FRONT of HOUSE • November 2018 • Company 411: ProX Cases

Guerrilla Productions out of Ocala, FL, a regional production company founded in 2016, juggles all the concerns similar companies have: bidding right, getting gigs, being consistently good, etc.

But one night in August of 2017, co-owner Tim Pigeon faced one of the worst disasters a company like theirs can face. A trailer holding their gear after a music festival was set on fire by an arsonist (who is still at large). Then came fire trucks dumping water on the blaze, further damaging whatever was inside. Well, almost. Fortunately for the production house, their main console was in a ProX case, which nobly withstood the fire and water.

ProX makes no claims that its products have fireproof construction, Yet clearly, these are some very tough cases. “It’s been a year, and the case and console are still being used and function as well as ever,” Pigeon says. “After heavy smoke/fire and being drenched in water from the fire hoses, there were no internal signs of any of damage. I’m very impressed with the quality and functionality of the case and definitely will be trusting ProX to keep my equipment safe in the future.”

“Out of the blue, they called us and wanted to tell us a story about one of our cases,” ProX’s Alan Dodson says. “It’s terrible that someone purposely set fire to it, but this was a smart production company, and they packed all the gear carefully, using shipping blankets for additional protection. When we saw our mixing case looking virtually untouched next to someone else’s case that was completely destroyed — its contents a total loss — we were so glad to see that the expensive mixer in our case was intact. No fire damage, no water damage — it just had the smell of smoke!”

Dodson was a “military brat” who, after a stint in the Coast Guard, started working in radio. This evolved into a successful DJ business — so successful that he was the first to be recognized as a professional DJ trainer for the Canadian Professional Disc Jockey Association (CPDJA). In 2009, he met ProX owner Gabriel Menashe at DJ Expo and eventually joined the ProX family. In addition to cases for all live event products, they also deal in trussing, bags, stands, stages, lifting towers, lighting, lasers and cables. “I started by revising the website, rewriting all the product description and doing technical manuals, and my position grew from there.” Today, his title is Technical Services Consultant, but he’s also responsible for the Canadian Dealer Network.

The history of ProX goes back to 1984, when Menashe had a small custom case factory in Brooklyn, supplying cases to people in the Northeast region. The company has outgrown its limited custom work and is now an international company that supplies cases for lighting, speakers, and consoles to the live event market in addition to other markets. “Most of our product line is very specific — if a manufacturer of live event equipment lets us know the specs of something that is coming down the pike, our engineering department gets on it right away. We’re often the very first company providing a case for that new product,” Dodson says. A recent example is the Behringer X32 digital console. ProX delivered a case for it practically as soon as it came out of the factory. “Other companies aren’t as reactive and nimble as we are. Also, some companies only provide cases for DJ equipment, while others only [provide it] for the pro live event industry. We do both.”

“We have a lot of input from end users, guys out there working every day. They come to our site looking for cases, and if they don’t find what they’re looking for, they talk with us, and we try to accommodate them. Gabi’s team will research and see what else is out there, and if there are other choices available, his team will try to be innovative and design something better.”

According to Dodson, touring guys are especially appreciative of their cases, particularly models that feature a “doghouse” where the back of the case is designed to hide the cable connections. “During a live show, the case becomes the stand for the console, and all the connections and cables fit in the back and are protected,” he says. “It’s such a nicer appearance and is quicker to set up and take down.”

What’s the overall ProX advantage? “Value in how we price them and quality in how we build them,” Dodson says. “First, everything in manufactured with CNC precision. After it’s designed, it’s computerized, so every case is made precisely to our exact specifications to fit a piece of gear perfectly. Also, our cases are built with the best components. They are built to last.” And withstand rough handling, and sometimes fires.

Just Cases? No, along with ProX Cases, Xstatic Pro, Inc. also offffers ProX Truss, ProX Bags, ProX Stands along with various stage lighting, laser and staging supplies and accessories.