Sergio Mazza can tell you how noisy just about anything is, even if you can’t hear it. Mazza is the president and CEO of
SenSound, a Wayne State University spin-off that develops noise management software. Put simply,
SenSound’s technology lets engineers see sound and make equipment more efficient. The
TechTown-based firm employs eight people, a co-op student and an intern.
SenSound isn't Mazza’s first time at the helm. He is on the board of Vintara, served as the president and CEO of the American National Standards Institute and was president of Memorex USA. Mazza has also lived in seven different countries, worked in five of those and speaks four languages.
Describe your business in two sentences or less?We provide tools and services to diagnose sound sources, and provide quality control systems that detect defects through sound. The end result is our customers bring quieter products to market faster and at lower cost.
Why did you decide to set up shop in Detroit?The technology we utilize was developed by Prof. Sean F. Wu at Wayne state university's Acoustics, Vibration and Noise Control lab.
What are some of the advantages to doing business here?Proximity to Wayne State, proximity to many manufacturing companies that could benefit from this technology.
What do you see in Detroit that other people who live outside the city don't? A wonderful city with great cultural and entertainment resources that has fallen on hard times but can be great again. Very little traffic -- I just enjoyed a vacation in California, boy do they have traffic problems.
What advice would you give to someone who was thinking about opening a business in the Motor City?Starting a business here will cost a third less to half as much as a similar business would cost to set up on either of the two coasts.
If you could change one thing about Detroit, what would it be?The politics and the corruption.
Source: Sergio Mazza, president and CEO of SenSound
Writer: Jon Zemke
Know an entrepreneur to feature in Model D? If so, send an e-mail to Innovation and Job News editor Jon Zemke..
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