New Altec Lansing® Pro Audio Division To Revive Storied Reputation
Business Unit Commits to Renowned Standards Dating to First Talking Motion Picture; Company Shows New Products, Announces Key Executive Hires at infoComm02 Expo
SANDS EXPO & CONFERENCE CENTER, LAS VEGAS - June 12, 2002 - Drawing on a reputation for uncompromising audio quality dating back nearly 75 years, Altec Lansing® Technologies, Inc., has established a new division, Altec Lansing Professional, to pursue the professional audio market. Among the company's first moves are the hiring of several experienced audio engineers and audio industry executives in key positions, as well as the unveiling of a new line of ceiling speakers for institutional use.
Demonstrating its new products at infoComm02 Expo in Las Vegas, Altec Lansing Professional promises to re-invigorate the legendary Altec Lansing brand with quality products for sound system specifiers, musicians, and other audio professionals. Built on a history dating to the first talking motion picture, Altec Lansing professional products were a mainstay of the speaker industry for decades. The company expects to rejuvenate the brand through a renewed commitment to quality products, uncompromising design innovation, and in-house manufacturing.
"After more than sixty years, the Altec Lansing name still carries enormous weight with audio professionals," said Mark Lucas, president and CEO of parent company Altec Lansing Technologies, Inc. "Our company's international reputation for design excellence began, in fact, with theater speakers made for professional use. Placing Altec Lansing professional audio products under the Altec Lansing umbrella is one more step in our corporate strategy to not only diversify our current businesses, but also to leverage the incredible equity in the Altec Lansing name."
Merrey, Sexton, Ducoff, Upchurch Hired
Returning to head the new Altec Lansing Professional division is Davis (Dave) Merrey, former president of Altec Lansing's professional products group from 1985 to1995. "Altec Lansing Technologies has done an excellent job of promoting the Altec Lansing name to consumers," Merrey commented. "Our division will benefit from the same marketing, operations, and logistics expertise that created Altec Lansing's powerful consumer franchise. Also, in the last two years our new parent company has put together a stellar digital engineering/technical team, a strength we will definitely be leveraging.
"Finally, because Altec Lansing operates its own manufacturing facilities, it is able to provide a much more reliable and consistent product than competitors who subcontract their manufacturing. Together, these factors give me great encouragement that the Altec Lansing name will attain a position of leadership in the professional audio field," Merrey stated.
"Dave Merrey is a key to making Altec Lansing Professional work. We're greatly encouraged that he has agreed to join us and lend his considerable knowledge of the professional audio products field," said Lucas. "With Dave's help we are melding the best of the past and the future in the field of professional audio products."
Also joining the new division's senior management team is John Sexton, who will serve as vice president of sales and marketing. Duke Ducoff, the division's new director of business development, is a longtime member of the Audio Engineering Society who brings more than two decades of sales management and marketing experience to Altec Lansing Professional. Rounding out the executive team is Steve Schlangen, product manager for the division, and Steve Upchurch, the new technical services manager. Upchurch is a 23-year veteran of the electronics industry who most recently worked at IRP as that company's manager for service and distribution. He previously worked with Altec Lansing's predecessor company as an electronics manufacturing engineer.
According to Merrey, "John Sexton's fifteen years of professional audio experience with both international and US customers provides us key relationships throughout the world. Duke Ducoff is responsible for relationship building between the company and the worldwide consultant community, and with key end-users. These are top notch guys who set the benchmark for the type of team we are assembling."
Professional Ceiling Speaker Line Introduced
At infoComm02, Altec Lansing Professional is introducing a new line of ceiling speakers for conference rooms, meeting facilities, hotel ballrooms, airports, educational facilities and all general paging applications. The full-range, high performance speakers are available in sizes from 4 inches to 12 inches in diameter and feature efficiency, intelligibility and high fidelity sound reproduction.
The full ceiling speaker line, samples of which are being displayed at the Expo, is comprised of the following products:
- Four inch: full range, utility and premium grade
- Eight inch: full range and Duplex™
- Twelve inch: Duplex™
- Premium, low insertion loss transformers
Altec Lansing Professional is currently shipping the new ceiling speaker line. Later this year the division plans to introduce a series of packaged products for auditoriums and houses of worship; other products contemplated for future development include speakers for theme parks, performing arts centers, stadiums, and arenas.
Altec Lansing Professional is debuting its ceiling speaker line with favorable payment terms and free freight for most orders. Complete details are available at Altec Lansing's infoComm02 exhibit, Booth 4070.
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