Audio-Technica mourns the passing of Ken Reichel, former Executive Vice-President and Chief Operating Officer of Audio-Technica U.S. Ken passed away October 15, 2010, at his home in Richmond, Virginia. A fixture in the professional audio industry, having first played key roles for other microphone manufacturers, Ken joined Audio-Technica in May 1982, and he served the company in various leadership capacities through his retirement in June of 2000.

Audio-Technica U.S. experienced strong growth under Ken’s management. He drove market development and promotion for many innovative products, notably UniPoint® installed-sound microphones and A-T’s 40 Series studio microphones. He was also a strong force behind A-T entering the wireless microphone category and the company’s longstanding relationship with the Olympics.

“Ken valued strong personal relationships based on mutual respect and commitment,� said Phil Cajka, Audio-Technica U.S. President/CEO. Cajka continued, “He had a powerful combination of technical understanding and sales acumen, which served him well in his time with the company and gained him the respect and admiration of customers, fellow sales personnel and A-T’s R&D and engineering team. Ken also had strong ties to our parent company, Audio-Technica Japan. He was known for his larger-than-life personality and was as comfortable drawing up a circuit design on a napkin as he was pitching a million-dollar deal to a potential customer. Ken had an incredible sense of humor and showmanship, which often manifested itself at sales meetings, where he would don his infamous pink jacket. We extend our deepest sympathies to his family, his friends and all who knew him.�

Ken is survived by his wife, Joyce; son, Scott; daughter, Tammi; son-in-law, Martin; and four grandchildren.