i3 - November/December 2018 - 36

Consum

er

Techno

logy

FOUNDER, WORLDWIDE STEREO
(1948 - )

S

er
m
u
s
n
o
C

uccessful careers are
often peppered with
radical shifts, and
that is particularly true with
Bob Cole. He put a career in
clinical psychology on hold
to found World Wide Stereo,
Philadelphia's most successful
independent AV retailer, by
following a simple philosophy:
"Do well by doing good."
Born November 12, 1948, in
Long Branch, NJ, Cole developed
a strong work ethic at an early
age. At 13, he cleaned houses,
worked in a hardware store and
flipped burgers at McDonald's. By
16, he was a union laborer doing
carpentry, ironwork, masonry and
exercising horses at Monmouth
Park, learning essential business
lessons along the way.
He left home at 17 and worked
his way to a BA in psychology
from LaSalle College. While
attending college, he was a
house master at an orphanage
and worked at an experimental
psych facility, Spruce House,
which was to open many doors
for him in psychology. He earned
a master's degree in clinical
psychology from Temple in 1974.
Concurrently, Cole worked at
the Albert Einstein Community
Mental Health Center in
Philadelphia where he created its

36

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2018

Techno

Rather than just sell boxes, Cole strives
to do good via passionate customer service,
improving people's lives and inspiring
employee loyalty.

Partial Hospitalization Program
- which became the national
model for the National Institute of
Mental Health - rising to Clinical
Director.
In 1978, funding for his clinical
work ended and, with it, his ability
to work directly with patients.
Unhappy, he left one month
after marrying the love of his life,
Karen. Using his love of music
and gadgets as a compass, Cole
decided to open a stereo store
despite a lack of experience
and funding. Cole worked for
the retail franchisor, World Wide
Stereo, to resuscitate failing
stores. When the franchisor went
out of business, Cole opened his
own 1,500-square-foot store in
the Northern Philadelphia suburb

of Montgomeryville, PA. He
borrowed $2,000 from a friend
to show some solvency and to
convince a bank to loan him
an additional $16,000 without
collateral.
First to step up were car
stereo manufacturers, the only
suppliers willing to extend a
line of credit. Well before stereo
TV, he wired his demo TVs to a
stereo system creating a whole
new category and gaining
attention.
A memorable moment
in Catholic school provided
him with his retail philosophy.
Cole was in sixth grade when
his teacher, Sister Mary Dora,
asked him, "How are you doing
Robert?" He replied, "I'm doing

logy

good, sister." She gave him a rap
upside the head and told him the
Pope did good. "You need to do
well, Robert." He replied, "Why
can't I do well by doing good?"
That got another rap, but the
philosophy stuck. Rather than just
sell boxes, Cole strives to do good
via passionate customer service,
improving people's lives and
inspiring employee loyalty. WWS
experiences low staff turnover, has
amassed a loyal customer base,
and is active in both local and
national charities.
Cole opened a second World
Wide Stereo location in Ardmore,
PA, in 2000 and then opened a
large distribution center in 2016.
Withstanding recessions and
competition from big box and
local rivals over four decades,
World Wide Stereo remains a
Philadelphia institution, with 2017
sales reaching $56 million and
trending to $70 million in 2018.
In 2013, World Wide Stereo
was named by CEPro magazine
as a "Top Ten Integrator" and
29th overall in the Top 100 list of
the largest custom electronics
integrators in the U.S. He is also
the PROsource 2018 dealer of the
year. Clearly, Bob Cole has done
quite well by doing good. 

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