EMPLOYEE PROFILE

Name: Jim Swain

Title: Senior Sales Engineer

Years at Sweetwater: 9+

What were you doing before you joined the Sweetwater Team? I was working in music retail and also ran a small project studio.

What in your life best prepared you for the work you do at Sweetwater and why? Having lived and breathed the technology for 20 years, I've watched my studio grow from an 1/4 inch 8-track studio with pre-MIDI keyboards to the 100K+ studio with every bell and whistle I could possibly dream of. This gives me the grounding to make suggestions and recommendations to the pro and amateur alike based on real-world, hands-on knowledge, not just theory.

What did you dream about doing for a living when you were growing up? Owning and operating my own restaurant. (Oddly enough, both fields require the ability to tastefully combine simple elements to form more complex structures).

Describe the most dramatic situation in which you provided the “Sweetwater Difference” for a customer?  We had a client suffer a stroke shortly after taking delivery of a fairly large package from us. Six months later his spouse called asking for help pricing the gear to sell. To her surprise we took the gear back for a full refund. Sometimes the bottom-line isn't “the bottom-line.”

Favorite hobby: Aside from composition and recording, I enjoy cooking, yard work and bingo. (Yes, I know I sound more like a 60-year-old grandmother than a late-thirties musician . . . )

Most unusual/creative solution to a customer problem: I called in a favor and sent a student from a large university I deal with to tutor a client who was in over his head (with deadlines pending). Ironically, they ended up living two blocks from each other.

What makes working at Sweetwater fun for you? Are you kidding? I talk about technology and its applications for eight hours a day. (Did I mention they pay me to do this?)

Favorite movie you’ve recently seen or rented: “Christmas Vacation” (at least 100 times!) In the hereafter, this will surely be Chevy Chase’s penance for his thankfully short-lived talk show.

Guilty pleasure of choice (example: Watching “Gilligan’s Island” reruns): Unboxing a new piece of gear and homemade pasta.

Place you’d most like to visit on your next vacation: Ireland / Scotland.

What is the most important thing you’ve learned at Sweetwater? Balance.

Favorite magazine: (tie) Mix and Food & Wine

Real-life Hero: My 7-year-old daughter, Amber.

How would your boss describe you? “That control freak!”