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CEO Says Gibson Will Dump Brands

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Financials Show Sales & Profits Continue to Slide

Photo of Gibson CEO Henry Juszkiewicz
Henry Juszkiewicz, CEO

Gibson Brands CEO Henry Juszkiewicz continues to profess confidence that the company will be able to successfully refinance their over $500 million debt before a mid-year maturation comes due. Telling the Nashville Post that the company is going through a little “spring cleaning,” Juszkiewicz says the company already dropped their Cakewalk music software group, and other brands in their portfolio are next to go. But a financial report to bondholders shows continued deterioration of both sales and profits, suggesting that simply pruning a few brands from the portfolio may not be enough to attract new investors or lenders.

See more on the dire situation at Gibson Brands… [Read more…] about CEO Says Gibson Will Dump Brands

Thiel is Toast, Specialty Audio Takes Another Hit

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New Thiel logo black backgroundAfter 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.

See what we know of the closing of Thiel Audio… [Read more…] about Thiel is Toast, Specialty Audio Takes Another Hit

Strata-SERIES: RMR – Series Wrap-Up

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Strata-SERIES: RMR Wrap-UpOne month ago, on December 6th, Strata-gee launched a series of articles on recurring monthly revenue (RMR) programs based on research conducted for a cover story in the December issue of Residential Systems Magazine. That Series, called Strata-SERIES: RMR,  ran the entire month of December and into January with a total of five posts of content, plus an additional Series introduction and this Series wrap-up.

What did we learn about RMR? Much! Read on… [Read more…] about Strata-SERIES: RMR – Series Wrap-Up

Strata-SERIES: RMR – Smart Help for a Quick Start in RMR

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Strata-SERIES: RMR[NOTE: This post is part of a series of articles on recurring monthly revenue programs we call Strata-SERIES: RMR. It will likely make more sense to you if you start by reading our Series Introduction here… and then our Topic Introduction and First Installment here…]

Because he had worked with an alarm company for the last twenty years, Matt Walin of Costa Mesa, CA-based Brilliant AV was very familiar with the concept of RMR programs as it related to central station security system monitoring. But as it specifically relates to residential AV and home automation solutions, it was about two years ago when they began exploring the process of offering their clients some form of a maintenance agreement covering their system installations.

Residential AV RMR, it turned out, was a horse of an entirely different color… [Read more…] about Strata-SERIES: RMR – Smart Help for a Quick Start in RMR

Strata-SERIES: RMR – Reducing Truck Rolls by 82%

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[NOTE: This post is part of a series of articles on recurring monthly revenue programs we call Strata-SERIES: RMR Programs. It will likely make more sense to you if you start by reading our Series Introduction here… and then our Topic Introduction and First Installment here…]

Strata-SERIES: RMR Programs #4In our last installment, we learned how Ben Lentz and the team at Cyber Technology Group launched an RMR program designed to help their clients understand that sophisticated technology systems require regular maintenance – just like their cars, their pools, and their landscaping. By getting clients on their Client Care Program, which includes regular “wellness visits,” Cyber Tech saw their upgrade sales increase during these visits.

Like Cyber Tech, Ron Wanless of Technology Design Associates (locations in Washington and Oregon) had a slightly different motive for pursuing a recurring monthly revenue program. Little did he know that it was a pursuit that would result in fundamental changes in how they service their clients and run their business.

See how Technology Design Assocs. RMR program cut service costs… [Read more…] about Strata-SERIES: RMR – Reducing Truck Rolls by 82%

Gibson Cuts Debt Deal to Delay Payment Date

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Logo for Gibson BrandsGibson Brands has reached a deal with GSO Capital Partners, one of its existing lenders, in order to push back a loan payment by approximately two weeks to December 15th. The reason for the move was to try and time the payment such that it arrived later in the holiday season for better timing relative to their anticipated cash flow.

See more on this new, if temporary, debt deal… [Read more…] about Gibson Cuts Debt Deal to Delay Payment Date

Gibson Successfully Sells Memphis Factory

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Gibson's Memphis factoryFrom our boy-that-was-fast department, Gibson Brands announced it has booked a deal to sell its Memphis factory/showroom. This facility, which is located in the heart of Memphis’ downtown right near the main entertainment district, had just been put on the market as we told you in our post of November 2nd.

See more on this latest Gibson Brands news… [Read more…] about Gibson Successfully Sells Memphis Factory

More Thiel Turmoil – Is It Closed? Is It Open?

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Significant Staff Terminations Drop Headcount

New Thiel Audio logoWe are hearing from multiple sources both public and private that Thiel Audio has ceased operations, effective November 30, 2017. If true, the news would be a sad punctuation to the end of the story of a once proud  high-end audio brand that since 2012 has endured multiple CEO’s and their changing business plans. Current CEO Elyse McKenna is, by our count, the fifth CEO at Thiel since the end of 2012 – a year which started with co-founder Kathy Gornik as the CEO who then sold the company to David B. Griffin, a wealthy farmer and landowner according to our sources.

But, apparently, the answer to the question posed in our headline is that it depends on who you ask. CEO Elyse McKenna, in a telephone interview this afternoon, denied that Thiel is closed and tells us the company remains open for business.

See more on this confusing news on Thiel… [Read more…] about More Thiel Turmoil – Is It Closed? Is It Open?

Strata-SERIES: RMR Programs – How We Do RMR in the Big City

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We continue on with our new Strata-SERIES:RMR Programs series of articles. Smack dab in the middle of Manhattan you’ll find Union Square and in Union Square you’ll find Cloud9 Smart, a leading New York City integrator in both commercial and residential installations.

[Note: this article is part of a series and will make more sense if you read Installment 1 first. You can find it at this link…]

See How They Do RMR in the Big Apple… [Read more…] about Strata-SERIES: RMR Programs – How We Do RMR in the Big City

Strata-SERIES: RMR Programs – Not Just Revenue, A Redefined Client Relationship

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Introducing A New Article Series on RMR Programs

Cover of Residential Systems December issueHave you seen the December issue of Residential Systems Magazine? I wrote the cover story, “Maintaining Customer Joy” (online as: “Maintaining Customer Joy Through Service Plans“), a detailed article about the benefits and challenges of implementing a recurring monthly revenue (RMR) program in an integration company. In that story, I interviewed four top integrators who all had successful RMR programs, about the trials and tribulations of establishing that program…and the benefits they derived from it.

In researching RMR programs, I learned that they are much more than a revenue stream – they literally redefine the relationship with the client. I had uncovered more than I expected…so much more…

A new Strata-SERIES on RMR programs – redefining the client relationship… [Read more…] about Strata-SERIES: RMR Programs – Not Just Revenue, A Redefined Client Relationship