Whereabouts do you hail from and where are you based?
I am Texas born and bred, having grown up in the Houston area, later earning my bachelor’s and master’s Degrees in Electrical Engineering from Texas Tech University. My early career took me to California and New York, before I settled in Indiana where I got started in my audio career at Crown International and later with Harman. When we formed LEA in 2019, we stayed close to home and settled our new headquarters in South Bend, most famously known as the home of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.
How did you get started in the industry?
I am an electrical engineer by training, and I understand technology and how it applies to the audio signal chain. I got involved in this industry in 2001 and jumped at the chance to be involved with great, like-minded people driven to innovate and change this industry for the better. I have a built-in sense of curiosity and always want to make things better, more powerful, and easier to use. It’s been a great fit.
What advice can you give someone starting out?
Starting a business is hard, so you need a good plan and a strong team. Our strategy has four pillars and has been consistent since day one; Differentiated Product Line, Digital Content Marketing, Global Distribution, and Scalable Infrastructure. Stay above the day-to-day noise and just execute!
I can say with extreme confidence, at LEA we have a great plan in place and an even better team to execute. In business it doesn’t always work out that way. I am very fortunate to have both. Our drive and enthusiasm are contagious, and we love what we do!
What sports teams do you support / sports/hobbies do you partake in?
I enjoy playing golf and offshore fishing. In fact, the LEA name was inspired by the name of my boat “Loud Enuff”– hence, our company’s sharkfin logo. It blends both of my passions – fishing and audio and represents the hunger and fierce determination of our employees and this company.
I wish I could fish more but I do try and play golf several days a week. Living in the Hoosier state means the golf season is shorter, and the winter is longer. This leaves more time to design cool solutions!
How’s business and what plans are afoot for LEA?
Business is strong and I am incredibly proud of our team. Despite launching this company during the pandemic and facing challenging supply chain constraints, we continue to grow this business year-over-year. That is a true testament to the spirit of our team and the belief that through a great user experience, unmatched customer service, and of course, a stellar and innovative product line, LEA can truly be a game-changer. Our industry has been slow to adopt new technology, specifically IT technology and all that it offers. We will not let up on our desire to use IT to differentiate our products, dramatically improve efficiencies, and provide software-based value-added services.
Most importantly we continue to focus on sounding great with lots of headroom!
LEA recently announced a distribution partnership with Tech Sound of Hanoi, Vietnam.
