It was another very busy week in Pro AV. Diversified opened a new headquarters, Nanolumens and FOR-A were among a slew of industry companies that made new appointments, and NDI named a new Board.
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People News
Tom Baldassare Joins Advanced Systems Group
Industry veteran Tom Baldassare has joined Advanced Systems Group as a senior account executive. In his new role, he will maintain and develop relationships with Fortune 100 tech and financial firms on both coasts. Baldassare is one of the creators of the Silicon Valley Video Summit, a consistently sold-out event every January, co-sponsored by ASG.
Baldassare has built a following among the top Silicon Valley and west coast tech firms. In addition to servicing existing clientele, Baldassare will also lead ASG’s initiative to cultivate new technology and finance firms as clientele in New York City.
Cobalt Iron Appoints Joshua Pressnell as VP of Engineering
Cobalt Iron welcomed Joshua Pressnell as VP of engineering. Based in Ohio, Pressnell will draw on his diverse background in defense systems, mobile applications, and enterprise software to further strengthen Cobalt Iron’s engineering organization and drive innovation across its Compass enterprise data protection platform.
Pressnell will lead Cobalt Iron’s Software and Systems teams, applying proven engineering leadership to accelerate innovation and product delivery. He aims to build on Cobalt Iron’s strong engineering foundation by enhancing collaboration across departments and refining how technical execution supports strategic business goals. His focus is on evolving engineering practices to align with the company’s vision for 2025 and beyond, ensuring continued delivery of innovative, reliable solutions that meet the dynamic needs of enterprise customers.
Pressnell’s career began in the defense sector, where he lead the creation of mission-critical systems for the U.S. Department of Defense, developing a deep appreciation for cyber security and bulletproof software design. He later founded Varietas Software, producing over 30 niche mobile applications — including a pioneering personal book cataloging app and an email prioritization tool used by enterprise clients. Later, as CTO at Penthera Technologies, he led the development of advanced video streaming solutions for major media brands. His leadership roles at RTI, Ascendum Solutions, and various startups further showcase his expertise in cloud computing, cross-functional team management, and delivering scalable, customer-focused solutions.
FOR-A America Names Ernie Leon SVP, Head of Sales and Strategic Growth
FOR-A America named Ernie Leon as SVP, head of sales and strategic growth. In his new role, Leon will oversee sales strategy, business development, and market expansion.
With previous senior leadership roles at Sony and Amazon Web Services (AWS) cloud solutions, Leon brings a unique blend of broadcast expertise, cloud workflow innovation, and customer-focused strategy to help FOR-A America accelerate growth and better serve core customers in the broadcast, corporate, and house-of-worship markets.
Nanolumens Appoints Patrick Britton as Chief Operating Officer
Nanolumens has appointed Patrick Britton as chief operating officer. Britton brings more than 25 years of experience in the audiovisual industry, with a versatile background spanning project management, product launches, operations and executive leadership. His career includes roles as VP of sales and marketing at IMS Technology Services, CEO of South Central AV, regional general manager at AVI-SPL, principal consultant at Polaris Management Advisors, and, most recently, senior consultant at Navigate Management Consulting.
In his new role, Britton will focus on strengthening Nanolumens’ operational workflows to manage increasing volumes and unify systems across the organization. His expertise in enterprise resource planning tools will be a key asset in optimizing efficiency, productivity, and alignment throughout the company.
PPDS Appoints Digital Signage Sales Specialist Hendrik Hack
PPDS welcomed digital signage sales specialist, Hendrik Hack. Accepting the role of sales manager digital signage for north and northeast Germany, Hack joins PPDS with a career spanning almost 10 years, specializing exclusively in digital signage and interactive display sales and project management.
Hack will play a key role in PPDS achieving its growth ambitions for Philips digital signage, as well as value added solutions such as Philips Wave, in Germany. His responsibilities will include working with and supporting PPDS’ partners and customers, as well as with PPDS’ global teams for multinational projects, helping to increase business opportunities, secure tenders, and ensure seamless project completions across all market verticals, including retail, corporate, education, hospitality, healthcare, transportation, public venues, and more.
StreamGuys Promotes Two to Executive Layer
StreamGuys has promoted Tim LaBelle to EVP of global sales and Jesse Orr to EVP of engineering, effective immediately. They will work closely together to fuel the company’s next generation of business growth.
In his new role, LaBelle will oversee all sales and business development. His innate understanding of the company’s technology brings valuable insights for customers and enterprises. Orr has long been a key contributor and leader behind the scenes at StreamGuys, where his core responsibilities include bringing more efficiency to both StreamGuys and customer organizations. That includes maintaining the networking and infrastructure, global data centers, and working to assure 100% uptime for customers' streams and StreamGuys’ suite of services.
Cam Eicher Named EVP of Audio Production for Telos Alliance
Telos Alliance has promoted Cam Eicher to EVP of audio production. In his newly created role, Eicher will leverage his 35-plus years of broadcast experience, deep understanding of customers’ needs, and the strong relationships he has built while at Telos Alliance to bring a more unified product portfolio to market more quickly and ensure a cohesive and consistent user experience across products and brand families.
Company News
22Miles Joins the BrightSign Bright Alliance Program
22Miles has been named an Elite Partner within BrightSign’s Bright Alliance program. The recognition underscores the companies’ long-standing collaboration and highlights their shared commitment to delivering seamless, innovative digital signage experiences across retail, healthcare, education, and hospitality environments.
Bright Alliance is BrightSign’s strategic partner program designed to unlock new possibilities for digital signage by fostering collaborative solutions, seamless technology integration, and joint go-to-market support. Within this program, Elite partners represent the highest level of collaboration. Elite status is reserved for CMS providers that work in close alignment with BrightSign’s technical roadmap, pioneer new markets, and drive customer success at scale.
Audio-Technica Introduces Technica Base Product Portal
Audio-Technica unveiled Technica Base, a new online technical resource center designed to give system integrators, consultants, and Pro AV specialists streamlined access to A-T commercial audio product information. Technica Base offers technical product information, relevant downloads, and other resources to support the specification and deployment of Audio-Technica solutions for commercial audio applications, perfect for accessing information in the integrator’s office or out in the field at their job site.
Technica Base is an easy-to-use search hub offering users up-to-date information on A-T solutions, including documents on each product, technical specifications, software and firmware downloads, high-res images, videos and more. Product information on Technica Base is organized by Wired Products, Wireless Products, and Products by Line (Engineered Sound, UniPoint, ProPoint). Additional System Solution Links include Software and Firmware (Download current software and firmware), Strategic Alliances and Partnerships (complete listing of third-party partners), Case Studies (examples of real-world applications of A-T solutions) and System Solution Territory Contacts.
NDI Appoints Global Advisory Board
Last month, NDI formed its inaugural Global Advisory Board, uniting top industry leaders from across the video technology ecosystem to support NDI’s continued growth, innovation, and worldwide adoption. The NDI Advisory Board will provide strategic counsel on interoperability, standards development, developer outreach, and broader ecosystem opportunities.
Steve Taylor, chief product and technology officer at Vizrt, will serve as chair of the Advisory Board, bringing deep product and industry expertise to lead this strategic group. The six additional members are Jeff Moore, EVP and chief marketing officer, Ross Video; Laurent Masia, senior director of product line management, NETGEAR; Fintan McKiernan, CEO, Ideal Systems; Mahmoud Al-Daccak, video technology expert, MulticoreWare; Andy Carluccio, head of client innovation, Zoom; and Miguel Coutinho, head of NDI.
NSCA Education Foundation Launches Legacy Program
The NSCA Education Foundation, the 501c3 charitable activity affiliate of NSCA focused on workforce development and industry advancement, recently announced a significant financial contribution from Ray Bailey, CEO of Lone Star Communications, to help support the foundation's new Legacy Program.
Bailey is stepping back from his longstanding roles with NSCA and the NSCA Education Foundation, where he’s served in various leadership and Board of Directors roles for more than two decades. He presented the donation in July during his final NSCA Board of Directors meeting, coinciding with his company’s transition to an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP).
The Legacy Program is designed to sustain long-term investments in career, talent, and professional-develop resources that strengthen the commercial integration industry. Bailey will play an instrumental role in determining how his contributions are applied. Potential initiatives include specialized training programs, such as AI-related skills for integrators, as well as events and programs focused on attracting young professionals to the industry.
