Name: Lynne Jaeger
Age: 37
Job Title: CFO/Vice President
Company: Audio Experts, Inc.
Years in the Industry: 16
Education: 4-year college degree; Business Management
Dealerscope’s 40 Under 40 Honoree 2021
Describe your current role.
My primary job role is lead technician, programmer, and office management. As my husband recently had surgery and is unable to work, I am currently running every aspect of the business.
What accomplishment(s) are you most proud of?
Opening the business with my husband almost 20 years ago, when we were both barely in our 20s ourselves, has been an amazing accomplishment that I am pretty proud of. We opened a second location six years ago, and are looking at expanding further.
What do you like best about your job?
I enjoy working with clients on a daily basis. I have forged some lifelong friendships and it doesn’t feel like work when you enjoy what you’re doing. Another favorite is wiring up an AV rack and powering on the system for the first time, seeing all the subsystems come together.
What technology are you most excited about at the moment?
This was a tough one to answer, as I feel as an integrator, I take for granted the things I use on a daily basis that are exciting for the end users. Motorized shades and lighting on timers, streaming music and video services, integrating cameras and security all onto one interface with the audio and video, and eliminating the need for multiple apps. The convenience factor that you can achieve with automation is amazing.
Who in the CE or technology industry do you look up to, and why?
OK, OK, this might sound corny (I’m from Iowa, after all), but I really admire my husband. He left a good job to open our own business, taking a big risk, and has continued to grow our business and adapt to new products and technologies over the last 20 years. Opening a second store was another huge accomplishment, and it can be scary as a young couple to both work for the company together, with all of our eggs in one basket, so to speak. I also feel small-business owners as a whole deserve a lot of praise and respect; you truly have to appreciate the hard work and long hours that go into making a business operate and provide a stable job for employees to grow and expand in both their personal and professional lives.
What career advice would you give to people just getting started in the CE or technology industry?
Train, train, train! Pick up manuals, scour the forums, don’t be afraid to call tech support, be eager to learn! The more gumption you show, the more valuable of an asset you become and can climb the ladder within the industry and your own company.
What, in your opinion, is necessary for the CE/technology industry to thrive in the next five years?
The biggest hurdle our trade faces right now, looking forward in the next five years and beyond, is finding skilled workers. If the industry can find ways to recruit a younger generation and get them up to speed on training, leading their own crews, and focus on growing and evolving with each new technology as it comes along, the industry can only trend up.
