Business Ink

Michael Irwin has replaced Christian Choi (who has moved on to work with High End Systems) as the "friendly voice of technical support" at California-based AC Lighting Inc. Irwin will answer programming and software-related questions regarding the WYSIWYG range of programs, the grandMA lighting control console from MA Lighting, and with the Jands and Zero 88 product lines. He can be reached at (818) 216-3443; email: [email protected] Electronic Corporation of Old Lyme, CT, has named Garth Lobban market development representative for all Sennheiser brands (Sennheiser, Neumann, DAS, and Chevin) in the western region. In his new position, Lobban will function as the key liaison with contractors and consultants to introduce new products and discuss product applications. Lobban joins Sennheiser with over 15 years of experience in the pro audio field. He most recently spent five years at Location Sound, North Hollywood, CA, one of the largest west coast dealers for both Sennheiser and Neumann. In other Sennheiser news, at AES99, the company presented the 1999 Sound Designer Appreciation Awards, which recognize the achievements of sound designers and their use of Sennheiser products, to a stellar list of top names in sound design. Recipients include: Bruce Cameron, Tom Clark (Artec Consulting), Jonathan Deans, Peter Fitzgerald (Sound Associates), Peter Hylenski, Abe Jacob, Steve Canyon Kennedy, Tony Meola, Otts Munderloh, Karl Richardson, Brian Ronan, and Jon Weston. Lastly on the Sennheiser front, the company recently held a groundbreaking ceremony for its new manufacturing facility, at the company's German headquarters in Wennebostel, near Hannover, Germany. The project is projected to cost DM10 million. Architects Bahlo, Kohnke, Stosberg, & Partners designed the building, and IBM, serving as the general contractor, will build the new facility for the manufacturing of microphones and headphone systems....Pro audio manufacturer Tascam has opened the Palo Alto Research Center (PARC) in Silicon Valley in order to take advantage of the vast array of world-renowned engineers to help design and write software to control digital audio products built by Tascam R&D in Tokyo. Currently, all of the engineers at PARC are working on software components. Girault Jones (engineer) and Tom Duffy (project leader/engineer) are concentrating on hardware control and drivers. Brian Clark (engineer) is working on graphical user interfaces, while Colin Clark (engineer) and Rob Boyer are working on the "middleware" that sits between these components. For more information on the Palo Alto Research Center, you can visit Tascam at www.tascam.com.....Automated lighting manufacturer High End Systems has formed a new architectural division using the Lightwave Research(R) brand. The High End Systems brand will be used with entertainment lighting products and the Lightwave Research brand will be used for products developed specifically for the architectural lighting market. The company's first appointment to the new division is of Charlie Hulme to architectural sales manager for Lightwave products. Hulme will oversee sales and distribution, as well as design support of Lightwave products through High End Systems' worldwide network of manufacturer's reps, dealers, and distributors...Owi Inc. has moved, to 17141 Kingsview Avenue, Carson, CA 90746; phone: (310) 515-1900; fax: (310) 515-1606; email: [email protected] an ambitious plan, Renkus-Heinz plans to double its European sales within 24 months and establish a new European office in Stockholm, Sweden. To that end, the company has hired Karl-Gustaf Kahlau, formerly with Swedish pro audio distributor Alba, as European sales manager....LVH Electric Incorporated, the Oxnard, CA-based rigging and control systems provider and installer, has added Harvey Sweet and Ron Baran to its staff. Sweet joins the sales and project management section; Baran joins the installation staff....ETC has named Sylvia Sinclair, most recently southwestern regional sales manager at Barbizon in Texas, as its new Midwest regional sales manager. Sinclair will be based in the company's Middleton, WI office; her sales territory will cover all of the Midwest, with special focus on the metropolitan markets of Chicago, Milwaukee, and Minneapolis....Melbourne, Australia-based Lighting Control Systems has recently restructured following