(Las Vegas, NV) - January 5, 2006 – Chet Pipkin, President/CEO of Belkin International, Inc., will be inducted into Dealerscope magazine’s Hall of Fame at a formal reception at Bally’s Las Vegas tonight. Belkin International, Inc. is the global leader in connectivity solutions and has been recognized by industry leaders and the press with various awards and accolades for its products, such as its Wireless Pre-N networking line and iPod® accessories. This announcement coincides with the 2006 International CES Show in Las Vegas, NV, January 5–8, where Belkin will be exhibiting at 31247 South Hall and 8759 Central Hall.
Dealerscope’s 2006 Hall of Fame inductees represent the entire spectrum of ambition and achievement. First presented at the 1991 Winter CES, Dealerscope’s Hall of Fame recognizes individual contributions to the consumer electronics industry. The Hall of Fame honors the industry’s veterans, the innovators, the visionaries, the dealmakers, and those who pursue a standard of excellence.
“Chet has been a great partner,” says David Morrish, Sr. Vice President at Best Buy. “He recognized that the CE landscape was dynamic and that he had to be a visionary to survive. He’s always willing to recognize when a retailer changes the business model, and he willingly moves on to the next opportunity rather than trying to maintain the old.”
“We’re very happy to include Chet Pipkin in our annual Hall of Fame. His achievement is a great example of how a homegrown business can become a major company in the consumer electronics industry. I’m sure our subscribers will enjoy reading his story,” says David Dritsas, Dealerscope’s Editor-in-Chief.
Joining Mr. Pipkin in Dealerscope’s Hall of Fame is Brad Anderson of Best Buy, William Hecht of Phase Technology, and Bob Lawrence of Brand Source.
Belkin has come a long way in becoming the top brand market leader. Mr. Pipkin started the company alone in a garage in Hawthorne, California in 1983. Today, Belkin is one of the fastest-growing companies in the United States. Amongst numerous awards, the company has made the Inc. magazine list of the 500 fastest-growing privately held companies in the U.S. twice; has earned entrance into Inc. magazine’s 2003 Hall of Fame after placing in the Inner City Top 100 List for five consecutive years; and has ranked in the Los Angeles Business Journal’s annual Fastest Growing Private Companies List since 1999.
Dealerscope gives their retail readers the knowledge they need to make the right decisions in the fast-moving consumer technology market. It helps retailers to more profitably market and sell consumer technology. Most importantly, Dealerscope assists manufacturers and distributors in communicating best practices to retail.
Belkin International, Inc., the global leader in connectivity solutions, offers a range of innovations for the computer, electronics, and mobile consumer. With a diverse and far-reaching product mix consisting of home and enterprise networking, VoIP hardware, audio video solutions, KVM (keyboard/video/mouse) and peripheral sharing, power protection and cabling, as well as USB and FireWire® devices, Belkin extends its reach also to Bluetooth™, cellular, PDA, iPod®, and other solutions for mobile computing. Belkin products are available through www.belkin.com as well as through a network of major distributors, resellers, and superstores.