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IN THIS ISSUE
1. Proline - Your Best Source
for all Audio Visual Rental &
Staging Needs
2. The Computer to Display
Connection Evolution
3. Project Profile - SCORE Jail
4. Take Advantage of the
Crestron "Cash for Trash"
Trade-in Program!
5. Act Now! Take Advantage of
IRS Section 179 Tax Deduction
BEFORE IT EXPIRES!
5. About Avidex
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Letter from
Trudy Weed, Vice President
of Operations
Hello Customers,
Avidex is supported by the best and most experienced Corporate Operations Team in the industry.
The Avidex Operations Team provides a high-level of support to our Sales, Technical Service, and Service Teams in addition to our very important customers. We provide operation functions for our Washington and California branches.
I have been asked many times over the years "what is Operations?" Operations is the “backbone” of Avidex and an integral part of what makes our world-go-around. Operations support is seeing our transactions, jobs, and services from start to finish. Corporate Operations covers all Accounting functions from Credit, Accounts Receivable and Payable, Purchasing, Customer Service, Inventory Control, Human Resources, IT, and Marketing, to maintaining the many strong vendor relationships we hold today. Having a great Operation Team makes it possible to provide our customers with a wide variety of quality AV technologies, service and support.
I am very proud of the Corporate Operations Team we have built here at Avidex. Our most important quality and what makes us unique are the individuals that make up this Team. Each of our Team Members have 5 to 30 years of experience specifically in the AV Industry. They have a wealth of knowledge which is used to provide quality, “behind the scenes” support to all other Avidex Team Members within Sales, Technical Services, and Service Support. The Avidex Operations group is a team of dedicated individuals who take great pride in what they do and the contributions they make. Working together, they have created a process flow which is efficient and scalable. They have been able to support a work load which is constantly changing whether it is a small transaction order or a multi-million dollar job. This team has supported Avidex through the most challenging times in today’s economy and has contributed to all our successes. I feel fortunate to be part of a team that has helped to make Avidex the great company we are today.
Trudy Weed lives in Kenmore, Washington with her husband Tim. They have two miniature Dachshunds named Auggie and Axel. In her spare time Trudy enjoys gardening, entertaining, movies and is an avid Hockey fan.
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TEAM PROFILE
Fraser Batchelor, Operations Manager, Pacific Northwest
Fraser brings over 20 years of experience in operations, logistics and project management predominately in the computer and AV industry. Prior to joining Avidex, Fraser was the Operations Manager at a computer VAR and Project Manager at an international computer firm where he worked in their professional services divisions providing custom solutions to client’s unique challenges. As Project Manager his main responsibility was developing and managing various local, national and international deployment projects. In his current role at Avidex, Fraser coordinates internal communication and provides detail and support to ensure smooth project rollouts.
Fraser started his audio visual career with Avidex by running their warehouse and providing logistical support. He was promoted to Project Administrator where he coordinated projects between all Avidex departments. His primary functions were overseeing budgeting, billing, process development, and process management. Fraser excels at coordinating smooth department flow processes, tracking the expenses of each project from start to finish, and communicating the information to the appropriate people. He is a very important link between all departments at Avidex insuring that each step of the project is accounted for and executed.
Fraser was born in England and lived there his first seven years. His immediate family immigrated to Canada as his parents wanted to foster their sense of adventure and provide more diverse opportunities for their family. When he was 14, his family briefly transplanted to Sacramento before settling in the Pacific Northwest where Fraser graduated from Redmond High.
Fraser most enjoys spending his spare time with family and friends. He loves to travel and has a strong passion for soccer. He enjoys taking in a Sounder game and never misses a chance to watch his hometown team, Manchester United, when they take the pitch!
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ACT NOW! Take Advantage of IRS Section 179 Tax Deduction
BEFORE IT EXPIRES!
Section 179 allows your business to deduct the full purchase price of AV Equipment, rather than writing off a little at a time through depreciation.
IRS Section 179 Deduction Benefits:
- Increase your 2011 profits by taking a lump sum deduction
- Your company can take the deduction on purchased or leased equipment
- The time is now! Businesses must pay for and install their equipment before December 31, 2011 to affect their 2011 profits.
The obvious advantage to leasing or financing equipment and then taking the Section 179 Deduction is the fact that you can deduct the full amount of the equipment, without paying the full amount this year. The amount you save in taxes will exceed the payments, making this a cash flow friendly acquisition. You are reading this correctly; you’ll save more in taxes your first year than your payments will be.
