iNTEgRaToR of THE YEaR - AVI-SPL

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