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B z00e mssan esc iT _ mnmme _ . 2000 GR F E € r’:‘vn_ ~ * Qi__\lmmm rs iA 9 ; y Simg R i vel LE t\ o E - â€" Cmm ~@ d ~~_~~y« 7 es m â€"=® § o o n henmg s3'°'-*'°°*"°'"‘ The Used Vehice Seperstore... in Waterloo! L* d T : *# sâ€"â€"=®@n,799 6 y"* hk M »hly beed _ ©14,995 New local company finds convenient way to combine technology and lifestyle ~homas Bail, *ounaer of Urufi, says is company designs, sells and integrates stateâ€"ofâ€"theâ€"art technology that makes life easier for consumers ?and. it Un Corporation. i company directive nake rechnology part ‘our tifestvie. iccording :o Thomas jail. counder of Umfi. his ompany designs. seils ind ntegrates stateâ€"ofâ€"theâ€"art iudio. v1deo. ‘ighting conâ€" rois. commumcations and utomation equipment into moth gew and existing Omes. The most important hings o us is making sure wervthing is as easy o use is possible." Hail said. Imfi has been incorpoâ€" ated for tust over one veal. ind has neen operating in Vatertoo at 5426 King St. \ . :or about three months. "he store :s designed :o nok like a house. so cusâ€" nagine controiling the ecnnoiogy in vour home rom che oaim of yvour By Tmnm: Murouy or "he hronicte of tS ‘I think all it does is conâ€" tuse peopile when they go nto a place and see 500 difâ€" terent televisions with labels. and they all say the same thing." comers can view the techâ€" nology in action. touch and teel the demos. and see the advantages of integrated rechnology. ‘I don‘t want it to be too techy. If vou notice, we don‘t put labels up on everyâ€" thing." Bail said, sitting in the modet kitchen. He said Waterioo made the perfect location for Unifi because of the quantity of rechnology companies in the city, and the growing population. ‘If vou want to look at it in terms of demographics, we have a highâ€"tech sector here," Bail said. ‘The people in general have a prettv good standard of living, so we telt a designâ€" oriented. residential systems compaâ€" ny was needed." BUSINESS Ball said he was fortuâ€" nate to have a group of peoâ€" pie who were willing to take a gamble by investing in his company to help with startâ€" up costs, as well as cash from his own pocket. "It‘s all been personal investments," he said. Unufi currently has a staff of three, along with a variety of other subâ€"contractors employed to do the actual installations of products. We really do have a oneâ€" anâ€"one customer focus that the bigger shops just can‘t do." he said. "People don‘t have to be afraid of technology, they can just enjoy it." Urafi Ball said Unifi is just as competitive as other audio/video stores when it comes to price,. and cusâ€" tomers receive the assurâ€" ance Unifi is available to make sure needs are met. Ball hopes to create a lifestyle in his customers homes that other people can envy while his clients sit back and enjoy. he "If you‘re running into problems figuring out the five remote controls in front of you, you may be missing something." "Your home should be a sanctwary, where you get home and spend time with the family and wind down," A university graduate in business economics, ball said he has been playing with highâ€"end audio video systems since the mid 1980s. said he has been playing Ball said the company‘s with highâ€"end audio video _ vision in technology should systems since the mid _ not be an afterthought, but 1980s. should rather be incorpoâ€" "I‘ve done custom instalâ€" _ rated seamlessly into lation design for two com homes. panies in California that Unifi works with archiâ€" have always maintained a leadership position with their audiences," he said. Ball worked in sales and installation for Genesis Audio, and Paradime Audioâ€" Video when he lived in Caliâ€" fornia. "It‘s simply that I‘ve always felt that the design side and the ease of use, the comfort level, with all types of electronics from the audio video to the computer networks to small control systems, 1 don‘t think have been presented to conâ€" sumers in consideration to their real interests." Ball He said he doesn‘t think people feel comfortable enough about their purâ€" chasing decisions. "iM Murbuy PGTO tects, interior designers, builders and the home owner during the design process to ensure everyâ€" one‘s needs are met. "We want to help those builders distinguish themâ€" selves in selling homes that address some of the upâ€" andâ€"coming technology needs." He said the last thing he wants _ is _ arguments between a husband and wife about the technology in a home. "We want to work closely with those fields to make sure that customers are making all the right deciâ€" sions about their lifestyle early on in the process." "People don‘t have to be afraid of technology, they can just enjoy it." â€" Ball said he doesn‘t want to knock his competition, he said they do fine when it comes to selling audio video gear. But he added, they come from a retail environment, whereas Unifi is custom design focused. "The more important part is design, and a philosâ€" ophy that brings electronics into the home without comâ€" plexities," he said. From the television, home security to the kitchen lights, Unifi can creâ€" ate wireless systems, which can be controlled from your computer or even a portable digital assistant (PDA). Ball said it is the unintruâ€" sive part of technology he wishes to get into homes. Bulky television sets sitting on the floor are not includâ€" ed in Unifi‘s vision. Ball said that as soon as you walk into your house, you should be able to enjoy it. He said that is one of the angles that sets Unifi apart from the competition. "Here in town, nobody has the scope of services that we do," he said. "We try to make it a very clean, style conscious part of your home," he said. For more information on Unifi, visit www.unifi.ca. 2000 GRAND «MARQUIS LS