Orban Ends Sale Plans
August 5th, 2010 Scottsdale, Arizona — Bob Orban, co-founder of Orban, invests in the company's future as majority owners of Circuit Research Labs., Inc. (CRLI) change course.
After announcing in May that the Brentlinger family would seek to divest its majority ownership interests in the assets of CRLI, which makes Optimod audio processors under the Orban name, the Brentlinger family has now chosen instead to retain its investment and grow the Orban brand with new generations of audio processors for the radio industry and more aggressive product development and marketing for the fast-growing television and Internet markets.
"On one hand, there was an industry-wide sales slowdown in 2009 and thus far in 2010," says C. Jayson "Jay" Brentlinger, CRL's president and CEO, "but we also know recovery is at hand and that in addition to radio, there are great opportunities in the domestic and international television industries and in a still-growing Internet."
"We intend to be in a position to capture that business," Brentlinger concluded. "We have the best brands, the best marketing, and the best sales reach in the industry, both in the U.S. and overseas. No other company has our reputation and presence in the broadcast audio market."
Another factor in the family's decision was an agreement reached with Bob Orban that enables him to use his financial resources to ensure that Optimods will be delivered to customers off-the-shelf or with minimal lead times. Mr. Orban remains a Vice President and the firm's Chief Engineer. One of the world's foremost experts in transmission audio processing for broadcasting and the Internet, he is responsible for all Optimod product development and is actively working on new products in expanded markets.
"New technology and delivery methods are creating huge demands for the most advanced audio processing," said Mr. Orban. "We will meet those demands and I intend to play a big role in that along with our VP of Product development, Greg Ogonowski, and our staff of expert engineers and developers, many of whom have been with our company for decades and all of whom share my passion for producing excellent, innovative products. I am very excited about the prospects for our new intelligent peak limiting technology, which we first commercialized in our new flagship Optimod-FM 8600 and which will make upcoming products for digital radio, netcasting, and mastering exceptionally desirable."
The Brentlinger family acquired a majority interest in CRLI ten years ago and, in turn, it acquired Orban from Harman International Industries. It has offices in Scottsdale, Arizona; San Leandro, California; and Benton, Arkansas. It also maintains offices and staff in Germany and The Netherlands. CRL Orban sells its products predominately through a network of quality dealers worldwide.
The company's web site is www.orban.com.