Flagstaff Featured Business: Lichak Technical Services
(as published in the December 4 edition of The Community Press)
The Flagstaff Region Featured Business is a monthly newspaper and web feature presented in partnership by Flagstaff County and The Community Press.
Lichak Technical Services Ltd.
Professional Sound & Lighting Services
Daysland, AB 780-781-5965
Tom Lichak was just a teenager when he started playing music with his dad’s band.
In those early days, the young musician learned very quickly about the importance of quality sound production.
“If you were in a situation where you needed a microphone or a sound system and if it wasn’t provided, well, all the work that you did to make your performance good didn’t really come across to the audience because somebody couldn’t hear you.”
So out of sheer necessity, Lichak took it upon himself to become acutely familiar with the ins and outs of live sound production.
Over the years, he continued to hone his musical talents – along with his production prowess.
“I did that throughout my teens,” he explains. “When I went to NAIT, I put myself through school playing in bands and that sort of thing. But I got very busy later in life and I’d kind of given it up for the most part.”
Then in 2009, Lichak and his wife Val moved to Flagstaff. It wasn’t long before Lichak found an outlet for his unique skill set.
“There’s a number of arts councils and productions that occur out here and the fellow that was doing those jobs for them, he dropped out,” Lichak recalls. “So it left a little niche and a little opening for me.”
Much to his delight, Lichak was approached to fill in that gap.
“I was never expecting to have that type of an opportunity out here in the Flagstaff Region,” he explains. “That gap or that need in that market led me to opening the business.”
Lichak thought long and hard for a name for his new venture.
“I was going to give it one of these super dynamic names,” he says. “But it’s difficult choosing a name. I thought that most businesses are based on reputation and I thought if I use my family name for reputation that would serve me well.”
And so, Lichak Technical Services was born.
The main service he provides is sound production for live events of largely anywhere between 100 and 1,000 people.
“Whether you have a speaking event or whether you’re hiring a band to play or if you are going to have an auction and you need a sound system to cover a space, that’s what I do,” he says. “I provide mobile sound systems for small and large productions.”
Among the other services he offers, Lichak also provides consultation, installation and electronic repair.
“If you have a sound system in a building, if you have a hall or a church or a school gymnasium or something like that where the sound system works well or doesn’t work well or it needs to be upgraded or you just want to add some of the new features or the new technology that’s available today, whether you need a Bluetooth-activated device or wireless remote for audio mixing or anything like that, all that stuff can be added,” he says.
In terms of electronic repair, Lichak specifically enjoys working on the older stuff, such as vacuum tube guitar amps.
“Many of the new products, they’re not that easily serviceable unless you’re factory authorized and that’s a difficult business these days,” he adds.
Lichak’s unique niche continues to work well for him, his growing business and the customers he serves throughout the area and beyond.
He points out that within a year of opening his business, he had worked in every community in the Flagstaff County.
“That’s pretty phenomenal,” he marvels.
“People out here have a large appetite for fun. There’s concerts going on. There’s dinners. There’s fundraisers. There’s sporting events. There’s things going on all the time in the Flagstaff Region. And the people are really good to work with. They’re friendly. They’re honest. They like to have fun. They’re creative. And there’s enough in this region that I can work close to home. So that’s good for me. But it’s also good for my business customers because I’m local. I can come help at a moment’s notice and I can keep costs down because there’s just not the overhead of traveling or large business expenses.”
“I’ve been in the entertainment business a long time and there’s an old saying that is, ‘You’re only as good as your last show.’ And for the most part, what really counts is a person’s reputation and what they are able to do live and what people see,” he says.
“So the best promotion that I have is the best last show and good word of mouth, because it’s easy post-production to make a lot of things look good. But in a live event, it either works or it doesn’t and that’s based on being prepared, knowing what you need to do and having good equipment and caring enough to do it.”
Along with groups from around Flagstaff and beyond, Lichak has had the opportunity to work with some well-known musicians and JUNO award winners. Among the more familiar names are: Lisa Brokop, Valdy, Duane Steele, Steve Pineo, Shirley Myers and Eli Barsi.
“So many of the artists that I worked for are so talented and so genuine and so just very, very good, good people. And yeah, it can be a little intimidating,” he admits.
“But for me, I’ve been a musician myself for 45 years.
“So I know what a musician wants to hear. And I know what they need to sound good on stage. Because primarily when you’re doing live sound performance, you’ve got two audiences. You’ve got the band that’s on stage. But, of course, you have the audience.
“And both of them hear and are looking for completely different things. And having that perspective as a musician myself, well, I do that better than people that don’t have that experience because I can put myself in the shoes of what a performer needs.”
“A program such as this and the Flagstaff Crafted program, these are things that are reaching people and are showing the uniqueness and the specific talents that people in small regions have. I think it’s unexpected in rural Alberta, unexpected by sometimes the people that actually live here, but mostly unexpected by people that don’t live here,” he says.
“We’ve got tremendous talent out here. And Flagstaff County realizes that, appreciates that and is doing things to actually promote that.”
Flagstaff County itself regularly calls on Lichak Technical Services to give its events the professional touch required for sound and lighting.
“Flagstaff County is a consumer of my services because Flagstaff County is so active in the region,” Lichak says. “Whether they’re supporting conferences or whether they’re supporting just fun events, they use my services.”
Lichak offers the following advice for any would-be entrepreneurs or those in business looking to expand.
“Number one, and it’s a very old saying, they say, ‘If you love what you do, you’ll never work a day in your life.’ And for me, that’s specifically true,” he explains.
“I get to do something that I absolutely and truly love, and wish I would have done more of sooner in my life.
“I work with people who are generally at their best when I’m working with them. I work with them on a Saturday night as opposed to a Monday morning before coffee. I work at weddings and those are happy events. I work at concerts and those are exciting events. And I work at outdoor festivals and those are really fun, exciting events.
“It doesn’t matter what you do, but if you love it, the rest will come…. Nothing’s easy. Finances are hard. Costs are going up all the time. It’s difficult to always stay as busy as you’d like to.
“But if you love it, you keep going. And I think that’s the most important thing.”
For more on Lichak Technical Services, head to their website: https://ltsl.ca
As published in the December 4 edition of The Community Press – on newsstands today. Never miss an issue, become a SUBSCRIBER today!
The Flagstaff Region Featured Business is a monthly newspaper and web feature presented in partnership by Flagstaff County and The Community Press. For more information, contact Jenalee Waring, Economic Development Coordinator, at 780-384-4152.
