Delivering High-caliber Service and Seamless Results for Complicated Installations

A dramatic increase in home automation and consistent upward movement in the demand for quality home theaters have defined The Sound Environment's success. "There's a marked change in the industry toward convenience," shares Douglas C. Dushan, Senior Sales Consultant for The Sound Environment. "People have always spent money on quality products, but they no longer want to deal with all the remotes. They would rather press a button that works every time. Today, we have the technology to do just that. Our job is to make the integration of many subsystems simple for the end users."

The expertise and personnel to get the job done right

The Sound Environment was founded 37 years ago by current President Charles Santmire. Early on, Santmire worked out of the basement of his home. The business quickly grew and eventually Santmire found a larger more accommodating location to exhibit his merchandise, opening a location in Omaha. Twenty-five years ago, Jim Witchita, Vice President and Director of Installations and Design, came on board and has been with the company ever since. Under both Santmire and Witchita's direction, The Sound Environment has become a multimillion-dollar business completing hight-level installations throughout the country.

Santmire initially sold hight-performance, two-channel music systems, eventually applying that same philosophy to home theater and home automation systems. "Lighting control, sprinkler systems, heated floors, security, drapes -- literally everything you could possibly automate -- can be scamlessly integrated into a home automation system," says Dushan.

A highly trained installation and design team sets The Sound Environment apart from larger regional competitors. The company routinely performs complex installations that only the best audio-visual companies in the country are able to deliver and is known for its experience completing very challenging, complicated, high-end installations throughout the United States.

Most of the company's business is through word of mouth. "Business began with our clients here locally," says Dushan. "Over the 37 years we've been in existence, wutg second and third homes, these clients ask for additional installations. What really helps are the referrals we receive when our clients have people visiting their vacation homes who desire the same services."

Because of the clientele, and intimate nature of the work, discretion is paramount on most every project. The firm approaches each job as being

unique, and caters to the individual lifestyle of each client, observing and evaluating his or her needs with respect to daily routines and personal preferences.

The installations process begins by educating potential clients on the types of systems and levels of performance that are available. Desired performance, ease of operation and budget concerns are all taken into consideration in determining the appropriate solution for each client. "We relate to clients based on our own expectations of what a system should do," says Dushan. "Our staff lives with our product in their own homes, and therefore can relate to what a client might encounter when living with an audio-visual or control system."

According to Dushan, control systems today are designed to do virtually anything. "We've had several situations where one of the homeowners husband or wife, is technically proficient while the other is not. We can design a system to interface with both. When one member of the household picks up the remote and presses his button, he enters into a control interface that he has selected. He may have news and sports presets on cable, specifically the programs that he likes to watch. She picks up her remote and may bring up the cooking channel or home shopping network."