VANCOUVER, BC, Canada — Industry veteran Peter Janis — perhaps best known as the founder of Radial Engineering — has passed away after a bout with cancer. He was 66.
Born July 7, 1958 in St.-Bruno-de-Montarville, Québec, Janis grew up in a musical environment, with his mother playing piano in the home and encouraging his musical ambitions. He graduated from Montreal’s Ecole Secondaire Edouard-Montpetit high school in 1976, where he performed both in the school orchestra and in rock bands.
A Little History
Janis always had a love of music and technology. His journey in the music and pro audio industries began with a retail gig at Steve’s Music Store in Montreal, Canada. As a musician, he put in his time on the road playing keyboards and guitars. Janis eventually migrated to designing audio systems for P.A. companies and in 1980 was hired by Fender Musical Instruments and became product manager for Fender Canada. After a decade in that position, Janis — having amassed an arsenal of technical and marketing knowledge and skills — left to start his own marketing company, providing services to various industry companies including Canadian cable company, Cabletek.
Janis’ relationship with Cabletek grew, and in 1991 he saw an opportunity to take it over and get back to what he loved best — the gear. Renaming the company to JP Cabletek Electronics Ltd., in 1992 he imported an array of brands such as Presonus, Audix, Hafler, Microtech Gefell, Mogami, Jensen Transformers, Sonex acoustical products and many others. Over the next few years, the company grew to making custom audio snakes, while Janis toyed with the idea of going more global.
Coming up with a company name that was easily translated into many languages (Radial Engineering) and a logo that represents the inside of a quad cable, and in 1996, he launched Radial’s first product — the signature Radial JDI direct box, which was the first in what would become an extensive line of professional products and brands with a solid reputation for ruggedness and reliability that continues today.
Smart Moves
One notable example of Janis’ sharp business acumen came early in 2014, when he heard that the Jensen Transformers company was going to be sold. This spelled a potential disaster for Radial Engineering, as many of its world-class product designs were based on Jensen Transformers, and any new owner planning to exploit the name and create low-quality components would affect Radial products. In fact, Radial was Jensen’s number one customer. So in July 2014, Radial Engineering acquired Jensen Transformers and not only retained its staff, but also invested in additional precision manufacturing equipment (including two $50,000 Swiss-made Meteor numerically controlled coil winders) to maintain high production standards. Crisis averted!
The Radial brand family and distribution network grew over the years to include a diverse catalog of brands, including: Primacoustic, Tonebone, Reamp, Hafler, Dynaco, Iso-Max and Jensen Transformers.
In 2018, Peter sold Radial Engineering, leaving to consult for a number of music-related companies, assisting business owners on planning and maximizing their exit strategy and conducting entrepreneurial lectures for business students at universities.
“Peter’s accomplishments were many and his legacy will live on here at Radial, but what will be remembered more than anything was his passion for friends, music and fellowship,” said Roc Bubel, director, sales and marketing for Radial. “Our industry has lost a true innovator and visionary, and we take solace in knowing that Peter’s legacy lives on here at Radial through the products, passion, dedication, and commitment to excellence that he founded the company on.”
Peter Janis will be missed, not only as an innovator and brilliant entrepreneur, but also for his warm nature, sense of humor and his friendships with so many people throughout the professional audio and music industries. Rest well, friend.
At press time, no word on a memorial service had been announced.
*** Check out the NAMM Oral History video interview with Peter Janis at:
