SeniorTV, a growing Akron company that provides television programming to nursing homes and retirement facilities, is moving to larger digs, just down the street from its current Tallmadge Avenue headquarters.
The company says it offers low-cost programming, through the DirecTV satellite service, and demand has increased in the economic downturn.
“We’ve been able to cultivate our customer base by providing quality cable TV programming at reduced prices,” said Rick Briggs, president and founder.
Briggs, 56, said the company was running out of space for workers, as well as electronic equipment, including its own brand of made-in-China TVs, that it distributes to customers.
SeniorTV’s new facility is at 975 Tallmadge Ave., about a quarter-mile east of its current site at 815 E. Tallmadge.
The company is moving into the former Akron office of Graybar Electric, a St. Louis-headquartered distributor of components and equipment for the electrical and telecommunications industries.
Graybar combined its Akron and Canton operations in late 2010, moving them to a facility in Lake Township.
SeniorTV bought the 975 Tallmadge Ave. building in June from Graybar for $510,000.
The building boasts nearly 38,000 square feet of space — roughly triple the size of the existing SeniorTV facility.
Company officials say business has grown as the nursing-home industry, looking to trim costs, has sought out lower-cost amenities to offer residents.
Briggs said Akron employment totals nearly 40 workers, up from 25 three years ago. The company also subcontracts with about 40 field technicians.
Customers, including 1,400 long-term care facilities, are in more than 40 states.
SeniorTV offers facilities a customized service, tailoring channel lineups to residents’ likes. For example, residents may want the History Channel and the Hallmark Channel, but not MTV.
SeniorTV also offers a MessageNOW channel, which allows residents to view menus and see live feeds of chapel services, and PlaybackNOW, a system that accesses movies on DVDs.
Briggs said a big growth area is high-speed Internet, which SeniorTV offers for as low as $5.95 per month.
Briggs founded the company 20 years ago. He previously worked in advertising and sold residential satellite dishes.
Katie Byard can be reached at 330-996-3781 or kbyard@thebeaconjournal.com.