|
|
|
Columbus, OH, February 1, 2008 -
Live Technologies announced today that an agreement has been reached with A & S Investment Group, LLC to support and facilitate future growth and development of the company. A&S has obtained majority ownership of Live Technologies, a privately owned production company specializing in audio, lighting, video, and creative services for live events and custom installations.
A&S is a Columbus, Ohio based equity investment firm dedicated to identifying quality profitable businesses and assisting them in growing revenues, refining procedures, and building profitability for the shareholders and company associates. A&S is comprised of Larry Abbot and Mike Stoner, who will share their business expertise acquired over years of building successful companies, primarily in the foodservices industry.
Live Technologies traces its roots back to 1974 when Dave Mead formed Sound Advocate, providing audio services in the Central Ohio area. In 1979, present day owner Rusty Ranney formed his lighting company, Lighting Masters and partnered with Dave and Sound Advocate to offer the combined services for national touring accounts, and built a large festival, corporate, and concert clientele, thereby formalizing the partnership in 1988. Over the years, this partnership became an industry leader in event production services, and began to provide permanent audio/visual installation services in the mid-1990’s. Video equipment rentals and digital media production were later added to the company’s list of services.
Rusty Ranney will remain a principal shareholder and will continue to operate the company under the new title of President/CEO. Dave Mead, as a continued part of his succession and estate planning, is selling the majority of his stake but will retain an active role as the Business Development Associate. Other long-time shareholders Shawn Loevenguth, Steve Quinn, and Mark Merchant will continue their participation and are taking the opportunity to increase their stake in the company.
The current management group will continue as the active operating partners of the company, with the addition of Mike Stoner as the Chairman of the Board who will serve in an active board role. Additionally, the corporate structure of Live Technologies will change from a C-Corp to an LLC and will therefore drop the “Inc.” from the corporate name (formerly Live Technologies, Inc.).
“We work in an industry that provides a great deal of choices for our clients, and as such, will require continued dedication to providing the highest levels quality of creativity and execution. Those abilities and the commitment to customer service has brought us to where we are today, and to climb to the next level we will have those laurels to give us credibility, but we do not expect to rest on them,” said Rusty Ranney as he guides Live Technologies into this exciting new phase.
Currently the Systems Integration Division completes approximately 100 custom installations annually, while the Rental & Production Division executes over 900 live events per year. Named one of America’s Fastest Growing Companies by Inc. 5000 last year, and 6-time winner of the Consumers’ Choice Award, Live Technologies employs 80 full-time associates and recorded $9.2 million in revenue in 2007.
A packed arena is nothing new to LIVE! Technologies Inc; nor is a multi-location, multi-day event. The full-service audio, visual, and lighting company is no stranger to extensive technical requirements, or to complex logistical challenges; but the international spotlight shown on Columbus, Ohio for the 2007 NHL Draft gave everyone involved something to be proud of.
Nationwide Arena became the focus of hockey fans everywhere on June 22 and 23rd. The Columbus Blue Jackets hosted this year’s Draft event, and with it the 3000 visitors who poured into the city. As NHL executives, scouts, and coaches gathered onto the arena floor, spectators swarmed the arena bowl for the historic event of global exposure. And the electricity running through the miles of wiring between the sound, lighting, and video production elements could not compare to the electricity in the air as the top two picks were announced.
“Already prominent as the colors of the host Columbus Blue Jackets, the shades took on a more important role as American players were taken with the top two picks for the first time in draft history” reports The Associated Press.
The Philadelphia Flyers’ choice, left wing James vanRiemsdyk of the U.S. National Team Development Program remarked, “Two Americans going with the first two picks – it’s an honor. I’m happy just to be a part of it.”
That sentiment is shared by LIVE! Technologies project manager Kevin Readey. It was Readey’s amicable relationship with Blue Jackets Director of Communications, Mark Gregory that provided the opportunity for LIVE! to coordinate with event producer Keith Storey of BaAm Productions from Toronto. As a recent addition to the sales staff at LIVE!, Readey takes a lot of pride in the result of his relationship with the Blue Jackets. BaAm was able to advance multiple aspects of the event with confidence in a quality product and excellent customer service thanks to Readey’s efforts.
LIVE! Technologies, working in concert with BaAm, the Blue Jackets, and the NHL provided an ambitious production package for the weekend to include audio, lighting, and rigging on the main floor, as well as ancillary packages to highlight the Stanley Cup, and augment the Top Prospects Luncheon and the post-draft press conference.
The pre-draft party on the Plaza of Nationwide Arena boasted LIVE!’s SL250 Mobile Stagevan, along with audio and lighting for the national recording artist, Yellowcard.
Even more intricate than the technical requirements for the event were the complex logistical opportunities. “Our attention to detail and the due-diligence required to coordinate all the logistics absolutely minimized the occurrence of negative incidents and made for a seamless event,” stated Readey. In addition to fine-tuning a labor schedule to meet the needs of the multi-faceted production, LIVE! also supplied the power distribution to the main floor, the supplementary events in the concourse, and to the mobile production truck provided by TSN Broadcasting from Toronto.
