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>> We are in the business of designing, developing,
creating audio monitoring technologies.
It's basically microphones.
We make microphones and we make base stations.
The idea is to capture the sound that's available and use that sound effectively
to either prevent loss, to secure assets and to [inaudible] adversaries
who would want to break into a system.
Our job is to build a really good product.
Today we're 35 years old.
We are probably in more countries than anyone else that's built this product.
The philosophy that I hear most often is when you're a team you play and you play to win.
It's still a play.
Life is hard enough.
The diversity here works to our advantage.
We're here to win and we do that with a passion.
One of the great tricks for us at Louroe here is being able to use a consultancy practice
to enable us to do what we do ourselves.
CMTC coming to us and said we're doing a survey of small business and we'd
like to know if you're interested.
I am the luckiest guy in the world.
>> My name's Peter Athanas and I am a senior consultant at CMTC.
We are an MEP center in Southern California.
We're asked to go out into the field and to engage
in manufacturers to improve them in some way.
>> The questions that that senior consultant from CMTC asked me.
He told me I'm in the right hands.
I'm in the right company.
>> He trained his people, his most important asset.
From there we started to understand that we had-- we have some capacity in the shop now.
Well that's when the innovation program started.
We took a team of their people and we taught them how to think innovatively.
We taught them how to implement this innovation system.
>> CMTC says I'm going to grow you through innovation and now what are you going to do
with this innovative new product?
You're going to go sell it.
Who are you going to go sell it to?
Would you like to sell it outside the United States?
Sure. Tell me how.
>> The export tech program is an MEP initiative.
It's almost like a peer review program where you're in the consultant stage with four
or five other companies who are doing the same thing that you are.
You're learning from people who have already been through it.
Well the exporting program is really a strategic look at where they could go.
It's really about who are our partners?
Who can we build relationships with that's going to champion our products in this other country?
What they learn through the export tech is not only where they could go
to sell their devices but who might need them.
They also got wind of some projects.
They did enough research to know that there are things that are opening up for them immediately
and that's where they really got their [inaudible].
>> We went from a five figure number in Mexico to a six figure number.
In one year we had a 1200% growth in our revenues from that export opportunity.
And we were submitted, without us knowing,
to the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce in World Trade week.
We drove down there and stood in front of 650 people and got an award
for doing something we wanted to do.
Wow. It wouldn't have happened without CMTC.
I get asked from time to time why work with this manufacturing extension planner?
Where can I get best practices?
Where can I get continuous improvement?
Where can I get efficiencies that reduce my costs?
Where can I get greater opportunities to grow my revenues and have a partner
that doesn't take a lot out of me to do that?
I get two more arms because of MEP.
I get two more legs because of MEP.
I get a library that's bigger than, you know, my brain because of MEP.
>> I think sky's the limit for Louroe.
They're organized for growth.
I think they've done their homework.
They have plans to add employees.
They have plans to grow into the markets.
They have plans to develop new products.
What more can a company ask for?
>> This is too much fun.
I want to go out and receive another award for these employees.
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