Moving strategically to further develop business opportunities for its vendor partners in the consumer electronics channel, Stampede Presentation Products, Inc., North America’s largest value-added distributor of ProAV solutions, today announced the appointment of Brian Dietz to the position of Vice President of Sales, Direct Response Group. According to Stampede President & COO Kevin Kelly, to whom Dietz reports, the appointment is effective immediately.

“Stampede is committed to developing business opportunities for our vendor partners in every channel where AV products and systems are sold, and that increasingly includes the consumer electronics channel which has seen and will continue to see a blurring of the line that has traditionally separated professional from consumer AV,� Kelly emphasized today.

According to Kelly, Dietz brings more than 35 years of senior consumer electronics sales experience to his new position at Stampede. “Our goal is to cover absolutely every area of the AV industry and to serve our manufacturers by developing sustainable incremental sales from every vertical market. With the addition of Brian to our team, I have no doubt that we will be able to create new business for our existing partners, secure new vendor partners looking to benefit from our expertise and significantly expand the size of the overall market for ProAV solutions throughout the consumer market.�

Prior to joining the sales team at Stampede, Dietz worked at M. Rothman & Company, Inc. from 1997-2012, where he served as the Vice President of Sales for the New Jersey-based consumer electronics distributor. Prior to this, he held the position of Director of Sales for the East Coast Zone at Sharp Electronics from 1987-1997. After graduating from Long Island University in 1973, Dietz spent the next seven years serving as the Regional Sales Manager of the East Coast Zone for JVC.

“I’m very excited to be joining Stampede as they continue to expand their already-dominant presence in the ProAV industry,� said Dietz. “I have more than 35 years of sales experience in the consumer electronics industry and I know that I have the knowledge and enthusiasm that will help Stampede accelerate its rate of growth in this market segment.�

About Stampede
Known for its value-added distribution, Amherst, New York-based Stampede is the leading distributor of presentation equipment including LCD/DLP projectors and flat panel displays. Stampede provides a complete range of brand name presentation equipment to a variety of audio/video, computer, and home theater resellers and integrators in the United States, Canada and Latin America. These resellers rely on Stampede for value-added services in distribution, marketing and solution- based sales. Stampede annually produces the “Big Book of AV,� an 816-page catalog and companion website (www.BigBookofAV.com) providing hundreds of sales, installation and spec tips for Stampede’s dealers in addition to product details on more than 5,000 SKUs. For more information on Stampede, log onto www.stampedeglobal.com.

Every ProAV integration company has to start somewhere, and that often involves partnering with distributors that can decide the fate of the integrator based on the credit line they extend, the support they provide and the product selection they offer. When Vancouver-based NGX Interactive grew their digital content company into a full-fledged integration firm, they contacted several ProAV distributors and found that Stampede was the only distributor that really understood their business plan and believed in them from the start, extending them a line of credit and even helping them to choose the best products and lend design advice for their installations.

“The problem for a lot of small firms is they have a tough time getting accounts with large distributors due to credit issues and other factors,� said NGX VP of Business Development Thomas Hepburn.“We had been purchasing from local resellers and it just wasn’t a sustainable business model—the costs were too high and there was no personal relationship. One of our friends at a display manufacturer recommended we reach out to Stampede, and once we did they recognized right away that we were a small firm with big ambitions.

“Stampede believed in what we were doing and wanted to get on board, and ever since our relationship with them has been incredible. From the advice and personal support they provide to their never-fail service and on-time delivery, they have helped us grow and deliver amazing ProAV solutions.�

Since partnering with Stampede in 2011, NGX has completed several large installations featuring new technologies such as multi-touch video walls and projection video wallsatthe University of British Columbia’s Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences building and an interactive game that combines carnival-style water guns with a large video wall for a new exhibit at TELUS World of Science BC. The company works on the cutting edge of touch technologies and has also implemented multitouch tabletop displays for several clients.

