-Jeff Long, VP Sales & Marketing,
Long & McQuade
RICHARD & ERIC LASNIER OF ADI
The ADI MI division now includes D’Angelico Guitars,
Palmer Musical Instruments, and its most recent addition,
Amahi Ukuleles. And Richard adds, without disclosing too
many details, that the recent NAMM Show was especially pro-
ductive for him and he expects some more announcements
in the near future.
“I figured if we went into the musical instruments side of
things, first of all, there would be the main resources within
the company to do it, both financially and just in terms of
general business acumen, and the fact that it was a passion
for me that I was really savvy in terms of having sold guitars
myself for 25 years in retail and whatnot, and being a collector
myself and a player and all the rest. I thought it was a very
good direction to go into where we could continue to sell our
products to the same dealers, but just sell them more without
having to necessarily go off the beaten path and develop
a whole new market segment we weren’t familiar with,” he
explains. “Then I turned my attention to other distributors and
what they have done. I looked at some of the major players in
Canada and they all have both pro audio and musical instru-
ments in some form or another in their catalog. I said, ‘Well,
what’s good for the goose is good for the gander.’”
In terms of service, Richard says there isn’t a major secret
to developing and maintaining good relationships, whether
it’s with MI retailers, recording studios, live sound profession-
als, or anyone else using or selling their brands. “Respect,
integrity, support, service, and hard work – there’s no miracle
recipe to success; you need to earn it,” he says. “We feel that
these five key points are imperative no matter what industry
or market segment you are in.”
For any family business, separating the personal and profes-
sional is challenging but necessary; however, the Lasniers
make it sound easy. Talking to Richard and Eric, the love,
26 • CANADIAN MUSIC TRADE
respect, and admiration they share between them is obvious.
“Well, the apple does not fall far from the tree. We definitely both
have strong opinions and we do not always agree ‘out of the
gate’; however, in cases of disagreement, we are able to calmly
debate important decisions and find common ground on most
important issues,” attests Eric. “If we hit a wall, we bring in our na-
tional sales manager, Louis-Philippe, to break the tie. Occasion-
ally one of us needs to yield to the other for the greater good, as
in any partnership, and regardless of our family ties, business is
business. I do, in fact, try to separate my professional relationship
from my personal relationship with my father because it has
always been important to me to stand on my own. I always felt
that I needed to go the extra mile and work extra, extra hard to
earn the respect of our staff and customers as a key member of
the team.”
When the question about the interpersonal dynamics is
flipped to Richard, he jokingly says, “Whatever Eric said, he is
always right.”
Boiteau, the one who breaks the ties, says it’s actually easy
working with the father/son team. “Working with Richard and
Eric is a real pleasure. They are very ‘human’ and respectful peo-
ple. At work, both are very professional. They have a strong and
mature working relationship without petty family squabbles.”
“Louis-Philippe and I get along famously,” Eric says. “Every
conversation, you know, I don’t want to say we finish each oth-
er’s sentences, but every time we have a debate about some-
thing, there’s an unspoken understanding and it’s a great rela-
tionship.” The sales manager seconds that assessment, adding,
“Sometimes, a single glance is enough to understand what the
other has to say.”
Boiteau first joined ADI about 15 years ago as a sales rep,
RICHARD, DIANE & ERIC LASNIER
“Congratulations to Richard and Eric on a
successful 25 years!
An amazing accomplishment!”
• Auratone
• Beachtek
• Blue Sky
• C-Ducer
• Event Electronics
• Funktion-One
• Galaxy Audio
• iOgrapher
• Mc2 Audio
• Palmer Audio
• Rode Microphones
• Rycote Microphone Windshields
• VERO by Funktion One