Note: More media content is available for this story at BrooklynDaily.com.
By Jack Ryan
Brooklyn Daily
In less than five years a Brooklyn entrepreneur has become the man behind the media rooms in thousands of homes in the New York area.
Contractors hired to do home theater installations seeking to purchase the most up-to-date electronic equipment and audiophiles looking to create a state-of-the-art home entertainment center are finding out that there is no better place to look for cables than CMPLE (pronounced simple), the company created by Andrey Bogdanov.
Andrey has carved out a unique niche in the home electronics business. There is no shortage of stores where people can shop for televisions and other equipment, but none of this equipment works without the right cables.
At his showroom on McDonald Avenue in Brooklyn, Andrey offers just about any kind of cable imaginable for home theaters, computer systems and home security. And, he says, “If I don’t have what you need, I’ll get it.”
In addition to cables, connectors, adaptors and accessories, CMPLE also sells high-end speakers and 46 different wall mounts. Andrey said his speakers are rated on the same level as premium brands recognized by audiophiles all over world.
One of the things of growing importance to anyone building a media room or installing a home theater system is what CMPLE calls “consolidation technology.” Simply put, consumers don’t want to be looking at a clutter of cables connecting their electronic equipment.
To solve this problem CMPLE sells “infrared repeater kits.” The kits allow the user to hide their entertainment system and its cables in a wooden cabinet or even a closet with only a small IR box visible. Using remotes the user can control as many as 12 components, even if they are in different rooms.
CMPLE sells all the equipment necessary to make this happen, including the instructions. The kits can make the media room a magical place.
Andrey’s is a modern-day American success story. He started out installing home entertainment systems and often found that he had leftover cables. Working at first out his bedroom and later out of the basement in his home, he began selling some of the overstock online. It wasn’t long before he found there was a market for both the cables and his expertise. He soon outgrew the basement.
In 2009 he moved his operation to a 15,000-foot showroom and warehouse. As his customer base expanded, so did his inventory. In addition to contractors and walk-in customers, he began selling his products to local stores.
When he opened up his showroom CMPLE had five employees. Andrey now employs 64 people at his two warehouses in Brooklyn and a third in New Jersey. That number will grow when he opens a new warehouse in California.
Part of the success can be attributed to the fact that CMPLE Inc. manufacture its own products and accessories. This enables the company to sell its items at a fraction of the prices charged by his competitors.
Andrey is proud that he stands behind everything he sells.
“Just about every cable is guaranteed for life,” he says. “My cables are as good or better than Monster and I’m selling them at a fraction of the price.”
Consumers can find CMPLE products at some of the nation’s top retailers including Best Buy, Walmart, Sears, and Rakuten, one of the largest and most respected international sellers of electronic equipment online. Andrey said he recently signed a contract with Amazon, which will increase his growing online consumer sales. In the future CMPLE products will also be offered on Newegg and Shop.com.
Although Andrey welcomes business from the ordinary consumer, much of CMPLE’s business comes from professional installers who purchase his cables online where he has seen dramatic growth. CMPLE now offers next-day delivery on most of its product line if offers come in before 3 p.m.
Already selling nationwide, Andrey expects to soon be making international sales.
CMPLE gets high praise from its Internet customers. In a five-star review on Yelp, a reviewer writes, “Best prices, excellent customer service, helpful crew, knowledgeable personnel, it doesn’t get any better, my favorite store.”
And in an enthusiastic and detailed review on Amazon, an installer writes: “For In-Wall Installation with brand CMPLE may be the best speaker cables on the market… These cables are capable of delivering loud, clear and crisp audio reproduction limited only by the quality of the equipment you are using…the most distinctive offers and large discounts on CMPLE.”
But it isn’t likely that you’ll find Andrey resting on these accolades.
“I’m always looking to see what’s new, what’s next,” he says. “We already sell cables and professional camera switches for home security and now we’re working on offering cameras.”
“There are endless possibilities,” he adds.
Summing up his philosophy, Andrey says, “Bottom line, we are trying to help people. Any question, we try to help people as much as we can. Even if we don’t make a sale, helping comes first.”
Professionals and ordinary consumers don’t just come for the products that CMPLE sells. A major attraction is the knowledge and expert advice that Andrey and his staff offer.
“When you’re working in this business, you cannot sell if you don’t know the product. Every day I’m learning something new,” Andrey said.
CMPLE supports the communities of Brooklyn in a variety of ways. Andrey said his company is honored to donate funds to support education, religious institutions, and local community interests.
He is planning to create a college scholarship fund that will target technology and engineering students.
He believes strongly in giving back to the community that he lives in, especially Brooklyn’s Russian community.
“With success,” he said, “comes responsibility.”
“We are trying to help little by little,” said Andrey, who has an 8-year-old child of his own. CMPLE sponsors Russian radio and events at a Christian school and a local synagogue in addition to kid’s shows and other children’s events.
Talking with Andrey, it’s hard not to believe that what he has achieved is just the beginning. As home entertainment and security expand, expect to see CMPLE leading the way.
Cmple.com Inc., [1530 McDonald Ave. between Ave. N & Ave. M (347) 587–6480] Open seven days a week, 8 am–5 pm.
Visit us at www.Cmple.com