Old high school buddies enjoy installing audio-video systems guaranteed to please

By: Charlie Mathews, Herald Times Reporter

Name of business: Extreme Audio
Ownership: Craig Smidel and Kurt Scherer
When business started: Friends from their high school days, Smidel and Scherer, both 33, started their business in Scherer's grandparents' garage installing after-market car audio systems.
Location: They have two stores: 1104 S. 26th St. in Manitowoc and 757 Potts Ave. in Green Bay. Their Manitowoc store was previously on south 10th Street.
Phone numbers: (920) 684-0996 in Manitowoc and (920) 965-4500 in Green Bay.
Web site: www.extreme audio.bix
Hours and days of operation: The Manitowoc store is open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday to Friday, and Saturday by appointment.

Services provided/products sold: While vehicle audio systems remain the staple of their business, Smidel and Scherer have expanded product lines to include home-based audio-video systems, remote car starters, wheels and tires, tint for windows, radar detectors, heated car seats and other items.

"Our limitations are set to your imagination and your pocketbook," said Smidel, a Two River Washington High School graduate. "Bring in a new BMW and we can create an audio system that costs more than the car."

That's not to say every audiophile has to spend thousands of dollars. "We can do the basics, too, and for about $600 install a system that includes a new CD player with iPod integration with four speakers … everything installed and read to go," said Scherer, who graduated from Mishicot High School.

"We're the guys that if somebody else says it can't be done, we do it," Smidel said of audio installations for motorcycles, boats, mo-peds, 18-wheelers, trucks or cars, including after-new car sale Sirius satellite systems.

They and their four employees at the two stores also install video equipment, from single to six screens or more, including satellite TV systems that receive signals as the vehicle is moving.

Other vehicle-related installations include heated seats — "nobody wants to get into a cold car," Smidel said — as well as ultra-deluxe wheels, costing as much as $24,000 for a set of four.

For the residential market, Smidel and Scherer can install LCD, LED and plasma TVs as well as video projection systems creating images as big as 12 feet in diameter in a homeowner's dedicated theater environment.

They install in-wall speaker systems as well as outdoor audio, including some speakers integrated into fake rock.

Home touch pads can control lighting, audio and video and security systems. Separate song playlists can be created for different home occupants so mom, dad or the kids can each have their favorite music coming through speakers just by tapping different touch screen icons.

How has business changed since opening? The co-owners said technology is constantly changing. Smidel and Scherer attend trade shows to stay on top of the latest trends and offerings from the vendors they examine to see if their quality has remained top-notch.

"We have certain standards we believe in and we no longer carry some product lines that now seem to be focused on price rather than quality," Smidel said.

Who are the customers and from where? Smidel and Scherer said the majority of their customers are from Manitowoc and Brown counties but buyers do come from out of the area.

How is marketing done? Via direct mail, e-mail updates and advertising but their greatest source is referrals from satisfied customers.

Key to future success: "Offering something different … offer solutions, don't just sell a box," Smidler said. Of course, it is important to sell equipment for a competitive price, which he said Extreme Audio can do as long as the customer is making a true comparison between equivalent components.

What is the role of creativity? "We definitely think outside the box," Smidel said. "For example, in the home, retrofits can be challenging. But customers don't have to have new homes to have the latest electronics. We recently installed touch panel control screens and in-ceiling speakers in an old Victorian home."

What is enjoyable? "When the customer is excited and appreciative of what you did," said Smidel, who stressed offering customers simple easy ways to use their sophisticated equipment — in the home environment that might mean a full-featured remote control — can be the key to satisfaction.

"It is really enjoyable to see the look on their face when they fire up their audio system and say, 'Wow, this is awesome.'"

 

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