THE BRIX GROUP — History & Divisions
(Motor Sound Corporation, Dealer’s Car Stereo and The Brix Group)
The company was founded in 1971 by Harry and Mariann Brix and provided after market car stereo and related products throughout the San Francisco South Bay communities which now comprise the Silicon Valley. Entrepreneurial from the very start, the company sold their products on a retail basis and also worked with the major local car dealers to offer high end after market radios for consumers who wanted more than just an “AM Radio”.
With a very successful and well established wholesale and retail business, the family was approached by Panasonic Corporation with the prospect of having The Brix Group distribute their commercial vehicle radio products on an exclusive basis. Thus was born Pana-Pacific Corporation. We have grown from our auspicious roots into an integral provider of entertainment and communication products to virtually every major commercial vehicle manufacturer in the United States. Pana-Pacific ships approximately 500,000 parts each month of the year to customers worldwide.
In the early 1980’s The Brix Group, led by Harry’s vision, was one of the first distributors of what were then called cellular phones. While many stories define the history of this great company, perhaps none is more compelling then the day that a dejected Harry Brix sat in a bar lounge at Chicago’s O’Hare field licking his wounds from a less than successful meeting at Motorola. A casual conversation with the man on the adjacent stool led to his stool mate asking Harry to share his vision for the wireless industry. That stool mate just happened to be the CEO of Motorola at that time, Chris Galvin. The following day Harry received a call from Motorola asking him if he still wanted to be a distributor and the rest is history. American Wireless became the second company within The Brix Group and has gone on to be a consistent leader in the distribution of wireless products on nationwide basis. American Wireless is credited with the creation of the industry term “Master Agent”.
Sadly, Harry passed away unexpectedly in February of 2009. With the rich history and experience in these markets, The Brix Group has now reinvented itself once again with a mission to be the leader in connectivity solutions through the holding company and its operating subsidiaries. Management is focused on helping our underlying businesses to grow and seek their own evolving positions in their respective markets.