Founder & CEO, LEA Professional - Blake Augsburger Spotlight:

These spotlights have introduced you to the members of our team over the past year and a half. We think it’s important that you have the opportunity to know a little about the people that make up our company and our products. We’re all passionate about audio and we all are extremely specialized in our roles. And each of these roles work together, not only in the sense of running a business, but also on a intimate, personal level each and every day. We have a unique team in a unique situation. If you haven’t gotten familiar with our team members yet, you can hear from each of them in our Employee Spotlight blog segment.

But today, we’re going to introduce you to someone who likely doesn’t need an introduction. This is the person who imagined our company and brought it to life. Today, we are proud to dive a bit deeper with our Founder & CEO, Blake Augsburger.

A Conversation with Blake Augsburger, Founder & CEO of LEA Professional

What motivated you to start this company and take pro audio into the internet of things?

[BA] First of all, it was the timing. I had the opportunity to partner with a great team that was well connected with the global industry. And, I was excited to bring my experience and skills together for the ultimate test, starting a company.

Then, there were the changing market needs. Integrators are creating recurring revenue models (RRM) and our connected solution offers both control & analytics that can be monetized.

But, at the end of the day, I knew there was a bigger opportunity to use new technology in pro audio that wasn’t being met yet. IOT and CLOUD are new to Pro Audio and offer significant efficiency improvements during installation, for remote control & monitoring, and intelligent notification.

What is your background in the industry? School, training, certifications, previous jobs, etc.

[BA] I have been involved with audio since 2001, almost 20 years.

Previously, I was the President of Crown (5 years) and the President of Harman Professional Division (10 years).

However, I am an electrical engineer and I understand technology and how technology might apply to the audio signal chain. I am not a musician but do enjoy all types of music.

What is it that you like about audio technology?

[BA] Professional audio has become an essential component in all working spaces, either as an entertainment element or safety tool. Our industry has been slow to adopt new technology, specifically IT technology and all that it offers. LEA is using 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!

There are so many opportunities and fun challenges to attack. The audio signal chain encompasses the microphone, mixer/router, signal processing, amplification, and finally ends at the loudspeaker. Or the installation vertical market opportunities are vast to include Corporate, Education, Residential, Transportation, House of Worship, Restaurant, Retail, Hospitality, Large Venues, Theme Parks, and even Cruise Ships and Yachts. Audio has become ubiquitous in our lives and isn’t slowing down, which is an exciting place to be.

What is the most exciting thing about starting LEA Professional and the work you are doing as the Founder & CEO?

[BA] It’s the whole process of starting a business that has been fun. We needed a differentiated product, build a new brand, install a scalable infrastructure, and create a worldwide distribution network. I think we have achieved our targets and are now focused on growth.

What are your personal hobbies or what you do you like to do on your downtime?

[BA] I enjoy playing golf and offshore fishing (hence the LEA logo). I wish I could fish more but I do try and play golf several days a week. Unfortunately, we live in Indiana where the golf season is shorter, and the winter is longer. This leaves more time to design cool solutions 😎.

What’s your vision for the future of LEA?

[BA] Without giving away the whole strategy or end game, at the top level we will continue to expand on the CLOUD/Connectivity theme. Then, there are more opportunities along the signal chain where technology in general can play a role, but specifically IT technology. Ultimately, we hope to greatly improve the user experience while providing valuable RRM assets in the process.

What’s it like to have a company that’s barely a year old in the midst of a global pandemic and how do you navigate through the current challenges?

[BA] Like for everyone, this has been a scary event and a definite gut check. We moved fast to get our costs in check and cash in hand. Fortunately, at this stage we don’t have a lot of overhead and can still move quickly and cheaply.

We are serving the installation markets and our products are perfect for Education, Corporate, and Government installs. These are some of the more active verticals with the surge in video conferencing.

In one sentence, sum up what makes audio or audio tech so important.

[BA] Audio is ubiquitous and IT technology can simplify and enhance its usage for both current and future entertainment and life safety applications.