Chicago, IL, October 22, 2014 — Balanced Audio Technology (BAT), the U.S. manufacturer of ultra-high-end vacuum tube and solid-state audio components, today announced it has appointed Steve Shade as Director of International Sales. Shade is responsible for all aspects of sales and business activities with international distributors and dealers outside the U.S. and Canada.

Steve Shade brings a wealth of varied international sales and retail experience to Balanced Audio Technology. He most recently held positions as Vice President of International Sales and Vice President of Asia Pacific Sales for AudioQuest, where he lived in Hong Kong and Singapore. Shade was instrumental in developing an Asia office and warehouse to support distributors in the region, creating a direct sales force and overseeing year-on-year sales growth. He previously worked in specialty audio retail sales and as a golf teaching professional in Singapore.

Jim Davis, owner of Balanced Audio Technology, said, “Steve’s rubber-meets-the-road retail experience, combined with his first-hand knowledge of international sales, distributor relations and business practices, makes him the ideal person to expand BAT’s international efforts. He has first-hand knowledge of the entire sales chain from manufacturer to distributor and from the retailer to the customer, and will be a key component of our long-term global business plan as we enter our 20th anniversary in 2015.”

Shade said, “I am looking forward to working with our current international BAT distributors and dealers and developing new business partners across the globe. I will be spending much time in Asia and Europe to personally ensure our international distributors and dealers receive the highest level of personalized service and commitment.”

He concluded, “The musical realism and engineering expertise inherent in every Balanced Audio Technology product are truly extraordinary, and I am thrilled to be a part of providing these superb audio components to discerning music lovers worldwide.”

Steve is a graduate of the University of Kansas and has residences in Aliso Viejo, California and Singapore.