CE Pro December 2022 - 20

CE PROFILE | Architechnology Designs
Hitting All the
RIGHT NOTES
Architechnology Designs evolves from AV to lighting and
electrical while serving high-end clients like music icon
Clive Davis. By Jason Knott
Quick Stats
Company:
Architechnology Designs
Location: Melville, N.Y.;
Miami, Fla.; Nassau,
Bahamas
Website:
architechdesigns.com
Revenue: $7 million
Years in Business: 28
Number of Employees: 22
Specialty: High-end
residential/high-end
commercial
Top Brands: Samsung,
Lutron, Crestron, Control4,
Sonance, McIntosh
FYI (One piece of advice to
another dealer): " Avoid the
shiny objects. It's easy to
get distracted by the latest
technology. Build your
foundation on what you are
good at and stick with it. "
FOR YEARS, when someone asked
Ernie Wohlleben what he did for a
living, his tongue-in-cheek reply was, " I sell
adult toys. " The attention-getting reply
certainly piqued the interest of those with
whom he spoke and was the " ultimate quick
icebreaker at parties, " he chuckles. " The usual
response to me was, 'What?' and I had to
quickly say, 'No... not that type of adult toy.'
But then I could explain all the really cool
stuff we design and install. I am blessed that I
have the opportunity to wake up every day
knowing I love what I do. "
And for the past 28 years, Wohlleben has
done exactly what he loves to do - run
his own company called Architechnology
Designs, which serves clients in New
York, Miami and the Bahamas. Today, Long
Island-based Architechnology Designs is a
$7 million company with 22 employees that
designs, installs and services sophisticated
smart homes and theaters using established
repetitive business processes and built
around a solid company culture. As founder
and president, Wohlleben has his sights set
on taking Architechnology to even greater
heights by constructing an eye-popping
20 | CE Pro December 2022
event center in New York that will showcase
the company's full system solutions.
At every stage of his 30-year journey, Ernie
" earned " his success through hard work and
dedication. Today, the company serves elite
clients such as music royalty Clive Davis (see
sidebar) and finds itself on the cutting-edge
of industry trends, including the launch
of new divisions dedicated to lighting and
electrical, as well as the burgeoning development
of converting dedicated theaters from
two-piece projection to microLED technology
(see sidebar).
Working His Way Up
Through Retail to Custom
Wohlleben was indoctrinated into the
world of electronics at a very young age.
" My stepdad used to build the old Heathkit
amplifiers. He'd build his own JBL speakers,
buy the cones, build the backboxes. We had
a Thorens turntable and as kids we probably
had one of the first color TVs in our bedroom.
We had the first microwave on the block. We
had an early computer. There was just always
technology in our house, " he recalls.
At the same time, Wohlleben had a strong
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CE Pro December 2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of CE Pro December 2022
