lorida Sound had its start back in 1950 when Warren Coughlin started a small family business on the Southside of Jacksonville known as Florida Wired Music.  It began to flourish and later the name was changed to Florida Sound Engineering Company which represented the vision of Mr. Coughlin better.  To hear Mr. Coughlin tell of the past would make any current CEO shake in his boots at the struggles and tough times the family owned business had gone through.

When at the helm, Warren was a hands-on kind of guy and stood behind the work his company did.  For many years, Florida Sound's brochures had statements like: "Please do not hesitate to write or telephone me, personally, if we can be of service."  Warren also never showed reluctance when it came to describing Florida Sound's accomplishments, which were many.  No longer was Florida Sound a small music company piping in 'wired' music.  The name change was appropriate, because Florida Sound now was engineering and installing sound systems in buildings such as Independent Life, Southern Bell, the original Gator Bowl and Florida Field in Gainesville.

Ind. Life	BellSouth	Gator Bowl	Univ. of Florida

As Warren raised his family, his son Mark took an active interest in the company, and after college he began to work as an installer.  It wasn't long before Mark was showing his Father's zeal and business acumen.  Mark became the Vice President and later, President of Florida Sound.  This was not overnight, as Warren wanted to make sure that his company would be handled the right way, a way that had brought him dignity and success in the community.

Mark was also known for his hands on philosophy and by the early 1990's Florida Sound had grown into a major player of sound system design and installation.  Not just in Jacksonville, but Mark found himself being asked to bid on jobs all over the southeastern United States.  The Orange Bowl in Miami; Charleston Coliseum in South Carolina and the enlarged Florida Field at the University of Florida in Gainesville, to name a few.

At the peak of this growth, tragedy struck.  A calamity that would pierce Florida Sound to its core occurred when Mr. Warren Coughlin called a company meeting to let his extended family know that his son, Mark, had cancer.  After a recovery period, Mark appeared fine, but later it was discovered that the cancer had re-occurred and surgery was not an option.  Mark Coughlin died leaving behind his wife, three sons, one daughter and his Mother and Father.  But he also left behind many employees that viewed him as a friend.  Mark is truly missed.

Mr. Warren Coughlin and his wife took an active interest in the company again, but in 1996 after much debate, sold Florida Sound to a larger corporation.  Many of the employees stayed on, like Kenny Niblick and an enterprising installation manager named Bob Cole.  They had both been working with Warren and Mark since 1985.  Bob witnessed the chaos of 'outside' management and he longed for that family-owned business atmosphere again.

It came true when the large corporation that had purchased Florida Sound, lost interest in the sound business and offered Bob the company.  It was a dream come true.  Now Bob and his devoted wife Diana had to make a decision.  It was YES!  Once again Florida Sound carries on Mr. Coughlin and his Son's vision and zeal for business.  The kind of business where the heart and soul can be felt, seen and heard.  Where the customer is not just a number.  That would be a family-owned business. 

Florida Sound is prospering and is carrying on the tradition of two pillars in the sound business.  And as the past words of Warren Coughlin sum up so nicely: "Our reputation and our position of leadership demands no less."