And if he does what he says he wants to do, it will be the end of ML as we know it -- and it may be the end of MartingLogan altogether, if he can't pull it off.
Basically, he wants to expand the ML line (as if it wasn't large enough already) to include more 'lifestyle' products (like Bose, the new JBL, the new Infinity, etc) which if it works, will make ML just another name at Best Buy. And he wants to do this globally! I mean -- aren't there already enough companies making in-wall speakers? And is that an appropriate location for a dipole electrostatic? C'mon!!
Very few specialized high end companies have survived this kind of conglomerate-ization without losing their focus and identity. We almost lost McIntosh altogether, Marantz to the lo-end, JBL as a producer of high quality home loudspeakers, Infinity to the lo-end; and we're about to lose Madrigal/Levinson, except for their very profitable automotive division.
Someone once said, "in a capitalist economy, a business must expand a certain amount each year just to stay the same!" I'll smoke to that! But there are lots of ways to expand a company, maybe a bit more slowly, but without sacrificing its core products and market.
This hotshot (listen to the audio clip) hasen't the foggiest idea what ML is to its current customer base. Either that or he doesn't care, and just wants to build up profits quickly and then sell it off.