According to Stampede President and COO Kevin Kelly, “We partner with ProAV integrators of all sizes, whether they are new or have been around for 30 years, and provide them the same unparalleled level of service and support we’ve become famous in the industry for. To succeed in this industry, integrators need to have a partner they can rely on to deliver exactly what they need, right when they need it, and be able to help them choose products and design complex AV systems that delight their clients.
We’re always thrilled when we can help a new partner grow and deliver above and beyond their clients’ expectations. NGX Interactive is just one example of how Stampede supports the little guys, and their story is inspiring to other new ProAV integrators hoping to get their big break.�

About Stampede
Known for its value-added distribution, Amherst, New York-based Stampede is the leading distributor of presentation equipment including LCD/DLP projectors and flat panel displays. Stampede provides a complete range of brand name presentation equipment to a variety of audio/video, computer, and home theater resellers and integrators in the United States, Canada and Latin America. These resellers rely on Stampede for value-added services in distribution, marketing and solution- based sales. Stampede annually produces the “Big Book of AV,� an 816-page catalog and companion website (www.BigBookofAV.com) providing hundreds of sales, installation and spec tips for Stampede’s dealers in addition to product details on more than 5,000 SKUs. For more information on Stampede, log onto www.stampedeglobal.com.

The world’s most sophisticated and user-friendly entertainment and control system, ELAN® g!, is about to become even more user- and integrator-friendly with the ISE 2013 market debut of the new ELAN g!6.2 Software Update which features support for international weather forecasting, a host of new drivers and ‘back end’ improvements to make it even easier for integrators to program and install. The formal introduction of the new software update will take place at ISE 2013 in Stand 1N80.

According to ELAN Home Systems Brand Manager Robert Ridenour, the announcement of the new software update, in addition to bringing critically important new functionality to market, comes less than one month after the company began delivering its g!6.0 software and underscores the speed of product enhancements that are now underway at ELAN.

“With sales of the ELAN g! System hitting critical mass around the world, we are dedicated to accelerating the pace of software development that will ensure that the ELAN g! system remains the easiest to install, use, and update entertainment and control system available from any manufacturer,� Ridenour said today.

According to Ridenour, the new ELAN g!6.2 Software Update features a host of new features including support for true global weather forecasting that will allow g! customers in every part of the world to access and display weather forecasts for their geographic area. What’s more, the g!6.2 software will allow dealers to program specific automation trigger events based on the local forecast, including, but not limited to, temperature, humidity, wind, and weather alerts for automation of things like motorized window shutters and shades, internal climate set points and distribution of email alerts to the homeowner, among others.

“Automating the home via weather information is something that few other manufacturers can accomplish and this adds a great new feature set for ELAN g! integrators,� commented Ridenour.

The new ELAN g!6.2 Software Update also provides support for a host of new drivers, including manufacturers like Rako Lighting, Cool Master, and Clypsal Lighting, among others. In addition, the new update delivers an improved dealer- programming interface that further shortens the time required to program a g! system.

“Over the last year the international appeal of the ELAN g! system has grown significantly, in no small part due to the introduction of KNX support, Chinese language support, support of international streaming content and Android support,� Ridenour stressed. “Today’s announcement will serve to strengthen g!’s international appeal that much further. We look forward to a very exciting ISE 2013.�

About ELAN Home Systems:
Since 1990 ELAN® Home Systems has been an industry leading manufacturer of innovative, award-winning Multi-Room audio/video systems. ELAN systems were the first to integrate audio, video, phones and third-party products to create a seamless, easy-to-use “whole house” solution. ELAN systems and products are distributed through a comprehensive channel of select Dealers and Distributors throughout the United States, Canada and more than 58 countries worldwide. To learn more, visit www.elanhomesystems.com. ELAN is part of the CORE Brands division of the Nortek Technology Solutions Segment (www.nortek-inc.com). CORE Brands combines the product and marketing strengths of ten iconic audio, power management and control brands into a single business unit that includes ATON®, BlueBOLT®, ELAN®, Furman®, Niles®, Panamax®, Proficient®, SpeakerCraft®, Sunfire® and Xantech® brands.

A new Dallas-area home now stands as a model for sustainable housing that puts comfort and technology at the center of the home experience. Thanks to a 48-panel rooftop solar array, the owners minimize their electric bill and will always have uninterrupted power for their ELAN® g! Entertainment and Control System that integrates 10 TVs, 14 audio zones, three surround sound systems, climate controls, 34 motorized Lutron window shades, a security system with 8 surveillance cameras, the pool/spa equipment and irrigation system.

