This year was not, unfortunately, the year an AV integration firm hit $1 billion—but we’re getting closer. AVI-SPL once again took the top spot on SCN’s annual Top 50 list. The firm has a projected revenue of $905 million from commercial AV systems installations this year—that’s $85 million more than its 2018 revenue.
SCN Top 50 2019
The top four firms this year are the same as in the past several years: AVI-SPL holds the top spot, followed by Diversified and Whitlock, then AVI Systems. The number five spot in 2019 is occupied by Avidex, following the company’s launch of a new portfolio of managed services in January. Ford Audio-Video dropped out of the top five and is number seven on the list.
It’s important to note that all of the SCN Top 50 submissions are voluntary. The information provided comes directly from the integration firms who are willing to publicly share their financials to allow our readers to get a better sense of the size of the industry.
Click here to read the full list.
SCN: What was the biggest business challenge of 2019, and how have you overcome it?
“The biggest challenges in 2019 were in keeping up with the pace and growth of the business. With a focus on enhancing customer experience, Carousel invested strategically, redesigning processes to anticipate the demand for faster turnaround times for quotes. Additionally, customers expect shorter lead time on project implementations, which may put a strain on internal resources.”
SCN: What vertical markets and/or technologies exhibited the most growth for you in 2019?
“We saw tremendous interest and growth in the all-in-one conferencing systems, such as Crestron Flex, Cisco Room Kits, and Poly Trio bundles. Customers are looking for solutions that are easy to use, install, and support, and that also integrate into their current UC environments, such as Microsoft Teams and Webex Teams, as well as with open architecture video cloud solutions such as Zoom or Pexip.”
SCN: What is the secret to collaborating with other members of the AV community like architects and content creators?
“Most large projects involve general contractors, architects, electricians, and sometimes third-party design consultant firms. Carousel’s overall success has been predicated on building strong relationships with these partner groups and providing them the assurance that we can implement the AV components of the project. It is important to foster good relationships with all trade groups, as we are truly working as a team to deliver projects on time and on budget.”
SCN: Why is the AVIXA APEx designation important to your business?
“Carousel has held the prestigious AVIXA APEx designation for three years. We consistently model and work toward our philosophy of being “Customer Success Obsessed” and continue to implement quality processes that are critical to helping our customers achieve outstanding business outcomes. We greatly appreciate this recognition from AVIXA.”
Read more about the SCN Top 50: