At the speed of technology, WAV founder keeps it versatile
Norm Dumbroff loves speed. Perhaps that's why he loves fast-changing technology and founded Aurora-based WAV Wireless Outfitters.
He also likes racing and NASCAR. So it was apropos that his staff gave him a NASCAR certificate to race a car in honor of the company's 25th anniversary.
"Unfortunately, it's only limited to 150 miles per hour. That's a bummer. Faster is better," he said about the NASCAR gift.
While Dumbroff plans for his racing experience in September, he continues to grow the company since he founded it in 1990 as POS Information Systems. POS referred to point of sale.
At that time, he was based in Macomb, Illinois, after leaving Los Angeles. He had been a consultant in the aerospace industry and helped to write software. But then three former customers called him about an opportunity in the Midwest.
"I never wanted to look back in time and say I should have tried that," he said.
But he had just gotten married and wondered how his new bride, Tanya, would take to moving from glamorous Los Angeles to a quiet western Illinois town. On the way there, she wondered when they would be getting on the freeway, like their habit in Los Angeles.
"This is it, babe," he recalled saying to her.
He already had purchased a home she hadn't seen before, too.
She gave it a try, for about 3 years, and then wanted to leave. She needed more people and more choices, he said.
Instead, he suggested they move to the Chicago region, where they settled in Naperville. That's where he established his own company, WAV Inc., a technology distributor.
"It was a continuation of what was started in Macomb," he said.
It was based in Rosemont, later moved to West Chicago and then Aurora, it's current location. The company weathered the dot-com bust and other economic downturns and continued to adapt to changing technology. It now includes products and services for wireless broadband, networking, Wi-Fi, Internet-based video surveillance, among others, serving hospitality, public safety, education, health care and others. And as technology changed, so did the company name to WAV Wireless, and then to WAVE Wireless Outfitters. It also has grown to 38 workers and may hire more this year, he said.
In the meantime, he and his wife have stayed in Naperville and have raised two daughters.
"I have no plans to leave now," he said.
The exception is to travel to the Indy 500 to race and to look back at 25 years here.
Speaking of family ...
Suzanne Corr, president and CEO of the Barrington Area Chamber of Commerce, said she became a "game" last week. Her son Christopher and his wife, Kayla, of Cary gave birth to David James last week. David weighed in at 6 pounds, 14 inches and 21 inches long.
Cleaning the Fox River
George Stenitzer, founder of Crystal Clear Communications, and members of the Prairie State Canoeists and other volunteers worked over the weekend to help clean up the Fox River and its banks. They started in Montgomery and went downstream to Oswego. Stenitzer helped to organize the first event and it has continued for about eight years.
FastTracks
Kimberly R. Scardino is the new senior vice president, global controller and chief accounting officer of Deerfield-based Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc. ... Vince Caffarello, CEO of Arlington Heights-based Duraclean, was featured in a video interview at the franchise's recent expo. ... Elizabeth A. Di Cola of Park Ridge is now senior vice president and division manager at MB Financial's Commercial Banking ESOP Finance group in Rosemont.
Ahtesham Hyder started practicing internal medicine about 10 years ago and recent unveiled the Rejuva Aesthetics & Wellness Center in The Arboretum of South Barrington. ... Dustin Wylde has joined Advanced Dentistry in Schaumburg.
Natalie Marks, of Blum Animal Hospital in Chicago, is one of 20 finalists nominated for America's Favorite Veterinarian during Schaumburg-based American Veterinary Medical Foundation's anniversary celebration at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum. Voting is open to the public nationwide through midnight, Aug. 31 at www.avmf.org/afv.
Lee McFadden has joined Advocate Dreyer as an orthopedic surgeon and will see patients at the Highland and Rush-Copley Campus in Aurora. ... Monica Hennessey is a new assistant account manager and Brittany Lantry is the new media assistant at Rhea+Kaiser in Naperville. ... Matt Kirchman, Intren director of support services project management, said Union-based Intren has opened two new offices in Franklin Park and Woodstock.
Candy Borkowicz, executive vice president of Northwest Community Credit Union in Morton Grove, recently marked 25 years with the company. ... Oscar Gonzalez has been promoted to director of business operations at Northbrook-based Zengeler Cleaners.
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