Eiki International has announced the death of its former president and CEO William Blair on March 21, 2018. Blair started with Eiki in 1996 as operations manager and over time, was promoted to VP of sales, followed by VP and general manager, and lastly, president and CEO. He spent more than 21 years with the company.
Born December 24, 1947 in Toronto, Canada, Blair had a long career in the industry. He began at Pioneer Electronics, where he held several management positions in the service and technical support group, including managing the company’s remanufacturing operations. From there, he was recruited by the Industrial Products Group and became the Western region sales manager for Pioneer Video Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Pioneer Electronics.
According to the company, Blair consistently demonstrated a passion for both the technology encompassed by Eiki’s product offerings and for building the company’s brand image. During his time with Eiki, he helped the company develop into one of the most recognized names in projection technology. He was very attuned to the company’s marketing efforts and worked tirelessly to promote the leading-edge technology employed throughout the company’s diverse product offerings.
“Bill was a tremendous asset to Eiki,” said Steve Rubery, Eiki’s general manager. “His vision for the company—combined with an enthusiasm that was contagious—will not be forgotten. Bill was known for his honesty and caring attitude toward the entire Eiki family of staff, sales representatives, and dealers. We are all sorry to hear of his passing.”