In addition to its role in the sustainability of the home, the owners chose the ELAN g! system to help eliminate as much wall clutter as possible including thermostats, security panels and pool control panels. The g! system makes this possible by allowing owners to use their own smartphones, tablets, computers, a few discreet in-wall touchpanels and ELAN HR2 remotes to control every core home system from lighting to AV to irrigation.

Powering all of this is a 10.56kW rooftop solar array comprised of 48 Sanyo solar panels that produces a total of 45-60kWh every day. The system can provide enough power for the entire home, but is also tied into the electrical grid so there is never a power shortage during peak usage, and so the owners can sell their excess electricity back to the utility company during low usage times. This way, the system eventually pays for itself in full!

According to Eco High Fidelity’s Tommy Kissell, many factors play into the energy efficiency of the home, including the specially-angled roof designed to provide ideal placement for the solar panels, premium insulation, two 2,500-gallon rainwater collection barrels for irrigation, tank-less hot water and intelligently-located windows with automated motorized window shades that either let in or block out light depending on the climate inside the home and time of day.

“Of course one of the keys is the ELAN g! system itself,� Kissell said, “In addition to ELAN’s efficient Class D switching amplifiers that eliminate extra components, g! allows for all of the system components to be centrally located, which reduces the amount of wiring and ensures that every component is connected in the most efficient way possible. With automation features such as pre-scheduled lighting and heating and event-based actions such as window shades that raise and lower at dawn and dusk, the entire house operates at optimal efficiency.

“ELAN g! gives homeowners an effortless, concrete way to reduce electricity usage while improving their standard of living. The AV capabilities are second to none, and the whole system is so easy to adjust that the homeowner can make most changes on the fly without even calling us. And to protect the equipment rack and simplify maintenance we used a Furman BlueBolt UPS that allows us to reset the whole system remotely, which can save us an expensive house call when all that’s required is a reset.�

The homeowners felt it was important to create an incredible AV experience throughout the entire home, which made ELAN g! the ideal choice because it merges energy efficiency with superior quality audio and video distribution. The house also has an enterprise-grade Pakedge network that provides high speed wi-fi in every room.

“Homeowners looking to lessen their environmental impact want to do so without sacrificing their standard of living,� Kissell continued. “So as an integrator I need to present a compelling solution that maintains or improves living conditions while reducing energy usage, and that solution is the ELAN g! system.�

According to Kissell, the home’s designer and builder, Artex Development, was integral in the success of this project because the company embraces the importance of technology in today’s new homes. “A lot of builders today put the electronics integrator last and take a reactionary approach, but Artex was all over the AV and control aspect from day one. They made us a priority and kept us involved throughout the entire planning and building process, and this approach helped deliver the perfect system for the homeowner.�

The ELAN g! Entertainment and Control System provides users with the most uniform and intuitive icon-based control from their favorite devices including TVs, touchscreens, touchpads, PCs, iPhones and iPads. The standardized interface works across platforms, so that the trendy g!Mobile app users love on the iPhone appears and works similarly on ELAN touchscreens, valets and handheld remotes as well as users’ televisions and mobile devices. And the system’s IP backbone makes it just as easy to control the system from across the room – or across the globe.

Individual “apps” for each subsystem allow the user to control security, climate, lighting, media, irrigation, pool/spa, messaging, video and photos with the flick of a finger. Access is fast and secure through any ELAN home interface or globally with mobile Internet enabled devices like the iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad, Netbooks and PC Tablets. Since the intuitive interface empowers users with personalized scheduling and detailed history views, high consumption subsystems like lighting and climate can be closely monitored and managed for a greener lifestyle – and substantial energy savings.

