The PRO AV 60: 17 Bread-and-Butter Integrators
These AV integrators represent the heart and soul of the pro AV industry?small- to medium-size companies doing $1 million to $30 million a year and working in a breadth of vertical markets. A handful say they focus primarily on corporate projects, but overall their specialties vary.
These AV integrators represent the heart and soul of the pro AV industry–small- to medium-size companies doing $1 million to $30 million a year and working in a breadth of vertical markets. A handful say they focus primarily on corporate projects, but overall their specialties vary. TSI Engineered Systems, for example, says its primary specialty is sports and entertainment. MW Audio serves the financial market in particular. And both Boston Light & Sound and ACIR Professional say they’re big in the performing arts.
We’ve peppered this listing with select pieces of advice or insight from several of the companies featured. All are worthy of the PRO AV 60.
Team Vistacom
Credit: Vistacom
AAtronics
Boise, Idaho, www.aatronics.com
ACIR Professional
Egg Harbor Township, N.J., www.acirpro.com
What’s Your Best Advice for Succeeding in Pro AV?
“The best designers are people with hands-on experience. Designing is not just a science using available technology, but an art. It is imperative that both the customer and the artist know that a performance venue has been well thought out, both acoustically and electro-acoustically.”–ACIR Professional
Altel Systems
Brewster, N.Y., www.altel-av.com
Audio Visual Resources
Williston Park, N.Y., www.avres.com
What’s Your Best Advice for Succeeding in Pro AV?
“You can never beat the economics of doing the job right the first time. This entails the orchestrated and synchronous convergence of well trained, equipped, and motivated AV specialists; all the required product; and all the necessary information to “do AV.” This happens only with a well documented Quality Management System.”–Audio Visual Resources
Audio Visual Technologies Group
Stafford, Texas, www.avtg.com
Boston Light & Sound
Boston, www.blsi.com
What’s Your Best Advice for Succeeding in Pro AV?
“The advice we routinely give our clients is that they’re hiring our expertise. There are many suppliers and installers of AV gear, and although we do provide turnkey systems, it is our consultative, business-partner relationship with the client that allows them to avoid costly mistakes, obtain the equipment to meet their immediate needs, and to have a sensible and scalable plan to meet their future needs without making obsolete what they’ve already invested in.”–Boston Light & Sound
ExhibitOne Corp.
Phoenix, www.exhibitone.com
Graybow Communications Group
Minneapolis, www.graybow.com
Intaglio
Grand Rapids, Mich., www.intaglioav.com
Mad Systems
Orange, Calif., www.madsystems.com
MW Audio
Weston, Fla., www.mwaudio.com
What Does “Green AV” Mean to Your Company?
“Simple things, like digital switching amplifiers, draw far less current but put out massive power. We like to use new acoustical products that use recycled polyester fibers. We design stage lighting systems and our integration of LED lighting had reduced power draws tremendously. And one live sound installations, we spec a digital snake using Cat-5e instead of massive copper snakes.”–MW Audio
Southland Technology
San Diego, www.southlandtechnology.com
Synergy Media Group
Pittsburgh, www.synmediagroup.com
What’s Your Best Advice for Succeeding in Pro AV?
“Align employees’ incentives with company goals. If your company’s compensation structure does not encourage your employees to sell more and complete jobs quicker, then you will not be as profitable.”–Synergy Media Group, Pittsburgh
Torrence Sound Equipment Co.
Perrysburg, Ohio, www.torrencesound.com
TSI Engineered Systems
St. Charles, Mo. www.tsi-global.com
Vistacom
Allentown, Pa., www.vistacominc.com
What Does “Green AV” Mean to Your Company?
Green AV means having a LEED Accredited Professional on our engineering staff, which enables us to initiate the LEED certification process for building projects and further strengthens our capabilities. It is part of our LEED engineer’s job to stay abreast of all the ways AV can lend itself to assisting LEED-designated projects achieve their certification, and to keep all of our partners informed of the energy-saving possibilities available today.–Vistacom
Visual Technologies
Syracuse, N.Y, www.visualtec.com
