SCN 2014 Top 50 Systems Integrators

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SCN 2014 Top 50 Systems Integrators

Americans love the underdog. We like to see people climb up from the bottom and experience untold triumph. Then they’ve earned the right to be considered heroes. You have to pay your dues, wait in line, endure a few hard knocks before we believe you’re the best.

The thing with that story line is, everyone starts from the bottom, in a way. Every athlete has a first game, every story has a beginning, every business has an origin point.

So how do you know if your beginnings have the air of triumph? Look at Portland’s appropriately named NBA franchise, the Trail Blazers for instructions. Midway through their first season, in February 1971, Trail Blazers’ play-by-play announcer Bill Schonely created the opening line of the team’s memorable tale. He randomly yelled, “rip city!” when a long shot tied the game.

Fast-forward to 2014, and the Trail Blazers are in the Western Conference Playoffs, and “rip city” is all over the town and all over the stadium, chanted by fans and players. “We are rip city.” It’s random, but it means something because of the story of a hard-scrabbling team that moved its way up to the big time.

Every year, when we publish the Top 50, we watch stories unfold. Some are familiar, some are surprising. This year, we included more stories than every before, thanks to the hard work of SCN associate editor Lindsey Adler, who gathered a tremendous amount of dazzling insights and project highlights from the Top 50. She also created a new “On Deck” honor for those companies on the cusp of making the list.

We all know the drill. The AV industry isn’t just about numbers. It’s about people, companies and regions. It’s about history, innovation and talent. There are qualities that are unquantifiable, but the SCN Top 50 is a benchmark for the business. Entries are voluntary, so if we missed your story, get in touch next year. You might be on the way to rip city.

Click here for the full list.

1. AVI-SPL

2. Whitlock

3. Diversified Systems

4. AVI Systems

5. Technical Innovation

6. HB Communications

7. Ford Audio-Video

8. Electrosonic

9. Yorktel

10. IVCI

11. Video Corporation of America

12. CEI (Communications Engineering Inc.)

13. TriTech Communications

14. Compview

15. Bluewater Technologies

16. Sharp's Audio Visual

17. Avidex Industries

18. Unified AV Systems

19. Alpha Video & Audio

20. ProMotion Technology Group (PTG)

21. PlayNetwork

22. Anderson Audio Visual

23. AdTech Systems

24. Digital Networks Group

25. Corbett Technology Solutions (CTSI)

26. Carousel Industries

27. The Systems Group

28. Soundcom Systems

29. Red Thread Spaces

30. Data Projections

31. Verrex

32. Parsons Technologies

33. Spinitar

34. Sensory Technologies

35. CEC (Communications Engineering Company)

36. Advanced AV

37. AVDB Group

38. Genesis Integration

39. All Pro Sound

40. Vistacom

41. Interactive Solutions

42. USIS

43. TSI Technology Solutions

44. Tierney Brothers

45. Rex Electric & Technologies

46. Sound Image

47. Presentation Products

48. Linx Multimedia

49. Level 3 Audio Visual

50. Interactive Digital Solutions

Kirsten Nelson
Kirsten Nelson is a freelance content producer who translates the expertise and passion of technologists into the vernacular of an audience curious about their creations. Nelson has written about audio and video technology in all its permutations for almost 20 years; she was the editor of SCN for 17 years. Her experience in the commercial AV and acoustics design and integration market has also led her to develop presentation programs and events for AVIXA and SCN, deliver keynote speeches, and moderate and participate in panel discussions. In addition to technology, she also writes about motorcycles—she is a MotoGP super fan.