Meet Richie Crum | RAAM Audio and Electronics Founder

We had the good fortune of connecting with Richie Crum and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Richie, why did you decide to pursue a creative path?
I grew up in a small town in South Dakota where there was not many ways to express yourself. My uncles were big into cars an started to get into audio and I followed and never stopped.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I had started talking to shop owners and learning from them in different ways. I would look at magazines and when I went to shows I would ask how they did things, some would share others it was a secret to the trade. As I got older i joined the military where I took a second job while I was not in training or deployed. As I exited active duty I started to help build a family business in the Tri State area of Iowa, Nebraska and South Dakota and kept growing from there while I went to school and continued to work in civil service. From there I had moved out to Colorado and took a year break and as I went and visited shops I noticed that being in a military town shops were focused on mostly money and sales and the personal service. After careful consideration and a long discussion with my wife I had opened RAAM Audio and Electronics while working to slowly build it from the ground up. Now we give some of the best customer service with an honest approach carrying long term quality brands.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
So much food and soooo much to do in Colorado Springs. It would be spontaneous. Have to decide whether it would be a brewery tour of all of the great micro brews, look for local not chain restaurants, best food that way, take them site seeing through the mountains and garden of the gods.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Alma Gates was an icon in the audio industry while I was growing up. She was in her 50’s when I first started to gain interest in the audio industry. Seeing the builds from Kicker Car Audio all the way to Her JBL build was motivation that this is a sport and a business to make it not feel like a job. All of the shop owners that gave me a chance while I was developing, I had never gone to school for this, deserve an award. Takes allot to learn this business and sport.

Website: https://www.12voltfreq.com/

Instagram: 12voltfreq

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/raamaudioandelectronics

Other: @12voltfreq Tik Tok

Image Credits
James Rinehoover, Chris Phillips, Illest Alternators, Daniel Brandeburg, Tim Goudy, Richie Crum