In July 1982 Gary Dove left Teatronics, where he was co-owner and VP of engineering, and started his own company in his garage. Dove took the Scenemaster product line with him, improved it, and other products were soon added to the line. In 1990 Dove acquired the WestStar company, which pioneered memory lighting control in personal computers. Lighting control products were developed for Commodore, Apple, and IBM personal computers. In 1996 Dove acquired Hallikainen and Friends Inc., a broadcast equipment company. Along with the deal came owner and electronic engineer, Harold Hallikainen. He turned his expertise from radio and TV to lighting control.
Today, Dove Systems has 15 employees (including Gustav, the mascot dove). The company's products include over 25 lighting control products, as well as dental curing lights, industrial monitoring controls for oil field production, and the Braillemaster, a handheld teaching aid that speaks, to help the blind learn Braille.
Gary's wife of 30 years, Cheryl, is a teacher. They have two children, Brandon and Chelsea, both in college. Cheryl and the kids have helped out through the years. This is truly a family business. Dove Systems will have an open house July 12 and welcomes all visitors.