Mitchell started SIS in the 70s as a manufacturer of NAB ‘jingle’ machines, but moved into disco lighting manufacture in the early 1980s, as well as wholesaleing for other manufacturers. Ian Brown, now of Coe-tech, was SIS’s sales director in this period, but moved on when SIS’s success enabled it to move to larger freehold premises. Unfortunately, higher overheads and bad debts led to the failure of the company only a few years later. David was well-known and respected. He was likeable, with a mischievous sense of humour. Many of his friends in the industry will regret, as I do, that his relative obscurity in recent years meant that they could not easily keep in touch with him.
Tony Kingsley
Dave valued friendships and didn’t let his friends down. When his business started to falter due to bad debts and high overheads, he made sure that the industry didn’t suffer. That impressed me in an era famous for dumping creditors and moving on.
Dave called in to Gemini to see me a couple of years ago. With a deadpan face he tore me off a strip for not keeping in touch. Then he cracked a wicked grin and started to load up his car with a local delivery that he had overheard being discussed.
It’s a great shame that his business didn’t see the matured marketplace that eventually caught up with us.
Rob Peck