About ELAN Home Systems:
Since 1990 ELAN® Home Systems has been an industry leading manufacturer of innovative, award-winning Multi-Room audio/video systems. ELAN systems were the first to integrate audio, video, phones and third-party products to create a seamless, easy-to-use “whole house” solution. ELAN systems and products are distributed through a comprehensive channel of select Dealers and Distributors throughout the United States, Canada and more than 58 countries worldwide. To learn more, visit www.elanhomesystems.com. ELAN is part of the CORE Brands division of the Nortek Technology Solutions Segment (www.nortek-inc.com). CORE Brands combines the product and marketing strengths of ten iconic audio, power management and control brands into a single business unit that includes ATON®, BlueBOLT®, ELAN®, Furman®, Niles®, Panamax®, Proficient®, SpeakerCraft®, Sunfire® and Xantech®

When it comes to looking out for the insurance interests of the worldwide entertainment industry, no company works harder at making sure its policies are completely current with the times than Take1 Entertainment Insurance, a division of U.S. Risk Insurance Group, Inc. Today, Take1 demonstrated the extent of its commitment with the announcement that, effective immediately, it was amending its policies on software, media, and data storage devices to include all reusable media that is part of or attached to photographic, video, and sound recording equipment.

Furthermore, according to Take1 Executive Vice President and Program Director Scott Carroll, the new policy amendment automatically extends to all current policy holders, thus eliminating the need for clients to reapply for the added protection coverage. “This is a very big deal. No one is more in touch with the needs of the entertainment industry than Take1,� Carroll asserted today.

“The vast majority of today’s entertainment content is created and stored on reusable media and it’s critically important that the creators of this content be able to rest assured that the content they produce is protected just like every other piece of equipment they use.�

Carroll emphasized that, very often, recording media of all types are excluded from coverage in most policies written by other insurance providers. “We believe that doing so is a genuine disservice to our clients,� Carroll explained. “After all, the content is the most value asset that should be protected. We can help provide this peace of mind by covering the media connected to a client’s recording equipment.�

About U.S. Risk Insurance Group
U. S. Risk Insurance Group, Inc. is a specialty lines underwriting manager and wholesale broker headquartered in Dallas. Operating 12 domestic and international branches, it offers a broad range of products and services through its affiliate companies, which include U.S. Risk Underwriters, U.S. Risk Brokers, Lighthouse Underwriters, LLC, Professional Claims Managers, Omnisure Consulting Group, Oxford Insurance Brokers, Ltd. (London), Goss Reinsurance Brokers, LLC, and NovaPro Risk Solutions, LP. Its entertainment division, Take1, has served as the official endorsed insurance provider for the last 15 years INFOCOMM, the leading association of A/V communications industry professionals.

When APG Displays was asked to once again provide the right state-of-the-art video display solution to compellingly present the proceedings of the 2012 Remembrance Day ceremony in Toronto, the leading Canadian display rental company didn’t have to think long about the decision. They immediately turned to the same company they relied upon for the 2011 Remembrance Day ceremony — NanoLumens, for its 112� NanoFlex™ displays.

APG Displays, NanoLumens’ exclusive Canadian Distributor, provided its trade partner Mediaco with two NanoFlex displays to use at the November 11 ceremony in downtown Toronto. The very same NanoLumens display solution was used for the 2011 ceremony.

Remembrance Day, also known as Armistice Day, is a memorial day that honors all veterans by remembering their selfless courage and commitment on the anniversary of the end of World War I. The ceremony took place at the Ontario Veterans Memorial on November 11 and featured a speech by Dalton McGuinty, the Premier of Ontario.

According to APG Displays Vice President David Weatherhead, the decision to bring back the NanoFlex displays was an easy one. “Everyone, from Mediaco to the ceremony attendees, absolutely loved the NanoFlex displays last year, so it only made sense that we would provide the same stunning displays for the 2012 ceremony. The NanoFlex displays can be set up and taken down quickly, and they provide attendees with an incredibly bright, crisp image resolution, making it possible for the entire crowd to get a great look at everything taking place up front. In the end, everyone was happy to see the NanoFlex displays return.�

According to Josh Byrd, Director of Marketing at NanoLumens, “Our NanoFlex 112� displays are the ideal solution for this type of event, with their signature combination of brilliant image quality and ease of installation and operation. We’re happy to have our revolutionary technology utilized for this ceremony and we hope to be asked back in 2013!�

NanoLumens displays are extremely slim, ultra-lightweight, energy efficient, and feature a bright, seamless, high resolution picture quality that can be viewed from any angle throughout the display horizon without color shift or image distortion. The company’s patented display technology, which allows customers to select from 4mm up to 10mm pixel pitch (depending on the model), promises to transform the way marketers engage their customers in every type of trade show, retail, hospitality, stadium, arena, transportation and public event environment.

