Daktronics and Riedel Communications were among two companies making strategic hires. PlexusAV and Powerhouse Alliances announced new partnerships. Get caught up on news from last week in the latest Pro AV Newsmakers.
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Daktronics Hires Danson Kincaid to Serve North Texas Sign Companies
Daktronics hired Danson Kincaid as the new sales representative for sign companies throughout North Texas. Kincaid serves as a primary point of contact for sign partners in the region, providing information on Daktronics LED display solutions, product resources and support for upcoming projects. His role includes assisting sign companies with project coordination and customer support.
Article continues belowKincaid brings industry experience from his time as a Daktronics intern, where he worked with sign companies and supported project coordination and communication efforts. This experience provided him with insight into the processes involved in delivering digital display projects. He earned a degree in Sports Management and competed in roller hockey at the collegiate level, experiences that contributed to his team-oriented approach and communication skills.
KOKUSAI DENKI Electric America Welcomes Mondae Hott
KOKUSAI DENKI Electric America has appointed Mondae Hott as regional sales manager for the Northeast. Mondae leads sales and business development across the Northeast down through North Carolina, working closely with dealers, systems integrators, broadcasters, and production teams to help customers get the most from KOKUSAI DENKI’s broadcast camera and imaging solutions. A key part of her duties includes supporting partners and end users directly, which is an approach that’s central to the company’s strategy.
Mondae brings more than 20 years of industry experience to the position. She spent over two decades with Ensemble Designs, where she played a central role in managing international sales initiatives. During that time, she built strong relationships across global markets and earned a reputation for being responsive, technically knowledgeable and committed to helping customers. When Ensemble Designs was acquired in 2024, it closed a long chapter in her career and paved the way for her role with KOKUSAI DENKI.
Ampetronic | Listen Technologies Announce Promotion and New Hire
Listen Technologies and Ampetronichave promoted Kasey Kaumans to national account manager and named Robert C. Luckey consultant liaison.
Kaumans and Luckey work closely with national partners across the professional AV channel and within the consultant community, respectively, to meet their customers’ need for assistive listening and communication solutions that promote audio accessibility in commercial venues and public settings.
As national account manager at Ampetronic | Listen Technologies, Kaumans, who joined Listen Technologies in 2006, collaborates closely with national partners across the professional AV channel, including integrators and national resellers, to expand adoption of Ampetronic and Listen Technologies solutions and support the company’s growth in the Americas. He also works closely with regional sales managers, manufacturer representatives, marketing, and product teams to ensure consistent execution and strong partner engagement.
In his role as consultant liaison at Ampetronic | Listen Technologies, Luckey works directly with the AV consultant community to amplify their input in service of new products and provide seamless day-to-day support. Luckey has been deeply embedded in the commercial AV channel throughout his career. He has collaborated with consultants, integrators, distributors, and architects on everything from audio DSP and sound masking to conferencing, AVoIP, and acoustical instrumentation. He understands how projects come together, where they can get complicated, and how to be useful at each stage.
Prior to joining Listen Technologies, Luckey was a manufacturers’ representative and represented Listen Technologies in New England. He is very knowledgeable about Listen Technologies’ and Ampetronic’s combined suite of products, including Auri, the world’s first Auracast broadcast audio-based solution for assistive listening.
Riedel Expands Managed Technology Division in the Americas
Riedel Communications appointed Jan Schaffner as VP, managed technology Americas. Schaffner joined Riedel in 2018 and has played a key role in developing the company’s managed technology activities in the Americas. Having most recently served as program manager responsible for the division’s regional expansion, he has contributed to multiple innovation initiatives across global sports leagues and live event environments. In his new role, Schaffner leads the continued growth of the Managed Technology Division in the Americas, focusing on sustainable expansion, local market alignment, and operational excellence.
Collaboration with existing rental partners and system integrators remains a key element of Riedel’s regional strategy. Rather than competing with traditional rental providers, the Managed Technology Division focuses on highly specialized service solutions and complex workflows that extend beyond classic rental models. By combining Riedel products with proprietary technology, operational expertise, and dedicated service teams, Riedel complements the capabilities of local partners, working alongside them to deliver large-scale, technically demanding productions.
SoundTube Adds Jimmy Martin as Design Sales Engineer
SoundTube Entertainment has appointed Jimmy Martin as design sales engineer. Based in Austin, TX, Martin will support integrators, consultants, and distribution partners with system design, pre-sales engineering, and technical sales support across SoundTube’s expanding portfolio. His career includes technical support at Screen Innovations, custom microphone and analog console manufacturing with Wunder Audio, and inside sales and design roles at Biamp and HARMAN. In those positions, he supported programming, audio-video design, and pre-sales engineering for complex commercial AV projects.
Martin joins SoundTube with substantial hands-on experience in professional audio, live sound, AV systems design, and technical support. His background spans retail pro audio sales, live sound engineering, AV installation, manufacturing, and inside sales for major industry brands.
