Suvarna Garge (Editor)

AVI SPL

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Type
  
Private

Area served
  
Worldwide

CEO
  
John Zettel (Dec 2005–)

COO
  
Jeff Davis

Number of locations
  
35 offices (2015)

Revenue
  
577 million USD (2015)

CFO
  
Steve Palmer

Executive vice president
  
Steve Benjamin

AVI-SPL wwwtelepresenceoptionscomTPOCompanyProfilesi

Predecessor
  
Audio Visual Innovations, Inc. (AVI) Signal Perfection, Ltd. (SPL) Iformata Communications

Founded
  
Tampa, Florida, United States (April 17, 2008 (2008-04-17)) AVI: Lakeland, Florida (1979 (1979)) SPL: Columbia, Maryland (1992 (1992))

Founder
  
AVI: Martin Schaffel SPL: Chad Gillenwater, William Parry and Fred Curdts

Headquarters
  
Tampa, Florida, United States

Profiles


AVI-SPL is a multi-office provider of collaboration and audio video technologies, and managed AV services to businesses and organizations. The company integrates solutions related to video conferencing and telepresence, digital media systems, audio, security systems, control rooms, and onsite staffing.

Contents

AVI-SPL is headquartered in Tampa, Florida, and as of November 2015, employed 1,477 people among 35 branches worldwide, including offices in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, and United Arab Emirates.

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Products and Services

AVI-SPL's collaborative solutions for data and content sharing include:

  • Video conferencing and telepresence solutions
  • Control room design and implementation
  • Audio video product sales
  • Caméléon Telepresence System – This is a turnkey video collaboration system combining telepresence, video conferencing, audio conferencing and multimedia presentation display capabilities.
  • Unify ME —This branded service offers customer support, cloud-based services and professional services.
  • Digital Media Services Platform – AVI-SPL's digital media content strategy platform, offering support and services for delivering customized media to digital signage.
  • The company’s support services include Strategic Onsite Solutions, which currently includes over 200 personnel on the premises of several companies.

    Specialized Integration Teams

    AVI-SPL maintains a number of units that handle specialized integrations, including:

  • The Control Room Group (CRG) handles the design, integration and support of 24/7/365 mission-critical facilities, including Network Operation Centers(NOCs), call centers, situation rooms (similar to the White House Situation Room), war rooms and other organizational “nerve centers.” The division also has security integration specialties that include advanced visualization solutions, video surveillance and analytics, and surface radar systems.
  • Special Projects Group delivers solutions for engineering-intensive AV projects across a range of environments. Its portfolio features large-scale venues, including sports venues, themed attractions, performing arts centers, operations and command centers, and video production facilities.
  • Customer Base

    AVI-SPL handles over 5,000 AV system integrations on an annual basis for business customers, including corporate, healthcare, house of worship, education, government, hospitality and large venues.

    Clients include IBM, Northrop Grumman, Vonage, University of California, Berkeley, Ringling College of Art and Design, the American Red Cross, Ave Maria University Oratory, Camden Yards, Madison Square Garden and more.

    Company History

    AVI-SPL was formed in 2008 from a merger of Audio Visual Innovations, Inc. (AVI) and Signal Perfection Ltd. (SPL). That merger was facilitated by equity financing from the Silver Lake Sumeru investment division of Silver Lake Partners.

    AVI was founded by Martin Schaffel in 1979 in Lakeland, Florida. AVI moved its operations to Tampa in 1981, where it has maintained its headquarters. In 1985, the company started its systems integration division.

    SPL began in 1992 in Columbia, Maryland. In 1998, the company was acquired by Production Resource Group (PRG). SPL designed, integrated and installed collaborative communication systems for a variety of organizations.

    Both companies earned considerable recognition in the 2000s. SPL won a number of awards during this period, including the Best AV Projects Award from ARCHI-TECH magazine from 2004 to 2006. Also in 2006, AVI was named by Systems Contractor News magazine as the top systems integrator in North America, a year during which it had earnings of $216 million. SPL was named the 2005 “Integrator of the Year” by Christie Digital.

    AVI and SPL brought 800 and 400 staff, respectively, to the merger, and as a result, became the largest AV integrator in the United States.

    In January 2012, AVI-SPL acquired Iformata Communications, a video managed services specialist company. AVI-SPL purchased both Iformata's Video Network Operations Center (VNOC) and its VNOC Symphony management platform. Iformata, based in Dayton, Ohio, was founded in 2004.

    On November 30, 2016, AVI-SPL announced it had acquired Anderson Audio Visual, a systems integration company with offices in California, North Carolina, and Texas.

    Awards & Recognition

  • 2016: AVI-SPL Acquires Anderson Audio Visual
  • 2016: AVI-SPL receives American Managed Video Conferencing Services Company of the Year Award by Frost & Sullivan
  • 2015: AVI-SPL named Integrator of the Year by Commercial Integrator magazine.
  • 2014: AVI-SPL named Integrator of the Year by Commercial Integrator magazine.
  • 2013: AVI-SPL named Integrator of the Year by Commercial Integrator magazine.
  • 2012: AVI-SPL named Integrator of the Year by Commercial Integrator magazine.
  • 2011: AVI-SPL named Integrator of the Year by Commercial Integrator magazine.
  • 2011: AVI-SPL named the number one AV integrator by Systems Contractor News in the U.S. and Canada.
  • 2011: Florida Trend magazine ranked AVI-SPL 49th among Florida’s largest private companies, and 8th in the Tampa Bay area.
  • 2011: AVI-SPL ranked on the Inc. (magazine) 5000 Fastest Growing Companies list.
  • 2011: AVI-SPL ranked in the top 50 of CRN Magazine’s VAR500 list.
  • 2010: AVI-SPL named Polycom’s 2010 U.S. Partner of the Year.
  • 2010: AVI-SPL named the number one AV integrator by Systems Contractor News in the U.S. and Canada, with revenues in excess of $500 million.
  • 2009: AVI-SPL named the number one AV integrator by SCN in the U.S. and Canada.
  • 2008: AVI-SPL named the number one AV integrator by SCN in the U.S. and Canada
  • Current Management Team

  • John Zettel – Chief Executive Officer
  • Martin Schaffel – Founder, AVI (Audio Visual Innovations)
  • Chad Gillenwater – Founder, SPL (Signal Perfection Limited)
  • Steve Palmer – Chief Financial Officer
  • Jeff Davis – Chief Operations Officer
  • Steve Benjamin – Executive Vice President
  • Dale Bottcher – Senior Vice President, Integration Sales
  • Joseph Laezza – Senior Vice President, Unified Communications and Collaboration
  • AVI-SPL has three Managed Services Operations Centers, located in Tampa, Chicago and London, to demonstrate the company’s video collaboration and telepresence capabilities.

    AVI-SPL is a founding partner of the AV Global Alliance, the company has a worldwide footprint that encompasses 30 countries and currently includes 28 partner companies.

    Social Media

    AVI-SPL communicates through a number of social media outlets, including LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook. At these online sites, the company shares notice of upcoming events, including webinars, tech briefings and conferences, as well as notable achievements, new initiatives, promotions and solutions.

    The AVI-SPL Blog covers AV news in categories devoted to video conferencing and tele-presence, AV over IT networks, AV in education, and company events, initiatives and other announcements.

    The AVI-SPL logo consists of an interlocking blue and green diamonds, with the “AVI” and “SPL” on either side of the design.

    References

    AVI-SPL Wikipedia