ProAudio.com wants to be your go to source for professional audio equipment and much more. As you can read in our History section below, we were founded in 1971 as Crouse-Kimzey company to help provide solutions for AM/FM Broadcasters in our local DFW area. Many things have changed in the years since, but at our heart we strive to be an effective partner for providing solutions for this era of technology for customers all over the United States. Today we sell to many types of customers including integrators, broadcasters, churches, schools, performance venues, individuals, and so many more. While this era of e-commerce is great and you can tell by our URL we have embraced it, we so much prefer having a direct relationship with our customers and have built our business around having a personal touch with all customers.
Our History
We have an interesting and storied history in the RF Broadcast industry, dating far before the conception of this company.Our Team
Like any company, we are who we are because of our amazing team.Our Brands
As an equipment wholesaler, we would not get very far without amazing brands to work with.
Our company was created and shaped with customer relationships in mind, and we have never stopped. Our sales staff includes people with experience in touring, studio, church, installation, and commercial audio. On top of that, since we know we aren’t the end-all of audio knowledge, our close relationships with hundreds of manufacturers gives us access to an almost indefinite number of solutions. If you have read this far, clearly you want to learn more about us. We would highly suggest you contacting us, however here is a little bit more about who we are.
Our History
1927 - 1959
Early YearsOur roots go back much further, though - all the way to 1927, when Truett Kimzey, our co-founder's dad, got his first ham radio license. Truett was a pioneering broadcast engineer in the early days of radio. He engineered the original Texas State Network, the very first of more than 30 state networks now operating in the U.S., and he built and maintained radio stations all over Texas and beyond. But Truett's interests didn't stop at radio; he was also fascinated by photography and television. He was the first person to successfully demonstrate a black white TV transmission in North Texas, using his ham radio license for the video and KFJZ-AM's radio signal for the audio. Truett is perhaps best known to the public as the announcer for the Light Crust Doughboys, a popular 1930s western swing band that helped launch the political career of future Texas Governor and U.S. Senator W. Lee "Pappy" O'Daniel.
1960 - 1971
Kimzey's Radio TelevisionWhen TV first became available to the American household, Truett considered applying for a TV broadcast license, but he ultimately decided to venture into retail television sales instead. He founded Kimzey's Radio Television, a TV and appliance store, on a busy street in Fort Worth. John Paul Kimzey, Truett's son, began working there when he was 13; he fondly recalls the early days of TV when customers would huddle outside his family's store window to watch WBAP-TV's evening television broadcasts. John Paul was promoted into retail sales in 1959, eventually assuming full ownership of the business from his dad. John Paul went on to blaze his own trail in the communications industry in the '60s and '70s. Advancements in technology, combined with more lenient FCC regulations, led to new and exciting opportunities in two-way radio communication, pagers, and early cellular telephone projects. He also built the cable TV system for the city of Greenville, Texas, and owned 2 radio stations there until 1992. Through these ventures, he was able to extend the Kimzey family's legacy in broadcasting, while gaining fundamental experience in business ownership and management.
1971 - 2006
Crouse-Kimzey CompanyWith these accomplishments behind him, John Paul turned his attention back to equipment sales and consulting. In 1971, he teamed up with his uncle, John R. "Buddy" Crouse, who was a first-class licensed chief engineer for the Wendell Mayes station group. Their goal was to start a company with one simple idea: to provide engineering services on a contract basis. At first, this mainly consisted of performing radio stations' annual FCC tests and fulfilling the resulting equipment needs. John Paul handled inside sales while Buddy engineered field and studio solutions, even designing custom consoles for the studios he built. Word spread, and Crouse-Kimzey Company went on to establish a reputation as a premier source for everything "from the microphone to the transmitter". By 1976, John Paul and Buddy had recognized the need for a full-time sales associate to grow the business. They asked their friend and customer, Bill Bradford of KSST in Sulphur Springs, if his son Mark would be interested in the job. Mark had grown up in the broadcast industry working at his dad's radio station. He happened to be in Phoenix at the time he was hired, so John Paul mailed him a box of catalogs and brochures, instructing him to call on as many radio stations as possible on his drive back. Mark did just that, and he has worked here ever since (he is now our President). While almost all of Crouse-Kimzey's early clients were radio stations, a steadily increasing number of schools, churches, businesses and individuals would look to us for their PA and studio gear needs.
2006 - 2017
ProAudio.comIn the mid-90's we secured the web address www.proaudio.com when it became clear that the Internet was here to stay. Our first website was little more than a clearance page and a few pictures from the Kimzey family collection. In 2003 we added a product catalog and began accepting orders online, and ProAudio.com has since become a trusted resource for thousands of customers worldwide. As our internet presence grew it was determined that Crouse-Kimzey would rebrand as our URL. Unfortunately in 2017 our founder John Paul Kimzey passed away after a long battle with cancer. John Paul had spent years preparing the company and left it in excellent hands, but is very much missed.
2017 - Present
ProAudio.com remains a small business, owned by its first employee, Mark Bradford. While a lot has changed both with our company and with technology throughout our history, we remain committed to the concept that professional audio customers want more than faceless website. We strive to have a live person answer every phone call, an account manager look over every sale, and our team to help ensure every request is handled with the utmost care.