OWATONNA, MN – Wenger Corporation named Mike Murphy general manager of the company’s Performing Arts operations. Murphy also retains his his current role as president of J.R. Clancy.
More details from Wenger (www.wengercorp.com):
Wenger Corporation’s Performing Arts market segment will be led by Mike Murphy as General Manager. He will also his retain his current role as President of J.R. Clancy, a leading manufacturer of stage rigging equipment. Reporting to Murphy will be Mark Ingalls in the new position of Performing Arts Segment Manager. This newly created role will improve the customer experience with additional support, coordination and collaboration of multiproduct opportunities. Ingalls will continue to drive business as the Product Manager for Diva® Acoustical Shells. Mike and Mark have over 65 years of experience in Performing Arts and will build on the rich tradition that the Wenger and J.R. Clancy brands offer in the market worldwide.
New to Wenger Corporation is John Hastie, named Business Development Director – Europe and Middle East. Hastie has extensive global performing arts experience, including co-founding and managing Stage Technologies, established in 1994. This company was one of the world’s first dedicated theatre automation specialists providing turnkey engineering solutions and rental equipment for live performance venues. Hastie will focus on developing relationships with customers, specifiers and key influencers while serving as a respected resource for customers. Hastie will report to Mike Murphy and Tom Carman, Vice President of International Sales.
Other personnel involved in this realignment include Dave Kaiser, Manager of Applications Engineering, who will also manage Wenger’s Quick Response Process work cell. The QRP cell and related areas provide comprehensive, one-stop customer support with many projects related to the Performing Arts segment. Dustin Collins has been promoted to the new role of Lighting and Controls Integration Manager, supporting Wenger and J.R. Clancy sales teams with competitive options for lighting, dimming and controls solutions. Collins has a theatre degree with an emphasis on lighting design. Lighting products offer additional market segment opportunities for larger projects requiring additional collaboration and coordination in the market.
Throughout 2015, Wenger’s commitment to Performing Arts has already been demonstrated. Last month, the first Transcend™ Active Acoustic System was installed; it’s a technologically advanced and cost-effective solution for enhancing the acoustics of most performance spaces. In June, Wenger Corporation announced its elevated focus on providing leading-edge acoustical solutions for the Performing Arts market naming Ron Freiheit, a Fellow of the Acoustical Society of America, as Director of Product Development and Acoustics. In February, Wenger Corporation named Damon Atwood to the new role of Technical Sales Manager, providing comprehensive resources, product expertise and specification support.
“Together the Wenger and J.R. Clancy brands have a 200-year history of superior innovation, quality and service,” said Chris Simpson, President and CEO of Wenger Corporation. “Inspired by this proud legacy, we’re strengthening our commitment to the worldwide Performing Arts community with highly skilled personnel, unmatched capabilities and exciting new products”.
