CE Pro December 2022 - 29

Next Karp went to work
for two guys he had known
from Stereo Warehouse,
Elliot Inger and Fred Martin,
who had joined forces to
start one of the industry's
first integration companies,
Audio Video Systems
in Plain View, Long Island.
By 2006 they were doing
well but as Elliot told him,
" We're great at sales and
installation but you're a real
business guy. Maybe you
could come help us run a
better company. "
He immersed himself in
that role. Also, one of his
biggest contributions at
Audio Video Systems was
recognizing the enormous
potential of selling more
Lutron lighting and shades
and helping AVS accelerate
the growth of those two
high-profit categories.
In December 2021, Karp
left to start his own consulting
business, Franklin
Karp & Co. Says Karp, " At
this point, I can really help
any size integrator, retailer,
rep or manufacturer build a
more profitable and efficient
company. "
Today Karp and his wife live
in Long Beach, N.Y. He is an
avid reader of the New York
Times, The New Yorker, car
magazines and non-fiction
books. He also enjoys cycling,
spinning, fly fishing and
spending time with his two
sons and granddaughter.
Tom Campbell, Chief Technologist,
Video & Audio Center/Just One Touch
THE CUSTOM electronics
industry has long been void
of marketers, so that's one
reason Tom Campbell stands
out. There are very few custom
integration companies
that have mastered the art of
marketing via radio, TV and
other means.
Campbell is a fixture in
Southern California. Successfully
selling stereo
equipment requires not only
a Midas touch and a golden
ear, but also a silver tongue,
and Tom Campbell is imbued
with all three. Starting out
as the motor mouth for Cal
Stereo's radio ads in the
1970s, Campbell became
a leading retail executive,
technologist and industry
evangelist, helping a series
of consumer electronics (CE)
retailers grow to unprecedented
success. His deep
baritone voice is instantly
recognizable on the Southern
California airwaves.
As part of the golden age
of independent CE retailing
cepro.com
in the late 1960s to the mid1990s,
Campbell was instrumental
in the national launch
of myriad new products.
Born in St. Louis, Campbell
became a licensed amateur
" ham " radio operator in his
teens, buying his first radio
with his father's help and
money earned caddying on
a golf course. In junior high
school, he won a Blue Ribbon
at the Greater St. Louis
Science Fair for designing
and building a relaxation
oscillator.
In high school, Campbell
built a sub-10-milliwatt
local AM radio station and
convinced his neighbors to
tune into his evening radio
show. After pestering the
local radio station KATZ, he
gave station identification
call letters over the air on
weekends. He also emceed
shows and was a disc jockey.
Campbell later enlisted in the
Air Force, and received specialized
training in advanced
electronics, cyphers and
cryptography.
After leaving the service,
Campbell worked at several
radio stations, ending up
in San Francisco in 1968
in the center of its vibrant
music scene.
Campbell was in demand
as a commercial spokesperson
during the home stereo
craze of the early 1970s
when new retailers including
DOW Stereo and Cal Stereo
found an audience of rock
music-loving fans. Campbell
announced spots for these
retailers and could famously
squeeze 90 seconds of ad
copy into a 60-second spot,
which gave Cal Stereo an
extra patina of cool.
Campbell's exposure to
retail marketing through his
broadcasting experiences
enabled him to execute
effective advertising campaigns.
Over more than
three decades working for
Southern California retailers
including DOW Stereo
& Video, Ken Crane's, and
Video & Audio Center,
Campbell collaborated with
leading brands to orchestrate
the national launches
of multiple consumer electronics
categories.
While working with DOW,
Campbell also served on
the Congressional Internet
Caucus, the Washington
think-tank Icon Solutions
and as an advisory board
member of KFX Energy. In
2005, he became a corporate
director of COMP USA,
facilitating the integration
of CE products into the
computer domain.
Campbell, who served
as a technology advisor to
the White House in three
administrations, received the
Presidential Distinguished
Service Award in 2001, for
his " dedicated service to
the White House and the
Executive Office of the
President. "
In 2011, Campbell joined
the retailer Video & Audio
Center as corporate director
and chief marketing strategist.
Today, the company
is the largest independent
digital electronics dealer in
Southern California. He also
serves on the faculty of
the Georgetown University
Technology Management
Graduate Program.
December 2022 CE Pro | 29
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CE Pro December 2022

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