KMC Music Rolls Out Biggest Ever 'Back-to-School Sales Bonanza' Promotion Program Through July 31!

Underscoring its commitment to offer MI retailers the largest array of seasonally themed promotion programs, KMC Music (www.kmcmusic.com) today announced the launch of its “Back-to-School Sales Bonanza,” featuring dozens of brands and hundreds of products all specially priced to generate nationwide consumer excitement during the critically important start to the fourth quarter sales season.

“As the largest distributor of MI and pro audio products, KMC Music can and will offer our retail partners the largest selection of specially priced products and promotion programs and our new Back-to-School Sales Bonanza lives up to that commitment,” said KMC Music Vice President of Sales James Tsaptsinos.  “Every major product category and accessory line is included in this year’s programs — guitars, amps, pedals, percussion, microphones, strings, and more.  Dealers will find all of our brands featured in exciting new programs that are designed to maximize sell-through sales to their customers.”

Brands featured in the Back-to-School program include Legere, VIC FIRTH, Lanikai, Line 6, MBT Lighting, Audio-Technica, AKG, Casio, Belmonte, Denis Wick, K&M, RICO, Herco, Lauren, Lee Oskar, Mooer, Suzuki, Hilo, Innovative Percussion, REMO, Martin & Co, King David, Vandoren, SuperSlick, Mono, Shure, RCF, Dunlop, Jones, Kaiser, Sennheiser, Corpmaster, Players, Stageline, Lauren, Blitz, Bruno, ChopSaver, Kratt, Mike Balter, Becker, Stentor, Barcus-Berry, Seiko, Snark, Wittner, Eldon, Antigua, APM, Vincent Bach, Blessing, BARRI, Selmer, Hohner, Grover, Manhassett, Elixir, Hamilton, and BoomWhackers, among others.

The program runs now through July 31, 2015.  To learn more about the Back-to-School Sales Bonanza promotion program, dealers can call the KMC Music call center at (855) 417-8677.

NanoLumens® Promotes Almir DeCarvalho to Position Of Vice President, Strategic Accounts

In recognition of his outstanding contributions to building a strong international base of loyal repeat customers, NanoLumens (www.nanolumens.com), the world’s leading manufacturer and marketer of indoor LED visual display solutions, today announced the promotion of Almir DeCarvalho from the position of Vice President of International Sales to Vice President of Strategic Accounts, with global responsibility for identifying and forming relationships with targeted strategic accounts across all vertical markets. 

According to NanoLumens Vice President of Global Sales Rick Bortles, DeCarvalho has demonstrated an extraordinary ability to identify, nurture and expand relationships with major accounts around the world.  “Now, with more and more of our international sales being channeled through distributors, we can free up Almir to focus on specific targeted accounts around the world in every vertical market we serve.  I believe his experience, talents, and dedication will serve him well in this new position.”

While serving as Vice President of International Sales, the International division has been the fastest growing division within NanoLumens, experiencing over 100% growth year over year for the past three years consecutively.  NanoLumens has established a global footprint in Australia, Brazil, Canada, New Zealand, China, and the EMEA region.

“My objective for the Strategic Accounts division in 2015 is to continue to provide our partners with NanoLumens’ uniquely customizable digital visualization capabilities specific to the markets that they are targeting,” DeCarvalho said today.   “We will challenge our partners to push the creative envelope, changing the competitive landscape in their prospective markets.  We pride ourselves in giving our partners the ability to sit in front of their customer and never have to say no, as far as creative designs goes.”

Before joining NanoLumens in 2011, Almir DeCarvalho served as Director of Sales at Adaptive Micro Systems LLC.  Prior to this he held several positions in worldwide corporate sales over a 12-year period at FedEx Corporate Services.  Almir studied at the University of Lisbon in Lisbon, Portugal and received a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth.

Trident Case® Gives Back to Operation HomeFront To Assist Military Families and Wounded Warriors

This month marks the celebration of Veterans Day and Military Appreciation Month. In order to support the American military, Trident Case®, manufacturer of rugged and eco-friendly mobile and tablet device cases, will be donating 20-percent of all purchases made from November 3 through 30 to Operation HomeFront, a non-profit organization that provides emergency and financial assistance to the families of service members and wounded warriors.

“The entire Trident team is honored to celebrate Military Appreciation Month by supporting a cause near and dear to us,” Trident Vice President of Marketing, Vickie Achee said. “The service men and women of our country and their families sacrifice so much on our behalf each day, and we are proud to show our support and make an impact by donating to Operation HomeFront this month.”

All purchases made through Trident Case are qualified for the 20-percent donation to Operation HomeFront by using the code MILOP at check out.

“In addition to supporting the country’s armed forces through our Operation Homefront donation this month, Trident’s new Military Edition will continue to be available online,” Achee added. “Proceeds generated from the sale of merchandise bearing these logos and marks is used to support the trademark licensing program and enhance Morale, Welfare and Recreation programs for America's Armed Forces worldwide.”

Trident Case® offers six series of protective carrying solutions providing one, two, or three layers of protection, including the widely popular Kraken A.M.S., Cyclops, Aegis, Apollo, Perseus, and Electra series. Every series supports a wide range of devices from popular manufacturers including Apple®, Samsung®, HTC®, Motorola®, and more. All Trident cases use bio-enhanced plastic based products that are degradable, compostable, and recyclable.  Over the past two years, Trident Case has invested in the infrastructure and resources necessary to manufacture its tough cases, with style, in the United States of America.

