On tomorrow’s wavelength

If you’ve ever created a custom greeting card or listened to a compact disc in the store before buying it, you have Peter Vrettas to thank.

After struggling for years to distinguish his company, EDR Corp., from others in the audio/video industry, 10 years ago he decided to re-evaluate the way media is used in the business world. In the process, he triggered a revolution.

But before he snared clients such as Wal-Mart and American Greetings, Vrettas changed traditional beliefs about the use of audio and video in business presentations. “The question is, ‘Can media enhance the experience?’” asks Vrettas. “Can it improve on training, can it improve the selling cycle? We’ve always felt that it could.

“The problem was media in business has been relegated to the A/V department. (They) come along and show some training tapes.”

In 1989, Vrettas decided to add equipment hardware and interactive computer software business to his existing Shaker Heights-based audio/video production company. He moved his company to nearby Beachwood and created four distinct divisions: EDR Media for creative development; Beachwood Studios for audio and video production; EDR Systems for hardware sales; and EDR Technologies for software development — particularly interactive retail displays. The divisions gave EDR four distinct profit centers and provided clout that no other digital media company could match.

That’s when Vrettas realized the potential of digital technology, and how easily it could be stored, manipulated and transferred. The popularity of the Internet has only proved his assumption.

“Part of why I think the Internet is so successful is the power,” says Vrettas. “The user can go wherever he or she wants to go. Well, why not take these techniques inside the store?”

That’s exactly what he did with Wal-Mart.

“Whether it was (offering) 30,000 audio clips in the CD department, 10,000 video clips in the tape department or the ability to deliver advertising messages over TV sets, we were going to empower the consumer to make better decisions, and therefore have a greater chance of success in the purchase,” explains Vrettas. “I think that’s the basis of how we structured the company, and just attacked it from different perspectives.”

By re-evaluating EDR’s focus, the company grew from $2 million in revenue in 1984 to $17 million last year. Vrettas expects that figure to double within the next five years.

Although EDR develops national meetings for companies such as Burger King and Office Depot through the EDR Media division, its most innovative accomplishment is the way it has changed the retail shopping experience.

The transformation has just begun, says Vrettas, who explains the company is planning for new digital technology like broadcast-standard video. That, he says, is coming to the Internet not in years, but months.

“Our company is going to be a major force in the new order of information being created by the Internet,” says Vrettas. “We envision that EDR is going to be a very large part of the next wave of information.”

How to reach: EDR Corp., (216) 292-7300

Jim Vickers ([email protected]) is associate editor at SBN.