New Jersey (June 11, 2024)—Reggio Emilia, Italy-based RCF SPA is marking its 75th year in 2024, and to celebrate, the loudspeaker company has been highlighting its well-earned reputation as a mainstay in pro audio throughout Europe and increasingly the world. Case in point: Its North American arm, RCF USA, will be at InfoComm in Las Vegas this month, introducing thousands of pros to a new flagship brand, TT Audio, and spearheading that effort will be vice president of sales and marketing Tarik Solangi.
A veteran of RCF USA for more than a decade, Solangi knows both its brands and the U.S. marketplace well, having built his own reputation not only on sales but also a bedrock of experience in the live sound and recording industries.
“At 24, I realized my dream of becoming a rock star was not going to happen, as I was not that great of a bass player,” he says. “I was, however, good at mixing live sound and recording, so I was able to get the funding to open a rehearsal and recording studio. I started a small production and rental company a year later and did sound for local bands and mixes in many of the New York City clubs.
“In 2013, I started working for RCF as a product specialist, and after a year in that parttime position, Roni Nevo, the president of RCF, asked me to come on full time in sales. Six months later, Roni promoted me to U.S. national sales manager, and the following year to VP of sales and marketing.”
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Coming onboard with RCF when he did allowed Solangi to become a crucial part of the loudspeaker manufacturer’s expanding presence in North America. “RCF has had tremendous growth in the U.S. and around the world over the last 10 years,” he reports. “We found a solid market selling our HDL line—now the leader in mid-size portable line array systems—which are being used in live sound production and installations. The RCF line is quite broad; we have products that are successful in retail all the way up to touring, with TT Audio at the top.”
While RCF SPA had various U.S. presences in decades past, RCF USA was founded more than 15 years ago, and is directly owned by the Italian parent company. No mere overseas outpost, RCF USA recently moved into a brand-new, 30,000-square-foot facility in Piscataway, N.J., that serves as the headquarters for all North American sales, service and warehousing. As the business has grown, so has its staffing and infrastructure. “We use independent reps to drive our sales; we are very happy with this structure, and many of our reps have been with RCF USA since it started over 15 years ago,” Solangi reports.
The parent company and its U.S. subsidiary have their specific roles, to be sure. Solangi characterizes RCF SPA as “an engineering-driven company with a strong customer focus,” adding that “90 percent of our manufacturing takes place in our factory in Italy. All product development comes from Italy, with real-world input from our office in the U.S., as well as the other teams from around the world.”
Meanwhile, he says, RCF USA is “a sales company, where everything here is about customer service.” With that in mind, he tends to be very hands-on with all stakeholders, staying connected and ensuring everyone has what they need to succeed. “I don’t like long emails and I don’t send out many,” he admits. “I use the phone, and we can solve an issue in a quick conversation rather than a long, confusing email. I also try to spend half of the month on the road interacting with customers and reps directly.”
A key to the success of both RCF USA and its parent company has been the ability to provide market-driven products that answer the needs of mid-sized productions and regional/local production and installation companies, as well as the house of worship and club markets. “That is not to say we are not involved in large shows and installations,” he notes. “We have done many stadium and arena projects in the U.S. and around the world.”
Some of those efforts will no doubt be topics of conversation at RCF’s InfoComm booth this month, where those new TT Audio technologies and products will be on display. “We’ve had TT Audio GTX line array systems in use for top-tier performers in top venues across the USA for many months now, and the reviews have been great. Starting with InfoComm, we’re ready to start sharing the TT Audio story with the world.”