Camera Drones To Provide The Pro AV Industry With The Next Great Sales Opportunity

Dealers looking to capitalize on a $12-billion commercial sales opportunity that also promises to pull through additional sales of traditional AV and IT components should include camera drones into their 2015 product mix, according to Stampede Presentation Products, Inc. President & COO Kevin Kelly, who last week introduced the category to attendees of the 2014 Stampede Vendor Summit in Buffalo, New York.

“While drones are already a major success in markets around the world, the North American market presents the largest commercial sales opportunity in this new category. We believe that North American sales of camera drones are set to take off in 2015 as more and more vertical market end users come to realize the enormous benefits bring to their businesses,” Kelly said. “Over the next two years, as legislation is enacted to provide clarity to the marketplace, more companies in virtually every vertical market will utilize the exciting and convenient tools that camera drones have to offer.  Make no mistake about it.  Camera drones are no pie in the sky.  They represent a huge new opportunity for both our dealers and our manufacturer partners.  Camera drones can be sold to existing end user commercial customers and they will most definitely bring in new customers to the ProAV industry and that will benefit everyone.”

According to Kelly, camera drones are a strategic and cost-effective way to capture aerial photography in the form of digital video. The agricultural industry, for example, is an early adopter of drones to assist in their daily life. Camera drones offer farmers valuable data to determine irrigation needs and help plan harvesting. Covering expansive distances, camera drones enable the private use of technology on their own land. Collecting data via remote control saves the farmer time, as it essentially replaces the action of getting into a pick-up truck and traversing the land.

“The use of camera drones also proves to be more cost-effective overall, as farmers can more accurately determine the required levels and fertilizer use, eliminating waste,” Kelly added.

Beyond agricultural use, Kelly emphasized, first responders are also adopting drones as a means to monitor dangerous situations in real time. Law enforcement, local police, and firefighters will likely use aerial photography and cinematography to monitor potentially life-threatening situations like fires, floods, or traffic accidents. In case of a natural disaster, law enforcers may deploy multiple drones at once to assist in search-and-rescue initiatives. “This is a more effective way to search for missing people, or to warn others to stay away from dangerous areas,” Kelly said. “Drones promote immediate and ongoing awareness, so that first responders can safely and effectively monitor a situation.”

Educators are also adopting drones to enhance security efforts, Kelly asserts. For example, higher education facilities such as universities are purchasing multiple drones to act as an extension of their campus security systems. “Drones provide more accurate and widespread coverage, and will help security offers to keep University students safe,” Kelly said. “K-12 environments are bound to follow, maximizing the security in schools across the country.”

According to Kelly, once an end-user decides to purchase a camera drone, dealers have an opportunity to work with them on developing their content transmission and storage, along with the various monitors, drone pilot controls required to pilot the drone.

“It all adds up to selling a small, or large, command and control solution with every drone as well as video content editing and storage equipment,” Kelly emphasized. “With numerous camera, content transmission, and command and control options, dealers will have the opportunity to specify unique solutions that provide meaningful solutions to end-users and profits to the dealership.”

James Koenig Promoted to Director of Sales for the CI Channel at Core Brands

Core Brands, a Nortek company (NASDAQ: NTK), today announced the promotion of James Koenig to the position of Director of Sales - CI Channel in recognition of his outstanding ability to develop brands on both a regional and national level. 

Effective immediately, Koenig assumes responsibility for the development and implementation of all regional and national sales and business development programs for the Core Brands’ brands sold through custom installation dealers.  He reports directly to Core Brands Senior Vice President of Sales Dave Keller, who today said, “Jim is a true sales professional who has demonstrated over the last 16 years a remarkable ability to grow brands in both challenging and expanding economies. He builds trust-based relationships with dealers and shares my belief that our top priority is delivering our dealers great service to match our innovative products.”

Koenig has held a number of positions within Core Brands and its predecessor companies since 2002 when he first joined ELAN Home Systems as a Regional Sales Associate.  In 2005 he was promoted to the position of ELAN National Distribution Accounts Manager.  In 2007, as National Sales Manager, he successfully launched the ELAN distribution brand ATON.  In 2010, The AVC Group was formed and he took on the role of Western US & Canada Regional Sales Manager for ELAN, ATON, and Sunfire brands.  In 2012 The AVC Group was merged into Core Brands where he became the South Central Regional Sales Manager, a position he held until becoming National Sales Manager for the CI Channel in February of this year.

Before beginning his successful career at ELAN and Core Brands, Koenig grew up in a family security business and possesses extensive knowledge of burglary, fire, CCTV, and access control systems.  After mastering those challenges, he moved into the Audio, Video and Automation side of the CI industry with positions including retrofit installation, retail and custom sales.

A native of Ohio, Koenig studied Computer Information Systems from 1989 through 1993 at Ohio State University and Management Information Systems from 2000 until 2002 at Franklin University. 

“I’m honored to be leading a great sales team and serving our amazing group of dealers,” James Koenig said today.  “And I’m excited about the opportunities that lie ahead. We’re getting ready to bring to market a new generation of products for our key brands, all of which will create amazing new business opportunities for our dealers in the CI channel.”