NanoLumens displays are designed and engineered with the environment in mind, and consume significantly less energy per square foot than conventional digital displays. Further emphasizing their commitment to eco-friendly technology, NanoLumens displays are composed of up to 50 percent reclaimed materials, and are completely recyclable. What’s more, some NanoLumens displays can be serviced from the front, making maintenance easier than ever before possible.

Designed and assembled in the United States, NanoLumens displays are offered in standard configurations as well as design-specific configurations to fit virtually any size, shape or curvature in both the NanoFlex line of flexible displays and the NanoSlim line of fixed frame displays.

The company’s technology has been named ‘Best LED Product’ of the year by Rental & Staging magazine in its 2012 INFOCOMM Product Awards Program, as well as being recognized by Entrepreneur magazine as a 2011 future-proof tech trend and cited by The Wall Street Journal in its 2010 Technology Innovations Awards. NanoLumens’ technology also received the 2011 Breakthrough Technology of the Year Award at the American Technology Awards. Digital Signage Magazine awarded the NanoLumens NanoFlex a 2011 DIGI Award for “Best New Display Device – Non-LCD or Plasma.�

About NanoLumens®:
Headquartered in Norcross, Georgia, NanoLumens, Inc. (www.nanolumens.com) is a privately held corporation engaged in the research, product development, marketing and sales of unique flexible and fixed large-format LED display solutions in any size, shape, or curvature, that address a yawning technology gap in the $14 billion digital display industry. Since its founding in 2006, NanoLumens has built a portfolio of more than 20 international families of issued and filed patents on its flexible display technology that effectively address the commercial market void between relatively small flat-panel displays and huge, limited application LED boards. NanoLumens technology is not constrained by standard sizes and shapes, or by the weight, noise and cost issues traditionally associated with commercial LED products.

Demonstrating the breadth and scope of its combined product development and marketing capabilities, CORE Brands LLC, a division of the Nortek Technology Solutions Segment, will introduce more than 25 new audio, control and power management products and system solutions at ISE 2013 in Amsterdam. The introductions will be made by the group’s BlueBOLT®, ELAN®, Furman®, Niles®, Panamax®, Proficient®, SpeakerCraft®, Sunfire® and Xantech® brands at two different exhibits in the Amsterdam RAI Centre.

According to Paul Starkey, CORE Brands Senior Vice President of Marketing, the number of new product introductions speaks directly to the group’s ability to offer dealers and integrators a line of integrated audio, control and power management solutions that are unmatched by any other manufacturer. “In every market segment, and at wide-ranging price points, CORE Brands offers a solution that delivers the very best performance value,� Starkey said today. “We believe this to be unique for dealers at a time when operational simplicity and profit are top of mind.�

Leading the parade of new introductions are SpeakerCraft’s TV speaker system and multi-room wireless audio solution, ELAN’s Android and Door Locks App, as well as streaming content and drivers, Niles’ System Integration Amplifiers, mini-subwoofers and garden speakers, Xantech’s groundbreaking new line of IR and IP connectivity solutions, Panamax’s MR Series of power management solutions that combine form and function for today’s home theater environments, Furman’s Contractor Series CN-15MP MiniPort that extends SmartSequencing™ Technology to components outside the equipment rack, the first BlueBOLT-enabled product in the MD family of direct plug-in devices—the MD2-ZB, Proficient’s Zero wireless additions, soundbar & TV speaker along with various in wall/in ceiling releases, and Sunfire’s new shockingly small and powerful ATMOS subwoofer and HRSIW8 in-wall suboofer with the company’s patented StillBass anti-shake technology.

