Wichita Audio Visual Company Kent AV Announces New Ownership
WICHITA, Kan. (March 31) — Longtime local audio-visual company, Kent AV, is excited to announce new ownership, taking over effective immediately.
Maddie and Matt Butler purchased the company from the previous owners, Ron and Olivia “Kitty” Bowring, who has owned it since 1975.
Kent AV began in 1973 as Kent Business Systems, a company supplying paper for court stenographers. From Bowring’s purchase a couple of years later, Kent AV has grown into the full-service audio-visual company that it is today, providing state-of-the-art audio visual solutions for clients of all sizes and ranges of budgets.
Now taking the reins as owners, the Butlers have been leading charge with the company for the past seven years. Maddie served as General Manager, and Matt served as Rentals and Live Events Director.
“We are excited to continue to invest in the community that has invested in us,” Maddie said. “We have enjoyed being a part of this company for the past seven years and look forward to this upcoming period of growth for both Kent AV and Wichita as a whole.”
Members of the Wichita Regional Chamber of Commerce and partners with Visit Wichita, Kent AV is proud to be a locally owned and operated business. They are known for being community-forward and strive to be an asset for local businesses in Wichita.
The sale was completed on March 1, which marked the start of Women’s History Month. It is a fitting date, with Kent AV now being a majority woman-owned. Maddie takes pride in ensuring women have a place in the tech space and making the trade more accessible for all.
Maddie Butler began her career as a lighting design specialist while earning a degree in Theater: Lighting Design & Management from Wichita State. After working in theater for over 10 years, she joined Kent AV in 2016. As General Manager, she built a team dedicated to technology, creativity, and providing top-notch customer experience and satisfaction. She is an avid supporter of the Wichita community.
Matt Butler attended Friends University studying Music Business. He began his now 10-year career in audio visual work as a sound engineer and grew to be a specialist in all aspects of the audio visual world. Butler joined Kent AV in 2015 and heads a Rentals/Show Services team that is known for technical knowledge, creativity, and dependability. He excels at working with clients to develop creative AV plans for their events that maximize their budgets.
For more information on Kent AV, click here.
