Company 411

As Tomcat kicked off its 25th Anniversary celebration at LDI 2011, it was immediately clear that, while they were proud of their past, they had their collective eye trained squarely on the future. And actually, they could be celebrating a concurring anniversary: They are entering their fifth year as being part of the global giant the Vitec Group, and the people of Tomcat are building on their strength while looking to do bigger and better things, including expanding into new products.

“Hometown Heroes” Going Strong in 30th Year

Here’s the thing: we’ll do a big American Airlines event in the convention center, or something in your backyard.”

That’s Terry Cain, speaking like a true hometown hero. And it’s not surprising: In October, in Orlando, Cain’s company, Dallas-based Gemini Light, Sound, Video, received the 2011 Parnelli Hometown Hero Award for Best Lighting Company of the Year.

“It’s been a helluva ride,” declares George Studnicky III, owner of Creative Stage Lighting (CSL). “We’ve had good growth throughout our history, and now we’re rebuilding from a 32,000 square foot space and adding another 75,000 to that, which will allow Creative Stage Lighting to create another 25 jobs.”

Philips Brands Benefit from Investments in Technology

The Strand name is one of the most venerable in stage lighting — it’s been around since 1914, when Strand Electric was originally founded by two West End electricians in London, Arthur Earnshaw and Phillip Sheridan. The two set out to provide the prestigious theatre district with the most modern stage lighting and control available.

Company History an Inspiring Tale of Perseverance

Spotting something on eBay triggered Eric Von Fange to think back to his earliest days as lighting director and the latest in LED technology simultaneously. He had been in the business professionally since the tender age of 17, so he’s hoisted more than a few Fresnels in his day. And as the owner of a lighting clamp and accessory company for over a quarter of a century, he’s been able to keep up with all innovations.

Mike Wells had an enviable successful career as an entertainment engineer consultant. After all, he’s engineered and designed for the likes of Pink Floyd, The Rolling Stones, U2 and Disney Live! among many others. Yet it wasn’t quite enough. “I always wanted to be an entrepreneur,” he stated quietly from his home recently. “I always wanted my own company.”

Keeping track of rental inventory and budgets is a daunting task. Keeping an accurate count of cable alone can make one’s head implode. Add fixtures, control, power distro and all the other products a rental house has to offer, and it can make you go nutty. Navigator Systems has used the power of the computer to handle inventory and create a tracking system for the entertainment industry. The company has been developing their HireTrack rental management package since 1995. Since then, they have also captured numerous awards for product excellence, and Navigator Systems HireTrack rental packages have been installed at over 500 sites in 16 countries and translated into five languages.

“I’ve always been interested in live entertainment,” Doug Fleenor confesses. “I put together my first sound system at seven, which involved a Lafayette PA horn, an Allied crystal microphone and a B-Stock tube amp from a local stereo store.” And no one would doubt when he says in high school he was that AV geek.

Company Expands, Looks to the Future

Starting around 2007, Albert Chauvet would take time out of his busy day to go visit empty warehouses. His lighting company had grown exponentially over the years and was now bursting at the seams, taking up four separate buildings. The success he and his wife Berenice had experienced since opening their doors in 1990 had reached a breaking point. The company was busting at the seams with 40,000 square feet and separate buildings all adding up to logistical challenges.

Our industry is very visual. We use light to help alter the beholder’s perception of what is going on right in front of them. A single shaft of light and a dark stage, stunning aerials bouncing across the stage — these examples are common practices of capturing the audience’s eye and intensifying their experience.

The concept of the pop-up store – the temporary outlet that creates as much buzz as sales – has quickly become rooted in American retail strategy. Wybron CEO Keny Whitright has taken that one step further with his drive-by shop: Wybron's Mobile Light Lab, a 45-foot trailer that's high-tech on the inside and highly graphic on the outside. Tugged by a powerful Kenworth semi truck, the MLL made its debut in early February at Wybron's Colorado Springs headquarters and manufacturing center and marks a new chapter for the company, using this second iteration of taking its message and products on the road as a plan for the future.

Jerry Krulewicz has wired the last four decades of the live event industry. From his days as a teen working with big bands to Broadway, through Saturday Night Live to a political summit at the threshold of Soviet Union's fall to the Olympics and houses of worship, he's stared down every technical challenge with one simple approach: There must be a better way.