- Almo Professional A/V is in the process of acquiring certain assets and assuming certain liabilities of International Audio Visual Inc. (IAVI), a value-added global distributor. The acquisition is designed to dramatically expand distribution accessibility to pro AV resellers and integrators, and is expected to close next month.
As a result, Almo Corporation—a 70-year-old distributor—will become the largest privately held professional audio-video distributor in the industry and a $1.2 billion corporation. It also makes Almo a global company through the procurement of IAVI’s Latin American business.The acquisition announcement was made public during Almo Pro A/V’s E4 AV Tour in Washington, DC.
Almo president/CEO Warren Chaiken told SCN sister publication, TWICE, that the acquisition will double the company’s pro-channel sales force, bring potential new vendors on board, and will increase the customer pool for both businesses.
“We are proud to be a third-generation, family-owned American company with a vision to expand job opportunities and fuel the economy,” Chaiken said. “Taking care of our employees, partners and manufacturers has always been first. The acquisition will give thousands of resellers and integrators access to top-quality distribution while making Almo Pro A/V a highly competitive global distributor.”
According to Sam Taylor, executive vice president and COO for Almo Professional A/V, “For nearly 20 years, IAVI has brought a value-add approach to the market with its high level of customer service, talented employees, and established success in Latin America. This is in alignment with what Almo Pro A/V has been building and why IAVI was a perfect fit to become a part of our company. Combined with our managed services, engineering and design support, and leading education and training programs, Almo brings a new depth of opportunity to the pro AV community that is currently not available.”
Wade Gilbert, founder and president of IAVI said, “In looking for ways to expand the business, I saw that becoming a part of a larger entity like Almo Corporation would provide a multitude of benefits for our customers, our partners, and our employees. Taking best practices from both companies will allow us to build an even stronger value proposition for our customers."
The transition is expected to be seamless to current Almo Pro A/V customers. Previous IAVI partners can expect to experience a host of new benefits through the acquisition, including access to Almo’s content creation, installation, and bandwidth managed services, which provide a new dimension of growth and ongoing revenue potential; a full-featured eBusiness portal named Almo Access, which includes online tracking, ordering, price sheets, return requests, customized spec sheets, images, and a host of other valuable information; highly competitive pricing and shipping rates along with buying power that ensures healthy inventory and advanced logistics thanks to the size, scope, and power of the division’s parent company, Almo Corporation.
ICI partners will also gain access to inventory in seven warehouses across the country for nationwide projects; access to new product lines for both the professional and consumer markets; and award-winning education programs, such as the E4 AV Tour to help resellers stay ahead of the trends and be more competitive.
