CE Pro 100: Crunching the Numbers

Everybody knew the numbers on the 2009 CE Pro 100 list would be somewhat troubling. So, the 11.7 percent drop in CE Pro 100 companies' custom revenues shouldn't be a surprise.

Hey, we're in a recession! What did you expect?

The truth is, though, that there are some truly bright spots in the CE Pro 100 data that offer integrators reasons to optimism.

Here are a few:

Bottoms Up. The No. 100 company on the 2009 list, Richmond, Va.-based Structured Cable of Va., reports $2,190,000 in custom revenue. That's up $1,800 from what was reported by 2008 No. 100 company El Dorado Home Theater.

Tweeter Is Gone. That, in itself, is certainly not good news. When prolific specialty electronics dealer Tweeter went out of business thousands of people lost their jobs.

To the optimistic, though, Tweeter's departure from many markets leaves lots of audio/video enthusiasts looking for a good place to buy their next system. The same holds true for many Circuit City customers, who also lost their store during the past year.

Numbers Aren't Very Different. Yes, the 11.7 percent decline is the big number that will jump out at CE Pro readers, but a close look at the 2009 CE Pro 100 list reveals that, for companies of certain sizes, the drop off from 2008 list is less dramatic.

The fact the numbers stayed this close in these areas during a recession seems to bode well for the strength of the industry.

Let's look at the differences in CE Pro 100 companies custom revenues incrementally:



Click here to view more tidbits from the CE Pro 100.