IN PROFILE
AREA FOUR INDUSTRIES AMERICA – WEST To mark the official opening of Area Four Industries’ West Coast operation, TPi’s Stew Hume hopped onto an LAX-bound plane to meet Adrian Forbes-Black, Vice President of Sales & Marketing, to discuss the group’s latest venture.
Since 2016, one of the most recognisable names in trussing and rigging technology - Area Four Industries - has increased its presence in the US. Even with a successful East Coast Knoxville, Tennessee operation, CEO Franti Zykan knew further expansion was necessary to meet the demands of the American market. Under the watch of industry veteran, Adrian Forbes-Black, the group’s West Coast office was created. Nestled away in Thousand Oaks, California, the new branch is conveniently situated on the 101 Freeway. The region is a veritable hot bed for the live events industry, with Downtown LA, Hollywood and LAX all within a relatively short drive. Keen to catch some Californian sun, TPi caught up with Forbes-Black at the new facility to discuss the group’s reception in America. Don’t be fooled by his Birmingham accent; Forbes-Black has more
than enough experience within the American entertainment industry having previously worked with Total Structures before moving to Area Four Industries. Thanks to his encyclopedic knowledge on the history of trussing, he is the perfect candidate to oversee this latest expansion. “You could really think of this base as a hybrid,” began Forbes-Black as we walked the warehouse floor. “We have a small dedicated sales team here that represents Tomcat and James Thomas Engineering (JTE) as well as Area Four Industry brands Milos, Litec, EXE Technology, Mobiltechlifts, Xstage and Xtruss.” Working alongside Forbes-Black on the West Coast team are Sales Managers Douglas DeBusschere and Gene Matera. Another recent addition to the team is Devan Edwards, the company’s Warehouse Manager. From a European standing, the ‘Four’ in Area Four Industries stands 108
