iNTEgRaToR of THE YEaR - AVI-SPL

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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
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iNTEgRaToR of THE YEaR - AVI-SPL

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