The 2014 International Consumer Electronics Show kicks off this week in Las Vegas with a slew of Orange County technology companies hoping to grab headlines and secure deals at the country’s largest expo.
There will be more than 3,200 exhibitors at the event that will unveil more than 20,000 of the latest technology services and gizmos.
That doesn’t even include hundreds of other companies, such as Irvine-based Vizio Inc., which bypasses the madness of the convention floors for more intimate suites at the Wynn resort, and other hotels.
The Jan. 7-10 event will feature more than 750 companies from tech-heavy California, which sends more companies to CES than any other state.
Orange County is well represented, with more than 100 local companies showcasing products and services.
Fountain Valley-based Kingston Technology Co. will debut a range of storage devices, while Irvine-based chipmaker Broadcom Corp. will demo a plethora of chips that power numerous communication and processing applications in 4K ultra-high definition TVs, set-top boxes, smartphones and other devices.
D-Link Systems Inc., also based in Fountain Valley, will introduce home networking equipment and IP surveillance cameras, as well as a suite of products in new market segments.
Orange-based Westinghouse Digital Inc. will demo its latest LED interactive white boards, essentially jumbo tablets from 55 inches to 84-inch 4K versions geared for the education and corporate sectors.
OC’s automakers Hyundai Motor America Inc., Kia Motors America Inc. and Mazda North American Operations will tout their latest technology features and systems in a sneak peak before next week’s North American International Auto Show in Detroit.
Emulex Names Directors
Emulex Corp. investors have more clarity on the strategic direction of the Costa Mesa-based networking equipment maker with the nomination of three industry veterans for independent director.
Gary Daichendt has held several senior executive positions at San Jose-based Cisco Systems Inc., the world’s largest equipment maker. John Kelley, chief executive of Denver-based brain imaging provider CereScan Corp., has held leadership positions in the storage networking and data infrastructure markets. Rahul Merchant, chief information and innovation officer for New York City, previously served as senior management and CIO at Fannie Mae and Merrill Lynch & Co.
The company will also elect a new executive chairman due to the ouster of Jim McCluney, who was also pushed out of the chief executive role last year in favor of Jeff Benck. Its old guard of directors, which include investor Michael Downey, attorney Robert Goon, and tech consultant Don Lyle, also will step down.
The board and management changes were pushed by Emulex’ largest investor, New York-based hedge fund Elliott Management Corp., which has shaken up the technology landscape in Orange County before.
Elliott, which has a nearly 10% stake in the company, was a vocal critic of Emulex’ management and opposed last year’s $120 million buy of New Zealand-based Endace Ltd., which makes technology that records, visualizes and monitors network traffic.
Emulex is scheduled to appoint board members at its annual stockholder meeting on Feb. 6.
