Mike Detmer, the man affectionately known as “Sparky” to so many people in the custom installation industry, is stepping down September 1 from his post as president of the Niles brand.
Mike “Sparky” Detmer
Now that Niles is integrating with more Nortek subsidiary brands, including SpeakerCraft, Detmer said in a statement to dealers, the business need for an individual brand president, like him, has passed.
“Consequently, I’ll be stepping down as Niles president and turning the helm over to a team of seasoned professionals who will manage the brand to yet another level,” he stated.
Detmer noted that he will be staying on until September 1 “to ensure a smooth transition.”
He also expressed his “sincere gratitude” Niles’ loyal customers for their “continued patronage,” to their “dedicated sales representatives and distributors for promoting the brand to its fullest, to the press for its ongoing coverage,” and to his “coworkers for their indefatigable professionalism.
“Additionally I want to thank my immediate staff members, past and present, who reminded me every day that you are only as good as your team and who fulfilled my deepest core value which is to…” Detmer stated.
“The Niles brand,” Detmer concluded, “has a history of leadership and I am honored to have contributed to its rich heritage. In serving customers over the past 13 years I’ve always tried to deliver more than a promise. During that time I was proud to play a key role in introducing ground-breaking products like the Directed SoundField loudspeakers that changed how the custom installation industry views in-ceiling sound and the revolutionary IntelliControl ICS, the world’s best-selling distributed audio system. More recently I was privileged to be named president and re-position Niles into The AVC Group which provides dealers with a unique business proposition for combining their Niles purchases with leading brands like Elan, Sunfire, and Xantech.
Detmer’s departure follows on the heels of another notable Nortek executive change: the resignation of SpeakerCraft president Jeremy Burkhardt.
