iNTEgRaToR of THE YEaR - AVI-SPL

CI Profilewww.commercialintegrator.com/profileand CompTIA are one thing, but AVI-SPL has “performancestandards that reach well beyond those classes,” she says.“AVI-SPL has established a series of requirements and supportingclasses to assure that the technical staff is properlytrained to do the work. Each technical level requires specificskills. AVI-SPL has developed criteria to support those skills.In each case, technical staff members are tested and certifiedprior to award of increased responsibilities.”Entry-level technicians undergo a series of lessons that somemight take for granted — industry standards, time management,correct ladder usage, safe scaffolding, proper power tool practiceand more. “In addition, these technicians also receive educationon basic audiovisual systems including audio, video, control,video conferencing and networking,” Schwartzberg says.AVI-SPL can’t promote its solutionsto corporate, government, educationand other prospective clientswithout educating them first.Lack of education, as anyintegrator knows, is the firstbarrier to winning a bid.John Zettel, CEO,calls AVI-SPL“the only truenational audio/video company.”cess that companies should adopt.”Without clearly defined standards and with so many looselydefined competitors bidding on projects, the industry’s reputationcan suffer, Zettel adds. “Depending on the size andscope of an A/V installation, you can have trunk-slammers inthere, ultimately pushing [clients] to a big-box retailer.”There are several areas where AVI-SPL has seen other installationcompanies cut corners, says VP of integration initiativesJoel Dougherty. “Rack ventilation, cable support, heat shrinkand wire labels, use of non-plenum cable in plenum spaces,installing displays without sufficient structural support,” he lists.“Engineering and installation practices vary wildly based onthe firm performing the work, and it’s obviously more expensiveto design and install a system with a high degree of quality thanwith bubble gum and band-aids,” Dougherty adds. “While buildingcode inspections can police some aspects of poor installationpractices in new construction projects, projects that occurin existing space often go un-policed for quality of workmanship.”One way AVI-SPL measures its own standards, says trainingdevelopment manager Jennifer Schwartzberg, is throughcertifications. Industry organizations like InfoComm, NSCAWhen AVI-SPL technicians jump levels they get trainedon how to read and use specifications and blueprints, how tomanage their time, how to communicate with sub-contractors.The integrator also incorporates InfoComm and manufacturercertifications into its minimum requirements for technicalpositions, such as CTS, CTS-I and CTS-D and technologyspecific training from suppliers. As an example, Schwartzbergsays, “the only staff members who are identified as senior projectmanagers have accomplished certifications based on PMIstandards. Design engineers are required to have been certifiedwith a minimum of a CTS-D and many have a BSEE degree.Programmers must be trained and certified by either AMX,Crestron or both to obtain the position of senior programmer.”Flexing Its MusclesA common gripe about “Goliath” competitors is that theirbuying power skews price expectations and kills profitability,but NSCA’s Wilson says that’s overblown. “Purchasing groupsexist to level that playing field.”A more legitimate impact, as Wilson sees it, is that large companiessave money on overhead because their back-office operationsare more efficient. That’s where smaller companies areat a disadvantage and how profitability is put at risk, he says.“We see [larger companies’] strength in the processes they putin place. People will read this and say, ‘I never thought of thatbecause I’m always bitching about the purchasing.’”The purchase-power factor isn’t entirely a misconception,continued on page 4844 | Commercial Integrator December 2011 www.commercialintegrator.com

