There were more partnerships, promotions, and hires that made headlines in Pro AV this past week. Perhaps none was bigger than the AVI-SPL acquisition.
Covered here on SCN, AVI-SPL reached an agreement to acquire Grupo ICAP Global (ICAP Global) of Latin America and Spain which is expected to close in August. The two companies will merge under AVI-SPL, creating a global AV, UC&C, workplace management, and experience technology provider able to serve customers across the globe locally. The merger adds local presence in Latin America and Spain and deepens the company's commitment to serving Spanish-speaking markets.
Read all about the details here.
People News
Charlie Kowalczyk Appointed Director of Support Services for AtlasIED
AtlasIED has appointed Charlie Kowalczyk as director of support services. Kowalczyk steps into the role, currently held by Dick Snider, general manager of support services, who is retiring on June 1. Snider will continue with AtlasIED part-time as Kowalczyk steps into the new role to ensure a seamless transition and support contract administration.
Kowalczyk currently serves as AtlasIED’s domestic sales and operations manager, a position he has held for ten years. Kowalczyk’s experience at the company, knowledge of the complexities and critical nature of AtlasIED GLOBALCOM deployments, and established relationships with certified transportation resellers and transportation clients make him the ideal candidate to succeed Snider.
Snider has spent 16 years pioneering AtlasIED’s Platinum Assurance Plan and adding value with preventive maintenance, service, and extended warranty programs for the company's complex, mission-critical deployments across airports, hospitals, and transit hubs.
Meyer Sound Welcomes Mark Mayfield as Director of Cinema Sound Marketing
Meyer Sound welcomed Mark Mayfield as director of cinema marketing. In this newly created role, Mayfield will drive Meyer Sound’s strategic expansion in the cinema market.
Mayfield brings a wealth of leadership experience spanning many aspects of the industry, including sales, marketing, editorial, educational, and product development roles. His extensive background in the cinema, professional audio, and AV sectors includes managerial positions with manufacturers including Bose, JBL Professional, Eastern Acoustic Works, and QSC. While at JBL Professional, he co-developed the first practical three-way screen channel loudspeaker system, which was installed in the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences’ Samuel Goldwyn Theatre.
Mayfield has been an adjunct faculty member at the InfoComm Academy; he served as editorial director of Sound & Video Contractor and Pro AV magazines and was the founding editor and co-creator of AV Technology magazine, focusing on the convergence of AV and IT.
RTI Elevates Inside Sales Team With New Appointments
RTI appointed of Mattie Lillard and Lee Chavez as inside sales representatives for the East and Central/West regions, respectively. Lillard and Chavez will play instrumental roles in furthering RTI's commitment to supporting new and existing RTI dealers.
Lillard brings a wealth of experience to her new role, having served in various sales capacities, including as an account manager at Snap One and a territory sales manager at Copeland. Coordinating with eastern regional sales director Angel Madrid, Lillard has already made a substantial positive impact for integrators in the region.
Chavez joins RTI with over two decades of experience as a successful operations and sales leader. His background includes roles such as inside sales specialist at Core & Main and acquisition, sales, and lease specialist at Auto Nation Honda. With responsibilities for the Central and West regions.
InGear Appoints Peter Schuyler as New President
INGEAR appointed Peter Schuyler as president. Schuyler was previously vice president and managing partner of the company. Schuyler joined InGear in 2013 as an account manager. Since then, he has grown with the agency with promotions to senior account manager, account director, and most recently, vice president. With a background in live events, performing arts, and publishing, Schuyler brings a unique, multidisciplinary approach to storytelling and PR.
"This is a very exciting time for InGear. I am honored to step into the role of president and build upon the strong foundation laid by Veronica [Esbona]," said Schuyler. "Our team is second to none, and together, we will continue to grow and deliver exceptional results for our clients."
Company News
Four New Partners Join the MAXHUB Partner Ecosystem
The MAXHUB Partner Ecosystem recently got larger, welcoming four new partners: Nureva, Extron, Sennheiser and Inogeni are now part of the alliance.