The broadcast itself incurred a historic notation, as 2007 marked the first year that television viewers received the opportunity to watch the first round of the draft live on Friday night. Audio feeds provided to the truck from LIVE!’s audio engineer Steve Jones were clean and precise, warranting kudos from TSN.
The success of the overall event left the local hockey community with a sense of appreciation associated with being in the NHL limelight, while the Midwest town itself was proud to share its hospitality to international visitors. And LIVE! Technologies Inc., though no stranger to event production and creative solutions, took pride in being a part of the surprise, in being a part of history.
MEDIA CONTACT: Carrie Roller, 614-278-7777/marketing@livetechnologiesinc.com
FIRST-EVER LIST OF THE 5,000 FASTEST-GROWING BUSINESSES
REPORTS TOTAL REVENUE OF $194.5 BILLION
LIVE! Technologies, Inc. # 4815 on the 2007 Inc. 5,000
With Three-Year Sales Growth of 30.8%
NEW YORK, August 23, 2007 – Inc. today ranked LIVE! Technologies, Inc. on its first-ever Inc. 5,000 list of the fastest-growing private companies in the country. The Inc. 5,000, an extension of Inc. magazine’s annual Inc. 500 list, catches many businesses that are too big to grow at the pace required to make the Inc. 500, as well as a host of smaller firms. Taken as a whole, these companies represent the backbone of the U.S. economy.
“The Inc. 5,000 provides the most comprehensive look ever at the most important part of the economy – the entrepreneurial part,” said Inc. 5,000 Project Manager Jim Melloan. “The expansion of the list has allowed us to tell the stories of larger companies, older companies, and a wealth of companies in industries like Manufacturing and Construction that are underreported in the business media.
The 2007 Inc. 5,000, as revealed online at www.inc.com, reported median revenue of $9.4 million and median three-year growth of 140 percent. Complete information on this year’s Inc. 5,000, can be found at www.inc.com/inc5000. The list features a profile for each company, almost all of them written as a result of Inc. interviews with management. In addition, the list is searchable according to numerous criteria, including industry, city, state, region, and year founded.
About LIVE! Technologies, Inc.
LIVE! Technologies, Inc., the Midwest’s premier audio, lighting, and video company is a unique full-service production provider for permanent installations as well as live event applications. CFO Roger Salyer reports that growth is largely due to advanced technology in the hands of more experimental decision-makers. As new technology becomes available, event planners and corporate communication specialists are more willing to try something new to keep their project on top of the game. For more information visit Livetechnologiesinc.com.
Hottest Regions for Fastest-Growing Companies
Leading the list of the fastest-growing companies in the nation is the Midwest region with 1,046 of the fastest-growing companies, followed by the West with 884 companies. The Southeast comes in a close third, with 872 companies, followed by the Northeast with 782 companies, and the Mid-Atlantic region with 606 companies.
Hottest Industries for Fastest-Growing Businesses
The largest business category is Construction, with 561 of the fastest-growing companies in this category, followed by Manufacturing with 515 companies, IT services in third with 466 companies, Business Services with 377 companies and Advertising & Marketing with 349 companies round out the top five industries ranked on the 2007 Inc. 5,000.
Industries reporting the highest total revenue in 2006 are Construction ($27.1billion), Manufacturing ($18.6 billion), Health ($13.1 billion), Computers & Electronics ($12.7 billion), and Financial Services ($11.8 billion).
Methodology
The 2007 Inc. 5000 list measures revenue growth from 2003 through 2006. To qualify, companies had to be U.S.-based and privately held, independent – not subsidiaries or divisions of other companies – as of December 31, 2006, and have had at least $200,000 in revenue in 2003, and $2 million in 2006.
Companies can apply for next year’s Inc. 500 and Inc. 5,000 by registering with IncBizNet, the new social network for private companies that will launch this fall on Inc.com.
About Inc.com:
Inc.com, the Daily Resource for Entrepreneurs, delivers advice, tools, breaking news, and rich multi-media to help business owners and CEOs start, run, and grow their businesses more successfully. Information and advice covering virtually every business and management task, including marketing, sales, finding capital, managing people can be found at http://www.inc.com.
###
LIVE! Technologies, Inc., the Midwest’s leading production company specializing in audio, lighting, video, staging, and creative services for LIVE! events and custom installations has upped the ante in innovative visual solutions. Multi-display options are no longer a pipe dream, logistical headache, or costly challenge for LIVE! Technologies’ customers. Theatrical set designs step into the next generation of technology, from set flats to display monitors and customized projection surfaces.
What is it?
It’s flexible, dynamic and virtually limitless in nature. LIVE! Technologies’ newly acquired Dataton WATCHOUT Display Software has the ability to deliver high-resolution video, graphics, and CD quality audio across any number of displays seamlessly.
