FULL COMPASS
Charting a course for success
Based in Middleton, WI, Full Compass is a one-stop source for audio, video, broadcast, and lighting components, as well as comprehensive installation and consulting services. With over $7 million in inventory on hand drawn from more than 600 product lines, the company has served the house of worship marketplace for 28 years, bringing technologies of all description to churches large and small, as well as a staff of professionals offering repair, rental, and design expertise.
Full Compass Systems, Ltd. was founded by Jonathan Lipp in 1977 as an adjunct to Full Compass Sound Studios, a recording studio located just east of Middleton in Madison, Wisconsin's state capital. Utilizing an initial investment of $11,000 to launch the upstart company, Lipp was joined in the business by his wife Susan in 1978. Together the pair brought Full Compass up by its bootstraps, eventually posting annual sales of $50 million as the calendar took a turn into the 21st century.
Today, Full Compass is the largest microphone dealer in the US, and a sales leader in professional audio, AV, and broadcast equipment. Susan Lipp is chairman and majority owner of the company, and Jonathan Lipp is president. Janine Masten is VP of sales and marketing; John Vitale stands in as national sales manager, and Kevin Peckham is the company's product manager. Consistently named among the top 500 woman-owned businesses in the US by Working Woman magazine, Full Compass additionally supports a number of charitable and philanthropic organizations locally and nationwide.
Still maintaining a family-style and personal approach to business despite its growth, Full Compass strives to bring better, knowledgeable service and a broad line of equipment to its customers aimed at fulfilling every audio and multimedia need.
"Our goal is to constantly exceed our customers' expectations," Jonathan Lipp says. "To that end, we offer the broadest range of products and services humanly possible, and constantly work to improve our relationships with manufacturers. We're proud of our position at the forefront of our industry, and do everything we can to promote and foster a working atmosphere that's enjoyable for both our customers and staff."
Sales and marketing strategies at Full Compass revolve around direct mail campaigns, a national advertising program, telemarketing, and Internet activities, the bulk of which stem from the firm's website launched in 1996. Sales growth over the last decade has never been less than 20%, even in the tough economic climate following the dot-com bust and 9/11. Annual sales jumped from $11 million in 1994 to $30 million in 1997, and, as previously noted, began to crest $50 million earlier in this decade.
With regards to the technological and systems needs of houses of worship, Full Compass VP of Sales and Marketing Janine Masten feels that the breadth of Full Compass' product line offers unparalleled benefits. "We have everything you could possibly want to choose from," she says. "Many of our clients come to us with expressed interests in a particular brand of gear. Here, there's never a need to accept a substitute or make a compromise. We have what people want at the best price, plus the service and installation support to backup each sale. Conversely, if you come to us unsure of what your needs really are, we'll help define them, and then develop an affordable and practical plan to fulfill them."
Like Masten, who came to Full Compass on the heels of a distinguished career serving Danforth Sound Systems, a contracting firm in Orlando, as well as manufacturers including Altec Lansing, Electro-Voice, and Lucasfilm Ltd., the rest of Full Compass' management team includes seasoned pros who are all experts in their own unique fields. Prior to his association with Full Compass, National Sales Manager John Vitale guided sales at Bag End Loudspeaker Systems, a manufacturer of professional sound systems recognized within international circles, while Product Manager Kevin Peckham, in Janine Masten's words, "knows just about anything about everything we sell, period."
In his capacity as company president, Jonathan Lipp continues to maintain a hands-on management style. Active in negotiating vendor contracts, he helps train sales staff, designs computer software for the business, and performs myriad other management duties. Published in national magazines, he lectures at industry conferences and events and in front of university classes.
A businesswoman with natural sales, marketing, and public relations skills, Susan Lipp has done everything from serving as on-air talent for Wisconsin's WSAU-TV to working as the General Manager of the Madison Civic Repertory Theatre and teaching at the University of Wisconsin. Widely credited as being the driving force behind Full Compass' leading-edge marketing posture, she has taken on a number of responsibilities within the company including those of personnel director, advertising manager, and salesperson.
Full Compass occupies a 75,000 square-foot facility located at 8001 Terrace Avenue in Middleton, WI 53562. The company can be reached by phone at 800-356-5844 or 608-831-7330, via fax at 608-831-6330, and online at www.fullcompass.com.
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