CI Profilewww.commercialintegrator.com/profileEmbracing the Trend-Setter RoleSome big companies are clunky. They’re too lumberingand have too many moving parts to be able to change coursesand attack new opportunities.That’s not the case with AVI-SPL, according to executive VPof integration sales Don Mastro. Despite its 1,400 employees,the integrator has retained “nimbleness,” he says. “John [Zettel,CEO] is really good about empowerment and moving quickly.We still have a level of entrepreneurial spirit in the company.”That agility has allowed AVI-SPL to be a leader in integrationcategories that are uniquely poised for growth, Mastro says. Thecompany was early to recognize opportunities to sell video conferencingand teleconferencing despite clients’ reduced budgets.Video conferencing is a complicated market, Zettel acknowledges.“You’re seeing non-traditional players entering intotwo-way teleconferencing like Cisco. You’re also seeing thecarriers take interest, like AT&T and Verizon, because it’s such abandwidth hog. So you’re seeing outside people jumping intoour industry but mainly in that niche.”The advantage of that, Zettel points out, is that large companiescan raise awareness of the categories. “Apple is runningads about FaceTime. You’re seeing mainstream advertisinggeared toward two-way video and that’s going to drive adoption.And you have AVI-SPL and the Ciscos and Polycoms of theDespite its 1,400employees, AVI-SPL has retained“nimbleness,”says executiveVP of integrationsales DonMastro.world experiencing tremendous growth in the video market.”Zettel can mention AVI-SPL along with manufacturers likeCisco and Polycom, in part, because AVI-SPL launched CameleonTelepresence in 2010. He calls, the solution, which caninclude embedded Cisco or Polycom technology, “a combinationof every form of business video communication deliveredin a single, innovative solution.”Mastro says the company is extremely focused on digitalmedia and distributing content for clients and through welldesignedIT networks. “I’m talking about intelligent video communicationsfrom the core,” he says. “We’re an informationtechnology company. That’s who we are. Period.”EXPERIENCE THEFUTUREOF POWER CONTROL• Multiple connection options - monitor and control via RS-232, or add aBlueBOLT-CV1 interface to access via Telnet, HTTP, or Panamax/Furman’sBlueBOLT ® cloud-base interface• Remote outlet control - reboot problem equipment without a service call• Full monitoring - monitor voltage and current in real-time (RS-232/Telnet)or over time with monthy/weekly/daily graphs, programmable energymanagement budgets, and alerts (BlueBOLT)F1500-UPSA/V Battery Backup featuringMonitor and control power and energy of your installedsystems from any web-enabled device, conveniently andsecurely, from anywhere in the world.Reboot components remotely, schedule power upand power down, receive email alerts, monitor energyusage in real-time and over time, and much more.(BlueBOLT-CV1 Interface Card Sold Separately)Learn more at www.furmansound.com • www.mybluebolt.com46 | Commercial Integrator December 2011 www.commercialintegrator.com

CI Profilewww.commercialintegrator.com/profilecontinued from page 44though, according to Zettel, who saysit’s one of the benefits of being a largecompany. However, without the strongprocesses that Wilson alluded to, a largecompany like AVI-SPL can compromiseits purchasing advantage. “If we weren’tcentralized with our operations we couldpotentially be ordering equipment wealready have.”Zettel says one of the challengesinvolved with operating a sprawling organization— especially one that resultedfrom a merger of two large organizationswith established cultures — is gettingthose processes under control. “It’s veryinefficient not to operate support departmentsunder one umbrella in a large company.Consistency is key, especially withdepartments like HR and accounting.”Another benefit that large companiesenjoy — and one that probably has collateralbenefits for smaller integrators — isan ability to throw resources behind marketingand public relations. AVI-SPL can’tpromote its solutions to corporate, government,education and other prospectiveclients without educating them first.Lack of education about solutions andtheir value to businesses, as any integratorknows, is the first barrier to winning a bid.Many commercial integrators, especiallythe larger companies, produceeffective marketing and communicatevia social media, but AVI-SPL’s voice isprobably the loudest.Its efforts extend far beyond its 1,000-plus Twitter followers (@AVISPLinfo),900-plus Facebook fans and 1,200-plusLinkedIn connections.AVI-SPL’s blog site (blog.avispl.com),which is aimed at both integration industryprofessionals and end users, continuallycranks out content on trends in videoconferencing and other product categories,news about product releases frommanufacturer