EXECUTIVE PROFILE: KARL COUYOUMJIAN, PRESIDENT, TEL SYSTEMS
AnnArbor.com
ness-review/executive-profile-karl-couyoumjian-pre sident-tel-systems/
March 11 2010
Michigan
Karl Couyoumjian almost didn’t end up at TeL Systems, the audio-visual
company of which he is now president. In fact, when he was first
offered a job at the company, also called Thalner Electronic
Laboratories, he turned it down.
In 1977, Couyoumjian was finishing up graduate school at the University
of Michigan and worked part time in the university’s television
center. He had just finished a project when, one day, he received a
call from Robert Thalner, who had been told about Couyoumjian by a
mutual acquaintance. Thalner asked Couyoumjian if he was interested
in a position as a salesman calling on the University of Michigan to
sell Thalner’s audio-visual and conferencing systems.
"I thanked him and said nope, it was not what I wanted to do, and
goodbye," Couyoumjian said. At that time, Couyoumjian was interested
in producing films and TV, not selling audio-visual equipment. But,
a little while later, he decided to call back and pitch an idea
to Thalner.
"At that time, Thalner had a production arm, and I called him back
and said, ‘Let’s talk. Why don’t I do video production with sales on
the side?’ and he said, ‘How about doing sales with video production
on the side?’"
Couyoumjian has been with TeL Systems ever since. Since he was
first hired, the company phased out its production arm and, in 1991,
was bought out by its employees. At that time, Couyoumjian became
president of the employee-owned company.
Today, Couyoumjian said one of the biggest challenges he faces is
keeping up with advances in technology.
"We’re a very technology-driven company," Couyoumjian said. TeL Systems
has designed, installed and maintained audio-visual equipment systems
in a wide variety of venues, from the University of Michigan stadium
to Mott Hospital.
"Our business has changed quite a bit over the last 33 years I’ve
been here. When the company was founded in 1965, video was a high tech
business. Now, you’re able to do things with very low-end equipment.
With your PC, you can now do things that used to cost hundreds of
thousands of dollar to do just 10 years ago."
Because of the high tech and ever-changing nature of the business,
Couyoumjian said it’s very important to "keep our employees well
educated," on upcoming technology and trends.
In addition to leading TeL Systems, Couyoumjian’s other main role
is chair of the Ann Arbor Chamber of Commerce board of directors. He
was and remains deeply involved in the process of combining the Ann
Arbor organization and the Ypsilanti Chamber into a regional chamber.
"We all talk about looking a things globally," Couyoumjian said. "For
the chamber, regional is thinking big — regional is our (version
of) global."
The merger was announced in December, but Couyoumjian said the entire
process is likely to "take years, rather than months," especially
since both chambers are locked into leases for their buildings.
Couyoumjian said what most surprised him about the merger was how
positive everyone was about the idea. He said the chambers had been
kicking the merger idea around for ten or more years, but last year,
when an integration committee with members from each chamber sat down
together, they reached consensus on the idea very quickly.
"After the first meeting, they came out of it and said, ‘Let’s do
this,’" Couyoumjian said. "It was just one of those times, the stars
aligned — it was time to do it."
Background
Age: 57
Education: Bachelor’s degree from Albion College; Master’s degree
from University of Michigan.
Family: Wife Nan (34 years); daughters Anne, 30, Sarah, 24, and
Katie, 19.
Residence: Ann Arbor.
Business Insights
Best business decision: Hiring the terrific people that work at
TeL Systems.
Worst business decision: After having done this for as long as I have,
it’s hard to choose a favorite.
Best way to keep a competitive edge: Having all of the information
necessary before you make a decision…then make a decision.
Personal heroes: My father and my father-in-law. They started
with nothing, yet both became very successful in their family and
professional lives. Though they came from very different backgrounds
(my father, an Armenian immigrant, and my father-in-law, an Indiana
farm boy) both had the same incredibly strong work ethic and unwavering
sense of decency.
How do you motivate people? I have found that most people are pretty
self-motivated, so I let them do their jobs and try to resist the
urge to micro-manage rather than teach.
What advice would you give to yourself in college? Enjoy the experience
and get involved in as many activities as possible, as life is going
to get much busier and more complicated as soon as you graduate… and
take more finance courses.
Words that best describe you: Funny and forthright.
First Web site you check in the morning: Annarbor.com (what else
would you expect me to say?)
Confessions
What keeps you up at night? Mostly things that, the next morning,
I realize weren’t worth losing sleep over.
Pet peeve: People with hidden agendas and those that take themselves
too seriously.
Guilty pleasure: Spending as much time as I can at our cottage in
Northern Michigan.
First job: Lifeguard.
First choice for a new career: Own a small market radio station and
have an on-air slot during the day.
Treasures
Favorite cause: Washtenaw Community College and The Washtenaw 100. WCC
is a terrific institution, who’s mission is now more important
than ever. The Washtenaw 100 is a little-known 40-year-old charity
that provides immediate financial support to the families of fallen
Washtenaw County police and firefighters and provides scholarships
to the children of active Washtenaw County police and firefighters.
Favorite book: Most recently, "The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest"
by Stieg Larsson.
Favorite movie: Pretty much anything directed by Ron Howard
Favorite hobby: Riding bikes with my wife or almost anything automotive
related.
Favorite restaurant: West End Grill.
Favorite bar: Mélange.
LinkedIn, Facebook or Twitter? LinkedIn…with a minor in Facebook.
Typical Saturday: There’s no such thing. In the fall it’s tailgating
and Michigan football or traveling to Denison University to watch our
daughter play field hockey. Winter and spring I’m doing minor home
or automotive projects and Powercycling at Heart of a Warrior. Summer
I’m up north biking, boating and relaxing.
What team do you root for? Michigan!
Wheels: Lincoln MKS, but, on nice evenings and weekends, it’s one of
our classic cars. Up north it’s my pickup truck.
Who would play you in a movie? As much as I would like to think it
would be Hugh Jackman, it would probably be more like Ned Beatty.
< em>Sarah Rigg is a freelance writer and a frequent contributor to
AnnArbor.com. She can be reached at [email protected].