Guy C. Clum, Founder & Former Owner/President of Power Sonic Corporation, Passed Away at His Home in Bonita, CA on November 12, 2018
Guy C. Clum, founder & former owner/president of Power Sonic Corporation, passed away at his home in Bonita, CA on November 12, 2018. He was 86 years old.
Guy was born May 16, 1932 in Los Angeles, CA. An avid fisherman and tennis player, he graduated from Stanford University School of Business with a Masters in Business Administration and Management. Ever the entrepreneur, Guy built up several businesses throughout his life, including a lead factory, plastic molding factory, surgidine production, & even an earlier entry into battery manufacturing called Faradane Battery, before turning Power Sonic into the globally recognized corporation and brand that it is today.
It was through the building of Power Sonic that Guy established his reputation as a marketing innovator, making his batteries stand out in ways that have been widely adopted throughout the industry. Guy also cared about the people who used his products and insisted on a level of quality that remains uncompromised to this day.
As a businessman, Guy was very much loved by those that worked with and for him. He was known to be both generous and compassionate, often building relationships with those that worked for him that grew beyond business into friendship. “He respected everybody regardless of their position,” commented Shaw Pourhashemi, Project Engineer at Power Sonic.
“Guy was always supportive, a source of great history and information, and of course a wonderful conversationalist given his very dry sense of humour! Simply put, he will be missed.” -Brian D Crowe, President of Power Sonic Battery.
“It goes without saying that Mr. Clum will be truly missed. He was not only a pioneer, but a good friend and something of a mentor to me personally. Amongst the many things I learned from Guy was how to make a proper martini, the importance of which cannot be overstated.” -Brian J. Gunnin, Sun Rep, Inc.
“Whenever you spoke with Guy, he had a magical way of making you feel that you were the only person in the room, and that he was sincerely interested in what you had to say. He was truly a ‘people person’ who was able to extract the best from others whether they were employees or friends. Thank you, Guy!” -Rick Moody, former National Sales Manager for Power Sonic.
“I am sure that the Power Sonic office is very saddened by his passing. He was a lovely man, whom I had a great deal of respect and admiration for.” -Greg Roberts, Managing Director of Sealed Performance Batteries.
In 2017 Guy made the decision to retire and sell Power Sonic to the Blackbird Group LLC. His long and difficult battle with cancer forced him to step back from the day to day duties of running the company that would be a notable part of his legacy. He felt confident that the company which had become synonymous with his name and the friends and employees he left behind, would be in good hands with Blackbirds group of experienced and motivated executives.
Ed Bernal, a Power Sonic employee and Guy’s caretaker for the last years of his life, offered the following words after Guy’s passing, “We all share in the loss of a wonderful human being who gave without expecting anything in return. His memory now belongs to all of us.”
Blackbird Group CEO, Jim Mannebach issued the following statement, “It is with a heavy heart that I advise the Power Sonic family that we have lost our dear friend Mr. Guy Clum. In life, Mr. Clum was a pioneering leader in our industry inspiring all he touched with his insight, compassion and determination, always delivered in his own humble soft-spoken way. We all look now to his memory as a source of inspiration, not only in our business but far more importantly in the way we lead our lives.”
Throughout his life Guy was also active with local charities and organizations that he was passionate about, such as Planned Parenthood and The San Diego Foundation, which helps socially minded citizens find ways to create positive impacts in communities across the San Diego region. His belief in the benefits of these organizations was so great that following the sale of Power Sonic, and Guy’s entry into retirement, he made a very generous donation to The San Diego Foundation. Money that has been and will continue to be used to fund early childhood education endeavours.
Guy Clum is survived by his two sons Kermit & Bryan and he will be dearly missed by everyone who knew him.
