Community Corner

Port Chester's InnerSpace Electronics Marks 25 Years

The custom automation systems firm recently was recognized by the Custom Electronic Design & Installation Association.

Andrea and Barry Reiner, small business owners in Westchester for 25 years, share a compelling story of humble beginnings, specific interests and focus and nimbleness in a rapidly changing field.

The Reiners, and their employees, work in custom automation systems—as they tell us, “including smart home technology, lighting control, automated climate control and home theater systems,” for homes and businesses.

Long based in Scarsdale and serving residential and business customers throughout greater New York City, the co-founders of InnerSpace Electronics Inc. now operate out of Port Chester and give back to their community by supporting causes that fight breast cancer and Canavan Disease, as we learned in a Q&A (published in full below).

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Here’s our exchange with them.

 

Find out what's happening in Port Chesterwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Patch: Talk to me about how you started in this business and how InnerSpace Electronics specifically began.

Barry Reiner: My wife Andrea and I met in the spring of 1988. When we met, we both immediately realized that we had each met our soul mates. At that time, I was the general manager of a custom audio/video installation firm. Andrea was a marketing representative for IBM. Several months into our relationship, we went on a vacation together to Jamaica.

One beautiful sunny day on the beach, Andrea said “let’s start a business”. At the time, it felt to me as a fantasy roleplay. Andrea then said, “What would our business do?” I responded that A/V installations is what I knew how to do. The timing was perfect. We were both ready for a change. We were both ready for a new challenge. What I had seen initially as a fantasy quickly started to become a reality. Within another month, we had picked out and registered a name. We did not want to limit ourselves to A/V alone. We wanted to design a company that could grow into providing nearly all low voltage systems for residences. Thus the name Innerspace Electronics seemed to fit.

Both Andrea and I realized that we were young and had few life responsibilities. We knew that this was our opportunity and we seized the moment. Within a few more months, I left my job, we purchased a truck, and began the marketing and organizational process of starting a new enterprise.

We did not have any access to financing, so naturally we started our new business on credit cards. It was important to both of us to provide our clients with service and response that was second to none. Several months later, Andrea and I were married. When we returned from our honeymoon, Andrea left her job to join our company full-time.

We began our company in our one-bedroom apartment. Soon the business took over the apartment. We then moved it to a three-bedroom apartment. The business was growing nicely and we soon grew out of that space as well. We decided to move out of the city. We moved our home and business to a house in Scarsdale, New York. Within two years, six employees were working in our home office every day. Andrea and I were expecting our first child and realized that it was time for a “real” place. We then moved to Scarsdale and 10 years later to our current offices in Port Chester.

Our business began to grow, as did our staff. Now 25 years later Innerspace Electronics, Inc employs over 25 people. We specialize in the design and installation of multi-room music systems, video and home theater systems, telephone and intercom systems, integrated management control systems, lighting control systems, motorized window treatments and computer networks.

 

Patch: What towns/cities do you serve in Westchester or the greater area?

Andrea Reiner: Mostly our work is in the New York Metropolitan Area, including Suffolk County. We have also been known to do projects throughout the United States and the Caribbean, mostly centered on vacation spots.

 

Patch: In what ways are you involved in Port Chester's community, beyond owning a business here? 

Andrea Reiner: We are proud to give back to the community by supporting and recommending other local businesses to our clients. Referrals are a huge part of our business and we feel it is important to pay it forward for other businesses. We also try to give back to the community through charitable donations to schools and organizations. Some of the events that we have been involved advocates for are Relay for Life and Jacob’s Cure.


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