First launched in December 1999, WATCHOUT has transformed the live event world in Europe and continues to make an impact in the United States. Fashion shows, large tradeshows, product launches, and awards galas are just some of the popular applications for this leading edge product.
How does it work?
WATCHOUT utilizes a simple Ethernet connection between personal computer systems and the desired display or displays, whether LED wall, projector, plasma or LCD monitor. Any number of displays or projectors is permissible, and any configuration of those displays is possible. Further, mixing and matching those variable displays, scaling and sizing add to the flexibility of your final display composition.
Exploiting a similar environment based on layers, timelines, and drag-and-drop technique as other video editing and graphic composition programs such as Final Cut and After Effects, WATCHOUT employs a central production computer for programming and editing. Programming capabilities include layering, transparency, edge blending, scaling, splitting, and distributing of media files, as well as audio playback and cross-fading between multiple tracks. Image magnification can also be integrated into the mix for a fully comprehensive multi-media experience of any size or shape.
What can LIVE! Technologies and WATCHOUT do for you?
What can’t WATCHOUT do for you? As our Creative Services and Video Production team undergo extensive training, we look toward an exciting future of limitless visual creativity. Corporate messaging, promotional endorsements, and event graphics are larger than life, relaying your story in a way that static images, hard walls, and spoken word cannot.
Event producers are now heroes, presenting a pre-programmed system for IMAG, lower-thirds, video playback, logo wipes, graphic animations, and “eye candy” over multiple display surfaces that are integrated into the script and stage set so that your event is one progressive composition. As desired visual elements are added, subtracted, and composed for maximum effect, all displays are climactically married into one and your atmosphere is transformed by one magical, grandiose image illuminating your audiences’ faces.
Vice President of the Rental & Production Department at LIVE! Technologies, Shawn D. Loevenguth is excited for the opportunity to challenge the creative limits among the production team at LIVE! Technologies.
“I am looking forward to stretching ourselves beyond what we thought was capable, even with the multi-display technology we currently have. I’m always up for raising the bar creatively and technologically, both with our clients and our associates. We hope to use WATCHOUT in ways that have not been thought of before, and we will definitely take video production and set design to the next level,” he stated.
For more information, or to use WATCHOUT in your next event, please contact one of our sales representatives at 614.278.7777 or toll free 800.83.STAGE.
Columbus, OH, January 7, 2008 -
Live Technologies, Inc., the Midwest’s leading production company specializing in audio, lighting, video, staging, and creative services for live events and custom installations is hosting the prestigious Harry Donovan Rigging Seminar February 11 – 15, 2008.
A household name in the staging industry, Harry Donovan is perhaps one of the most widely known professional riggers in the country. His 22-year touring career has provided him an impressive resume, working with such names as Bruce Springsteen, Rod Stewart, Johnny Cash, Aerosmith, Elton John, and the Eagles, just to name a few.
His education in engineering and theater and extensive experience enabled him to write his self-published book Entertainment Rigging to explain his method of calculating forces and geometry for working riggers. He also developed a software program called RigRight 1.0, in which length and forces are calculated to aid in design and management of suspended systems. The success of his methods speaks for itself, having hung over 200,000 points in his career with an accident-free record.
More recently, Harry Donovan has continued to work as a consultant and designer for architects and engineers. Founder and president of the Seattle, Washington-based Donovan Rigging, Inc., and Rigging Seminars, Harry teaches intensive rigging seminars for the public and for corporations around the country. Live Technologies scheduled the seminar in the interest of expanding and reinforcing their associates’ knowledge of rigging techniques and theories. [Dolan, Thomas G. “Rock & Roll Rigger.” Wire Rope & Sling Technology News. October 2004. Online. Internet.<www.riggingseminars.com/wirearticle.htm>]
An invitation to participate has been extended to outside organizations and individuals in addition to the engineers and technicians within Live Technologies. Director of Operations for the Rental/Production Division, Chad Higgins, who has taken the lead on organizing and coordinating the class stated, “The value of hosting the seminar rather than sending the techs to a public one affords us the opportunity to provide a valuable service for other local professionals in the industry. It’s mutually advantageous to ensure that the individuals and companies that we regularly work with can benefit from the same training as our associates.”
The five-day course will cover arena and stage rigging principals and practices as well as safety and liability, with plenty of hands-on training. The material also contains key information relevant to ETCP Certification (Entertainment Technician Certification Program), a program which Harry Donovan, along with other industry leaders, worked diligently to develop. The seminar location has yet to be determined, class size is limited and will be filled on a first-come, first-serve basis.
Live Technologies is pleased to present this opportunity to associates and local peers, and continues to boast a high-quality final product provided to valuable customers. With 80 full-time associates, the company supplies over 60 permanent installations and over 800 live event production packages each year throughout the United States.
Anyone interested in participating in the seminar may email chiggins@livetechnologiesinc.com for more information.
:: Next Page >>
|
|
|
