Arlington, VA–Audiophile Systems president and CEO, and the Consumer Electronics Association’s Executive Board member Gary Warzin, passed away on Saturday, August 27. CEA president Gary Shapiro issued a statement honoring Warzin on behalf of the industry.
“CEA joins the Warzin family, friends and the entire consumer electronics industry in mourning the loss of Gary Warzin,” Shapiro said.
“Gary was a true leader within our industry. His passion for consumer electronics, and the audio industry in particular, inspired all who worked with him. Gary truly believed in the transformative power of audio. This belief manifested itself in many ways including his commitment to providing quality audio demos for customers. He knew that passion for audio came best through a quality experience and he worked hard to instill this belief and commitment throughout the industry.
“Gary was a man of ideas. He was constantly coming up with new programs and campaigns to help grow the audio industry. Under his leadership as Chair of CEA’s Audio Division and former Chair of our High-End Audio Subdivision, Gary led our audio members to pursue innovative public relations, marketing and training programs that emphasized quality audio and the art of the demo.
“Gary also was a man of great humor, wit and intelligence. He long will be remembered for his ability to delight his sales team and industry representatives through his repertoire of magic tricks and his overall showmanship designed to inspire and motivate. He recently was featured in the Wall Street Journal for his efforts to crack a code embedded in a CIA statue.
“We will truly miss Gary’s commitment to the industry and to CEA. He was generous with his time, his intellect and his ideals. Our hearts go out to all who knew him.”
Other industry leaders joined Shapiro in mourning Warzin:
“This is a sad day for our industry. Gary was a great volunteer leader, a creative businessman, and a friend to many in our industry.”
— Loyd Ivey, founder and CEO, Mitek Corporation, and Chair, CEA Executive Board
“Gary gave unsparingly to the industry, in particular to the cause of high performance audio. His brilliant and unorthodox approach to virtually every aspect of life in combination with his integrity, gentle spirit and ability to make us laugh created a rare kind of presence and afforded a unique and valuable contribution we will all sorely miss. Our best wishes and sympathy go to his family and to the employees of Audiophile Systems.”
— Kathy Gornik, president, Thiel Audio Products
“I was deeply saddened to learn the tragic news about Gary’s passing. Gary gave so much to CEA and I hope we can find appropriate ways, individually and as a board, to let his widow Julie know how precious he was to us and how much his guidance, wit and wisdom will be missed.”
— Richard Schram, founder and president, Parasound Products Inc.
“I will miss Gary a great deal. Passion and involvement are important and often under appreciated leadership skills that Gary always brought to the party.”
— Herman Sperling, group vice president, Marketing, Harman Consumer Group
If you wish to remember Gary, the Warzin family suggests that you make a contribution to the American Heart Association (www.americanheart.org) or the charity of your choice.