financial difficulties experienced late last year. LSC Lighting Systems Pty. Ltd. has been formed as a subsidiary of LSC Electronics, and a new managing director, Stan White, is in place. LSC Lighting Systems can be contacted at +61 3 9561 5255 or via email: [email protected] Stage Lighting Co. has a new marketing manager: Fred Mikeska, who is working from a newly opened Midwest sales office in Michigan. Phone: (518) 251-3302 x 214; fax: (512) 251-2908....Denver-based Colorado Scenery now has a website: www.coloradoscene.com features photos of recent projects, such as touring productions for the Colorado Ballet and a themed fabrication for the Nextell Corp., as well as services and company information....Other web news: Acoustical Interiors, the acoustic products division of SDG, has updated its website, adding an online acoustic calculator, which allows users to calculate room modes and reverb time for most common spaces, a monthly newsletter, a bass trap calculator, and the firm's product lines....Cuningham Group Construction Services won the 1999 National Design-Build Award for Best Private Sector Project Under $15 million, presented by the Design-Build Institute of America, for Cafe Odyssey in the Mall of America in Bloomington, MN. The award was presented in October at the 1999 Design-Build Institute Conference in Dallas...Robert Koval, technical director and project manager of El Segundo, CA-based Thomas Gregor Associates since 1992, has been promoted to general manager, in part overseeing TGA's growth in the Europe and Asia markets...Venice, CA-based Blur Studio, a 3D animation, effects, and design house, has launched a theme park and special venue division headed by veteran ride-film director Yas Takata....Klark Teknik Group has just announced a new initiative to introduce Midas service centers into six key areas--the West, Midwest, South and Northeast--with service centers, located in the San Francisco Bay area, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Oklahoma City, Nashville, TN, and New Jersey--with the promise of more to be opened up in the near future. Previously, Midas field service was handled directly from the US headquarters in Buchanan, MI. Further centers are planned for Atlanta, Florida, Texas, and the Carolinas in the near future....

Raymond Jarreau has been promoted to vice president of operations at Sun Valley, CA-based Show Technologies. In his previous post at senior project manager, he managed the engineering, production, and installation of more than 200 effects at Universal Studios Islands of Adventure...Tubeworks, which makes SkyDancer inflatable displays, has pumped up its staff by appointing Michael Reeder sales supervisor of worldwide sales.... Sonics Associates Inc., the exclusive provider of sound systems for Imax theatres, is now a wholly owned subsidiary of the giant-screen giant. Toronto-based Imax announced that it had acquired the remaining 49% interest in Sonics in early October; it purchased its original 51% in 1988. Terms were not disclosed, but Sonics' senior management will remain in place....American DJ/Asia has moved from Taiwan to Singapore. New contact info: Jason Echols, American DJ (Asia), 261 Waterloo St. #03-05, Waterloo Centre, Singapore 180261. Phone: 65 336-8628; fax: 65 336-1217; email: [email protected] Sales of San Diego, CA, has been engaged as representatives for LCS (Level Control Systems) in Latin America, Asia, and Australia. International Sales will manage distribution of LCS products in those areas; the company may be contacted at: International Sales, 3233 Lucinda St. San Diego, CA, 92106. Phone: (619) 224-9429; fax: (619) 224-9439; email: [email protected] Entertainment Corp. has appointed Dena O'Malley, a member of the Southeast chapter of the Themed Entertainment Association, as its marketing manager....Spirit by Soundcraft has relocated its US operations to the Harman Pro NA (1449 Donelson Pike, Nashville, TN 37217; phone: (615) 360-0471; fax: (615) 367-9046). Harman is already the US headquarters for Amek, AKG, and BSS....After 27 years of service within the professional audio industry (23 of those with Buchanan, MI-based Electro-Voice and the last nine as president), Paul McGuire has announced his retirement. His official resignation took effect last summer, but he will stay on as a management consultant to Telex until February 2000....