President of JL Audio, Andy Oxenhorn is retiring from the company effective Friday.
Oxenhorn joined JL Audio in 1996 after serving as the president of MB Quart USA. Under his guidance at JL Audio, the company grew in many areas. It expanded into marine, home and powersports, becoming one of the leaders in each segment. During Oxenhorn’s tenure, JL Audio introduced several marquee products including W7 subwoofers and Slash amplifiers. It also expanded the Stealthbox, Evolution, and MicroSub lines.
Oxenhorn has held a longstanding and remarkable business/personal relationship with leading dealers in the industry.
Mike Cofield, CEO of Custom Sounds and president of MESA said, “The industry is richer because of all he brought to the table. Happy retirement, Andy!”
Jim Warren, Executive Director of the Elite Distributor Alliance said, “I’ve known Andy for over twenty-five years. Andy is an extraordinary individual. His knowledge of the industry, his perseverance to get things done right, and his impeccable code of ethics combine to make one incredible guy. We will miss him so much, but of course wish him all of the very best. The only flaw I ever found in Andy was his lack of interest in or ability in being around dogs. What’s up with that?”
One retailer who asked not to be named said, “He is a very caring person. And I think it would almost hurt his business sometimes. He was that caring.”
He added, “He was always for the specialist. People will say he spent more time on OEM, but he really did the right thing for the specialist. We’re still getting checks for online sales in our market. No other vendor does that. If JL sells something in our market, they’ll give us 20 percent from the top. He was strict about eBay and online. Even Crutchfield is fairly recent for him. He had a discipline that, obviously, is rare in our industry. Relationships were important to him. At the end of the day he definitely understood the needs of our business. He was very passionate about 12 volt. We’re going to miss Andy.”
Oxenhorn achieved what might be called first name status with retailers and suppliers alike. If JL Audio was the subject, they would simply refer to “Andy” with no explanation required.
Photo credit: Miramar.gov
Congratulations Andy, I always valued our relationship and your personal support for me at AudioControl, often as a mentor and friend….. Alex
Congratulations Andy,enjoy. It’s been one heck of a ride! Best of Luck.
What more can be said about such a great guy. I was honored to become friends with Andy and we would often talk about his wife and daughter and then would get into talking about business.
You will be missed, my friend. And…….well done!
Andy go enjoy the next chapter in the book of life, you done good!
Thank you for all the respect you gave to all specialists in the 12V industry.
Your leadership and caring attitude should be a model for all those in the CE industry.
I hope you enjoy retirement to the max. It’s a pretty darn good gig, my Friend.
Congratulations Andy! You’ve been a great friend for almost as long as I have been in this industry and always made the time to talk. Thanks for everything you’ve done on both a personal level, and within the industry. YOU WILL BE MISSED!
There has not been a more honorable, trustworthy, and caring leader in our CE Industry. The bar could not be higher for someone to take the baton leadership role at JL.
Thank you for all of your leadership, efforts, and contributions you have put forth to the growth of the 12V, Marine, and Home Audio. You will be missed my friend.
Enjoy your retirement…you have earned it!