(from left to right Mike Ross, Ross Hoppe, Matt Gajowniczek)
Today we’d like to introduce you to Mike Ross and Matt Gajowniczek.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
We both grew up in the Chicago suburbs and met while attending DePaul’s Theatre School, studying sound and lighting design, respectively. Sound Production & Lighting – or “SPL” – was formed in 2010, while we were both still in school. We both owned a few random pieces of audio-visual equipment, but over time built up a larger and larger inventory, which we’d use for very small events around Chicago (wedding bands, small community events, storefront theater performances, etc). Through, what we consider at least. to be a combination of luck, professionalism, and quality of work, in the period of six years we’ve moved from operating out of a two-car garage to a 6,000-square foot warehouse, built up and staff of full-time employees, and upgraded the client list to Fortune 100 organizations and international marketing agencies.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Hardly, but we’ve been lucky in a lot of ways. As we’ve grown our client list has grown, but – like everyone – we’ve made mistakes along the way that lost us some business, and we’ve tried to learn from that. When we started we were storing equipment in and working out of a small two car garage in the northern suburbs. In the winter, before prepping for an event we’d first need to shovel the snow from the driveway, and then work under a small heat lamp hung from the rafters to not freeze while also loading the truck.
While the facilities, inventory, and staffing have improved since then, so do the challenges that go with it. As we’ve grown we’ve worked hard to recruit talent and staff to support our larger and larger events and ventures, but we’re still a small business and there are plenty of very late evenings and very early mornings where we are wearing the hats of sales rep, project manager, truck driver, unloader, etc. When the warehouse floods the day before an event needs to get packed, we are the ones there mopping the floors and cleaning up so the show goes on.
Sound Production & Lighting LLC – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
SPL LLC is an event production and system installation company. We provide everything from audio-visual support (ranging from corporate meetings, concerts, theatrical events, etc), visual and scenic design, operational and logistics management, to permanent system installation and sales. We’ve handled events and meetings in the same week for Fortune 100 companies and local elementary schools.
While most of our work is in the Chicagoland area, do occasionally do events and work for organizations all around the US. While all this keeps us busy, we aim to always make everything we do feel personal. As a small and locally run company we want our clients to have direct access to us, the owners, and we feel that our accessibility and hands-on approach and collaboration is what keeps clients coming back. We aim to partner with the clients and vendors we work with and for, not just provide another service on a checklist. If someone is producing an event, meeting, or how we want to help them make it the best it can be.
What quality or characteristic do you feel is most important to your success?
Ultimately, if everyone is happy at the end of the day we’ve done our job well, and hopefully had some fun while we’re at it! While it’s easy to get lost in financial metrics, if we have gone above and beyond what the client is expecting, even in ways we did not need to or weren’t expected, that’s a successful event. The production industry is all about relationships and people. The events that we are involved with always some sort of end goal or purpose, and we aim to do the best we can to help our client support that objective with our work. We’re not out to be in the spotlight, we thrive on creating a scenario where artists, executives, meeting planners, and their guests get the most out of their experience.
Running a small business, especially in the events industry takes a lot of time and effort, with constantly changing needs and circumstances – but we do it because we absolutely love what we do, and the feeling knowing you were part of helping to create something larger then the sum of the parts is worth the long hours and stress leading up to it. We can’t think of anything else we’d rather be doing.
Contact Info:
- Address: 8111 St. Louis Blvd
Unit 2F Skokie, IL 60076 - Website: www.splchicago.com
- Phone: 847.430.4700
- Email: info@splchicago.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/splchicago/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SPLChicago/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/spl_chicago
- Other: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sound-production-&-lighting-llc
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