Caldecott PartnersLet’s talk
Company · acquired by Cobalt Service Partners

North Carolina Sound (NC Sound)

Founded 1988 in Zebulon, NC by Mary Creech · 3 branches (Pikeville, Wilmington, Winston-Salem) · sold to Cobalt, Jun 2026

A subcontractor who became the steward: 38 years wiring North Carolina's schools and courthouses, handed on to Cobalt by its second owner

Page as of Sept 28, 2026The sale ↓

Legacy

The founder’s story · from the public record

Mary Creech started North Carolina Sound in Zebulon in 1988, serving counties across central North Carolina. Gary Hinton met her ten years later, in 1998, as a subcontractor, and the two built what he calls 'a strong working relationship built on shared values and a passion for serving our customers.' In 2000 she offered him the chance to open a satellite office in eastern North Carolina, and in 2001 North Carolina Sound of Goldsboro opened. Gary Hinton, Founding Story on cobaltsp.com · NC Sound About page

For nearly a decade the two companies ran side by side before merging in 2010. As Mary stepped back, Hinton took on ownership and became sole owner in 2012. The Goldsboro-area office in Pikeville became the company's centre, with a second office in Wilmington and, later, a third in Winston-Salem, covering 58 North Carolina counties and eight in South Carolina. Gary Hinton, Founding Story on cobaltsp.com · NC Sound About page · NC Sound homepage (three offices)

The work is the plumbing of public life in eastern North Carolina: voice and data, cameras, door access, intercoms and smartboards for Wake, Onslow and New Hanover county schools; surveillance and access control at Wayne UNC Healthcare; the courthouse, jail camera system, 911 centre and a fibre ring for Brunswick County. Testimonials on the site thank named technicians by first name for staying past 8 p.m. to finish a school's system before classes resumed. The company holds an unlimited NC electrical licence and an alarm licence and puts a dedicated project manager on every job. NC Sound Projects page · NC Sound homepage testimonials · NC Sound About page

Hinton says what drew him was never just the technology but the people, and that NC Sound is 'in the relationship business first': relationships with employees make partnerships with vendors, and together they serve customers. The site puts it in local terms: the company's 'family of employees have kids at the schools we serve, live in the towns we love and do business at the companies we support.' The reward, in his words, has been building a place where people can grow careers and support families. Gary Hinton, Founding Story on cobaltsp.com · NC Sound homepage

Hinton had always assumed the company would pass to another individual owner. As it grew he decided its future 'needed to be bigger than any one person' and that he owed employees, customers and vendors a succession plan that would preserve what made it special. He frames the choice as stewardship: Mary entrusted him with her foundation, and he wanted the same kind of steward for the next chapter, 'a partner who would protect our culture, invest in our people, and strengthen the relationships.' From the first conversations he felt Cobalt's values aligned, and their actions through the process reinforced it. The deal closed in June 2026 and was announced July 13; Hinton stayed as Strategic Advisor and Dan Pratt, a former Marine with P&L experience at Central States Manufacturing and Tandemloc, became CEO. Gary Hinton, Why Cobalt on cobaltsp.com · Cobalt announcement, Jul 13, 2026 · Cobalt team page

The team

The people who built it

NC Sound's site has no team page and names no leaders; it thanks technicians Joe, John and Carlos Najera in customer testimonials. People named publicly are founder Mary Creech, owner Gary Hinton and Cobalt's installed CEO Dan Pratt. No family relationships are stated.

NC Sound group photo (Cobalt company page hero)
NC Sound group photo (Cobalt company page hero) · source
Staff photo on the NC Sound homepage
Staff photo on the NC Sound homepage · source
NC Sound, spring 2022 (homepage)
NC Sound, spring 2022 (homepage) · source
NC Sound, spring 2022 (homepage)
NC Sound, spring 2022 (homepage) · source
Pikeville office
Pikeville office · source
Announcement thumbnail, Jul 2026
Announcement thumbnail, Jul 2026 · source

In the community

What they gave back · on the record
  • NC Sound's customer base is largely public: county school systems (Wake, Onslow, New Hanover), county government and sheriff's offices (Brunswick) and public healthcare (Wayne UNC), and the company says its employees' children attend the schools it serves. NC Sound Projects page · NC Sound homepage
  • The company describes itself as locally owned since 1990 and serving North Carolina to South Carolina, with a 'family of employees' who 'live in the towns we love.' NC Sound homepage
  • Industry credentials displayed: AVIXA CTS, BICSI and NSCA membership marks. NC Sound homepage
  • Hinton says the most rewarding part has been 'building a business where people can grow their careers, support their families, and make a meaningful impact'; the site takes applications for each of its three offices. Gary Hinton, Founding Story on cobaltsp.com · NC Sound Careers

