Do you remember what your home entertainment system was like in 1990? Tape decks and turntables, big speakers, massive tube TV’s, and lots and lots of wires. When Steve Tucker founded Tucker & Tucker three decades ago, the World Wide Web was brand new and the iPhone was 17 years away. In the last three decades, innovation that impacts how we listen to music, watch television, enjoy our homes, and stay connected has advanced at lightening speed. Tucker and Tucker has kept pace with the latest lifestyle technology, offering sophisticated solutions for homeowners and commercial clients while also ensuring that a high level of service is always at the forefront.

“It’s fun to look back and see where we were in 1990,” says Tucker, who left a lucrative career at a consumer electronics company to start his own business and focus on custom work. “My philosophy back then was installing high quality audio in fine homes, one room at a time.” In 1990, a state-of-the-art home entertainment system included a high-quality tube television in a cabinet or wall unit, with a surround-sound receiver and two sets of speakers—one in the cabinet and one mounted in the wall across the room. “In the early 90s, the top-of-the-line TV was an expensive 40-inch Sony XPR tube TV, weighing over 100 pounds,” Tucker says. “In 2000, a flat screen plasma TV was $10,000. Now you can get a 75” smart TV for around a thousand dollars.”

Tucker ran the business from his home until 2004, when his daughter, Emily, was born. He moved Tucker and Tucker to a show-room in Scarborough and hired two key team members. Mike Bouthillette, who is now Tucker and Tucker’s vice president of sales and design, was brought on board that year, and chief technology officer Luke Servadio was hired a year later. “Together they’ve been with me for 30 years and are the reason why we really grew the company,” says Tucker. “They’ve each taken ownership in their own way and are invaluable to me and to our customers.”

In the Route One showroom, Tucker and Tucker showcases audio and video systems that can seamlessly integrate their clients’ entire environment. Luxurious home theaters, state-of-the-art networks, and home automation are just some of the other innovations on display. “Builders and architects come to us to help with their customers’ home entertainment and automation needs,” says Tucker. Most homes now require connectivity to stream music through Sonos or Alexa, or stream video throughout the home without cable. In automated homes, it’s not uncommon for families to have 15 to 20 devices, and using them all at once can cause connectivity failure, so custom networks are now a key element of Tucker and Tucker’s services.

With these sophisticated systems, Tucker and Tucker offers a high level of customer service, including 24-7 support. “Our memberships offer guaranteed response times from our remote support team, 24 hours a day every day of the year,” Tucker says. “If the issue can’t be resolved remotely, our on-site support team will be in touch within one hour to pick up where the remote team left off. Our service experience is designed to get you back on track as quickly as possible.”

Tucker points out that while his company has always stayed current, he doesn’t introduce new technology to his clients until it’s tried and proven. “We’re conservative Yankees, and that’s why our growth has been steady.” he says. Five years down the road, he anticipates more innovations to help with aging in place, to improve home wellness, and “because it’s our passion, continuing to add more audio and video offerings,” says Tucker. “Whether it’s bringing music into their lives, or content from their television, or making their home easier to use and safer, we make lives better, and that’s what brings us joy.”