INDUSTRY UPDATE
CANADA: BOUCHERVILLE, QUEBEC
Julie Mullins
Louis Lemire, president of Moon by Simaudio, passed away in Trois-Rivières, Quebec, on Thursday, September 23, after a short illness. He was 55. He is survived by his wife, Annie Bobeil; his daughter, Maude Auger-Lemire (Peterson Chatelier); and his brother, Pierre Lemire, in addition to grandchildren and other relatives. Simaudio issued a statement, which reads in part:
Passionate about audio and music from a young age, Louis became an electronics engineer to satisfy his passion. It was in 2013 that he was able to truly realize his dream by becoming an owner of Simaudio together with Costa Koulisakis and Thierry Dufour, both already long-time employees.
He put all his soul and energy into the service of the company by fulfilling his role as President with talent and determination for more than eight years. He inspired his colleagues and always earned their respect through his integrity and profound humanity.
Louis was a gentleman of endless generosity, jovial humor, and infectious laughter. He will be sadly missed and will always be celebrated through his passion for music.
Costa and Thierry are working with the support of all employees to establish continuity in the company’s operations. … Our deepest thoughts and sympathies are with his family and friends.
“Louis was also a strategic, enlightened, and charismatic leader,” Koulisakis wrote in an email to Stereophile, adding that he and Dufour “will carry Simaudio into the future and honor Louis by continuing to make the MOON name a leader in high-end audio.”
THE NETHERLANDS: GRONINGEN
Bruno Putzeys
To the young Jan-Peter van Amerongen, no piece of tech in the house was safe. If he could lift it, he’d take it apart, see how it worked, and put it together again. Sound equipment held particular allure, and it wasn’t long before he was building and selling seriously powerful amplifiers that became popular in the local clubbing scene. He went on to study electronics and found a job at a company that made DC/AC inverters. There, the entrepreneurial side piqued his interest, but he was quickly informed that “we aren’t paying you to have
