The Tower Story
Tower Products has been in the broadcast equipment supply business since 1987 and has seen the industry evolve from tape-based production workflows to one of bits and bytes with little or no media beyond a smart phone or an internet connection. We have learned many lessons along the way that are part of successful 35 year track record where flexibility, innovation, and commitment have served our customers well.
Our story began in a one-car garage in Woodstock, NY in the mid-1980s. Company founder Mark Braunstein had a knack for designing unique and hard to find products for the video broadcasting industry. Large order contracts demanded expansion and Marker Technologies was born in 1987 with 3 employees on Ulster Avenue in Saugerties.
In the early 1990s, our cable shop recognized the growing need for cables required to connect Sony, JVC, Ikegami and Panasonic studio broadcast cameras to CCU units. We were able to supply stock and custom lengths to broadcast TV stations around the world and our reputation for quality was second to none. Our cables were also being sought by dealers and system integrators around the country prompting Tower to open our Technical Necessities dealer and distribution division.
Both Markertek and TecNec continued to produce mail order catalogs, and still do today, while also launching ecommerce websites in the late 1990s. Tower also launched its Delvcam Monitor and Ocean Matrix brands while also acquiring and rebirthing the Laird Telemedia brand, known for its character generators dating back to the 1970s, with FireWire and DV media converters in 2000.
Additional important milestones in Tower's storied history:
• Tower acquired and relaunched the Sescom brand known worldwide for its IL-19 audio hum eliminator. It has since expanded the line to over 75 audio products
• We opened our fiber optic cable lab under the Camplex name in 2013 in order to serve the industry needs for SMPTE Hybrid Camera cables
• After 25 years of metal fabrication for Markertek and TecNec customers, Tower branded the metal shop under the My Custom Shop name in 2019.
The year 2016 marked an important milestone in the company's history with the transfer of ownership to employees. The Employee Stock Ownership Program creates a great opportunity for all our employees to recognize the importance of collaboration and how the job we do day to day impacts our customers.