Sennheiser Partners with Rise AV to Support Diversity in the AV Industry
The Sennheiser Group has joined forces with Rise AV, a non-profit organization dedicated to advancing gender diversity and inclusion in the audiovisual sector. As a Gold Sponsor, Sennheiser supports Rise AV’s mission to create pathways for women and underrepresented talent. By supporting Rise AV, Sennheiser contributes to a shared vision: an AV industry where talent is recognized regardless of gender, and where inclusive structures enable long-term change.
Sennheiser has been advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion through initiatives such as its Diversity Network, launched in 2019 and rooted in a women’s network from 2016. Other milestones include the signing of the German Diversity Charter in 2022, the introduction of global DEI training for all employees by 2025, and the annual celebration of Diversity Day. Together, these measures reflect a culture where every voice counts, and different perspectives are valued as sources of innovation.
Utelogy Joins Forces with Natilik to Enhance Managed Meeting Spaces
Utelogy Corporation announced its strategic partnership with Natilik, an IT solutions provider with headquarters in London and offices in New York and Sydney. This collaboration brings Utelogy’s intelligent software platform into Natilik’s long-standing Managed Services portfolio, further strengthening its Managed Meeting Spaces offering.
Together, Utelogy and Natilik are enabling enterprises to achieve proactive support, real-time monitoring, historical analytics, and remote troubleshooting across their AV and UC environments. This combination empowers organizations to optimize uptime, streamline operations, and improve user experiences across global deployments.
WeQuote Expands to North America
For AV integrators, managing quotes, projects, and client communications often means juggling tools that weren’t built for their business. Designed by AV professionals, WeQuote is a software platform that makes quoting, project management, and client updates simple, fast, and reliable. Already used across Europe, WeQuote is now expanding to North America, giving integrators a tool that fits their workflow.
WeQuote’s U.S. launch marks a major milestone in the company’s global growth, helping AV professionals everywhere streamline their workflow and eliminate inefficiencies. “Integrators shouldn’t have to work around software,” said Lee Roche, WeQuote co-founder and CEO of. “WeQuote adapts to how teams actually work, so they can focus on delivering great AV experiences instead of fighting spreadsheets and emails."
Pro AV Around the World
Diversified opened a new office in Frankfurt, Germany. The strategic hub expands the company’s operational footprint in EMEA, serving as a center for client engagement, technology demonstrations, engineering, and project delivery. The office space spans ~5,400 square feet (500 square meters), with a 1300 square meter warehouse, supporting Diversified’s existing team with plans to grow headcount over the next two years. The facility provides ample space for prestaging, warehousing, and collaboration for Diversified and its technology partners, including Sennheiser and Crestron, to engage with clients and showcase solutions on-site.
SpinetiX appointed Green Sources as a distribution partner for India. Green Sources will offer the full SpinetiX portfolio and provide on-the-ground commercial and technical support to SpinetiX resellers and integrators nationwide.
Newly Certified
AVer Information's MD720UIS, a medical-grade, all-in-one PTZ camera, has obtained Zoom Pro AV Camera Certification. Purpose-built for telehealth and patient monitoring, the MD720UIS delivers a seamless Zoom experience, enabling healthcare professionals to provide consistent, high-quality care in virtual consultations, intensive care units, telesitting programs and remote patient monitoring environments.
The MD720UIS is engineered to meet the evolving demands of modern healthcare. Featuring 20X optical zoom, ultra-clear 4K imaging and IR night vision, the MD720UIS ensures sharp, detailed visuals in any lighting condition. With PoE++ connectivity, it transmits both power and data over a single Ethernet cable, simplifying setup across medical carts, patient rooms and virtual nurse stations. Designed with privacy and compliance in mind, the MD720UIS features a Local Privacy Mode that halts audio and video transmission, plus an intelligent Mosaic function that automatically masks bodies or faces in the frame to protect patient identity.
Elsewhere, Owl Labs announced its Meeting Owl 4+ has achieved Microsoft Teams certification. With this milestone, the Meeting Owl 4+ joins the Meeting Owl 3 and Owl Bar as peripherals that are certified for Microsoft Teams. With its full ecosystem now certified, Owl Labs provides IT professionals with a comprehensive suite of industry-leading hybrid collaboration solutions.
With this achievement, Owl Labs reinforces its role as a trusted IT partner, serving nearly 250,000 organizations and 92 of the Fortune 100. The Teams certification validates that Owl Labs products meet the rigorous requirements of IT buyers and ensures optimal functionality in enterprise ecosystems.
