Core Brands Names Jeff Costello Vice President of Sales

To maximize sales of its home technology solutions through all key sales channels, Core Brands, LLC today announced the appointment of award-winning multi-channel sales leader Jeff Costello to the position of Vice President of Sales. 

“Jeff Costello is a very important hire for us, bringing more than 20 years of sales excellence with innovative companies across the electronics and technology sectors.  He is a ‘customer–first’ leader and a welcome addition to the team,” Core Brands President Joe Roberts said today. “He has already helped transform two of our sales channels, and with Jeff’s previous successes in driving CE, distribution and enterprise channel sales, he’s going to play a major role in helping Core Brands achieve our growth objectives.”

Now leading all aspects of Core Brands worldwide sales, Costello is no newcomer to Core Brands. For the last year he was in a senior consulting role directing major account and channel alignment strategies, as well as leading the new UMAP compliance initiatives for Core Brands and its sister company, Linear (now Nortek Security and Control).  

Previously, Costello served as Vice President of Sales at Smith Micro Software, where he led sales for the consumer, B2B, distribution and strategic accounts channels for this developer of wireless, productivity and graphics software, where he grew annual revenues and earned two ICE Awards (Internet Commerce Excellence) for launch and partnership promotions.

Costello preceded this with a ten year history of success as Vice President of Sales at Broderbund, where he ran North American reseller sales, growing annual software revenues and achieving a #1 position in 11 different categories. 

“This last year working with Joe Roberts and the sales teams at Core Brands has given me a clear understanding of the strengths of the company and what needs to be done to maximize our revenues,” Costello said today.  “I will be working closely with our sales management teams, independent reps and distributors in the United States and around the world to execute the strategies that will deliver a larger share of market for our award-winning brands.  I am excited to join the Core team as we bring to market innovative new smart home control, audio, connectivity and power management solutions to our worldwide customer base.”

Core Brands Continues Receiving Rave Reviews For New Products Debuted at CEDIA 2014

The awards just keep on coming for leading home entertainment and control technology solutions provider Core Brands, a Nortek company. At CEDIA 2014, the company’s new product introductions received critical acclaim from Residential Systems, Technology Integrator and CE Pro. And now, rAVe Publications raves about the Xantech XtraNet IP line and the new SpeakerCraft AIM 2 Series.

The rAVe publications editors judged the 2014 Best of CEDIA Awards from the show floor at the Colorado Convention Center in Denver. The awards were presented to the most distinguished products displayed at the show in twenty-five individual categories. The Xantech XtraNet IP line received the title Best New CI Install Tool, and the SpeakerCraft AIM 2 Series was named Best New In-Wall/In-Ceiling Speaker.

“The enormous amount recognition we’ve received during and after the show has been most gratifying and it’s an honor to receive these two awards from rAVe Publications,” said Joe Roberts, Core Brands Vice President of Products and Marketing. ”The Core Brands team is thrilled to bring dealers the solutions they need for their future success.”

Core Brands received a total of 12 awards at CEDIA 2014 for new product innovation. The rAVe Publications 2014 Best of CEDIA Awards announcement was made online at www.ravepubs.com.

Core Brands Takes the Cake at CEDIA 2014 With Ten Awards For New Product Innovation

Leading home entertainment and control technology solutions provider Core Brands, a Nortek company, may have served a lot of cake at CEDIA 2014 with the appearance of Cake Boss Buddy Valastro, but it went home with something much sweeter — a record-setting ten awards from Residential Systems, Technology Integrator, and CE Pro for new product innovation!  The ten awards were the most awarded to a single manufacturer at CEDIA 2014.

Core Brands was awarded two Residential Systems Best of Show Awards for the ELAN UltraMatrix series of HDMI-Audio Switchers and the Niles Auriel MRC-6430 Multi-Room Audio System. CE Pro awarded two CE Pro BEST Awards for the SpeakerCraft AIM “Series 2” speaker family and ELAN g1 Entertainment and Control System. Technology Integrator gave six EXC!TE Awards to the SpeakerCraft AIM Series 2, the ELAN g1 Controller, the ELAN UltraMatrix, the Niles Auriel MRC-6430 Multi-Room Controller, the Panamax Power360 Surge Protectors with USB Charging, and the Panamax SM3-PRO System Manager.

“Innovation spoke for itself at CEDIA 2014,” said Joe Roberts, Core Brands Vice President of Products and Marketing, “and we’re honored to receive awards from Residential Systems, CE Pro and Technology Integrator in all our categories—Control, Audio and Power. However, we’re even more honored by the excitement these new products generated among dealers.  Our focus is to delight dealers with innovative products that exceed their expectations. We think we did that at CEDIA 2014, and our dealers’ customers are going to enjoy the benefits of each of these best-of-class brands.”

The Residential Systems Best of Show Awards recognizes outstanding products exhibited at the CEDIA EXPO. Winners are selected by panels of professional users and editors initially based on product descriptions but ultimately by judges’ inspections at the convention.