The MAXHUB-Nureva partnership gives audiovisual conferencing systems simplified setup, streamlined administration and reduce costs. For example, the combination of the Nureva HDL200 soundbar and the MAXHUB V6 series touch display provides an ideal setup for small to medium-sized meeting rooms, while large conference rooms can benefit from the audio power of the Nureva HDL410 and the visual power of the MAXHUB 5K ultra-wide display. Every Nureva system is powered by the company's patented Microphone Mist technology, which fills rooms with virtual microphones, so voices are picked up wherever participants move.
The MAXHUB tabletop touch console and Extron control systems work together to provide one-touch control of entire rooms by automatically starting displays, adjusting lighting, and lowering blinds based on a defined scenario. The partnership provides scalable integration of Extron control systems, audio equipment, and signal switching into MAXHUB room solutions for Microsoft Teams Rooms, Zoom Rooms, and more. MAXHUB device drivers seamlessly integrate with the Extron platform.
When Sennheiser's Teams-certified audio solutions are combined with MAXHUB's innovative display and UC solutions, productive meetings ensue. The Sennheiser TeamConnect Ceiling Medium and TeamConnect Ceiling 2 complement to the MAXHUB kits for Microsoft Teams rooms. These ceiling-mounted microphones ensure perfect intelligibility in areas of up to 80 m² without taking up space on the table. For more than 75 years, Sennheiser has been synonymous with exceptional sound experiences for seamless collaboration in workspaces, auditoriums, conference rooms and hybrid meeting environments.
The versatility of Microsoft Teams Rooms (MTR) is effortlessly enhanced through the collaboration of MAXHUB and INOGENI. These technologies work synergistically to provide a seamless video conferencing experience that keeps everyone happy and productive. MAXHUB's Microsoft Teams Rooms XCore Kit enables the seamless integration of advanced collaboration technology into meeting rooms of various sizes. At the same time, INOGENI's TOGGLE BYOD USB AV Switcher provides universal access to high quality USB peripherals and multiple PCs in the meeting room.
EvertzAV Has Joined the GPA Global Partner Program
EvertzAV has joined the GPA Global Partner Program. With a demand for broadcast technology to better communicate messaging from both small and large-scale events to a hybrid audience and a drive to have the capabilities in-house, GPA and Evertz in partnership are aligned to implement and support broadcast solutions for the hybrid workplace. With service on a global scale, Evertz and GPA together cover more than 50 countries.
“GPA teams have experience and trust in Evertz’ deep broadcast capabilities," said Mike Stead, GPA director global partnerships comment. "AVIXA recognizes Enterprise Broadcast as one of the fastest-growing AV segments, and with this Partnership GPA teams can deliver standardized, scalable and cost-effective solutions to help customers make their AV look like TV.”
Enhanced synergy between Evertz and GPA will provide enterprise and corporate businesses with an expanded range of enterprise broadcast solutions to match. Companies can leverage this global partnership to evolve their own landscape of modern workplace practices and workflows.
Evertz have a deep understanding of broadcast technology, standards, workflows, security needs and use cases. Their global team combined with their products bring this experience and expertise into the enterprise broadcast space, with IP-enabled solutions for today's needs.
Utelogy Expands Its Utelligence Program with AMETEK SurgeX
Utelogy Corporation has added AMETEK SurgeX to its Utelligence Alliance Partner Program for AV and UC device integration. Transitioning its expertise to the AV industry in 1995, SurgeX has continued to innovate with its patented Advanced Series Mode technology, offering true surge elimination—unlike traditional surge suppression—and superior EMI/RFI noise filtration.
SurgeX's integration with the Utelogy platform brings numerous benefits to users, enhancing the capability to monitor and manage the power of connected systems seamlessly. With features like real-time monitoring of port status, device temperature, and power consumption, coupled with the ability to power on/off ports and reboot devices. The integrated SurgeX and Utelogy solution supports comprehensive room and device management. By using Utelogy’s U-Automate (automated testing feature) in conjunction with SurgeX’s Power Management solutions, customers can proactively manage and monitor their AV estate remotely and create schedules to turn devices on and off to save energy and help meet sustainability goals.
This partnership not only enriches the capabilities of Utelogy's platform but also significantly broadens the scope for AV system diagnostics, monitoring, and protection, offering a holistic view of system health and ensuring unparalleled reliability.
