Family lore has it that as a young man, Dane Butcher possessed a deep and abiding love of audio that carried him to San Francisco in the 1970s, where he worked as a studio recording engineer on projects like the iconic Herbie Hancock Headhunters album, among others. But what really captured his imagination wasn’t just the music. It was the technology behind the music and the belief that he could build equipment more powerful than anything the world had yet seen. So in 1976, he returned to Seattle, rented a loft in Belltown, and started creating.

For the next almost 40 years, he would build a business, a brand and a host of products that would deeply impact the professional AV marketplace. He built Symetrix on the simple but profound idea that powerful technology enables more than great sound, it enables meaningful experiences for people in all walks of life. 

From recording to broadcast to installed sound, Symetrix has been out in front, making innovative and sometimes risky choices in pursuit of the greater good or the next big thing. The first commercially successful broadcast to phone interface, an early SPL computer, and in 2008 the gamble to go all-in on the Dante platform from a new start-up called Audinate. In 2012, Dane stepped down as CEO, though he continued shaping products for years after. It was the close of an era.

NEXT GENERATION

by Rachelle Graham

In 2011, our family moved to the Seattle area. We drove from Indiana to Washington state with four of our six kids, a dog, seven cats, and a Ford Excursion loaded to the brim. That was a few months after my husband Mark took on the role as CEO of LOUD Technologies. A lifelong musician with a love for audio, Mark’s journey had taken him from playing in bands to launching an integration business in rural Arizona, then on to roles at Hewlett Packard, Crown Audio, and finally LOUD.  When Mark learned that an iconic audio brand, Symetrix, was located right here in our new backyard, he wangled an introduction, meeting Dane in his final years of running the company. 

A few years later, an extraordinary opportunity came our way: to become the new owners of Symetrix. I’ll admit I was wary of the responsibility and the impact it would have on our family. But Mark has always held a firm belief that a successful business with an ethical conscience can do a lot of good in the world, and now we had the opportunity to prove it. 

In 2018, we took the leap and became part of the Symetrix family. Just a year later, the world changed. When COVID hit, we all had to learn how to pivot fast and find new ways to keep moving forward. Like so many in our industry, we faced challenges on every front, especially navigating the constraints of a disrupted supply chain. But through creativity, resilience, and teamwork, we weathered the storm. And we did it without letting a single person go.

Mark has been the steady force behind our growth, pushing boundaries, building exceptional teams, and envisioning products that are far beyond expectations. Along the way, we’ve learned something important: connection matters. Everything is better when you lead with heart and soul and surround yourself with incredible people who share the journey. That’s the SymFamily—our partners, our team, our community. Together, we’re living out the promise of our vision:

Deliver great products. Develop people. Be a Force for Good in the World. 

Vision House provides transitional housing and life skills training that helps break the cycle of homelessness for families with children. Vision House has been providing housing and supportive services for over 34 years to help families experiencing homelessness move from crisis to stability and self-sufficiency. The ministry has grown from initially serving two single mothers and their kids to now serving over 500 families a year, supporting single mothers, single fathers and two-parent families. The program is infused with the commitment and passion to see lives changed and the cycle of homelessness broken for the next generation.

Support Vision House: www.visionhouse.org

Dee's Hope is a nonprofit organization helping girls in Uganda gain access to education, food, medicine and shelter to lift them out of poverty and provide opportunities for a successful life. Dee’s Hope was founded in 2014 by Dee Noble, who was born in Uganda and herself experienced poverty and lack of resources. After coming to the U.S., she was able to realize her dream of becoming a teacher. In 2019, she and her husband started Dee’s Hope to help disadvantaged girls in Uganda thrive through education and support, giving them hope for the future.

Support Dee’s Hope: www.deeshope.org

Ryan Seacrest Foundation’s primary initiative is to build broadcast media centers within pediatric hospitals (called Seacrest Studios) for patients to explore the creative realms of radio, television and new media. RSF’s aim is to contribute positively to the healing process for children and their families during their stay by developing these centers to bring an uplifting spirit to the hospital community.

Support Seacrest Studios: www.ryanseacrestfoundation.org