Would anyone like to clarify this situation?

Regards,

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A quick, one word answer: NO!

Ballantyne of Omaha / Strong International is still alive and kicking, working at getting better.

I am so tired of hearing those stories and would love to know where this one started. Gossip's a wonderful thing. According to some of these sources, we've been filing or going to file up to five times over the last year-and-a-half. At some stage, doesn't that become a lousy way to compete?

We're a public company so there's no denying the times have been tough. Any manufacturer of new equipment that says they are doing well in the industry right now also has a sale on quality land(fill) at a can't-be-beat price. Among those stories, often from our competition, are stories about Strong. Don't believe too many of them.

We've made some hard adjustments -- we are much smaller than we used to be, but we've been at that new size for about a year without further reduction. We've worked hard to reduce debt and make other necessary adjustments. We still make and stock and sell parts, components and major equipment. We're not going anywhere but ahead with business.

What's hurt us -- like anyone in the movie theatre equipment industry -- has been the drastic reduction in new sales. None of the Chapter 7 or 11 filings in the exhibition side of the business has hurt us in any other way.

We're still here... If you hear otherwise, feel free to ask.

Pat

Glad to hear that none of the Chapter 7 and Chapter 11 filings is hurting you in a big way. Hoepfully things are going to rebound in the industry in the next few years to a respctiable level for all involved.

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I'd like to go on record (again) by stating this type of rummor does nothing for the industry but hurt it. If someone can't substatiate such a rummor (like proving that such a filing has happened) then the thread should not just be locked but deleated. Leaving it in the records can only due harm and has NO useful purpose to anyone. All it takes is for someone to browse this sight...see the thread and casually state ..."yeah I was reading on the internet about Strong going bank...." and the rummors start a flying.

Strong is a good and reputable company that is very responsive to it's dealers and customers and _I_ take GREAT offense to such a rummor being spread without hard facts. >

Steve

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"Old projectionists never die, they just changeover!"

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Not to worry, if someone had not been able to provide facts on the situation, I would have contacted Strong directly on it after a few days. However as is usually the case, someone from the company will respond fairly quickly. Pretty much all of the companies with registered reps on this forum are very good about participating when a question arises.

Like you though, I do wonder how this sort of thing gets started.

However, people should remember the first rule of the internet: Believe no rumors. For some strange reson, peoples' "bullshit detectors" are easily short circuited when they read things like that.

Thank you for your response. In an age when we are seeing so many companies fold for all the wrong reasons, I can assure you that many of us are very consious to any report, rumour based or otherwise, that affects us.

Here in Australia there are not all that many Simplex projectors when compared to the others. We have 6 Simplex PR1060 projectors on 5 star soundheads and carry a small spares inventory, but I can assure you that in the long run we are sensitive to rumours that stock may dissapear from the market.

We also have CFS/Rentec consoles and that company has folded. Luckily most of the electrical equipment in these are fairly standard so that switches, blower motors etc are able to be sourced in Australia.

Pat, thank you once again for your reassurance and thank you to all who have replied to this posting.

Regards,

Michael.

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First, Michael, Brad and all concerned, no offense at all taken from anyone asking for clarification or if something they heard is true. I appreciate the interest and I think this site's always been a great place to get a straight answer. I think we knew that as soon as Regal finally filed the questions would come up again.

For everyone supporting Strong and the industry in general, THANKS!

Mark -- while we do make chicken fryers and other restaurant equipment (did many other people realize that?), it is a comparatively small part of our overall business. Motion picture makes up 70-80+% of our total business over the last five years, and lighting products (spotlights, Xenotech, etc.) another 10-15%. Restaurant makes up the difference, but with recently increased sales outside the US that side of the business is growing nicely. Not quite ready to carry Ballantyne on its back, though...

Michael -- we are making some parts for some of the CFS products. If there are requirements down under, let us know and we'll try to be of service.

Pat

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