Church Audio Video has grown to what it is today through some very interesting events. When I (Jeff McLeod) came to work for ProAudio.com in September 2004, it was the result of taking a break from Vocational Ministry. Having spent my time serving the local church as a staff member since 1978 in various capacities, I was blessed with an opportunity to hear about church audio, video and lighting technology. Most of the churches I served needed improvement or replacement of their AV systems, and since I was the music pastor or youth pastor, I was given the task. I sought the help of some veteran systems designers and sound contractors who helped me learn what to avoid and what to embrace, which provided better results than I had anticipated. As I grew in my experience with audio, video, lighting and broadcast technology, I received more opportunities to help others. And eventually, it became a lucrative side business, helping smaller churches and ministries with their technology requirements. It was very fulfilling, but I was limited in the technology services I could offer my customers while doing it alone.
While working with these smaller ministries, I learned about ProAudio.com and found that they were a great source for affordable, excellent equipment that I could provide for my customers. Their consulting and informative approach to help with equipment needs was refreshing and very valuable. Then, life circumstances were such that I needed to provide for my family in a full-time capacity doing something I was good at while taking a break from vocational public ministry. Graciously, the Lord made it possible for me to come to work here as an inside salesman. I felt like a kid in a candy store because I could finally give my customers great deals, offer them a wider range of excellent, affordable choices, and help them at the same time. I pretty much let my little side business go, because from the very first month I was here, the need arose to help even more churches and ministries with their systems. I increasingly found myself being asked to go on-site to survey worship spaces and recommend the proper equipment. That eventually led to getting permission from Mark Bradford, our VP/GM, to do some installation of that equipment after hours and on weekends. In time, the demand was more than I could handle by myself and I approached Mark and our owner, John Paul Kimzey about the possibility of forming an installation department at the request of quite a few customers. They agreed, and in 2006 we began to slowly but deliberately pursue more church and ministry projects.
To make sure that our existing and future customers would get the most value, we decided to adopt the Design/Build method to provide a solutions based project delivery process. In a nutshell, this means that we don’t just sell our customers gear; we consult with them to make sure all of their ministry needs are being considered, then we design and install the systems based on their visions and budgets. In order to make our brand stronger and more applicable to our main focus on Houses Of Worship, we’ve recently rebranded ourselves as Church Audio Video. With a talented and skilled full time in house team, we can design, project manage, install, integrate, train, and provide ongoing support from the most simple to very complex systems to help churches fulfill their ministry missions.
We’re looking forward to our next 40 years as Church Audio Video!
