Russound has completed its acquisition of privately held Colorado vNet, a Loveland, Colorado-based manufacturer of automation & control systems.
“Now that the ink has dried, I can tell you we are thrilled to welcome the Colorado vNet team to the Russound Family,” Russound CEO Charlie Porritt, said. “We are committed to retaining the integrity of the Colorado vNet brand and all its assets while looking at how the two brands can work in tandem to benefit our respective customer bases.”
Russound’s Charlie Porritt and Maureen Baldwin at vNet headquarters
As previously announced, Colorado vNet will continue to provide its home control system direct to its authorized dealers and will continue operations out of Loveland, Colorado. Russound’s and Colorado vNet’s respective U.S. sales organizations will remain separate.
Though there are at present no immediate plans to merge the companies’ technical support and training programs, Russound is exploring the potential for such moves in the near future.
“Any integration of any of our customer service programs will only be explored and implemented if we see there are irreproachable benefits for our dealers,” Porritt said.
“Russound’s online training system is considered among the best in the business, so naturally we want to extend its value by offering web-based training for both product lines to authorized dealers,” Porritt added. “We’re also looking at ways to allow dealers to take hands-on training on either product line at both Russound and vNet facilities”
When exploring ways for the two brands to combine efforts, thereby saving time and resources for their dealers, Porritt noted that distribution will remain separate, “…there are other economies of scale that can be gained by sharing resources for the two brands.”
Looking ahead, Porritt said that engineering resources may be shared to develop products for both brands.
“One of the most exciting aspects of this acquisition is how it opens the door for true collaboration between the two companies,” Porritt said. “Between Russound’s audio expertise and Colorado vNet’s leadership in automation and integration technologies, we will be able to develop products that will simplify and ultimately redefine the market for whole-house entertainment and control solutions.”