Essentially, Section 179 works like this:
Historically when your business bought AV Equipment, it was written off a little at a time through depreciation. In other words, when your company spent $30,000 on a conferencing system, it got to write off $6,000 a year for five years (these numbers are only meant to give you an example). Now if a business can write off the entire amount, the hope is they might add more equipment this year instead of waiting. That's the whole purpose behind Section 179… to motivate the American economy (and your business) to move in a positive direction.
Here's a simple example:
$ 30,000 - 35% tax rate ($30,000 x .35 = $10,500), That’s a real cost savings of $10,500 this year. Suddenly, that $30,000 piece of equipment only costs $19,500, and all you have to do is put the equipment in service before December 31st. Even if you finance (or lease) it, and haven't made a payment yet, you can still take the deduction.
If you've been thinking about adding equipment, but just haven't been able to pull the trigger, contact us today to find out how easy and inexpensive we can make it for you.
Article written by Darrell Couts of Avidex and Jim McCommon with McCommon Leasing
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ABOUT AVIDEX
Avidex is an award-winning, West Coast-based, full service audio visual firm. Avidex successfully partners with architects, contractors, consultants, educators and executives to create boardrooms, videoconference rooms, auditoriums, training facilities, digital signage and many additional projects that incorporate audio visual systems. The team at Avidex provides design, integration, project management, equipment procurement and support services for commercial audio visual projects of any size. Avidex also offers a broad range of equipment rental and show services.
With a current staff of over 130 employees, the people at Avidex have the background and knowledge to provide you with the best possible experience in implementing audio visual and multimedia technologies for any project, event or facility. In addition to design, installation and rental of these systems, Avidex offers their customers a broad range of service support agreements that can include full time on-site staff and audio visual asset management.
Having Offices from California to Washington has not limited Avidex to only West Coast integration jobs. Over the past 6 years Avidex has successfully completed many International jobs in more than a dozen different countries ranging from Europe to Asia and has completed jobs in over 26 states. Avidex is a true single source for all audio visual needs.
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Avidex
13555 Bel-Red Rd, Suite 226
Bellevue, WA 98005
Phone: 425.643.0330
Toll Free: 800.798.0330
Fax: 425.274.7091
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Audio Visual Equipment Rental -
Coupling the Best Equipment with the Best Personnel
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Did you know Avidex has an AV Rental & Staging Division? Proline is Avidex’s award-winning, accolade-receiving audio-visual rental division that has one of the largest inventories of pro-grade equipment in the Northwest. From small, one-day events to month-long extravaganzas, to major corporate road-shows, no event is too large or small, simple or complex, for our seasoned team of truly talented experts to make happen.
Rental & Staging for Fashion Week at the Bellevue Hyatt
So what does this really mean to you? It means you have a ready source of equipment and application professionals that can help you achieve any project you may have on your calendar that includes presentation or staging gear with confidence. It means that you can expand the palette of ideas you can draw from to make your presentations and events powerful and memorable. It means we can help you WOW your audience. It means we have a readily available source of equipment in case unforeseen emergencies pop-up, from equipment failures to last minute all-hands meetings, to crisis-management centers – have no fear – we have the gear!
Rental & Staging for Fashion Week at Bellevue Square
We pride ourselves in the experience level of our Proline team. All of our technicians at Proline have been part of our team for more than 3+years, and all have more than 5+years of industry experience. Our team constantly trains on the newest equipment and applications – when we show up on-site, we have the skills to make things happen!
All of our rental equipment is selected for its durability and performance. We select top-of-the-line equipment from the industry’s best manufacturers. All our equipment is designed to travel well, whether your event is in Seattle, Sequim, Spokane or San Francisco, we can provide all your presentation needs.
Rental & Staging provided by Proline/Avidex for a T-Mobile Conference
Our process starts with getting a solid understanding from our client of what their vision is for their event or presentation. We help our clients explore possibilities in both scale and scope of what they want their event to look and feel like. We then apply our industry knowledge to craft solutions that match our client’s vision, budget, schedule, and expectations with our capabilities and equipment performance – we’re famous for doing whatever it takes to make the presentation or event sparkle! The end result ensures our client can focus on their business and message, while we handle the equipment. Staff members will be on hand during the event to help run the equipment or be available for any last minute changes and fine-tuning for a flawless event.
Our Proline team prides themselves in making things happen for our clients. From corporate presentations to large charity events to Snowflake Lane in Bellevue – we have what it takes to bring the WOW to your event!
Snowflake Lane featured on Bellevue Way.
For all of your Rental & Staging needs call
Kent Hake at 206.381.1616 or 888.461.1616.