“And these are just the highlights of what our brands will be offering customers at ISE 2013,� Starkey emphasized. “The addition of these products to an already rich portfolio of over 1,000 active CI channel products gives dealers a range of choices with unprecedented association to each other.�

“It is difficult to find a dealer who is not using one of these brands today, and our goal is now to have each dealer using five or more of our brands,� he added. “Product development is the key initiative for our brands in the next year.�

The full range of CORE Brands products and solutions can be seen at the group’s two ISE 2013 exhibits. ATON, ELAN, Niles, Sunfire, and Xantech will be exhibiting in Stand 1N80. BlueBOLT, Panamax, Furman, SpeakerCraft and Proficient will be exhibiting in Stand 1N62.

Headquartered in Petaluma, California, CORE Brands is a division of the Nortek Technology Solutions Segment (www.nortek-inc.com). CORE Brands combines the product and marketing strengths of ten iconic audio, power management and control brands into a single business unit that includes the ATON®, BlueBOLT®, ELAN®, Furman®, Niles®, Panamax®, Proficient®, SpeakerCraft®, Sunfire® and Xantech® brands. CORE Brands has more than 190 years of combined experience in the residential, commercial and professional markets and over 4,300 direct customer accounts in multiple distribution channels in the United States and around the world.

NanoLumens® today announced a strategic alliance with São Paulo, Brazil-based technology integrator NC4U to support its rapidly growing Latin American market. The partnership was formed after the companies worked together on Latin America’s largest-ever digital signage installation project for São Paulo’s new Metro Line 4. According to Almir DeCarvalho, NanoLumens‘ VP of International Sales, this is an important step in the company’s expansion into international markets.

“Retailers, sports arenas, convention halls and public transportation hubs all over the world are recognizing the incredible benefits of NanoLumens LED displays,� DeCarvalho said, “and our new partnership with NC4U gives our technology the representation it deserves in the Latin American market. High quality digital signage installers and systems integrators will play an integral role in NanoLumens growth as they increasingly spec our products and help us grow public visibility.�

NC4U is a full-service company that specializes in digital signage applications, utilizing today’s most advanced display technologies to merge advertising, promotions, media, engineering and technology to meet every client’s digital signage and advertising needs.

According to NC4U’s Edgard Bueno Junior, NanoLumens’ LED display technology gives Latin American advertisers and business owners a unique and powerful new medium to deliver their digital messaging to the masses.

“In a fiercely competitive field like digital signage, NanoLumens has made a name for itself by offering a product that no other manufacturer can match. The NanoLumens displays we are installing at São Paulo’s new Metro Line 4 stations are the digital centerpiece of the project, and we’re excited to be a part of bringing the company’s breakthrough LED displays to the Latin American market.�

NanoLumens displays are extremely slim, ultra-lightweight, energy efficient, and feature a bright, seamless, high resolution picture quality that can be viewed from any angle throughout the display horizon without color shift or image distortion. The company’s patented display technology, which allows customers to select from 4mm up to 10mm pixel pitch (depending on the model), promises to transform the way marketers engage their customers in every type of trade show, retail, hospitality, stadium, arena, transportation and public event environment.

NanoLumens displays are designed and engineered with the environment in mind, and consume significantly less energy per square foot than conventional digital displays. Further emphasizing their commitment to eco-friendly technology, NanoLumens displays are composed of up to 50 percent reclaimed materials, and are completely recyclable. What’s more, some NanoLumens displays can be serviced from the front, making maintenance easier than ever before possible.

Designed and assembled in the United States, NanoLumens displays are offered in standard configurations as well as design-specific configurations to fit virtually any size, shape or curvature in both the NanoFlex line of flexible displays and the NanoSlim line of fixed frame displays.

