Harold J.(Jim) Lemmon
Music and Sound Inc.
1924 –

Radio-Intercom and Built-In Vacuum pioneer Jim Lemmon founded Music & Sound, Inc., in 1953 after he returned home from a second hitch as an Air Force Captain in the Korean War. He traveled to major cities across the country, setting up distribution that required a week of sales and installation training while his wife Doris stayed in Dallas to run the manufacturing business.

By the end of the 1960s, most of the competition that had jumped into the intercom market had faded away or combined their product line with built-in vacuum systems. M&S acquired the “Magic-Vac” and “Filtex” brands of vacuums and added its own brand of “Air-Vac” central vacuum systems that ultimately made M&S the second largest manufacturer of intercoms and built-in vacuums in the country.

Distributor loyalty was maintained through a policy of one-on-one relationships, price competitive products, and superior product service. This business philosophy was a primary success factor, and in 1982, Jim sold M&S to Nortek and remained president until 1987 when he retired after 34 years in the radio and vacuum business. Jim only appeared ready to retire.

Playing golf every day wasn’t a motivator, and two years later Jim succumbed to pressure from former associates and founded Audio Technology to manufacture more radio intercoms. He used the knowledge learned from years of experience to improve his products and continued to provide outstanding customer service with same day or next day shipping. Jim retired a second time on October 31, 1999, after 45 years in the radio intercom and built-in vacuum business.

Audio Tech is now owned by Lindsay Manufacturing, Inc. of Ponca City, OK.

2000 Vacuum & Sewing Hall of Fame Inductee