USSI Global Adds Ralph Annunziata as SVP of Operations
Ralph Annunziata has joined USSI Global as SVP of operations. In his new role, Annunziata is focused on driving enterprise-wide process improvements, operational efficiency, and scalable execution to support the company’s continued growth.
A seasoned business transformation leader, Annunziata has more than 30 years of experience in the IT and services industries. Most recently, he served as senior director of operations at Stratasys, but has also held leadership positions at RCA Communications Systems and Eastman Kodak. At USSI Global, he will oversee operations for on-site repairs, depot repair, and logistics.
Partnerships, Trainings, and More: Company News
Almo Pro AV's E4 Experience Stops Next In DC on March 17
After a successful kickoff in Anaheim last month, Almo Pro AV is bringing its 2026 spring E4 Experience to the DC Metro area on March 17. The event will spotlight the public sector and emerging technology markets, bringing together integrators, end users, and technology partners for a day of education, command-and-control demonstrations, and invaluable networking.
“This stop marks the seventh time the E4 Experience has visited the DC Metro area,” said Greg O'Rourke, director of trade shows and events for Almo Pro AV. “For professionals whose work touches public safety, operations, or complex monitoring environments, this E4 Experience should absolutely be on their radar.” He added, “Attendees will have access to more than 55 exhibitors, along with our public sector sales and business development teams that are ready to help explore new opportunities in government and mission-critical environments.”
Almo Pro AV supports integrators working in the public sector with a broad portfolio that includes displays, drones, audio systems, XR/VR technologies, and software solutions while also offering NDAA- and TAA-compliant products designed to meet federal procurement requirements. The DC Metro E4 Experience will also feature a keynote presentation from Tim Albright, founder of AVNation. His session, tailored for the public sector market, will examine how evolving security frameworks, regulatory requirements, and infrastructure expectations are reshaping the AV industry and the role of integrators.
PlexusAV Partners with Bassett Sales Corporation
PlexusAV announced a new partnership with independent manufacturer representative firm Bassett Sales Corporation. The agreement strengthens PlexusAV’s growth strategy across Southwest territories of the United States, including Southern California, Southern Nevada, Arizona, and Hawaii.
Bassett Sales Corporation has a long-standing reputation within the physical safety and security markets, representing Pro AV brands. Its recent expansion into professional AV brings strong synergies as AV and IT infrastructures continue to converge.
Together, the companies will work closely with regional distributors and integrators to provide enhanced access to PlexusAV’s high performance AV over IP solutions. The partnership will offer all the tools and technical training needed to educate and deploy seamless, high-performance networking built on IPMX interoperability.
PowerHouse Alliance Adds Three Strategic Vendor Partner
PowerHouse Alliance has added three new vendor partners: Cleerline, LOEWE, and Optoma. The additions further expand PowerHouse’s offerings across fiber optic cabling and connectivity systems, premium home entertainment, projection and display, and residential security categories.
Cleerline enhances the Alliance’s infrastructure category with its fiber optic connectivity solutions, delivering unsurpassed performance and longevity. Optoma adds depth across both residential and commercial display segments. Its portfolio includes 4K UHD home theater projectors, high-brightness commercial projection systems, interactive flat panels, and large-format displays, providing dealers with versatile solutions for home cinema, corporate, hospitality, and education environments.
For residential customers, LOEWE brings design-forward OLED televisions and integrated audio systems to the PowerHouse portfolio.
SFM Appointed Authorized Reseller of Technologie Optic.ca Products
SFM has been appointed as an authorized reseller of Technologie Optic.ca products, a Canadian manufacturer of transceivers and optical networking components. As an existing authorized distributor of NETGEAR networking products, SFM is now adding Technologie Optic.ca’s NETGEAR-compatible transceivers to its portfolio, completing the picture for channel partners who can now source both the networking equipment and the optical connectivity components they need from a single trusted partner.
Technologie Optic.ca is a Canadian specialist in advanced optical connectivity solutions, offering an extensive selection of transceivers, optical and direct attach cables, multiplexing and optical amplifier system compatible with the world’s leading networking equipment brands. Its NETGEAR-compatible transceiver lineup covers a wide range of applications, from enterprise LAN deployments to data center interconnects, ensuring that SFM’s integrators, resellers, and network professionals have access to the right module for every use case.
Introducing WyreStorm Academy, a Dedicated Training Platform for AV Professionals Worldwide
WyreStorm has launched WyreStorm Academy, a brand-new online training platform designed to support AV professionals with structured learning, certification pathways, and practical knowledge for system design, deployment, and sales.
The platform launches with foundational courses covering AV over IP design and technical configuration, with built-in assessments and certification requirements to ensure meaningful learning outcomes. The custom-built platform will continue expanding with additional courses to support integrators, designers, and AV professionals worldwide.
