The Company History of E.S.S. Inc. began in 1969 with the name Sound Engineering. Sound Engineering was founded by Alex Taylor as a division of EBM Inc. (Electric Business Machines). Sound Engineering was founded to sell the newly released 3M Sound Products line. This consisted of special tape players that were used to provide background music services to area businesses. Alex Taylor appointed his son-in-law, Lutz Braun, to run the new division. Sound Engineering also provided the sound systems to broadcast the music within the businesses. Soon, the 3M product line was expanded to include intercom systems for use in the very first drive-thru restaurants and convenience stores. These industries depended on quick repair service whenever it was needed, so Sound Engineering embarked on its QSR adventures. Throughout the 1970s, Sound Engineering persevered in spite of aggressive competition and earned a reputation for quality installations and repair services. They received considerable professional acclaim from 3M as year after year, Sound Engineering met or exceeded sales expectations.