NorPac Marketing

When my thirteen-year run at Sony came to an end, I didn't leave the audio world behind completely. I helped increase sales at the Good Guys while I was there. When we moved back to Seattle, I decided to become an independent sales representative (someone who sells products or services for companies without being a direct employee). So, I created NorPac Marketing and struck an agreement to represent Sony's high-end products specifically tailored for specialty shops, and I also took on representation for Aiwa's audio line, Technicolors Microvideo products.

It was an exciting startup phase. Shortly after we launched, I made another key agreement to represent Shape products. That relationship sparked a great idea: we started manufacturing custom wood boxes to house those popular, modular Shape cassette holders, turning basic plastic storage into premium audio furniture.

Sales were doing so well that I hired Bill Rittenhouse to join me in expanding our dealer base. Everything seemed to be falling into place. But then, the recession hit. The economic downturn was swift and brutal, ultimately driving our new venture into bankruptcy. Once again, the ground shifted beneath me, and I found myself facing that heavy question: What's Next?

1979 Technicolor Audio Video Division

When the recession hit, I left NorPac to help keep it afloat. Jack offered me a two-year contract to be the Vice President of Sales and Marketing. They moved our family to San Juan Capistrano, CA. He had been importing a unique portable video recorder made by Funai. When I first got to the Technicolor office, Jack introduced me to the management team and then called me into his office. He said pack your bags, you and I are going to Europe for 10 days. I took great pride in the naming of our product line, “MicroVideo”. Jack was a great salesman who was unfortunately led down the wrong path.