A Smart Approach To Technology Integration
By LISA LOEWEN | Photos by DANE STEPHENSON
Local entrepreneur Josh Gorrell used the experience he gained from a college side gig to build a thriving audiovisual, security system and smart home installation business — one that’s handled more than 20,000 projects across Topeka, Kansas City and Manhattan.
“When I was 15, my dream was to work at a car audio shop,” Josh said. “Loud car stereos, lots of bass, neon lights, you name it. I started out sweeping the floors and after a couple of years I became a stereo installer, then moved into sales when I got tired of having my head under a dashboard. I worked there for nine years while learning a lot about electronics and audiovisual technology and getting my business degree at Washburn.”
After a local home theater store closed, he realized that Topeka still had a business demand for at-home audiovisual installation services.
“Everyone owns technology they could use some help with,” Josh said. “That’s where we come in. Instead of Do It Yourself (DIY), we Do It For You (DIFY).”
As their name clearly suggests, Electronic Life is dedicated to better living through electronics. The business specializes in the design and installation of both commercial and residential home theaters, automation systems and security systems.
TUNING IN TO OPPORTUNITIES
Formerly known as Kansas Audio Video, the company changed their name to Electronic Life in 2015.
Josh said there were several reasons behind the company’s decision to rebrand. First, they’d expanded their services to include security system installations upon acquiring local security businesses Security Central, Home Connections and HCKC between 2007 and 2015.
Second, they needed a way to better market themselves across state lines. “We quickly found out that if your name is Kansas Audio Video and you’re working in Missouri, nobody wants to work with you,” Josh said.
The third and final reason was that Josh had been holding on to www.electroniclife.com for years, believing that someday the domain would prove useful — which it did.
After the rebrand, Electronic Life nudged its way into the Kansas City market. They seized another opportunity for growth after acquiring local firm D&D Security in 2021.
“We still have the original D&D Security team on board,” Josh said. “That’s the key to a successful acquisition. We value their expertise and relationships because they make us better.”
Last May, the company expanded farther west when they bought The Wiring Guy, another local business that had been offering similar products and services in Manhattan for more than two decades. They kept the entire original staff, just as they did with D&D Security.
“I learned early on that you can’t just acquire a business and go in with a blow torch and make changes,” Josh said. “You get better results when you conduct the transition gently.”
CREATING A CONNECTED HOME
Today, Electronic Life does 90% of its business in Northeast Kansas and Missouri. Half of their jobs are residential.
“Residential work can be as simple as installing a TV, or as complex as setting up a fully automated smart home,” Josh said.
The “smart home” trend has seen significant growth in recent years. Through a single app or the touch of a button, smart homes allow people to remotely control their home’s thermostat, lighting, televisions, stereo equipment, appliances, garage doors and more.
For those who don’t want their entire house to be on a smart system, either because of the expense or the learning curve involved, Electronic Life offers a happy medium.
“Most people just want a nice app on their phone that they can use to run their security, cameras, thermostat and maybe their music in a handful of rooms,” Josh said. “You can do that for a really reasonable cost.”
The demand for newer, better security solutions has skyrocketed over the years. What was once limited to door and window monitoring has grown to include integrated camera systems that are sophisticated enough to distinguish between humans, animals and cars.
The cameras can even be programmed to identify specific objects or events at different times of day. For example, a business might not want to be notified about cars in their parking lot that come and go during daytime hours, but overnight, that activity might be cause for concern.
“The demand for these systems probably doubles every few years,” Josh said. “Once something becomes more mainstream, everyone wants it. And once somebody has it, if they move to another location, they will get it again.”
LIGHTING UP TOPEKA
Josh added that the popularization of apps to control at-home lighting has been another boon for their company.
“People are going crazy for lighting control,” he said. “We have some houses where one press of a button can turn on 125 individual lights at specific times and levels. It’s amazing what you can control with an app and the right system.”
Josh described the lighting set-up in his own home as an example.
At dusk, lights inside and outside his home dim in response to the change in light. When he goes to bed, he taps a “good night” button on his app to turn off everything in the house except the path lights down the main hallways. The system not only turns off television sets and lights, but also ensures the garage doors are closed, all doors are locked and the security system is activated.
In the morning, Josh presses a “good morning” button to disarm the security system and increase the lighting in all bathrooms, closets, hallways and the kitchen.
He said he even has a “Frank” button that adjusts the lights — and turns on a Frank Sinatra music channel in predefined areas — to create a beautiful, ambient cocktail-hour experience.
“We now have systems that let us update any home, no matter how old it is, by retrofitting the light switches without replacing the wiring,” Josh said. “They can control their home’s lighting on a schedule, all right from their phones.”
If there’s one thing that makes Josh smile from ear to ear, it’s the availability of in-home golf simulators, another product that Electronic Life has made available.
“Technology is frustrating at times, but fun. We get to play with other people’s toys all day,” he said. “And what’s more fun than playing golf inside?”
To install a golf simulator, the company brings in padded ceiling and walls, a projector with multiple screens and audio, touchscreen controls and other bells and whistles for who want to practice their golf swing from the comfort of home. But they’re not a one-size-fits-all product, Josh said.
“We start by discussing budget and design parameters with the client,” he said. “Our designer then works with them to create a system that combines functionality and aesthetic appeal so that the space looks amazing.”
As he looks to the future, Josh plans to keep acquiring respected companies that already have quality services and good customer relationships in place.
“Our process gets better and better,” Josh said. “We approach buying a business as a partnership that makes sense for both companies. We take over the risk and they get to keep doing what they love.”
