It was yet another busy week in Pro AV. Audix, PPDS, and Grass Valley were among those to announce strategic promotions and hires, while WAVIT announced the winners of the 2026 Mary Cook Empowerment Scholarship. And yes, there were two more acquisitions of note.
[Survey Open for SCN Top AV Consultants]
First, CTI made its second acquisition in less than a month, acquiring Texolve Digital of Oakmont, PA. Adding Texolve’s team, which provides broadcast engineering and integration at the highest level, will expand the broadcast media division’s ability to serve clients worldwide.
Next, Legrand acquired Girtz Industries, a provider of custom-engineered modular power enclosures and related services based in Monticello, IN. Girtz Industries’ development and integration of complete power systems support the reliable provision of critical power across datacenter, industrial, and commercial applications. It joins Legrand as a business unit within the company’s Electrical Wiring Systems division led by Ravi Ramanathan. David Girtz, who has served as Girtz Industries’ president and CEO for nearly 40 years, will continue to lead the Girtz business and team, reporting to Ravi.
Now, before InfoComm opens its doors, get caught up with the week that was in your regular dose of Pro AV Newsmakers.
People News
AUDIX Welcomes Eric Reese and Sam Vitali
AUDIX appointed Eric Reese to VP and Sam Vitali to the position of director of sales–European markets.
In his new role within the Videndum Creative Solutions family of brands, Reese oversees all functions at AUDIX, including sales, marketing, product development, and operations. He brings over 26 years of extensive experience in the AV and entertainment industry to his new position. Having started his career as a reliability engineer at Peavey Electronics, his background spans the entire product chain—from manufacturing and designing integrated AVL systems to global business development and channel management.
Vitali oversees sales, marketing, and operations within the EMEA region to ensure the brand is optimally represented and supported across Europe. He brings a wealth of experience across sales, marketing, and operations within the music technology industry. He joins AUDIX following a highly successful tenure at Focusrite.
beyerdynamic Names Jesse Dean Managing Directorof the Americas
beyerdynamic has appointed Jesse Dean as managing director of the Americas. In this role, Dean oversees beyerdynamic's business operations, sales strategy, and brand development across North and South America.
Dean brings more than 25 years of experience across the professional audio, video, creator, and consumer technology industries to beyerdynamic. Throughout his career, he has held a range of leadership roles. Most recently, Dean served as director of business development, Americas at RØDE, where he played a key role in the brand’s expansion across the United States.
Brompton Technology appoints Andrew Beaudet as Head of Sales for the Americas
Brompton Technology welcomed Andrew Beaudet as its new head of sales for the Americas. With almost three decades of experience across the music and digital signage industry, Beaudet found his passion for sales running a distributions company with independent manufacturers.
Building on that knowledge, he branched into digital signage where he worked with major LED display manufacturers. By meeting people in the live events industries and observing their work, he developed a keen understanding of what they deserve from large-format LED displays. During his 10 years working with BARCO in its live event and retail division, the camaraderie of the production teams he worked with left a lasting impression. He brings that same respect and understanding to his new role at Brompton.
Grass Valley Appoints Sam Craig as Vice President, Global Pre-Sales
Grass Valley has appointed Sam Craig as VP, global pre-sales. Craig returns to Grass Valley after serving as VP of advisory services at Diversified and previously spent seven years with the company in a number of leadership role.
In his new role, Craig leads Grass Valley’s global pre-sales organization, working closely with regional teams across the Americas, EMEA, and APAC to strengthen collaboration, align customer engagement strategies, and support continued growth across the Grass Valley Media Universe.
PPDS Names Tom Keefe as new Director of Sales for Philips LED in North America
PPDS has welcomed sales professional and Pro AV ‘veteran’, Tom Keefe, as its new director of sales dvLED North America. Keefe's appointment plays an integral role in PPDS continued growth trajectory and long term ambitions in North America, which includes establishing Philips Professional Displays as the preferred partner for premium indoor and outdoor dvLED projects.
An AVIXA CTS holder, he brings extensive market knowledge and 23 years of experience to the PPDS team, with proven expertise in sales, business development, category management, marketing strategy, brand building, distribution, partner relationship management, and market analysis. His core responsibilities include developing and defining PPDS’ organizational sales structure and executing its go-to-market strategy.
Howdy, Partner
Audinate and Soundtrack Technologies Partner to Streamline Business Music with Dante Integration
Soundtrack Techvologies, a music streaming provider for businesses, announced that its hardware solution, the Soundtrack Player, is now compatible with Audinate’s Dante ecosystem. This strategic integration makes it easier than ever for businesses to deploy professional-grade background music across industry-standard Dante networks.
The collaboration bridges the gap between AV networking and commercial music streaming. By enabling Dante directly on the Soundtrack Player, integrators can now route licensed, high-quality music to any Dante-enabled device—including speakers, amplifiers, and processors—via the local network.
Miri Technologies Partners with Midwich For Distribution in North America
Miri Technologies has expanded the global reach and availability of its products with the signing of a new distribution partnership for the United States and Canada with Midwich. The agreement reinforces Miri's channel partnership strategy for meeting the rapidly growing demand for the X510 dual-cellular bonding router and the new V410 4K live encoder/decoder in the world's largest commercial market.
The Miri X510 router enables resilient internet connectivity anywhere by forging multiple wired and wireless links (including Ethernet, Wi-Fi, 4G, 5G and satellite) together to overcome speed limitations and withstand network disruptions even in challenging environments. Powered by Speedify channel bonding technology from Connectify, the X510 bolsters internet connectivity for any type of data and supports use cases ranging from live streaming and remote broadcast contribution to trade shows and disaster response.
WAVIT Announces Recipients of 2026 Mary Cook Empowerment Scholarship
WAVIT (Women in AV/IT) announced the recipients of the 2026 Mary Cook Empowerment Scholarship: Designing the Future. Created in memory of industry pioneer Mary Cook, the scholarship recognizes emerging women leaders in the AV/IT industry who demonstrate passion, leadership potential, and a commitment to advancing their careers in audiovisual technology.
This year marks a significant expansion of the program, with two scholarships awarded for the first time, made possible through the support of sponsoring partner Shure. The scholarship program continues WAVIT’s mission to invest in the next generation of women in AV and honor Mary Cook’s enduring legacy of mentorship, advocacy, and empowerment within the industry.
The 2026 scholarship recipients, Alexa Johnson of IMS Technology Services and Emily Cieslak from TeamPeople, were selected from a highly competitive pool of applicants for their enthusiasm, career ambition, and dedication to shaping the future of AV/IT.
