CEDIA recently filed their Form 990 with the IRS – a required filing by non-profits disclosing key financial data – and for the first time in a while, I found some interesting and somewhat confusing things in there. Yes, I obtain the organization’s 990 filings every year just to get a sense of how things are going. Like all of us, the organization is filing for, at best, the previous year and often they request and receive an extension. Hence, we are just now getting a glimpse of their 2019 results…and it was an eye-opener.
Posts
Majority of All Companies Raised Wages in Q3; Will Do It Again This Quarter
In a survey by the National Association of Business Economists, a strong majority of all businesses – fully 58% – reported that they raised the wages they paid to employees in the third quarter, as reported by AXIOS. Nearly the same number say they will raise wages yet again in the coming months. While the news has some positive elements, especially for workers (like the smiling employees above), it definitely has some economists worried.
See more on rising employee wages
[Read more…] about Majority of All Companies Raised Wages in Q3; Will Do It Again This QuarterNew Vanco Introduction Powers Up Your Assortment, Client Satisfaction & Profits
I recently became aware of the fact that Vanco, the Chicago-based manufacturer of a broad range of mostly accessory products had decided to become a master distributor for a product category that we all need, we all use, and yet to which we pay little attention. It is in this reality, Vanco’s President Mark Corbin tells me, that there lies a tremendous opportunity to better serve our customers and to add meaningful profit to our financials.
See this Vanco solution…
[Read more…] about New Vanco Introduction Powers Up Your Assortment, Client Satisfaction & ProfitsUEI Earns Wide National News Coverage for All the Wrong Reasons
Allegations of Conspiring With China’s Gov’t to Use Uyghurs in a Forced Labor Arrangement
In a rare show of bipartisanship, a group of U.S. Senators has sent a strongly worded letter to a leading consumer electronics industry remote control maker Universal Electronics, Inc. (UEI) launching a probe into the company’s hiring practices in China. Unique to UEI is that they own their own factories in China (most contract with existing China OEM factories) and a recent damning investigation by Reuters alleges the company is working with the Chinese government to utilize a widely persecuted Uyghur minority in a forced labor arrangement, a human rights violation. UEI has denied the accusation but so far has not provided data to back up their denial.
See more on the UEI labor situation in China
[Read more…] about UEI Earns Wide National News Coverage for All the Wrong ReasonsSeptember Housing Construction Starts Drop to a 5-Month Low
In new data from the U.S. Census Bureau and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, residential housing construction starts dropped 1.6% in September as compared to the previous month’s reading. This rate is the lowest level of housing starts in five months. Also concerning, building permits – a leading indicator of future construction – registered a sharp drop, down 7.7% below the previous month.
See more on housing construction starts
[Read more…] about September Housing Construction Starts Drop to a 5-Month LowAzione Unlimited Merges with Nationwide Marketing Group
Azione Unlimited announced today that it has partnered with Nationwide Marketing Group, a group representing more than 14,000 storefronts made up largely of appliance, furniture, and electronics retailers. While Nationwide may not be an immediately obvious choice as a partner for Azione, the custom integration specialist group maintains that it makes perfect sense as they say integrators must be able “to address all of their clients’ needs, no matter the room in the home.”
See more on the merger of Azione Unlimited and Nationwide Marketing Group
[Read more…] about Azione Unlimited Merges with Nationwide Marketing GroupCEDIA Names Daryl Friedman as New CEO; Has Extensive Association Experience
New CEDIA CEO Tells Strata-gee, ‘I Promise You Transparency’
The Custom Electronic Design & Installation Association (CEDIA) announced today that it has named Daryl Friedman as its new Global President & CEO. Friedman’s appointment is effective as of November 27, 2021. Don’t know that name? I’m not surprised as Friedman, an experienced Association executive, comes from the Recording Academy…the folks who bring you the Grammy awards. In an interview this week, Friedman told me that he’s close to the engineers and producers – the highly technical folks in his current association – so he brings a clear technology appreciation to his new role.
Learn more about CEDIA selecting Daryl Friedman as CEO
[Read more…] about CEDIA Names Daryl Friedman as New CEO; Has Extensive Association ExperienceCrestron Brings the Trade Show to You via the Crestron NEXT Road Trip
BREAKING NEWS Event Kicks Off in November, Starting in Boston & Chicago; More to Follow
I have just learned that Crestron is planning to launch a monster series of regional dealer shows, called the Crestron NEXT Road Trip, that sounds as though they’re going to be spectacular – with new product launches, full product displays & demos, and in-depth educational courses offered. The multi-day event will include huge displays from both the company’s commercial and residential business units in what promises to be quite a show.
See what we know so far about the Crestron NEXT Road Trip
[Read more…] about Crestron Brings the Trade Show to You via the Crestron NEXT Road TripWell-Known Industry Vet Lawrence Davis Joins Vital
CI coaching business Vital announced this week that well-known industry veteran Lawrence Davis has joined the company as its new VP of Business Development. The company says that this move is “the first step in their growth plan.”
See more on Vital hiring Lawrence Davis
[Read more…] about Well-Known Industry Vet Lawrence Davis Joins VitalB&W Launches an All-New Zeppelin and We All Get Carried Away by the Music
Bowers & Wilkins (B&W) continues to launch new products without missing a beat since they became part of Sound United a little over a year ago. And those products span the range from their revered high-end 800 Series Diamond models to now, a refresh of their Zeppelin speaker system that the company describes as “a complete stereo system in one component.”