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The Computer to Display Connection Evolution
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We are reaching the end of an era. Over the years, we have become familiar with the little connector on our computers that allows us to share our desktop with others. It has become a comfortable part of our meetings. And while we have all had our moments of occasional frustration, it is there for us when we need to make our presentations. This connector has many names, but is most often referred to as a VGA (Video Graphics Adaptor) connector. The signals it carries are analog.
VGA Connector
Well, now you get a new computer, but something is different. The new computer may have the old standby VGA connector and another unfamiliar connector. If so, we can still work the way we always have. Other computers have abandoned our old friend altogether and only have this new connector. What is this new connection? Is it simply an alternate connector or is it something completely different?
We need to understand what is happening. The computer industry is in the process of converting to digital connections. There are a lot of reasons for the change, including improved display performance and digital content protection. These new display connections carry digital signals that are capable of supporting copy protection.
Not every computer has the same new connector. There are a number of connectors, each with a different configuration of the digital display signal. While there are differences, there are also similarities. Signals from one type can be converted to another. There are primarily three different connectors we may see.
Let’s take a quick look at these connectors:
The DVI connector (this comes in a couple of flavors)
DVI Connector
The HDMI connector (this one may be familiar as you may have seen this one on a newer TV at home)
HDMI Connector
The DisplayPort (this one is similar looking to the HDMI connector, but it is not the same)
Display Port Connector
Now that you have some idea of what these new connectors represent, we can look at how they fit into your audio video systems. If you are like many, you have invested in conference and meeting rooms that have audio video systems installed in them. If these systems are more than a year or two old, we have to address the need to connect these newer computers to the existing systems.
We have new computers that come with a new digital connection and soon, we will no longer have the VGA connection at all. So we face the challenge of the changing technologies. These are new connectors and new signals. This means that we need to find a way to bring these digital signals into your existing systems. Signal conversion is required. There are a number of possible options. Some simple, some a little more involved, but in any case, there is always an answer. You may not have to face this issue today, but before too long, you will face the change and we are here to help! You are not in this alone.
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Project PROFILE - SCORE Jail
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Project Name: SCORE Jail
Location: Des Moines, WA
Total Value of Job: $240,000
Challenge
With many correctional facilities around the country closing or operating on shoestring budgets, several Washington cities, including Auburn, Burien, Des Moines, Federal Way, SeaTac, Renton and Tukwila have found a cost-effective solution in the form of a shared regional jail. Avidex was tasked with providing audio visual design, equipment and integration for the high-tech facility which included a large training room, a conference room, five video arraignment suites and a mobile videoconference station.
 Solution
Avidex worked closely with the SCORE Team to design and integrate five video arraignment suites utilizing Polycom’s HDX video teleconference technology. The use of video arraignment systems allows the courts to conduct the requisite arraignment process without the need to transport the person back to the arresting municipality, saving lots of dollars. The transportation of offenders requires time, puts additional demands on the public safety organizations to provide for the safety of the public, reduces need for court personnel and for the security of the offender population. These systems were critical for SCORE to effectively serve multiple municipalities.
For the 50 person training room as well as the main conference room, Avidex designed and integrated state-of-the-art technology utilizing Christie projection systems along with audio systems from Soundtube and Shure, all controlled through intuitive touch panels from Crestron. The main challenge for these spaces was SCORE’s request to integrate all of the headend equipment in a secure area almost 300 feet away from the rooms. This required that all of the signals including source input switching, control system processing and audio processing, needed to be routed via CAT5e cables to, and from, each room.
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Take Advantage of the Crestron
"Cash for Trash" Trade-in Program!
The Crestron "Cash for Trash" program allows dealers to trade-in old analog video distribution systems for a significant credit toward a brand new, state-of-the-art Crestron Digital Media 8G+™ system.
The analog sunset is here. Sooner or later everyone will have to upgrade to digital. DigitalMedia 8G+ provides a simple, seamless upgrade to digital using existing CAT5e wires. Simply swap out currently installed analog switchers and replace them with Crestron DigitalMedia. There are no new wires to pull or connectors to terminate and you're instantly in the digital world. It doesn't get any easier than that.
"We're taking old analog equipment that is - or soon will be - obsolete, and giving you real credit that you can instantly apply to the latest digital technology," explains Sean Goldstein, Crestron VP of Marketing. "We'll take back any equipment, whether it's our PVID or QM system or any other brand. It's the only program of its kind in the industry."
With this "Cash for Trash" program still in effect, now is the perfect time to upgrade to Crestron DigitalMedia. If you put off the inevitable - you'll only wind up paying more later. For more information about the Crestron "Cash for Trash" upgrade program, contact an Avidex Account Executive at 425.643.0330.
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