April, 2013 - Music & Sound Retailer

The Retailer: Let’s talk about Chauvetin broad strokes. Give us a 10,000-footoverview of the company, discussing itshistory and some of the key characteristicsand qualities that it embodies. Sharedetails about its growth and development.Jaramillo: Well, when I first started atChauvet, the company basically did novelties,like water columns, rope lights…that kind ofthing. We had a small showroom with all thesenovelties, and then we had another small showroomwith a little bit of DJ lighting. I’ve seen usmove forward and grow into one of the leadingmanufacturers of DJ, band, stage, event, productionand architectural lighting, and that’svery exciting. I’ve seen us grow from going toNAMM with a 10’x10’ homemade booth with10 products, to a leading professional lightingcompany that now sets world standards. As weViews from Chauvet’s showroom.The Retailer: In our market, you find alarge number of highly creative, performance-orientedindividuals in differentcompanies. Would you say that the teamat Chauvet is a very creative one, wherethe products you’re involved with on adaily basis are actually a big part of yourlives outside the office?Jaramillo: Definitely. We have severalworking DJs who are employed here. Wealso have different types of musicians here,as well. We’re a part not only of the lightingside, but also of the entertainment side. We’reall in this business because we love it. I don’tknow that we’re unique in this, because Iknow several companies out there that alsohave working DJs and musicians. However, asfar as giving us a stronger bond and makingus more passionate, yes, I do think the musicbackground does create that. We’re not onlymanufacturers, but also users of the products.The Retailer: Shinea light on someof Chauvet’s mostrecent launches.Going forward, whatare you going to bepushing most aggressively?Jaramillo: Weare at the forefrontof battery-operated,wireless technology forthe mobile performersthe same size by other manufacturers. So, youdon’t have to start from scratch if you alreadyown some trussing and want to switch yoursystem.The Retailer: Is working closely withthe dealer channel a big part of Chauvet’sfundamental approach to business?Jaramillo: Absolutely. Our dealers are ourpartners. It’s a mutually beneficial partnership.We feel that if we work closely withthem and help them grow, we will grow withthem.The Retailer: Some brick-and-mortarmusic stores may show hesitancy instocking lighting products. Is that hesitancydiminishing? Have more storescome to understand lighting’s valuecontinue growing, we arealso expanding into newmarkets, such as VIP gearbags and, more recently,trussing under the brandname TRUSST.The Retailer: Whenyou look at Chauvet asit currently exists, whatwould you say you’rethe proudest of? Whatmakes the companystand apart, not onlyfrom its competitors but also from allcompanies in the music products andlighting technology industries?Jaramillo: I’m very proud of how we havebeen able to capture market share in all lightingcategories. That has been due to the combinedefforts of our marketing department’sbranding initiatives, our product developmentteam designing creative new products, our aggressivesales team and superior customer servicedepartment. What makes us stand apart isthe fact that we’ve grown significantly in size,but we still have a small-company mentality. Wewill never abandon our roots; there will alwaysbe a grassroots spirit within the company, nomatter how large it becomes.market with our Freedom and EZ wash lightsand new battery-operated controllers. Theseafford any performer unprecedented ease ofoperation and installation, as they can literallygo anywhere with these fixtures. We are alsomaking a push on outdoor-rated, water-resistantlighting fixtures. We have offered weatherprooflighting for a while in our CHAUVETProfessional range, but we are now able tooffer it in our CHAUVET DJ range at a much,much more affordable price. This is a firstin that market segment. Outside performersneed not worry about changes in the weatherwhen they have those IP-rated fixtures in theirrig. The show will go on no matter what theweather brings! Then, we have our new lineof trussing products, TRUSST. Our trussingis rugged, yet lightweight and portable, and isalso compatible with most standard trussing ofproposition?Jaramillo: I see that hesitancy; it’s certainlysomething I’ve seen over time. I knewwe lost a little bit of touch with those smaller,independent MI stores and I wanted to regainthat market share. When I became NationalSales Manager, I teamed up with our marketingdepartment and, together, we came upwith a brochure called “Easy Band and DJLighting.” It’s a brochure that shows storesexactly what products are geared toward thattype of user. For example, our 4BAR Tri is acomplete, easy-to-set-up package that makesit easy to tap into lighting. We introduced thatbrochure last year and, since, have broughtin several new MI dealers. Some of them hadnever done lighting, and some had done lightingbut were a little skeptical.We taught them that they don’t need adedicated light room and can easily display alighting fixture where their drum kit or bandequipment is. Once you do that, it will makethe customer aware of what lighting can bringto their show, and that’s what we have beensuccessfully doing as a company.The Retailer: Is there anything that thedealer channel could do that would behelpful to Chauvet as a company? Do youhave any suggestions for the channel,which would help retailers and Chauvetitself?Jaramillo: I believe they just need to30 APRIL 2013