Lost somewhere in the hubris of the "dot-com high-tech" boom and slide, there's been scant attention paid to what I believe are real success stories. That is, individuals and/or small companies patiently growing service-first, customer-first enterprises with well-grounded principle roots like integrity - doing exactly what's promised and more, getting the job right the first time no matter what it takes.

Over the past several years, I've been fortunate to be an involved witness to a host of such success stories, in the form of systems contracting firms and sound reinforcement companies. The shared bottom line: passion for the art and science of the work, improving for improvement's sake, and pursuit of the opportunity to control one’s own professional destiny. And yes, grow profitably!

A recent Friday proved memorable in this regard, when I had the pleasure of spending a few hours at TPC Technologies. A diverse systems company located literally a stone's throw from my backyard in rural southwest Michigan, TPC has incrementally emerged as a regional leader.

Company Co-Owner/President Ken Kuespert has been a casual acquaintance for more than a decade, in the "hey - how's it going" kind of way when we crossed paths at local events. I decided it was time to invite myself over to see his growing operation first hand, with Ken and recently expanded crew graciously hosting.

Ken making a point to his crew at a festival.

TPC's new digs in Southwest Michigan.

Trained as an electrical engineer, Ken started doing sound on the side in 1985, picking up extra income and most importantly, learning the professional systems business when not working his "real job" at a Michigan-based electronics manufacturer. (He also provided telephone services, which inspired the company name - The Phone Company, or TPC for short.)

Short commute to work - the Kuespert home is 150 feet from the shop.

"I don't have a lot of formal sound and systems education, but electronics experience is a great basis," he explains. "My approach to education has been to learn by doing, reading a lot and driving manufacturers crazy at trade shows, hanging out for hours at their booths, playing with devices and asking questions. Once you figure something out, it's re-usable engineering.