This week has been a very interesting one.  I’m working on multiple church projects and am juggling the balancing act that we all do each day.  I do this job because I love it.  AV is the juice that gets me up in the morning.  Some might even call me obsessive with my pursuit of excellence in AV.  Heaven knows I’ve made my fair share of mistakes, but I’ve sure learned a lot by making them.  Our lot in life is simple, learn and grow.

To start off this new venture with rAVe [Publications], I want to introduce myself.  My name is Tom Richardson and I currently reside in Las Vegas, Nevada and work for Ford Audio Video as their House of Worship account manager for the Southwest.  My father (Terry Richardson) was a life-long learner, wonderful father, and great example to me and my family.   He taught me much about electronics.  He started a rep firm called Pro Tech Marketing.  I worked there for many years selling many top brands in the AV world.  We were very fortunate to work with many wonderful people over the years.   Many are great friends even still.  Good people like Tim Vear of Shure have helped me to gain a greater understanding of what works and what doesn’t.   I called him yesterday to personally thank him and just to say hello.  He is a really good example (in my eyes) of what this industry should be like.  Help people, educate them, and have fun doing it.

My first introduction to electronics class was probably at 8 years of age.  Dad always brought home new and interesting gadgets.  One day I found a new shiny box and wondered what it was.  I proceeded to take it out of the box, open it up, and then I TORE it apart.  I wanted to know how it worked.  (I wrecked a lot of my dad’s stuff)  When I was done, I beheld an object that intrigued me – a magnetron.  I had no clue what it did or why it did it, but it looked really cool!  Needless to say, my father wasn’t too pleased and chose to punish me by having me make microphone cables for the LDS church for most of my summers up until I could hold a real job.  This was a job that I did gladly because it provided me with spending money and gave the customer (LDS Church) a product they could use.

Just like that magnetron, someone had to think this stuff up.  Someone had the ability and drive to create something we all take for granted now – the microwave oven.  Back in the early 80s, these things were huge, heavy, and used enough current to power a Prius now.   (ok – I know, not really)  The whole gist of this exercise is to get through this life doing something we enjoy.  I found that niche thanks a lot in part to my Dad.  Dad passed away last year and I miss him greatly.  Most who knew him would say he was a good man.  What I really learned from him, though, is that it isn’t what you do, it’s how much you love doing it.  So it is with all of us; we try to sell products, services, and ourselves and in the process,  we need to appreciate that someone came up with all these wonderful devices we all enjoy daily.  Next time you pass Tim Vear, thank him for teaching you something, because I know he taught me a lot – most times without even knowing it.

Tom Richardson
tomtoughie@gmail.com
801-550-9705 cell