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FOUNDER AND CEO, CRUTCHFIELD CORP., CHARLOTTESVILLE
FOUNDER AND CEO, CRUTCHFIELD CORP., CHARLOTTESVILLE
Virginia Business// August 29, 2024//
A lifelong entrepreneur and self-described “electronics nerd,” Crutchfield was only 13 when he built what he believes to be the first stereo system in Virginia. By age 15, he formed his first business, installing stereo equipment in homes throughout Charlottesville.
The war in Vietnam put a hold on his business plans when he joined the U.S. Air Force, where he commanded a Titan II intercontinental ballistic missile crew and attained the rank of captain. However, entrepreneurship was in his blood, and in 1974, while restoring old Porsche 356s, he saw an untapped niche for installing stereos in them. Today, his mail-order car stereo business celebrates 50 years in business, employing 750 people in Virginia and selling everything from televisions to drones, with 2023 sales totaling $436 million.
A University of Virginia graduate, Crutchfield is a member of the UVA Health System board and the Consumer Electronics Hall of Fame.
WHERE I SEE MYSELF IN 10 YEARS: Still working. I’ll be 91 then!
ADVICE FOR NEW COLLEGE GRADUATES: Treat people with civility. The lack of civility which we see in society today is very troubling.
