CE Pro March 2023 - 8

Industry Pulse
NEWS | ANALYSIS
World Wide Stereo
Named CTA Smart
Home Division
Integrator of Year
CEO Bob Cole and Pennsylvania-based
company recognized for 43 years of
excellence in the custom installation
business. By Jason Knott
IT WOULD take hours to
read off all the accolades
achieved by World Wide
Stereo, but the company
can now add the 2023
Consumer Technology
Association's Smart Home
Division's 2023 Integrator
of the Year award to its
long list of recognitions.
The Integrator of the
Year award, announced
at CES in January as part
of the Mark of Excellence
Awards (see page 20),
recognizes a custom integration
company that has
shown proven leadership
both inside and outside the
industry.
In business for 43 years,
Hatfield, Pa.-based World
Wide Stereo was founded
by Robert Cole and today
is a leading provider of
premium home audio, video,
networking, and smart
home automation technology
and services. It has
been recognized as a Best
of Philly recipient three
8 | CE Pro March 2023
times and inducted into
the Consumer Technology
Hall of Fame. With strong
retail, online and custom
installation elements to
the business, the company
works with homeowners,
designers, builders, and architects,
to deliver lifestyle
technologies that combine
entertainment, automation,
and wellness into homes
and businesses.
World Wide Stereo is
HTA Luxury Certified,
an Allied member of the
American Institute of
Architects, a member of
ProSource Group, CEDIA,
and in the CE Pro 100.
The company is a Savant
Ambassador, Certified
Ketra and in all elements
of Lutron, and accredited
for URC, DMF Lighting,
Colorbeam, Hunter Douglas
and Ring.
The company's Smart
Care Service Membership
Plans offer a range of
scalable home technology
Bob Cole (left), CEO and founder of World Wide Stereo in
Hatfield, Pa., encourages integrators to stick to their values...
" no matter what. " Chief merchant Stephanie Keough
accepted the award at CES from CE Pro's Jason Knott.
management solutions
tailored to each client's
unique system and lifestyle.
World Wide Stereo has
been a major supporter for
the Philadelphia Ronald
McDonald charity, involving
industry partners like
Sony, LG, and more to
install multiple state-ofthe-art
theaters in the
facilities for the children
and families.
" There is little more
rewarding than the acknowledgement,
respect
and appreciation of one's
peers, " says Cole, CEO and
founder. " Every job we do
carries our own mark of excellence
and we are proud
of it. Customers expect
that excellence of our industry.
They are entitled to
it; after all, we are working
in their homes. We look for
their approval and strive
to improve the quality of
their lives. Each job is our
opportunity to excel. "
On the future of smart
home integration, Cole
says, " The future is bright!
It's always been about the
home, and they need to be
smarter. People are learning
how much a smart home
contributes to their lifestyle.
If you consider stayat-home
healthcare and
wellness, that's the giant
trend. What people come
home to matters most -
family and home. "
On giving advice to other
integration professionals
new to the industry, Cole
adds, " Learn as much as
you can. Establish values
you can base your business
on and stick to them no
matter what. They have
to be the rules of the
company, no exceptions.
Values like quality, integrity,
excellence and honesty.
This is what propels one's
business. "
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CE Pro March 2023

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