partners and descriptiveshowcases of recent projects.During 2011, the company executed13 webinars focused on technologiesQ&A with AVI-SPLCEO John ZettelCI talked to Zettel at length about thevarious ways AVI-SPL impacts the commercialintegration industry, but occasionally theconversation turned to more general topics:How did AVI-SPL fair during therecession?We were definitely impacted like everyoneby the recession, but we weathered it OK.The biggest changes were making costsizeadjustments. We realized there’s onlyone way to address your challenges so wedecided we had to transform. We beganto focus on our video initiative in order tocapture that different style of sale.Video cuts down on a company’scosts. It reduces travel and a company’sdowntime. It’s a direct ROI for a company.Concentrating on this initiative has provento be a successful move.What was your company’s biggestchallenge during 2011?Declining margins driven by the economyand competition. Coming out of the recession,we [were] seeing mainly contractbids and they’re highly competitive, whichdrives margins way down. We’re addressingit by trying to provide a value-addedsale that’s solution-driven and by properlydemonstrating to customers that these arecomplex installations that require expertise.• Instant video switching & easy automation integration• The scalability & flexibility of IP-Networking• True ‘one-wire’ connectivity delivering lossless 1080p• Upgradable firmware for system future proofingwww.justaddpower.comHow big of a threat are residentialintegrators diversifying and biddingon commercial projects?In the short-term they may cost us someattention, but in the long-term it all goesback to core competencies … The corecompetencies of pro A/V will becomeapparent to customers.48 | Commercial Integrator December 2011 www.commercialintegrator.com

CI Profilewww.commercialintegrator.com/profileand solutions. It also toured the country with customer-focused“Technology Expo” events with content development help fromvendors. It even has an annual product showcase catalog that’sdistributed to 45,000 subscribers, including architects, constructionprofessionals and consultants.It’s fair to say that AVI-SPL is doing its part in getting theword out about the value of integrated solutions.Not Just a Gentle GiantThere’s another reason it’s not easy to place that “Goliath” labelon AVI-SPL. As big as the integrator is, it’s just like other integratorsin that it’s a collection of individuals — there just happensto be 1,400 of them. “One thing that I think is interestingabout AVI-SPL is it’s a combination of a lot of good people,”Wilson says. “AVI-SPL’s success, their growth, for a large parthas been because they’ve done a good job finding good peopleto run key spots in their organization.”Felix Robinson, AVI-SPL’s VP of strategic accounts, is oneof those good people, Wilson says. “It’s the people in the companythat make the integrator, and Felix is somebody who hashelped us raise a lot of money through his involvement withour [NSCA Education] Foundation and the things he’s donein his own time that have helped our industry. I think of theindividual people that I know who work there, and they havea lot of good people.”The intention here isn’t to paint AVI-SPL as being focusedon industry growth more so than its own. That’s a ridiculouspremise. A company doesn’t grow so dramatically withoutincredible ambition and without a desire to leverage marketdominance.“AVI-SPL’s success, theirgrowth, for a large parthas been because they’vedone a good job findinggood people to run keyspots in their organization,”says Chuck Wilson, NSCAexecutive director.Zettel, meanwhile,isn’t shy about expressingthose goals. Onething that sets AVI-SPLapart from the pack is“we are a national company,”he says.“We want to beour larger clients’sole provider for alltheir audio/video needs. AVI-SPL’s niche is that we’re theonly true national audio/video company. The other niche iswe have become the deepest pro A/V and video provider inthe industry. We don’t have competition that does both aswell as we do.”As for the parallel to Best Buy and Geek Squad — which, bythe way, has said it’s focused on growing its commercial clientbase — the comparison is more analogous than you mightthink. “We will be as big as Geek Squad someday,” Zettel says.Few will be shocked if that happens. CI50 | Commercial Integrator December 2011 www.commercialintegrator.com