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A daring explorer hails from the heartland regions

T.J.Smith, driven by his spouse Michele, has consistently been ready to undertake carefully planned risks to advance his professional journey. This includes relocating his family to China, as detailed by David W. Smith.

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In an article penned by David W. Smith, it's revealed that T.J.Smith, EAW's President and General...
In an article penned by David W. Smith, it's revealed that T.J.Smith, EAW's President and General Manager, has consistently been ready to make strategic gambles for his professional advancement. This has even led him to relocate his family to China, with his wife Michele by his side.

A daring explorer hails from the heartland regions

Timothy Smith, affectionately known as T.J., embarked on an illustrious career in professional audio after a childhood fascination with Eastern Acoustic Works (EAW) equipment. His passion for the brand was such that he displayed a car bumper sticker dedicated to EAW as a teenager in Ohio. years later, in early 2016, he was offered the role of EAW's President and General Manager and accepted without hesitation.

At the time, Smith was employed by Harman Professional in Salt Lake City, Utah. The call came from Mark Graham, then CEO of LOUD Technologies, which owned EAW at the time. Smith recounts, "He asked me to lead EAW, and he said something intriguing I didn't fully understand - 'I think you can help us sell it'. I wasn't a company seller, but I was such a huge fan of EAW that I said 'absolutely, yes'."

Despite being a Midwesterner at heart, Smith initially never imagined living on the East Coast. However, his wife Michele was supportive and open to the adventure. The initial offer was for a two-year term, with a plan for the family to return to the Midwest afterwards. However, when Italy's RCF Group took over in 2018, they wanted Smith to stay and rebuild the company.

EAW has thrived under RCF, says Smith, after a period of inconsistency under previous owners who prioritized profits over investment in the brand's future. "It made sense at the time but it doesn't build brands," Smith explains. "Now we have ownership that wants to make money as well as invest in the brand's future." A testament to this growth is the opening of a fully owned Mexican factory in 2019.

Smith's destiny in professional audio was set at the age of 13 when he began operating pro audio equipment at his church in Ohio. He went on to study engineering at Oral Roberts University before beginning his career at Crown Audio as an amplifier design engineer. Recognizing his potential, Crown was later acquired by Harman, where Smith stayed for 15 years, moving from engineering to business management roles. He was even sponsored by Harman to complete his MBA at Indiana University South Bend.

Smith has only worked for two companies but has been willing to move around to advance his career. His most daring move came in 2009 when he was asked to become senior director of Harman's China Business Unit, relocating with his family to Shenzhen.

EAW's ADAPTive systems offer an optimal solution to the changing priorities in the professional audio industry. According to Smith, these systems create a single acoustic source using small, closely spaced sources which allow for a better conformity to line arrays than popular line arrays on the market today. A notable installation of an ADAPTive system was in Faith Community Church in Tucson, Arizona, which featured 19 ADAPTive AC6 column loudspeakers for a 360-degree immersive audio set-up.

While most of EAW's focus is on ADAPTive systems, the company still designs traditional loudspeaker products. A recent example is the NT206L loudspeaker, a dual 6.5-inch line array with an adjustable horn flare, which is the first in the new NT series.

Smith's leadership style is characterized by his "steady hand". He believes a leader should remain calm in the face of adversity and never pretend problems do not exist. He also emphasizes taking care of employees and showing them the path to success.

In his nine years living on the East Coast, Smith has come to terms with the fact that he will always be a "Midwestern guy" at heart and may never feel completely at home. However, there are many positive aspects, such as the rich history, outdoor activities, and a supportive community.

  1. Following his acceptance of the role as EAW's President and General Manager in 2016, Timothy Smith embarked on a journey to revolutionize the professional audio industry with technology-driven lifestyle products, focusing on education-and-self-development and career-development opportunities for his employees.
  2. As a testament to Smith's leadership and commitment to EAW, the company has experienced a significant growth spurt, with the opening of a fully owned Mexican factory in 2019, and the development of cutting-edge audio solutions like the ADAPTive systems, which offer an optimal solution for the changing priorities in the professional audio industry.

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