Directed Electronics, Inc. (DEI) is an
Orlando, Florida
Orlando ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Orange County, Florida, United States. The city proper had a population of 307,573 at the 2020 census, making it the fourth-most populous city in Florida behind Jacksonville, Florida, Jacksonville ...
-based producer of car security products, including Viper car alarms and accessories. It is a subsidiary of
VOXX Automotive, which is owned by VOXX International.
History
DEI was founded in
Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County, Ohio, Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–United States border, Canada–U.S. maritime border ...
in 1982 by
Darrell
Darrell is a given name derived from an English surname, which was derived from Norman-French , originally denoting one who came from Airelle in France. There are no longer any towns in France called Airelle, but is the French word for huckleber ...
and Kathy Issa.
Darrell served as the company's first CEO.
In 1986, the company headquarters moved to
Vista, California
Vista (; Spanish language, Spanish for "view") is a city in San Diego County, California, United States. It is a medium-sized city within the San Diego-Carlsbad metropolitan statistical area. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, V ...
, in San Diego County. In 1999, the Issas sold their share of DEI to Miami, Florida-based private equity firm
Trivest
Trivest Partners, L.P. is among the oldest private equity firms in the Southeast U.S., founded in 1981, and focuses exclusively on founder and family-owned businesses. Trivest is headquartered in Miami, Florida with regional offices in Charlott ...
.
[
In 2000, Darrell Issa was elected to the ]House of Representatives
House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entities. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often ...
, and Jim Minarik replaced him as CEO.
In 2008, DEI adapted a holding company
A holding company is a company whose primary business is holding a controlling interest in the Security (finance), securities of other companies. A holding company usually does not produce goods or services itself. Its purpose is to own Share ...
strategy, and its parent company became DEI Holdings, Inc.[
In July 2020, VOXX International acquired the majority of Directed's automotive aftermarket business, adding eight brands, headlined by Viper.
]
Products
The company distributes various brands of car alarm
A car alarm is an electronic device installed in a vehicle in an attempt to discourage theft of the vehicle itself, its contents, or both. Car alarms work by emitting high-volume sound (often a vehicle-mounted siren, klaxon, pre-recorded verba ...
s and vehicle start systems, including AstroStart, Automate, Autostart, Avital, Clifford, Python and Viper.
References
{{reflist
External links
Directed Electronics, Inc.
1982 establishments in Ohio
Companies based in Orlando, Florida
Manufacturing companies established in 1982