The company’s technology has been named ‘Best LED Product’ of the year by Rental & Staging magazine in its 2012 INFOCOMM Product Awards Program, as well as being recognized by Entrepreneur magazine as a 2011 future-proof tech trend and cited by The Wall Street Journal in its 2010 Technology Innovations Awards. NanoLumens’ technology also received the 2011 Breakthrough Technology of the Year Award at the American Technology Awards. Digital Signage Magazine awarded the NanoLumens NanoFlex a 2011 DIGI Award for “Best New Display Device – Non-LCD or Plasma.�

About NC4U:
NC4U delivers turn-key digital signage solutions across all Brazilian territory, including content design and distribution, monitoring, media checking, installation, maintenance and technical support, either directly or through its clients in more than 200 retail stores and supermarkets. The company has more than 2,800 exhibition points installed throughout Brazil. NC4U specializes in POS digital signage solutions featuring full service interactive displays and content design, and software development including e-mail, social networks interfaces, printing, audience metering and voice recognition.

About NanoLumens:
Headquartered in Norcross, Georgia, NanoLumens, Inc. (www.nanolumens.com) is a privately held corporation engaged in the research, product development, marketing and sales of unique flexible and fixed large-format LED display solutions in any size, shape, or curvature, that address a yawning technology gap in the $14 billion digital display industry. Since its founding in 2006, NanoLumens has built a portfolio of more than 20 international families of issued and filed patents on its flexible display technology that effectively address the commercial market void between relatively small flat-panel displays and huge, limited application LED boards. NanoLumens technology is not constrained by standard sizes and shapes, or by the weight, noise and cost issues traditionally associated with commercial LED products.

Calling it one of the industry’s most important strategic new opportunities for long-term growth, Stampede Presentation Products, Inc. today announced an expanded Unified Communications product marketing initiative and promoted two of its best seasoned executives to lead the sales effort. According to an announcement made today by Stampede President & COO Kevin Kelly, effective immediately Peter Hurley and Kevin Welling assume the positions of, respectively, Eastern and Western Vice President of Sales of the Unified Communications Integration Group.

“Unified Communications is on the verge of becoming a major new growth opportunity for our dealers in virtually every vertical market, but in particular in corporate, government, and education,� Kelly stressed today. “Over the last two years, we have worked diligently with our manufacturing partners to assemble a veritable menu of unified communications product offerings, covering every need from dedicated enterprise-wide video conferencing systems to software based, PC-attached solutions. There is no company more ready to exploit the opportunities this new field offers. We have integrated Unified Communications throughout our organization and, today, I am announcing the sales team that will lead this group.�

Assuming the position of Eastern Vice President of Sales, Unified Communications Integration Group is Peter Hurley, who has served as a Stampede Director of Sales for the last seven years. Prior to joining Stampede, Hurley served as the Distribution Manager for Sharp Electronics from 2002-2005. Prior to this he was the Sales Manager for Ingram Micro, Inc. Hurley received a Bachelor of Arts degree in English Literature and Business from Canisius College before earning a Certificate in Management Development from the Harvard Business School Club of Buffalo, New York.

Kevin Welling has also served as a Stampede Director of Sales from 2009-2012. Before joining Stampede, Welling served as Southwest Senior Territory Manager at Electrograph from 2006 through 2009. Prior to this, he was the Midwest Account Manager at Activelight from 2005-2006, the Midwest Distribution Manager at Projector Wholesale Supply from 1999-2005, and he worked as the Midwest Account Manager for Boxlight Corporation, after earning his Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration from the University of Washington.

According to Kelly, Stampede’s Unified Communications Sales Specialists will now report to Hurley and Welling, and Stampede is looking to expand the team in 2013, as the company expects that both its sales and the strength of its Unified Communications initiative will continue to grow.

About Stampede
Known for its value-added distribution, Amherst, New York-based Stampede is the leading distributor of presentation equipment including LCD /DLP projectors and flat panel displays. Stampede provides a complete range of brand name presentation equipment to a variety of audio/video, computer, and home theater resellers and integrators in the United States, Canada and Latin America. These resellers rely on Stampede for value-added services in distribution, marketing and solution- based sales. Stampede annually produces the “Big Book of AV,� an 816-page catalog and companion website (www.BigBookofAV.com) providing hundreds of sales, installation and spec tips for Stampede’s dealers in addition to product details on more than 5,000 SKUs. For more information on Stampede, log onto www.stampedeglobal.com.

John Kahn has been appointed Chief Financial Officer of NanoLumens®, according to an announcement made today by Rick Cope, President & CEO of the Georgia-based company that introduced the world to large-format flexible LED display technology. The appointment is effective immediately.

