"DMX has been very good to me," says Doug Fleenor, on the occasion of his firm's ten-year anniversary. Founded by Doug and Cindy Fleenor in their garage, shortage of space has led to the addition of a 2,000-sq.-ft. (180 sq. m) building, presently under construction. "DMX has taken over," Fleenor notes. "No one expected it, but very quickly everything became linked, lighting boards became more sophisticated, and cue sheets started to grow."

Fleenor Design has expanded, from the early days of strictly being a consultancy to also being a full-line manufacturer. During the first year, three interfaces were for sale; today, over 30 are offered. Five employees work at Doug Fleenor Design and an additional three will be hired in the next few months.

"It sure doesn't seem that long ago," adds Fleenor, who previously was an engineer at Intel and Teatronics, as well as owning (with Cindy) a country-western bar. "I am looking forward to the next phase of DMX, in particular the Advanced Controls Network protocols. I've enjoyed helping to solve the needs of the industry, and the growth of entertainment lighting has been both spectacular and very gratifying."