For 40 years, Modern Communications' mission has been to provide full-service,
cutting-edge technology solutions, while delivering a world-class experience
for our partners.
Our History
In August of 1978, Don Johnson founded Modern Communications with an aim to sell Patient Education
Programs to hospitals and other medical centers in the Greater St. Louis Area. At that time, Modern employed
just one person, Don's brother, Bill, who served as the Company's first employee. The two-man team worked tirelessly, out of a small office in Crestwood, MO to establish a solid foundation for a business that now serves as a leading provider of state-of-the-art technology solutions across Missouri and Southern Illinois.
Soon after their founding, Bill came to understand that hospitals and medical centers had more of an interest
in video hardware (VCRs, monitors, cameras and accessories) than in Patient Education Programs. Upon this realization, he began to seek-out suppliers for this type of equipment, hoping to tap into a previously unidentified market.
Through this search, Bill discovered NZ Video, a Panasonic Professional Dealer located in Sikeston, MO, who agreed to sell Modern equipment at a resale price. This partnership allowed Bill to pursue the ever-growing requests for video hardware from these hospitals and medical centers. Slowly broadcast video business grew. In 1980, Panasonic contacted Don to partner with the Company, making Modern a direct Panasonic Professional Dealer.
By 1983, Modern Communications had outgrown their office in Crestwood and moved to a larger facility in Fenton. The Company now employed four people and had numerous lines of equipment to offer their clientele. In addition, the new headquarters allowed the Company to establish an in-house service center, giving Modern the capability to repair and service equipment internally.
Over the next ten years, Modern Communications continued to thrive, and by 1993, the Company had outgrown their 2,500 square foot office. That spring, Don and Bill broke ground at the site of the current office, just a half mile away. By February 1994, Modern Communications, Inc. officially had a new 12,500 square foot headquarters and warehouse, providing the needed space to continue growing the business.