Ex-Denon Colleagues Recall Heiblim as 'Great Mentor,' 'Magnanimous' Boss

A “mentor” with a passion for audio and dedication to success was how two former Denon America colleagues will remember Robert Heiblim, they told us Monday. Heiblim died Friday from complications of lung cancer (see 2201070053).

Denon was a newcomer to the U.S. audio market in the early 1980s when Heiblim, advertising chief Ken Furst, sales and marketing executive Stephen Baker and marketing head Angela Speziale, among others, led the brand to one of the most respected in the specialty audio space. Furst died in 2016. Baker, now Lenbrook International senior director-sales, Americas, and Speziale, principal at the Repuvue consulting firm, recalled the Denon culture as “dedicated,” “passionate” and fun.

Denon's mission statement "was very, very pure,” Baker told us. “As a company, we wanted to be part of providing music and the associated equipment to everybody.” Baker remained close with Heiblim to the end, even exchanging texts with him a day before he died. Heiblim was always thinking ahead, Baker said.

We recall interviewing Heiblim during the Audio Times days about Denon’s unique role as an audio hardware maker with record company ownership in Nippon Columbia. The then-emerging CD market was struggling with a chicken-egg conundrum. Player sales were limited by availability of the shiny discs. Denon could support its hardware business through its relationship with Nippon Columbia’s record labels, including the Denon brand.

That relationship between stereo equipment and the artists was part of a special connection at Denon, Baker said. When he and Heiblim visited corporate headquarters in Japan, "artists were all over the place, waiting in the coffee shop for their recording time,” he said. "You had this really interesting mix of business people and tattooed recording artists at the same time. It was a wonderful environment.”

Dedication among the early Denon America executives was centered on a love of music -- one shared by colleagues in Japan -- but Heiblim had the strategic vision to boot, said Baker. “Robert, more than anyone I know, was able to think strategically and had profound insights about the way things would develop," he recalled. "One of his hallmarks was the ability to think differently than most people."

We recalled a conversation with Heiblim from the late 1980s when digitization was changing the audio and video businesses. Heiblim reflected on how new technological inventions are able to develop beyond their original use case, citing the touch-tone phone. Touch-tone phone service made the dialing process faster and more convenient, but it also was the foundation for future capabilities likely not foreseen, including computerized menu systems and fax machines, he said. Heiblim was always thinking a step ahead about the capabilities technology could enable.

“He was a great mentor,” Baker said, “and he would challenge us all the time.” Challenges were done through persuasion vs. a dictatorial approach, he said. “We were able to work our way through problems and consult with each other. He made me think two or three steps ahead.”

Speziale wanted a role at Denon as a salesperson, she told us, but she would have hit a ceiling in that pursuit in the 1980s. Heiblim understood the landscape, telling her she would experience pushback if she tried to penetrate a world that was dominated by men during that time: “Dealers will tell you to ‘go home, little girl, and send your boss instead,’” she recalled Heiblim telling her.

So Heiblim created a position that didn’t previously exist -- and one without preconceived gender bias -- making Speziale the Denon marketing services manager. “That got me out into the field, and it gave me entry into the industry without resistance,” she said. “Marketing wasn’t threatening to people,” she said: “It was a stroke of genius.” Later, Speziale took over advertising for Denon. “When you have the backing and support of your management, you’re so powerful,” she said.

Heiblim was well known to have exhaustive opinions on a wide range of topics. A journalist knew to set aside 45 minutes for an interview, which would likely run long. “As much as he pontificated, and as much as he had an ego, and as wicked smart as he was, he was gracious and magnanimous,” Speziale said. “Everybody celebrated the win," she said: "Whenever anyone landed an important account, It was good for all of us.”

Heiblim took the role of underdog and ran with it, Speziale said. “Our passion at Denon was to be the best and kick some ass in the marketplace,” she said. “We weren’t Sony or Yamaha, and we were going to do it better than anyone. We believed wholeheartedly in the product,” she said, describing a group of “disparate personalities” with a shared mission to succeed in the market.

Denon was invited to the opening of the first Tower Records store in New York in 1983. Heiblim made sure everyone on staff was on the guest list -- “from the warehouse to the treasurer, the president,” Speziale said: “Was he our fearless leader and ultimately the one that we were all reporting in to? Yes, but he respected you, and he helped you challenge yourself. You just wanted to be exquisite in everything you did.”

Speziale, who continued to work with Heiblim over the years, said he stayed the course even following his cancer diagnosis: “He was always just Robert. He never morphed from Robert to cancer patient.” Heiblim's family is requesting that donations in his memory be made to the CTA Foundation, in which he was active.