operation and maintenance requirements to protect building occupants from fire, smoke and toxic fumes.
THX Approval for QSC
The THX division of Lucasfilm Ltd. approved two models from QSC's ISA Installed System Amplifier series, certifying the ISA 450 and 750 for use in THX-certified cinema auditoriums around the world.
Sampo Signs Four Retail Partners
Sampo America signed on Fry's, Buy.com, 800.com and Home Shopping Network to carry the company's digital display products. See sampoamericas.com for details.
Minicom 10% Savings
Minicom's offers a 10% savings on purchases of 10 or more KVM switches, which can be used to connect hundreds of servers using a single CAT5 cable.
Price Reductions at Communications Specialties
Effective January 1, 2002, Communications Specialties began a price reduction on the Deuce MC and Deuce HD products. See commspecial.com for details.
Acoustics, Transportation and Strategy Founded
ATS Consulting LLC is a new company focusing on transportation and other infrastructure and development projects in the Western states. The company's address is 725 South Figueroa Street, Suite 1580, Los Angeles, CA 90017. Check them out at atsconsultingllc.com.
Plasma Survey Says…
Potential buyers of plasma displays for home use will spend only about half as much as the industry had assumed. Manufacturers would do well to reset their pricing expectations from $100 to $45 — 60 per square inch, based on the 2001 Home Entertainment Displays End User Study by Pacific Media Associates.
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