Today we’d like to introduce you to Michael Moran.
Hi Michael, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
Our firm began operations in 1973. We initially specialized in the design and fabrication of custom hardwood media cabinets. Our clients fully expected us to install the AV equipment. Fortunately, I was smitten by the audiophile affliction at a very young age and bought my first real audio system at the ripe old age of 14. It was very common for a client to ask for help in identifying and acquiring new audio-video gear. This aspect tended to arise on nearly every new project.
Combining custom furniture with audio-video sales and installation services proved to be an ideal partnership. Indeed, it was. We quickly realized the growth potential this symbiotic marriage provided. Accordingly, we became factory-direct authorized audio and video equipment dealers. One of our first audio brands was Bang & Olufsen of Denmark. Harman Kardon, Denon, Luxman, Nakamichi, Canton, KEF, ADS, Sony, NEC, and others were added to our product offerings in short order.
The name, Sound Plus Wood, accurately conveys what we are all about. We have the expertise to deliver high-quality custom furniture, AV sales and installation, or a combination of both services. Clearly, providing everything was tantamount to hitting the trifecta!
As our business grew, we significantly enhanced our woodshop’s capabilities by acquiring multiple professional-grade woodworking machines. These additions provided significant improvements in capabilities, quality, and the speed of project delivery. Essentially, we now had in-house production capabilities that didn’t previously exist. Our growth was not limited to the custom furniture division. The audio-video sales and installation division was growing exponentially as well.
History is, indeed, a great teacher. One learns from both positive and negative results. We’ve been blessed to have received numerous and unsolicited thank-you letters from our clients. I am particularly proud of one such letter.
Dear Mike Moran:
Now that I’ve had ample time to savor my B&O-based installation, I feel compelled to write you to say how superb it is. The particular mix of speaker we chose, as enhanced by your ideas for their placement, is nearly astounding! As a one-time professional musician, I have very particular desires about the kind of sound I want and I am delighted that, for the first time in my life, someone has contrived to give it to me. It was a pleasure to work with you (and your assistant, Richard) because you’re also a hell of a nice guy. May your enterprise thrive,
Sincerely,
William S. Rubin
Director Emeritus
Bill Rubin was a former director at the Museum of Modern Art.
The greatest thanks any business can enjoy is when a client repeatedly chooses your services. We’ve done our utmost best to earn that loyalty, and those very efforts have been rewarded in kind.
The adage, Technology Never Sleeps, is truer today than when we began initial operations. The rapidity of change is truly mesmerizing. What essentially seemed like Black Majic, in earlier times, is commonplace today. The all-encapsulating world of IP (Internet Protocol) has fundamentally changed the world we live in. I’d personally add, for the better. That said, change is painful. We understand and appreciate these dynamics and are here and available to ease the pain and to make these required transitions as painless as humanly possible.
Sound Plus Wood, Inc. is celebrating and enjoying its 52nd year of continuous operation and service to the greater South Florida area…and beyond. We’ve had the exact same telephone number since Day 1. That said, the area code has changed three times over the years, which is well beyond our control.
Best regards,
Michael Moran,
President and CEO
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Starting any business from scratch is a daunting challenge.
We faced and endured the typical business challenges, such as:
Cash Flow
Hiring and Retaining Skilled Employees
Eliminating Waste
Enhancing Product Output and Billable Service Output
Employee Safety Training
Dealing with all manner of local, state, and federal agencies
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
My early professional career followed a very circuitous path. Initially, I attended the University of Florida and was enrolled in the Pre-Med Program. That program is science-based, which is understandable. I earned a degree in Chemistry. I also stood for the Med Board exam. My scores were more than adequate to gain entrance into most programs. That said, I decided not to pursue a career in medicine.
My first job after graduation was in the drywall and metal framing trade. It was physically challenging but financially rewarding until the economy crashed. It was at this point that my new career in the custom furniture and AV disciplines began.
As a young man, I did have some limited woodworking experience. However, I was far more comfortable with the audio-video side of the coin. Again, our firm began initial operations as a custom furniture manufacturer. In retrospect, our first shop had limited space and was poorly equipped. The tooling at our disposal was essentially handyman specials and not industrial-strength professional woodworking equipment. At this point, I made the conscious decision to step up our game and purchased serious woodworking tools. Owning a proper tool doesn’t automatically imbue one with the needed and required professional skillset. I literally worked long days and studied woodworking at night. The learning curve was a long and arduous process. It was also very rewarding from an accomplishment perspective.
Running in a parallel flight path was the audio-video discipline. That too had its challenges. One such challenge was acquiring the required professional license. Initially, I carried a local county-limited Low Voltage License. Later in my career, I was allowed to stand for the State-Wide Low Voltage License Certification test. I earned that certification and am the Qualifier for our firm.
I am proud of both accomplishments.
What sort of changes are you expecting over the next 5-10 years?
The AV Industry is constantly on the move and change is constant. I’ve witnessed and participated in the migration away from the analogue world to a purely digital one. High Definition broadcast TV is roughly 20+ years old. The initial rollout of HD video content has largely been supplanted twice, to date. Sony’s Blu-ray release ushered in the first major video resolution update and provided 2 million pixels. This represents approximately twice the original HD resolution. More recently, 4K Video is now well-established as the de facto video standard. It provides 8 Million Pixels. I’ve had clients innocently declare that there was no perceivable difference between the earlier Blu-ray standard and 4K Video. My typical response is that they have never seen true 4K content. The difference is glaringly obvious.
Other ongoing trends revolve around IP, Wi-Fi, and Streaming Services. It is arguably nearly impossible to purchase any new AV Device or Appliance that doesn’t include internet capabilities.
The Streaming Service providers continue growing and expanding. The Wi-Fi landscape changes constantly. The Wi-Fi 7 standard has recently been approved and released. Each successive Wi-Fi generation has enhanced the available speeds. These very same speed enhancements also require changes and updates to the distribution network. Fiber-based networks have essentially replaced copper.
Pricing:
- All pricing is Product-based.
- Installation Service is governed by the project dynamics
Contact Info:
- Website: https://soundpluswood.com
- Facebook: Sound Plus Wood, Inc. (Facebook)
- Yelp: Yelp
