Sound & Communications October 20, 2008 Issue

Band Of BrothersCONTI Electronics, part of AXIS Group,equips the Great White North.By Dan FerrisiCrisp audio and sharp screens areindeed pervasive here in the UnitedStates, but AV’s ubiquity is equallymanifest in our friendly neighborto the north. However, given thatCanada is the largest country in thewestern hemisphere, its citizens’hunger for advanced technologyis more than any single firm couldsatiate. With that, enter AXIS GroupInc., a Canadian systems integrationconsortium that “divides andconquers” the market. The group iscomposed of 11 members, with officesin Vancouver, Calgary, Regina,Winnipeg, Toronto and Montreal,among other locales. CONTI ElectronicsLtd., our primary subject, isan AXIS Group member based in,and primarily serving, Vancouver,British Columbia.According to Colby Harder,CONTI’s president, “About 10 yearsago—before my time—a group ofowners met on a supplier trip andwere discussing how they couldcompete with some of the nationalplayers. They came up with the ideaof joining forces as a band of brothers,where we would help each otherservice different markets, sharecompetitive information and do somecompetitive marketing on a nationallevel in order to help generateleads.” With that, AXIS was born.CONTI has its own interestingAn integrated videoconferencing suite in the boardroom ofa Vancouver-based lumber company.back story: The company was createdin 1973 by a Swiss businessmanas a distribution arm for hiselectronic microchip business. Thebusinessman owned the firm for acouple of years; Harder’s father wasthe first employee, and he boughtthe business in 1975. “In the early1980s, we were in the computerbusiness. We were the first to bringCommodore 64 and other models toVancouver. And that, over the years,transformed into the business we’rein now, which is audiovisual integration,”revealed Harder.With yearly revenues exceeding$5 million and more than 50 projectsin a given six-month period,the company exudes success…andis now experiencing a growth tear.Dan Ferrisi is Sound & Communications’ Associate Editor.“Over 35 years, we’ve been a fairlystable company,” remarked Harder.However, he said, following directionalchanges and managementrestructuring, it has expanded fromabout 13 to 20 employees. “Andthat’s occurred in the last two tothree years,” he enthused.With respect to technology, CON-TI focuses on corporate presentationsystems, videoconferencingand digital signage. Despite considerableconversance with the audioportion of the business, the firmdoes not typically do large-scale PAsystems and the like. “We’re about90% corporate,” noted Harder, aheading under which he includeshealthcare. “Our school businessis predominantly K to 12. Those30 Sound & Communicationswww.soundandcommunications.com