Clarion Restructures Operations

GARDENA, CALIF.— U.S. parent company, Clarion Corp. of America (CCA), is merging with Clarion Sales Corporation effective Aug. 1 to streamline operations and improve efficiencies, said the companies.

Clarion Latin America is also being folded back into parent company CCA, although Macintosh and Clarion Canada will remain separate companies, which report to CCA, said a spokesman.

"There was the parent company, CCA and then other Clarion companies, which were under it. These companies worked independently even though they were all Clarion and there wasn't a lot of sharing of communications, technology or products. Now Clarion Sales Corp. will just be a division in one company and there will be greater sharing of resources, product ideas and technologies," said the spokesman.

Marketing director Mike Townsen confirmed that the merger is to improve efficiencies and also "improve communications between our retail group and our OEM group."

Clarion also said that David Black, senior VP, sales and marketing, Clarion Sales Corp., resigned July 24 to purse other interests. Under the new corporate structure, A. Imoto will replace Black in the new position of senior vice president of the retail division of CCA and he will report directly to Matt Matsuda, president of CCA.

Also under the restructuring, Jack DeBiasio, formerly director, engineering for Clarion Sales, becomes director, product planning; Mike Townsen remains director of marketing and Frank Pierce becomes retail sales and sales administration VP. All report to Imoto.