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Almo Professional A/V announces aqcuisition of International Audio Visual Inc.

Almo Professional A/V is acquiring International Audio Visual Inc., which it said makes it the largest privately-held professional audio video distributor in the industry and a $1.2 billion corporation.

April 6, 2016

In a move aimed at expanding distribution accessibility to pro AV resellers and integrators, Almo Professional A/V today announced it is acquiring certain assets and assuming certain liabilities of International Audio Visual Inc., a value-added global distributor. As a result, Almo Corporation — a 70-year-old distributor — said it will become the largest privately-held professional audio video distributor in the industry and a $1.2 billion corporation. It also makes Almo a global company through the procurement of IAVI's Latin American business. The transaction is expected to close next month, according to the announcement.

The acquisition announcement was made public during Almo Pro A/V's E4 AV Tour stop in Washington, D.C.

"We are proud to be a third-generation, family-owned American company with a vision to expand job opportunities and fuel the economy," said Warren Chaiken, president and CEO for Almo Corp. "Taking care of our employees, partners and manufacturers has always been first. The acquisition will give thousands of resellers and integrators access to top quality distribution while making Almo Pro A/V a highly competitive global distributor."

According to Sam Taylor, executive vice president and COO for Almo Professional A/V, "For nearly 20 years, IAVI has brought a value-add approach to the market with its high level of customer service, talented employees and established success in Latin America. This is in alignment with what Almo Pro A/V has been building and why IAVI was a perfect fit to become a part of our company. Combined with our managed services, engineering and design support, and leading education and training programs, Almo brings a new depth of opportunity to the Pro AV community that is currently not available."

IAVI founder and President Wade Gilbert said: "In looking for ways to expand the business, I saw that becoming a part of a larger entity like Almo Corp. would provide a multitude of benefits for our customers, our partners and our employees … Taking best practices from both companies will allow us to build an even stronger value proposition for our customers." 

The company said the transition is expected to be seamless to current Almo Pro A/V customers. Previous IAVI partners can expect to experience a host of new benefits through the acquisition, including:

• Access to Almo's content creation, installation and bandwidth managed services, which provide a new dimension of growth and ongoing revenue potential;
• A full-featured e-business portal named Almo Access, which includes online tracking, ordering, price sheets, return requests, customized spec sheets, images and a host of other valuable information;
• Competitive pricing and shipping rates along with buying power that ensures healthy inventory and advanced logistics thanks to the size, scope and power of the division's parent company, Almo Corp.;
• Inventory in seven warehouses across the country for nationwide projects;
• Access to new product lines for both the professional and consumer markets; and
• Education programs, such as the E4 AV Tour to help resellers stay ahead of the trends and be more competitive.

Additional details about the acquisition will become available over the next month, the announcement said. 

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Almo Pro AV

Almo Pro AV is the largest value-added North American Professional AV distributor, offering its reseller partners the most expansive range of products, managed services, technical support, and training to drive business growth and generate profits.

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