The AV industry lost one of its leading minds and personalities when John Stiernberg, AV industry consultant and co-founder of Stiernberg Consulting, died on November 11, 2017 after a months-long cancer battle.
John and wife Jeanne Stiernberg founded Stiernberg Consulting in 1993. It quickly established itself as a leading consultant and researcher for the AV industry with customers that have included NSCA, InfoComm (now AVIXA), CEDIA and NAMM.
John and Jeanne, college sweethearts, were married for 45 years.
Their company, Stiernberg Consulting, is “a seminal business development consultancy within the music, audio-video, and entertainment technology industry,” according to a press release.
“Despite his influential role as a guiding force behind many of the industry’s success stories, John maintained an intentionally understated, behind-the-scenes profile to keep the spotlight on his clients.”
I was only lucky enough to cross paths with John a few times while discussing Stiernberg Consulting’s industry-leading research projects. I found him to be a great guy, extremely knowledgeable, yet modest, kind and polite.
The press release offers some perspective on John Stiernberg’s personality:
An accomplished bluegrass and gospel musician, John was an ardent music lover and aficionado, with an encyclopedic knowledge that spanned multiple genres and eras.
He embraced technology with equal fervor, cultivating a keen insight and understanding of consumer and professional technologies. But it was John’s business acumen that informed his work, guiding the CEOs and business trajectories of the industry’s dominant players and rising stars.
A fervent supporter of music and technology education, John was active in numerous trade organizations including NAMM, InfoComm, NSCA, and CEDIA.
A dynamic keynote speaker, he was a frequent contributor to industry publications, creating hundreds of white papers and reports, and authoring the acclaimed music industry guidebook, Succeeding in Music: Business Chops for Performers and Songwriters.
Chuck Wilson first met John as an integrator in the 1980s. Later, when Wilson became executive director of NSCA, he says John became one of his closest and most trusted AV industry consultants.
“John will be missed,” Wilson says. “He was a very unique individual and so intelligent. He was a mentor, industry leader, trusted advisor, friend and a great banjo player”.
In addition to wife Jeanne, John is survived by his mother, Myra Stiernberg of Tillamook, Ore.; brother Donald Stiernberg and sister-in-law Ilene Stiernberg of Skokie, Ill.; niece Bonnie Stiernberg of Brooklyn, N.Y.; nephew Charlie Stiernberg of Chicago; and brother-in-law Matthew Broughton of Ripon, Wisc.
In lieu of flowers, the family has suggested a donation to one of many charitable causes John was committed to, including the NAMM Foundation, as well as Bay City United Methodist Church, Bay City, OR.
