Chandler celebrates 15th anniversary
Published: ASIA
WORLD: US-based manufacturer, Chandler Limited, is celebrating 15 years in business. The company has grown from a one-man enterprise based out of an LA closet to a boutique manufacturer of signal processors, mixers, and amplifiers for musicians and audio professionals.
Wade Goeke, Chandler Limited’s founder, owner, and chief product designer, started the company in 1999 while living in North Hollywood. He worked a ‘day job’ to make ends meet and, during nights and weekends, spent what time he could in his ‘workshop,’ which was a walk-in closet in the house he rented. ‘In those days it was just me experimenting and learning. This was before I realised that, to run a business, you have to pay employees and do all the things adults do. I had a great time at it and, in the process, the whole idea of building a company started to take shape,’ he recalled.
‘My first sale was six LTD1 pre amp EQs, which gave me some money to get more parts and move forward,’ said Mr Goeke. ‘After that, I was selling units one at a time out of my house in North Hollywood to whoever would try them. It was touch and go and, every so often, I would have to borrow money from my parents or sell one of my vintage pieces in order to keep everything going.’
Chandler Limited introduced the TG1 Limiter in 2001. Shortly afterward, it launched the TG2 Pre Amp/DI – a recreation of the EMI TG12428 pre amp used in EMI/Abbey Road recording and mastering consoles during the late ‘60s and early ‘70s. ‘These two products represented significant growth for the company,’ said Mr Goeke, ‘and both of these continue to be important products for us.’
In 2001, Mr Goeke moved from California back to his home town of Waverly, Iowa. ‘I was a new dad and wanted to raise my kids in a different environment than Los Angeles. I also needed help from my family to keep up with the volume of business we had,’ he recalls. ‘When I moved back to Iowa, my company was located in the basement of my father’s office and both he and my mother provided assistance running the company. Then in 2004, we moved the company from Waverly to neighbouring small town, Shell Rock.’
Chandler Limited’s facility now consists of three store fronts in downtown Shell Rock that have been converted to meet the company’s requirements. PCB manufacturing is located downstairs on the main floor, along with unit assembly, wiring stations, and testing. Administrative offices are located upstairs, along with a good sized recording studio and two adjacent live rooms, where listening and product comparisons take place.
Looking forward, Mr Goeke believes the best is yet to come. ‘It may sound clichéd, but I feel as though our best years are ahead of us,’ he concluded. ‘We have many new products with Abbey Road in the pipeline and we also have our own line of plug-ins with Brainworx on the horizon. These past 15 years have been a wild ride and I can’t wait to see what the future holds!’