They’re connected.

As dealers in the cellular world, two Lansing-area businessmen are hooked into the need for people to communicate and consume vast amounts of information.

It’s a business, they say, with a life cycle, one that continually spawns new product lines, capable of attracting and retaining new customers.

Mike Skory would know about the evolution of business. As co-owner of Skory Autosound & Wireless, he’s lived a life of change, having grown up in a local enterprise that connected people around the globe.

His dad, Mitch Skory, founded Skory TV in 1953. From the time he could walk, Mike Skory was cruising the business room floor, acquiring a customer-friendly perspective.

“I swept the floor, waited on customers, they started me right out,” said Skory of his entrepreneurial dad and mother, who opened their business on the edge of Lansing’s east side. “You could say one of the first things I learned was how to change a TV picture tube.”

Skory developed a taste for independent business that thrives to this day. He co-owns three stores in Greater Lansing—one on the city’s west side, another in Holt, and a third in Grand Ledge—bringing years of experience to customers in the information age.

With a database pushing 30,000, Skory caters to a range of customers, including individuals, small to mid-size businesses, and independent contractors.

“For small businesses, we can set you up with five to 10 lines with discounts, and for larger companies or organizations, we can honor your discount plans,” said Skory. “A lot of people come in, and we say, ‘it’s your lucky day, since you get your company’s discount plus ours.”

Skory Autosound & Wireless carries three major brands. Sleek new products are on hand from Nextel, Sprint and Verizon, with features ranging from the simple to complex to beyond imagination.

“Phones are getting smaller and doing more,” said Skory. “You’re getting Internet access, videos, pictures, movies and music videos, you name it. And the visual effects are so beautiful now compared to just a couple years ago.”

Skory also stocks air cards that enable broadband Internet for laptops. Cards slide into the side of a computer and allow customers to connect to the Internet through cellular towers and providers. Charges are then applied to monthly bills—similar to a cell phone.

“It’s a whole new product category that’s pretty exciting,” said Skory. “More and more, we’re going to see cellular Internet access rivaling cable and telephone services.”

In addition to continually learning about new products and services, Skory said he’s still drawing skills from his father, and plans to maintain the independent dealership with the family name for as long as he can.

“My dad was born here; his father came here from Lebanon in 1915,” said Skory. “We’re here to stay.”

Wireless Toyz

“It’s a great location,” said Petrous of his Wireless Toyz store on the city’s south side. “There’s a need for us here.”

Petrous opened his cellular franchise in January 2005, and joined one of 200 Wireless Toyz stores nationwide. Billed as a one-stop cellular shop, his franchise provides a range of services, a full line of accessories, and Internet data cards for PCs.

“We stand apart,” said Petrous. “By coming here, you can shop the different rate plans and promotions all in one place, rather than having to hop in your car and go from one store to another.”

That one-stop shopping experience includes mobile phones and various wireless product and service plans. Customers can choose from a slew of regional and national providers, including Sprint, Nextel, Alltel, T-Mobile, Disney Mobile, Helio and several prepaid national services.

“We offer the most basic phones up to those with the most contemporary features,” said Petrous. “Younger people are into texting and downloads, businesspeople into PDA kind of phones, and the older crowd likes basic phones just to get by.”

That variety necessitates staff to undergo continuous training—either in-store or through the corporate office in Farmington, Mich. With a staff of four wireless experts, Petrous is also able to provide additional customer service. Aside from sales, the Wireless Toyz staff can assist with billing and other phone-related issues, all in an attempt to match plans and products with a customer’s needs and tastes.

Whether products create lifestyles or vice versa, Petrous foresees a continual “gadgetizing” of phones. He projects that, in the not-to-distant future, most phones will come standard with e-mail capabilities, MP3 players, and the ability to view and download video. Some phones, he said, already have live TV.

“Not everyone is home all day,” said Petrous. “People like to catch the news. Lots of us need to get out e-mail on the road. Lots of people use their phones as MP3 players while they’re walking or working out. Basically, they’re a necessity now.”