INDIANAPOLIS, IN—Nov 25, 2008
Klipsch® Realigns Professional Cinema Division
Company transitions business segment from vertically integrated structure to single leadership platform
Klipsch® entered the professional cinema market in 1980. And today, with over 20 speaker offerings, including the first fully horn-loaded, THX®-approved four-way cinema system, the company has made its way into 50 percent of all the new theaters in the Americas, South Korea and Australasia. In order to continue to grow its leadership status worldwide, Klipsch found it necessary to realign its business strategy.
According to Paul Jacobs, president and COO of Klipsch Group, Inc., the company's cinema segment is transitioning from a vertically integrated structure to a single management platform. "Nothing else will change. We are very much committed to remaining a technology leader in the industry and ensuring that all of our cinema partners have the best sound for their theaters," he noted.
Sheldon Combs, a 10-year Klipsch employee, has been promoted to vice president of global cinema development. Combs has played a key leadership role in developing Klipsch's cinema business in the Latin American and Asian Pacific markets. In addition to those regions, he will now direct all efforts in North America, Europe and the Middle East.
"Combs has an indisputable track record. For over a decade, he has been an integral part of our cinema business, giving us multiple advantages over the competition. Putting him in this new leadership role is one of the ways we're making sure we keep our number one brand position within the cinema industry," said Dave Kelley, president of global sales for Klipsch Group, Inc.
Chuck Mulhearn and Lance Jones, longtime members of the Klipsch cinema team, will work as part of a sales representative team. Jones will cover the U.S., while Mulhearn will represent the company worldwide.
As always, Klipsch cinema products will be designed, engineered and manufactured at the company's Hope, Arkansas manufacturing facility. Roy Delgado, principal engineer for Klipsch commercial products, will stay committed to designing new cinema products that are easy to install and require less expense to get better sound. In fact, he developed the new Klipsch KPT-8-VB and KPT-12-VB surrounds that are the first to utilize exclusive Virtual Boundary Array Technology, which reduces the number of amplifier channels required for a typical cinema installation.