The 6th Annual CE Pro BEST Awards recognizes the most noteworthy new product and technologies of 2014. A panel of custom integrators and CE Pro editors chose the winners of this year’s BEST Awards with their main goal to recognize products that make a substantial impact on integrators. Judging criteria not only analyzed the technical merits of the products, but also the ability of the device to help integrators open up avenues to a potential new customer base, enable integrators to design and install systems faster and thus more profitably, or help integrators gain a profitable margin on the equipment itself.

Technology Integrator’s 12th annual EXC!TE Awards were given to products that stand out for being innovative, high-performing and solutions-oriented for the custom installation professional. Technology Integrator looks for products that assist custom installers with the unique challenges they face every day on the job. The products are judged on how they increase installers' productivity, the dealers' profitability, the clients' satisfaction and the industry's vitality.

Sunfire Resets the Standard for Subwoofers With the XTEQ

Leading home automation, entertainment and control technology manufacturer, Core Brands, LLC (a Nortek company) announced today the latest subwoofer line from its Sunfire luxury subwoofer and home theater audio brand. The new XTEQ Subwoofers leverage new technologies to deliver the most powerful, clearest bass from the smallest enclosures in the industry. The new subwoofers will be showcased at CEDIA Expo 2014 in Core Brands booth #350 at the Colorado Convention Center in Denver, Colorado.

Responding to consumer trends toward smaller, more powerful home theater subwoofers, the new XTEQ series offers integrators and consumers an unprecedented combination of incredible sound quality and small form factors that are ideal for any home theater or media room. The line includes three models that produce up to 3000W of crystal clear bass from 16-100Hz using diametrically opposing drivers, one active and one passive radiator. The 8-inch XTEQ8, 10-inch XTEQ10 and 12-inch XTEQ12 are housed in enclosures barely bigger than the size of the woofer diameter, with the XTEQ12 measuring just 13.5”(W)x 13.5”(H) x 13.5”(D).

According to Core Brands Audio Marketing Manager Matt Dever, “Sunfire’s heritage is all about creating the foundation for an amazing home theater experience. The XTEQ series builds upon the advances pioneered with the Sunfire Atmos and TSEQ series subs. We pack more power and punch into a smaller subwoofer than any other manufacturer, and combine it with the innovation and superior performance that today’s luxury consumers demand.”

The Sunfire XTEQ8, XTEQ10 and XTEQ12 subwoofers will retail for $1,500, $1,750 and $2,000, respectively. Each model leverages Sunfire’s exclusive Tracking Downconverter™ amplifier design. The drivers all feature the latest improvements of Sunfire’s renowned High Back-emf design, and to best accommodate the longer ‘throw’ of the XTEQ woofers, all feature Sunfire’s unique Asymmetrical Cardioid Surround design. The subs also leverage the latest in Sunfire’s auto equalization technology to tailor the subwoofer output to compensate for any room’s acoustic anomalies. Each model is built to be used in both 110-volt and 230-volt installations.  

Premium audiophile features include multiple turn-on options (auto audio sensing and 12 volt trigger activation), plus soft-clipping amplification, anti-walking treads, variable crossover and phase control. The XTEQ subwoofers include RCA line in/line out and slave connections making it easy to pair two subwoofers, with XLR connectors for pro applications. Integrators can perfect and dial in the sound for any room through continuously variable frequency and phase adjustments for both the low pass and high pass crossovers.

The new XTEQ line will ship in Fall 2014.

Core Brands Appoints Ashley Parkinson to Position of South Central Regional Sales Manager

Core Brands, a Nortek company (NASDAQ: NTK), today announced the appointment of Ashley Parkinson to the position of South Central Regional Sales Manager, reporting directly to James Koenig, Core Brands Director of Sales — CI Channel. 

“Ashley brings a tremendous amount of experience in the sales and marketing of consumer electronics and CI products to Core Brands, experience that is going to make an immediate impact on the quality of our dealers’ local business development programs,” Koenig said today.  “Ashley is also already very familiar with our CI products because she comes to us directly from New Era Marketing, our sales rep firm for the Texas region.  As a result she has hit the ground running!”

Ashley Parkinson’s 20 years of industry experience includes a broad and varied background in sales, marketing, and new business development.  Her direct experience includes managing sales to large national retailers as well as diverse vertical channels like the military, national and regional distributors, and systems integrators.  She has overseen both brand and product launches as well as the formation of strategic partnerships to drive sales.

Parkinson comes to Core Brands from New Era Marketing, based in Dallas, Texas, where she served as Sales Principal with responsibility for developing business throughout Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Louisiana through an account base that included national and independent retailers, custom installation dealers, regional and national distributors.  Before this, she held a number of sales positions from 2000—20013 at Era Marketing, the predecessor firm to New Era Marketing. 

From 1995 to 2000 Parkinson was a Project Manager at Pritchard Associates, Inc., the Dallas, Texas based full service commercial property development management firm.  Before this, from 1993 until 1995 she was a freelance producer for NewsOne with primary responsibility for determining the daily composition of the news feed for the Southwestern Region including Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Louisiana ABC affiliates.