Vidikron Names James Wellnitz President & CEO, And Appoints New Management Team

Vidikron of America, the world leader in high-performance home theatre systems, video projectors and support components, has announced the appointment of James Wellnitz as President and CEO. Mr. Wellnitz formerly served as Vidikron's Executive Vice President, Sales & Marketing. The company also announced the appointment of a new management team designed to sustain Vidikron's continuing growth and to further build its leadership in projection technology and accessories. The new team consists of Mark Alspach as Vice President of Operations, Hany Hussein as Vice President of Finance, and Allan Russo as Director of International Sales. Hank Eisengrein continues in his position as National Sales Manager. ""I'm very pleased with the quality of our new team at Vidikron, and to be working again with Mark Alspach,"" said Mr. Wellnitz. Both Mr. Wellnitz and Mr. Alspach bring more than two decades of experience in consumer electronics to their new positions, including a period in the late '70s when they first worked together at the legendary Kloss Video. ""Business has been very good since we gained our independence a few months ago,"" continued Mr. Wellnitz. ""We've established a structure and procedures not just to maintain our growth, but to better serve our dealers, and to continue to produce the highest-quality projectors and components--especially in this emerging HDTV era."" Prior to joining Vidikron in 1989, Mr. Wellnitz was involved in the founding of several successful consumer electronics manufacturing companies, including Proton, Runco and Kloss Video. As Vidikron's new Vice President of Operations, Mark Alspach's principal focus will be to develop and expand Vidikron's customer service and product fulfillment capabilities. Mr. Alspach comes to Vidikron from Synelec USA, a manufacturer of high-resolution video walls. In earlier years, he served at Crestron Electronics, as Residential Sales and Marketing Manager, and at Kloss Video. As Vice President of Finance, Hany Hussein will lead in the development of financial planning tools designed to enhance the flow of Vidikron projectors and products to the marketplace. He will help establish a new level of budgetary planning for the company, and assist it in strengthening relationships with vendors. Mr. Hussein previously served as Supervisor of Accounts for Public Service Utility & Gas, a diversified energy company based in New Jersey, and for Buck Consulting. Allan Russo joined Vidikron last year as Director of Sales for Latin America, the Caribbean and the Pacific. In his new position as Director of International Sales, he heads an expanded division which is the result of Vidikron's commitment to serve the special requirements of international markets and lend strong support to its customers world-wide. Assisted by International Sales Coordinator Abigail Guiterrez, Mr. Russo expects to significantly expand Vidikron's international business over the next three years through a program of aggressive market development. This will include offering a complete line of projectors addressing the specific needs of individual national markets, and participating in such international trade events as the Audio Video Show in Bangkok, Thailand, in March 2000 with Vidikron distributor RSGB/Laser Definition, and in the High-End Show in Sao Paolo, Brazil, with Vidikron distributor Son Maior in December 2000. Mr. Russo has been engaged in international business and consumer electronics for 25 years and has been involved with several well-known brands in the industry, including JBL, Harman Kardon, Infinity, Acoustic Research and NHT, among others. He has an extensive background in developing and establishing international markets, sales strategies and business plans, as well as command of several languages and in-depth knowledge of foreign markets, distribution issues, and international law and economics. Prior to joining Vidikron, Mr. Russo served as Vice President for Recoton Corp., where he was responsible for international market development and sales for several Recoton brands. Earlier, as Vice President for KH Industries in England, he supervised the business in Latin America and the Caribbean of Celestion, KEF and NAD audio equipment and consumer electronics. Hank Eisengrein, who continues as National Sales Manager, also has more than 20 years experience in consumer electronics manufacturing. Prior to joining Vidikron in 1996, he served as Territory Sales Manager for Bose Corp. in the New York Metropolitan area, and as Key Account Sales Manager for US JVC Corp. Vidikron of America is a leading manufacturer of high-end projection systems and support accessories for the home theatre, consumer and commercial markets. Its award-winning products and technology are available in more than 42 countries.