Heidi Paley & Mike Dietterick
EnVizon
Title: Co-Owners
Est: 2007  |  www.envizonit.com

“Even though there’s that recession out there, there’s been more of an opportunity for us in Arizona. It’s a very good market to be in.” – Heidi Paley

In April 2007, Heidi Paley took a risk. At a time when the economy was beginning to show signs of slowing down and some owners were scrambling to find a way to save their businesses, Paley decided it was the perfect time for her to step out and launch her own company. Today, Paley is CEO and co-owner of EnVizon, a home automation company.

“I saw a lot of opportunity” in the economic slowdown, Paley says. “Not just to get into business, but to be the very best at what we do in this industry.”

EnVizon provides design installation and services for home electronics and sells a variety of related products, mostly from Control4.

Paley began her career in the home electronics industry 10 years ago, working retail for Ultimate Electronics. As one of 600 employees and one of six females, Paley knew she would have to work hard to stand out and make it in the business.

“I’m a go-getter,” Paley says. “It’s a very male-dominant industry. When I couldn’t find resources in my store, I wasn’t afraid to go outside. I was able to make connections with manufacturers. When I started EnVizon, I had strong relationships that a lot of professionals have trouble getting.”

Last year, Paley and EnVizon’s co-owner and president, Mike Dietterick, took another risk and brought in an electrical division to add another team to the company, which has 12 employees and is soon expanding to 20. EnVizon has an office in Scottsdale, a satellite office in Mesa and a showroom at the Home & Design Idea Center in North Scottsdale. In the future, Paley hopes to break into international markets.

“We’re definitely proven,” she says. “We’re an established, reputable business here in the Valley. We want to take our business model and expand it.”

Paley’s favorite part of the company is working with home automation services.

“Making it happen is so awesome,” she says. “You can start small and then expand upon that. Being able to automate things is incredibly cool. You dream it up and we will make it happen.”

Enhancing a customer’s quality of life is paramount to Paley and Dietterick.

“We had a vision of implementing the latest technologies through system design, greatly improving consumers’ lives, comfort, ease of living and lifestyle,” he says.

But EnVizon doesn’t limit itself to home projects. The company contributed to the Aria Hotel & Casino at CityCenter in Las Vegas, which Paley describes as “the world’s largest IT project ever executed.”

“To be a part of that was an awesome experience,” she adds, calling it the company’s greatest accomplishment.

Having been through the challenges of starting a business in tough times, Paley urges fellow entrepreneurs to know exactly what they are getting into.

“The minute you go into the business, you need to know your numbers,” she says. “Have a plan. It’s OK to revise it, but have that plan, set your goals and achieve them.”