She has sung in parts of the U.S. and Canada, and even jammed with the Beach Boys, but for Susan Grund there’s nowhere she’d rather be than at Grundorf Corporation.
“Starting this business from the ground up and then seeing how far we’ve come, that’s probably the most challenging thing and the most rewarding thing,” said Grund. “It has been so gradual that I don’t always realize the impact of day-to-day decisions until much later. It looks like one huge leap but it has taken 25 years to make that leap, so it’s been very gradual.”
The company’s humble beginnings date back to 1984. Grund started the company with her husband, Frank, who she met as the singer in a band. During downtime between gigs, the couple spent their time building PA cabinets and cases, a pastime spurred on by Frank’s lifelong interest in music and sound.
“He was interested in all the dynamics of audio and learned a lot about the mixing of audio when we were in the band: the exchange between amplifiers and mixing consoles and processing and PA cabinets, how that all interacted. It’s way more technical than I can talk about,” Grund said with a laugh.
As their designs caught on, first friends and then local music stores started asking for the gear. In a turn of events Grund describes as “magic,” the Grunds decided to form a business that combined Frank’s passion for technology with Susan’s passion for music.
“It’s really cool that, having a passion for music—not only listening, but playing and singing—I can have a job that allows me to reach out to other people with similar interests,” said Grund. “Most of our dealers have been a musician at some point in their life. So you have this common bond with your customers. Even though you may be doing something different as your career, it all comes back to your passion for music and it’s just all very interesting.”
Training Day
Having been there from the get-go, Grund’s duties at the company have certainly grown and changed over the company’s 25-year history. “I helped some with the production at the beginning. Then I did all of the office-type work,” she explained. This arrangement has helped to keep things running smoothly in what is often the difficult dynamic of working with your spouse. “It kind of evolved that he had the product development and production skills and I had the office and financial skills. We split things that way and that’s how it stays split most of the time.”
That dynamic also comes in handy when bringing a woman’s touch to her husband’s sometimes runaway passion. “When he talks technical to people, sometimes I have to bring him down to Earth and say, ‘Frank, they don’t have a clue what you’re talking about,’” Grund said, laughing.
One of the biggest challenges Grund has found over the years is keeping up with the tasks associated with her job. She handles purchasing, sales and marketing, clerical functions and a bevy of other departments, but Grund is the first to admit she came to the job with no relevant training.
“I’ve learned it all by just doing,” she said, “going to a lot of seminars and training sessions, a lot of meetings with bankers and accountants and consultants. If I need to know something, I find a way to learn it. Everything is always changing so you can’t ever stop learning,” Grund continued, adding that she’s seen many changes in the industry over the years, especially in the last 10.
“The whole music store thing has changed—the way people do business, the Internet coming in. The way businesses consolidate and grow is going to continue to change how business is done. The way manufacturing is outsourced is going to continue to change the way business is done,” she said. “It’s always going to change and you just have to be up for the challenge every time. So we just have to keep a positive outlook and look at challenges as learning experiences rather than being defeated by them.”
One change she sees as positive is a move among retailers into the contracting and installation market. “We’re excited to see music dealerships—basically talking about the independent dealers—diversifying their business, finding other revenue sources while maintaining their retail storefronts,” said Grund. “We feel that is where we can best serve the independent dealers. It’ll be a very good fit for us. We are seeing a lot of growth in those markets.”
Sharing is Caring
In addition to working closely with her dealers, Grund is proud of Grundorf’s ability to maintain its bond with its employees, despite great success and growth over the years.
“We try to keep it like a family-owned business rather than the corporate type of vibe. We find that most people seem to be happier in that type of an environment,” said Grund. “We try to involve them with the passion of music and get them excited about things going on in the industry. Our doors are always open and we relate to all the employees every day, I still, go out in the shop and say ‘hello’ to all the factory workers.”
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