To Whom It may Concern:
There are truly no words sufficient to describe the amount of gratitude, respect and honor I have for the entire organization and company of Soundproofcow.com. I am the Artistic Director of Artists Collaborative Theatre, Inc and Pike County Fine Arts Extension Agent. I am employed by the University of Kentucky to develop, organize and advance the Rural Arts program of Pike County, Kentucky via Extension. Our mission to advance the quality of life for Pike County citizens and beyond through the development of quality arts programming, thus addressing many of the currently known social ills plaguing our communities nationwide through the involvement , exposure and critical thinking skills developed by the arts. There are more challenges than one can possibly imagine and just as many celebrations. One major challenge is the building of viable venues in which to house the arts programming.
We have been in construction of a 120 seat, 5,000 square foot black box community theatre for four long years. The funding has been incredibly slow and full of hope and prayer. This labor of love has required the passion and dedication of many people: Matthew Walter; the building designer, James Elkins and Jerry May; the Contractors, WestCare Ky, a drug rehabilitation facility who donated man hours of labor, families of ACT and the young people who so patiently believed there would be a theatre home for them soon. Everyone gave of themselves to complete this community development project.
Just as we hammered the last nail, were granted occupancy and entered the space to begin the journey of creating in our new home, I heard it. I heard it. I heard it. The beautiful black box theatre that would serve our people had an echo that would deafen and defeat even the strongest of Artistic Directors. My heart sank. I cried when no one else was looking. When I talked to the seven year olds in drama class, they heard me talk long after I had completed any intelligent thought that I may have had long before I started talking. I couldn’t imagine how intolerable a full theatrical production would be.
The echo was a three second bounce. I whistled and counted. Three seconds is long enough to say many bad words inside your own head. My contractor said “He didn’t know about the three second thing, but he knew he could whistle, eat a bologna sandwich and drink a Dr. Pepper and he would still be whistling.”
After some research and prayers, I found Soundproofcow.com, on an internet search. The website was as clear and helpful as I could have hoped. It was inviting and gave perfect information; detailed enough to answer my questions, simple enough to keep my attention. I called. I met Jason. Jason was magnificent. He was knowledgeable, with no pretension. He cared for me and my problem. He had an equation that could measure the echo from the description and measurements I had of the space. It was actually a 2.8 second echo and he told me what the ideal aliveness of the space should be. He also talked me through what our options were and how to solve the problem…for the least amount of cost. We had a timeline, due to a Ribbon Cutting Ceremony and Season Opening production and first facility impressions are crucial to build an audience base.
We began our journey; solidifying the order, specs, delivery, payment. At this point I was beginning to relax and breathe again. Just as I needed to know it all work out, I asked Jason to tell me that it would all be okay. He said those exact words to me. No contract. No business deal. No commitment, other than, “Stephanie, it is going to be Okay.” The next day, he called and told me there was a problem. Where there were usually my sound tiles in stock, they were temporarily out of stock and there was no way the order could be met on our timeline. I froze, I had nothing left. And I could see the end of their responsibility or even capability to serve me. Jason paused and then with no drama or argument from me, he began to problem solve. Jason asked if he could call me back. Over the next hour, I was placed in the care of Steve. Steve called and we spoke in detail about the project and circumstances. To add to the problems and reasons I could see Soundproofcow.com, could walk away from us, we were also out of current funds and would need financing. In days…in hours…, the building would host the Ribbon Cutting Ceremony with Statewide Dignitaries and Community Leaders and our citizens. Steve called me back, at this point I could recognize the phone ring, I felt so connected to the entire company.
Steve informed me that the company would “special order” and make the acoustic panels just for our order from scratch. We would provide Steve with as much financial security and background as we could. There was no true time for the appropriate background and financial check, so they took our word as truth. Then the manager of the warehouse would personally drive the tiles from Pennsylvania to Appalachia Kentucky overnight. He would arrive on Saturday morning. We would install them Saturday and Sunday and be ready for the Ribbon Cutting on Tuesday. At this point we were introduced to Michael who would talk the contractors through the installation process and needs via conference call and email diagram. He did, of course, a beautiful job. He also provided us with his cell and home numbers, in case we needed him over the weekend.
On Thursday, I received the call that the order had been completed ahead of schedule, the driver had left and he would be in my small town in east Kentucky on Friday between 9 and 9:30 am. Mountain driving is never that easy to estimate, but at 9:00 am, there he was. He was just as humble and unassuming as the company he represented. I spoke with him briefly and told him how incredible the company was. He stated the whole company works together from the owner throughout each person. I should know his name but he left with just as little attention with which he arrived.
The product was beautiful. The Soft Sound® Acoustic Panels were perfect. The craftsmanship of the panels matched the service of the people. The install was seamless, perfect and no problems. After three of the panels had gone up on the 16’ ceiling, I walked in and spoke. I could hear the difference, already. At the completion of the tile installation, the theatre was perfect. The sound was perfect. The balance of the sound for the space was obviously perfect and I knew it! Of course, there have been follow-up phone calls from Jason, Steven and Michael to make sure all is well.
I have been a theatre professional 25 + years. I have dedicated myself to accomplishing the most and the best for the good of the work and who it serves. After having had time to process, I have fully realized that in my years of working across the nation, I have never seen any company so dedicated to service and quality as I have seen in Soundproofcow.com. It was a very trying ordeal (my project); one I wish could have been avoided. But the help I received from the folks at soundproofcow.com made the entire experience so much better. At no time did any representative say anything but positive about anyone else. No negativity ever surfaced.
In the grand scheme of life, acoustic panels and a three second bounce are negligible. In the perspective of trying to redirect a broken community through an experimental arts program, this three second bounce could echo the past which has given our people little hope and opportunity.
- S. Richards, KY