In their words

4 public statements by the founder and team
  • 2026
    Founding Story / Why Cobalt (North Carolina Sound page) post
    Gary Hinton · cobaltsp.com (Our Companies) · First-person, signed 'Gary Hinton, Owner (2012 - Present)': meeting Mary Creech in 1998, opening Goldsboro in 2001, the 2010 merger and 2012 ownership, the relationship-first philosophy; then the decision that the company's future had to be bigger than one owner, stewardship of Mary's foundation, and choosing Cobalt for culture, people and relationships.
  • 2026-07-13
    Cobalt Acquires North Carolina Sound press
    Gary Hinton · cobaltsp.com (News & Insights); picked up by SecurityInfoWatch · Buyer's announcement of its 21st deal (4th of 2026). Hinton quoted on the people, the relationship business and wanting a partner to protect culture; he remains as Strategic Advisor. No Cobalt executive quoted.
  • 2026-07
    Cobalt Service Partners Acquires North Carolina Sound press
    Gary Hinton · SecurityInfoWatch · Trade-press pickup of the announcement with the same Hinton quotes.
  • undated
    About Us post
    North Carolina Sound · ncsound.org · Company statement (not bylined): founded 1988 in Zebulon, Goldsboro office 2001, 58 NC and 8 SC counties, Pikeville as central office, licences, services, project-management and warranty commitments. No mention of Cobalt as of Sept 2026.

Founder Q&A

In their own words · by email · published with permission

We’d like Gary Hinton to tell this story in their own words. Ran this company, or built it alongside the founder? Ten questions by email, answered at your pace, published only with your OK.

The sale

As both sides told it · on the public record
Announced Jul 13, 2026 By Cobalt (own newsroom) Deal #21 for Cobalt Service Partners Founder left Cobalt, Jul 13, 2026
What Cobalt Service Partners said

Cobalt announced NC Sound on July 13, 2026 as its 21st acquisition and fourth of 2026, describing a Pikeville, NC systems integrator founded in 1988 by Mary Creech that 'has grown under the leadership of Gary Hinton into a trusted partner known for its deep customer relationships and strong culture.' Cobalt's company page dates the acquisition to June 2026. No Cobalt executive is quoted.

Announcement
What the founder said

Gary Hinton said he had assumed the company would pass to another individual owner but came to believe its future needed to be bigger than one person; he felt a responsibility to employees, customers and vendors to find a long-term succession plan; from the first conversations Cobalt's values aligned and its actions reinforced that; 'choosing Cobalt wasn't just about growth; it was about stewardship' of the foundation Mary Creech built. He stays as Strategic Advisor.

Source

Terms on the record: Nothing public. No price, structure, rollover or earn-out disclosed. Advisors: None named for either side.

What happened after

Public signals since the sale · dated
  • 2026-06
    Close (Cobalt's company page lists 'Acquisition Date: June 2026'). source
  • 2026-07-13
    Cobalt announces the deal; Hinton becomes Strategic Advisor. source
  • 2026-09-28
    Cobalt's team page lists Dan Pratt as 'CEO, NC Sound' (former Marine; P&L roles at Central States Manufacturing and Tandemloc). No announcement of his appointment was found. NC Sound's website is unchanged: no mention of Cobalt, copyright 2026, 2022-era imagery; a Winston-Salem office appears in the footer that the About page's history does not mention. source

Then and now

Founder and leadership
Gary Hinton
Owner (sole owner 2012 to 2026); opened the Goldsboro office in 2001
Left Strategic Advisor (Jul 2026 announcement) source
Mary Creech
Founder (1988); stepped away around 2010 to 2012
Left Not involved; no current public mention beyond Hinton's tribute source
Dan Pratt
Now CEO, NC Sound (Cobalt team page, Sept 2026) source

Companies Cobalt Service Partners also bought

20 on the public record

All 21 transactions →

Sources

Everything above, dated Sept 28, 2026

Unverified at publish: No photo of Gary Hinton or Mary Creech on any permitted source (Cobalt uses a group photo; the company site has unlabelled staff photos); headcount (never stated); founding year shown as 1988 on the About page and Cobalt but 'Since 1990' on the homepage; when the Winston-Salem office opened; when Dan Pratt was appointed; whether Mary Creech is living or has any continuing tie; Google, Yelp and BBB not fetchable; no local press (Goldsboro News-Argus, Wilmington StarNews) on the sale found.