Bill Crutchfield, CEO of Charlottesville-based Crutchfield Corporation, carried the Beijing 2008 Olympic Torch in Hangzhou, China on Sunday, May 18.
“It was one of the most powerful and exciting experiences of my life,” Crutchfield said. “Over a million Chinese lined our route and enthusiastically cheered us while waving Chinese and Olympic flags.”
“The fact that China is the host nation for the 2008 Olympics is a source of tremendous national pride for their people.” Crutchfield added. “To me, the Torch Relay demonstrates how effective the Olympics are at bringing people of different countries together, even though the policies of their respective governments may differ greatly.”
Crutchfield was invited to carry the Olympic Torch by Samsung, one of the Torch Relay sponsors.
“Bill is one of only three people from the U.S. chosen by the consumer electronics division of Samsung to fill their sponsored slots in the relay,” said Rick Souder, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Crutchfield. “He is one of a relatively few non-Chinese invited to carry the Olympic torch in China. He was selected by Samsung because of his prominence in the industry and his leadership over the years — much the same reasons he was inducted into the Consumer Electronics Association’s Hall of Fame last October.”
About Crutchfield Corporation
Crutchfield Corporation, which celebrates its 34th anniversary in 2008, is the nation’s oldest direct integrated marketer (catalog, Customer Care Center, and Internet) of consumer electronics products. Crutchfield has its headquarters and a popular retail store in Charlottesville. Since its introduction in 1974, the Crutchfield catalog has been a respected authority on car and home entertainment products, winning several awards for quality, design, and usefulness. The people who staff Crutchfield’s Customer Care Center are noted for their high integrity, product knowledge, and technical expertise. They are available by phone, e-mail, and live online chat. Crutchfield.com offers a convenient, full-service shopping destination to buyers of car and home audio/video products. CrutchfieldAdvisor.com is an all-information website that serves as a single comprehensive source about consumer electronics. Crutchfield was the first vendor-authorized audio/video retailer on the Internet and is one of only two retailers to have won BizRate’s coveted “Circle of Excellence” award eight times.
