Ben Stowe
Ben’s love for electronics began when as a very young through the inspiration of a neighbor he often visited. The neighbor ran the small town’s TV repair shop out of his home, and in order to occupy the energetic Ben, allowed him to play with the brightly colored electronic components. At first Ben was simply using diagonal side cutters to strip circuit boards and sort the parts, then at the age of 5 his persistent nagging was rewarded with a few soldering lessons. Having previously taught high school electronics, the neighbor recognized Ben’s enthusiasm and began to teach him the principals of electronics.
This led to Ben studying Electricity, Electronics, Robotics and Lasers in school. Ben supported himself through school by building and selling strobe lights and other electronic devices. He built his first sound system largely from scratch and scrap, often repairing broken items others had thrown away because he could not afford to buy new equipment. He holds a Minnesota electrical license, his AV installs have been featured in almost every major industry trade magazine, he has handled RF coordination for 9 NCAA Division 1 College Football Championship games, and has toured with national acts.
His relentless passion for education has led to a number of other certifications and accreditations, including the most widely recognized one in the AV industry, the AVIXA CTS. His love for education inspired him to begin the ProAcademy educational sessions, focused on increasing understanding of AV technologies within the industry. Ben has been involved in a number of technical writings, lectures, presentations, as well as research and development assistance with a number of manufacturers for products, industry wide. He has been a contributing author to industry magazines in the United States and Europe.
Ben’s presentations have been featured across the world both as a part of industry leading trade shows, and as a presenter for various groups. The United States Armed Forces branches have also called upon Ben to provide engineering and training assistance. His highly informational, slightly nerdy and surprisingly funny presentation style have made him a favorite at events, while his sincere desire to help people with their application of technology have made him a favorite with them after the event. In 2023 Ben was inducted into the inaugural class of the Mobile Entertainment Hall of Fame.
Ben serves the industry as the President of NLFX Professional, an industry leading supplier of sound, lighting and video systems, a role he has maintained since founding the company in 1993.