All Articles Tagged Linear

Jason Knott | 02/08 12:16 PM, 7 Comments

Duane Paulson, a 20-year veteran in the home security, home automation and custom electronics industries, has joined Linear LLC as senior vice president, product and market development. Linear is a flagship brand in the Nortek portfolio, which also includes The AVC Group (Elan Home Systems, Niles Audio and Xantech), SpeakerCraft, Panamax/Furman, Gefen, Omnimount, LiteTouch and other prominent CE companies. At Linear, Paulson will be responsible for technical services, marketing, and product and business development for several lines including security, CCTV, access control, garage door openers, PERS, structured wiring, wireless technology… View this story

Julie Jacobson | 01/27 10:13 AM, 2 Comments

Grant Rummell, the man responsible for amassing the largest collection of home technology manufacturers ever assembled, retired after 23 years at Nortek. Rummell most recently served as chairman and CEO of Nortek’s Linear subsidiary, running its stable of home technology brands. Among the impressive brands under his purview: Elan Home Systems, Gefen, Linear (security division), LiteTouch, Magenta Research, Niles Audio, OmniMount (recently merged with Ergotron, another mount manufacturer in the Linear home tech family), Panamax, Secure Wireless, SpeakerCraft, Sunfire and Xantech. Linear was “just” a home security manufacturer when Rummell… View this story

Jason Knott | 09/29 07:55 AM, 1 Comment

Linear LLC, a division of Nortek, has announced the formation of its new Business Development Group, which will support several new markets and existing customers interested in customized product solutions ranging from individual components to private labeling (OEM), and new product design and development (ODM). “We’re making this group official,” says Todd Hokunson, vice president of the Business Development Group. “Linear has informally provided OEM services for many years, but with a growing volume in requests from customers and the changing market landscape, Linear decided to leverage and formalize these… View this story

Julie Jacobson | 08/29 11:12 AM, 8 Comments

It’s been more than a year since Elan Home Systems, Niles and Xantech joined forces under one umbrella, The AVC Group, LLC, a division of Nortek's (OTCBB: NTKS) Home Technology Group. The three companies are finally formalizing a new structure of collaboration, starting with a consolidation of rep firms from 45 down to 15. We’ve seen some collaboration from the entities in the past, but it has been little more than a bunch of handshakes and a commitment to help each other. Today, The AVC (Audio Video Control) Group is… View this story

CE Pro Editors | 04/13 09:06 AM, 2 Comments

Linear LLC has named Michael O’Neal as its new president. Dan Stottlemyre, Linear’s president since 2005, was named vice chairman of the Linear Group. O’Neal, who brings significant global experience in business consulting and the electronics industry, joins Linear from Gibson Guitar. There he served as president of the company’s North American operations. O’Neal also served as CEO of several high-tech electronics corporations, such as Philips Accessories and Peripherals and Gemini Industries, among others. Prior to that, he served as a management consultant to governments, businesses and not-for-profit organizations, helping… View this story

Julie Jacobson | 01/14 12:35 PM, 3 Comments

Audiovox (Nasdaq: VOXX), a company best known for buying distressed brands in the accessories business, is straying from its roots with the planned acquisition of Klipsch Group Inc. The company announced on January 6 that it had signed a non-binding term sheet to purchase all of the shares of Klipsch, subject to a number of contingencies. It’s an unusual move for Audiovox, whose core business revolves around such technologically low-brow products as Terk antennas, Energizer batteries, Acoustic Research boom boxes, RCA gadgets, Code Alarm car security products and Surface Clean… View this story

Jason Knott | 12/22 09:44 AM, 14 Comments

Is the industry preparing for a deep shakeout of manufacturers? Yes, according to Paul Starkey, president of Elan Home Systems, part of Nortek’s Linear AVC group. “Unfortunately, we are going to lose manufacturers in the next 12 to 24 months,” he says in an interview with CE Pro. “Any manufacturer under $20 million in revenue I would categorize as being in a high-risk group. They still have to provide the same functions [i.e, technical support] as an $80 million or $100 million company, but they really can’t scale their costs… View this story

Julie Jacobson | 11/23 06:55 AM, 0 Comments

Three months after Niles Audio moved from Miami to Carlsbad, Calif., president Mike “Sparky” Detmer is starting to get the hang of it. The weather is nice, he says, but the cost of living is a bummer. “A box of Kashi costs $5,” he says. The move was part of a consolidation by parent company Linear, a subsidiary of Nortek Inc. Earlier this year, Linear created the Audio Video Control group, combining Niles, Xantech and Elan Home Systems under one roof. For years, the like-minded companies operated autonomously in Miami,… View this story

Julie Jacobson | 11/15 12:24 PM, 22 Comments

Imerge, the previously defunct manufacturer of media servers, is back. Prism Sound Group, a UK-based manufacturer of pro audio products, has acquired “certain assets” of Imerge Ltd., which was closed in June by Linear LLC, the home technology subsidiary of Nortek, Inc. The acquisition marks Prism Sound’s first effort in the consumer market. Grant Rummell, chairman & CEO of Linear LLC, says the sale will “ensure ongoing support for our former customers.” Although the other Linear companies, including Elan Home Systems, Niles and Xantech, had OEMed Imerge’s Xiva technology for… View this story

Julie Jacobson | 08/12 04:45 AM, 0 Comments

Nortek Inc. is consolidating its Linear Audio Video Control properties under one roof in Carlsbad, Calif. The AVC group was formed in April of this year, combining Niles Audio, Xantech and Elan Home Systems into a more unified entity headed by former Harman executive Mark Terry. Niles will close its Miami offices by the end of the year. Ditto for Xantech, which will move out of its Sylmar office in Northern Calif. Elan (including the Aton and Sunfire brands) will maintain a small R&D presence in Lexington, Ky., but otherwise… View this story