Meet Seth Coonrod
Seth is the founder of Timberline Audio Video and has been at desk chair for a whole year. He is celebrating 4 years of business this month. Congratulations Seth! We are so happy to witness your great accomplishments as a business owner.
Q : Give us your elevator pitch!
S: We specialize in the installation of Smart Home and Business Technologies. Our bread and butter is designing Smart Home systems for custom builders and luxury homes. We work closely with our clients from concept, design, wiring, installation, and finish with exemplary support. The Smart Home systems we design include everything from theaters, whole house audio systems, lighting control, temperature control, security systems, and window shades all controlled from one App on your phone or tablet. Basically any piece of technology that opens or closes, turns off or on, or makes noise in a home, we can make it automatic and easy to use with an app called Control4.
Q : Share some of your story and how you established your business!
S: Two key factors in where I am now. First, from an early age I have been working within the luxury market. My work history has included installing stonework on custom homes in Aspen, waiting tables in fine dining restaurants in Grand Junction, owning a small business selling and installing motorized window shades in West Virginia, and even included a several year stint as a stay at home dad. Second, I started a family when I was just 16 years old and went straight to college. While this wasn’t planned and was certainly not an easy route to get to where I am now. It has taught me to be responsible and work hard in life for the things that are important to me. These two factors combined indirectly led me to the smart home technology industry where I found a perfect blend between my passion for customer service and the enjoyment I get as a hobbyist with speakers, TV’s, and the latest gadgets.
Q : Why the name Timberline Audio Video?
S: I was born and raised in Colorado; I love the mountains. I chose Timberline because it had some local connotation, helped make a fun logo, and reminded me of being in the mountains.
Q : Have you always wanted to be doing what you are doing now?
S: No, I wanted to be a doctor and I even took some pre-med classes in college. We have physicians in the family. I think I always wanted to be a business owner and when I started undergrad I went to school for business. I got a couple years in and quickly realized I’m not going to be a CEO as soon as I graduate. I decided to take a break from school for a few years and then went back. But, I think I have always wanted to be a leader/entrepreneur in some regard.
Q : What is your favorite part about coworking?
S: For us as a business and also for myself, I have always wanted an office downtown, so I started looking. As a small business that is growing, and growing quickly, we needed something that offered flexibility for that growth without becoming stuck in a big lease. I wanted to be in a space that felt upscale, gave me personal space, and had a great location for our business and for our clientele.
Q : How did you hear about desk chair workspace?
S: I was working at the Armory when this was being built. I heard about it being in the works, and came in one day and took a tour. I took a tour with Jim, who is amazing by the way, and instantly fell in love with the space.
Q : Why desk chair?
S: The architecture, location, staff, and amenities. When we invite our clients from the luxury market to desk chair for meetings they are wowed every time. The desk chair space itself has become a great talking point. It has been really fun to take a lot of pride in where I work and our office’s location. Also, being an entrepreneur can be very isolating, so having the ability to see smiling faces, make new friends, network, or just have someone to talk to is really awesome.
Q : What do you like to do for fun?
S: Mountain bike, play hockey, ride my motorcycle, golf – – I try to be a pretty cool guy. I love to go out to eat and try new food! I am a foodie! I like Italian food – – I used to work for an awesome restaurant in Grand Junction called Il Bistro Italiano that continues to inspire my culinary adventures and I really enjoy a place locally called Pizza Vino.
Q : What is your favorite local business?
S: Probably Dark Heart downtown. I really enjoy the environment and coffee; I think that it is a great business that is doing their part to transform downtown, Loveland.
Q : If you could share a meal with someone alive or dead who would it be and why?
S: Dave Grohl from the Foo Fighters – – he just seems like a really cool dude that just so happens to make great music. I want to share a meal with him and listen to him tell stories of Nirvana and the Foo Fighters. He always seems so happy and his personality appears infectious. There has to be a recipe to his success, I’d love to find out just a few of those ingredients.
Q : And lastly, a sharing point :
S: We will have 3 installers, 1 shades salesperson, and myself. This five-person team is a far cry from my start alone in my basement office when we launched! This is a fun stage for us because of the progression and new challenges. Our goal is to become the biggest and baddest Smart Home company in northern Colorado. We know it will take time and a lot of hard work, but we have an awesome team that is always up for a challenge. Our latest addition to our services has been sales and installation of window shades, both motorized and non-motorized. We are working to bridge the gap between boring old window shades + really cool technologies.