“We’re very excited to welcome John as our new CFO,� said Cope. “He comes to us with an exceptional track record and is certain to play a crucial role in this critically important time of growth for NanoLumens. With his experience and leadership abilities, we will be able to successfully accomplish both our short and long-term goals.�

Kahn has more than 25 years of strategic international financial experience that includes CFO roles at a variety of NASDAQ listed, private equity owned, and venture capital backed companies. Kahn, a Certified Public Accountant, is an accomplished and highly networked CFO who is experienced in working with technology-focused companies, both domestically and internationally. In addition to his strong financial background, Kahn also has significant experience managing legal, human resource, and information technology functions.

Most recently, Kahn was CFO of TeamStaff, Inc. where he helped the Company become a top-performing micro-cap stock and led a public offering. Kahn started his career with Arthur Andersen in the United Kingdom, before transferring to Silicon Valley, where he was part of Andersen’s Global High Technologies Industry Team and served as an Audit and Business Advisory Manager. Kahn then became CFO of various publicly traded, private equity and venture capital backed companies, achieving over 50% IRR for his investors.

Kahn is also a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales, a Chartered Global Management Accountant and a Certified Information Technology Professional. He is currently President of the Atlanta Chapter of the Association of Chartered Accountants in the United States (ACAUS) and a member of the Board of Directors of the Atlanta Chapter of the Association for Corporate Growth (ACG). Kahn is also a past president of the Technology Executives Round-table (TER) and has a Bachelor of Science (Economics) degree from the University of Wales.

“I’m very proud and excited to be joining the NanoLumens team,� Kahn said today. “NanoLumens is doing things unlike any other digital signage provider in the industry, and I’m looking forward to doing my part to help them continue this unbelievable rate of growth. Their innovative technology is changing the way the world sees digital signage and I’m confident that I can use my experience and expertise to help take the company to the next level!�

NanoLumens displays are extremely slim, ultra-lightweight, energy efficient, and feature a bright, seamless, high resolution picture quality that can be viewed from any angle throughout the display horizon without color shift or image distortion. The company’s patented display technology, which allows customers to select from 4mm up to 10mm pixel pitch (depending on the model), promises to transform the way marketers engage their customers in every type of trade show, retail, hospitality, stadium, arena, transportation and public event environment.

NanoLumens displays are designed and engineered with the environment in mind, and consume significantly less energy per square foot than conventional digital displays. Further emphasizing their commitment to eco-friendly technology, NanoLumens displays are composed of up to 50 percent reclaimed materials, and are completely recyclable. What’s more, many NanoLumens displays can be serviced from the front, making maintenance easier than ever before possible.

Designed and assembled in the United States, NanoLumens displays are offered in standard configurations as well as design-specific configurations to fit virtually any size, shape or curvature in both the NanoFlex line of flexible displays and the NanoSlim line of fixed frame displays.

The Company’s technology has been named ‘Best LED Product’ of the year by Rental & Staging magazine in its 2012 INFOCOMM Product Awards Program, as well as being recognized by Entrepreneur magazine as a 2011 future-proof tech trend and cited by The Wall Street Journal in its 2010 Technology Innovations Awards. NanoLumens’ technology also received the 2011 Breakthrough Technology of the Year Award at the American Technology Awards. Digital Signage Magazine awarded the NanoLumens NanoFlex a 2011 DIGI Award for “Best New Display Device – Non-LCD or Plasma.�

About NanoLumens:
Headquartered in Norcross, Georgia, NanoLumens, Inc. (www.nanolumens.com) is a privately held corporation engaged in the research, product development, marketing and sales of unique flexible and fixed large-format LED displays that address a yawning technology gap in the $14 billion digital display industry. Since its founding in 2006, NanoLumens has built a portfolio of more than 20 international families of issued and filed patents on its flexible display technology that effectively address the commercial market void between relatively small flat-panel displays and huge, limited application LED boards. NanoLumens technology is not constrained by standard sizes and shapes, or by the weight, noise and cost issues traditionally associated with commercial LED products.