Chuck Davies, Founder and CEO of the ADJ Group, announced that Toby Velazquez has been named President of ADJ, Elation and Acclaim Lighting. Velazquez, who joined the company shortly after it was started in 1985, has served the ADJ Group in a wide variety of capacities and has made critical contributions to its growth from a small business serving the mobile DJ market to an internationally known name in the lighting industry. “Toby has been a key part of our company from its earliest days,” said Davies. “He’s demonstrated extraordinary talent and leadership qualities in every job he’s done, and his passion for excellence is second to none. Based on his abilities and track record, I’m extremely confident that he’s the right person to lead ADJ, Elation and Acclaim Lighting into the future.”

In recent years, Velazquez has shepherded the development of many of ADJ’s most notable products, including its LED fixtures, LED video panels and the industry’s first moving heads to use Philips’ Platinum MSR lamps. He is looking forward to building on these achievements in the future.

“Our company has been built on innovation,” said Velazquez. “We’ve made it our mission to get to know our customers, understand their needs and create new, affordable, user-friendly products that contribute to their success. This will continue to be our guiding philosophy, and we’ll continue to look for new ways to make us even better at implementing it. I welcome this opportunity, and I’m thankful to be surrounded by such a dedicated group of talented co-workers.”

Based in Los Angeles with European headquarters in Kerkrade, The Netherlands, the ADJ Group sells lighting throughout the world under the ADJ, Elation and Acclaim brands.

Renée Cunning will oversee operations of Alfred Music’s Sales and Marketing Departments, to help Alfred Music better serve its thousands of active retailers and hundreds of thousands of educators and consumers. In addition to leading Alfred Music’s North America Sales and Marketing Operations and Events, she will aid in expanding the company’s global reach by partnering with its international offices in B2B and B2C event strategies. Cunning has been a piano player since age seven and earned a Bachelor of Arts in Music Business, a Minor in Marketing and a Certificate of Piano Pedagogy from Indiana State University. She got her start at Alfred Music in 2003, through an internship for the piano division. Soon after, she advanced in the company as a coordinator for piano workshops, where she worked closely with the same authors and editors whose books she had used throughout her music studies. “Working in events prepared me for this new role in the company, providing me with the unique opportunity to work closely with every department in the company at the ground level,” she said. “We are constantly finding better ways to showcase our brand, serve our retailers and improve our operations worldwide.”

Gander holds a Bachelor of Science from Syracuse University (Audio Technology) and a Master of Science in Electrical Engineering from Georgia Institute of Technology with a multidisciplinary certificate in Acoustical Engineering. He is a Fellow of the Audio Engineering Society, a past Governor of the AES and InfoComm, and a member of the ASA, SMPTE and IEEE.

“Mark Gander is a professional audio icon whose expertise and association with the JBL Professional brand is invaluable,” said Bryan Bradley, Vice President, GM Loudspeaker Business Unit. “In this new position, we will rely on Mark to apply his experience and expertise to areas that are crucial to JBL’s success.”

“In my 35-plus years with JBL, I can attest to JBL’s commitment to innovation and creativity, which is a tremendous source of pride for me and something that I look forward to continuing to contribute to in this new position,” Gander said. “I truly believe that we offer the most comprehensive range of products, including the most significant innovations for the widest range of customers in the industry, and I welcome these new responsibilities….”

“Dave was a true professional, especially as a businessman and musician. He was loved by our customers and his co-workers, and will be greatly missed,” said Dan Roberts, KMC Vice President of Sales.

Dave Jones’ leadership, personality and kindness will be greatly missed by the KMC family. “He was the best boss I have ever known,” said Eric Kranz, Sales Associate for KMC.

In 1994, after spending many years developing and engineering for Roland, Miki joined the Roland Corp. Board of Directors. Since then, Miki has supported and led numerous technical and product-development teams, including those responsible for overseas production facilities.

Leading the way forward, Miki’s R&D background and strong commitment to the market will help Roland continue to develop new products while anticipating customer demands. With a firm understanding of the core philosophy of Roland, Miki will be leading the company into a new phase while paying respect to the Roland tradition.

Miki said, “The Roland group of international sales and manufacturing companies is firmly tied to a fundamental philosophy. The entire Roland family strives to listen to the voices from the market and to inspire the enjoyment of creativity through the development of exciting new products and applications. Our goal is to be evermore valuable and inspiring to customers, the industry and society, while staying true to Roland’s fundamental slogan, ‘We design the future.’”

Hidekazu Tanaka, Roland Corp.’s former President and CEO, is supporting a strong and successful transition as a corporate advisor, as of April 1. During Tanaka’s eight-year presidential term, he had many notable accomplishments.

“We are delighted that Jimmie has joined the Porter & Davies team,” remarked Paul Barretta. “With Jimmie’s expertise, we will now be able to support and expand our growing U.S. market.”

At the formal announcement to TMP employees in Berlin CT of Renzoni’s death, VP John Hennessey shared, “When I first started at TMP, Dave Renz taught me so much about the business. He encouraged me to learn how to motivate and inspire others as a manager.” The sales team, in particular, is grateful for Renzoni’s insight and countless stories. He openly shared a lifetime’s worth of knowledge.

Renzoni, who lived in Naugatuck CT, is survived by his wife, Valerie Renzoni, and two children, Brittany and Jarrick.

Harman Professional President Blake Augsburger underscored Robbins’ consistent leadership, strong organizational skills and deep customer empathy, saying, “Scott Robbins has played a pivotal role in building and optimizing Harman Professional’s sales structure. He has also demonstrated a critical appreciation for consistent bottom-line performance and an understanding that, for our customers to be successful, they need audio technologies that differentiate them from commodity players.”

“PreSonus is a global company, with teams in Hamburg, Hong Kong, Ireland and Massachusetts, along with our main office in Baton Rouge. We want to better integrate our systems from all of these aspects of the company,” said PreSonus CEO Jim Mack. “Furthermore, with the integration of Nimbit, PreSonus has created an ecosystem of hardware, software and services. Creating a streamlined communications environment within PreSonus is essential in today’s highly connected world, and I can’t think of anyone more qualified than Patrick to spearhead that integration.”

Since 2006, Snyder has played a major role in the continuing growth of some of Skip’s Music’s most successful programs, including Stairway to Stardom and Weekend Warriors. He has also effectively been a key player in the expansion of the company’s Rental Services, including backline and event production. Snyder has helped to drive improvements in all segments of the company’s business logistics.