Just a quick note today to thank all of our friends for stopping by. In particular quite a few employees of our Audio Design sister company (c.2001) including Bob Owens, Mike Frazee, John Stancil, and William “Chip” Sams. It’s good to see them all doing well and appreciate the support.
I’m flying back to Michigan tomorrow but Dennis Smith will still be in the booth, answering all your questions about the merge, our new combined strategies and product capabilities. Many thanks to Roland Black for putting in hard time on the show floor today and helping us out, he’ll be blogging about the scenic division’s capabilities soon.
For those of our clients I just met today, it’s an honor to be working with you and I look forward to hearing more about your projects.
Quick recap of SGASi merger:
Best of luck to everyone for a great show tomorrow.
Infocomm 2009 Ribbon Cutting
Got the slideshows up and running in the booth, checked the #ic09 feed to see what people were talking about. Evidently there as a ribbon cutting ceremony going on. Rushed out the door and ended up running into TR Stimson at the Ribbon Cutting ceremony (president-elect of Infocomm and fellow twitterer @TRStimson). We’re following you! The reception we’ve received from clients and friends alike has been amazing.
SGASi employees Dennis Smith and Roland Black
I spent most of the day with Dennis Smith and Roland Black, Technical Director for SGASi’s amazing scenic division. Sara Link joined us this afternoon. She works with dozens of clients here in Orlando on projects of all sizes. Roland’s marketing background, audio background, and design background are a huge asset. I’m thrilled to be working with such talented and well connected people in our industry.
With the news breaking only a week ago, our decision to attend Infocomm was made quickly.
I sent a quick render to my new co-worker Colin Murphy, SGASi’s scenic director and got a quick response. His sketch included two aluminum framed panels, a custom base out of plywood, some brackets, and some quick work on the CNC machine they have in the shop. All told they put a few hours into it on monday, and when I arrived on tuesday I was astounded. From an AI file straight into the third dimension, I was a client for a moment, and I was hooked on the quality, speed, and
pride of the work.
Colin and his crew nailed it from the logo depth (I think I said, “I trust you.”) to the gradient arc layer, and perfect black text. The mountin on the plexi was slick, and the custom bolts and caps that we’d end up using as standoffs were full pro. Amazing work at any rate, let alone the 24 hour turnaround.
Colin used stock aluminum panels, added a couple plasma mounts and as soon as the paint was dry, it was loaded into the truck and shipped off to the Orange County Convention Center. We dropped it off at 4:30, a full 30 minutes from the dock closing. We’re in.
With Colin back to work, the install was performed by Dennis Smith, Executive Vice-President of SGASi, Erik Steele, SGASi Field Technician and myself.
Dennis, Erik, and Ben Installing the SGASi Booth at Infocomm 2009
Spandex was attached with velcro to the backs of the frames, then we installed the sign.
SGASi Logo Installation
Our friends at LMG came through with the 42″ sony’s (Thanks guys!) and we’re set for Tuesday.
Please join us in welcoming the crew of the SGASi Las Vegas shop.
From Corey Ploetz:
The two locations got together today, this afternoon, to meet one another. We answered some questions, brainstormed, chatted, talked about office and shop layout, and about the joint venture. We also all donned our new shirts and we got a couple of pictures. Please join me in welcoming all members to the New Crew of Las Vegas
The Crew of the Las Vegas Shop. Back row: Corey Ploetz, Kevin Mayer, Alex Bacarra, Olanda Barques, Brian Crandle, Chris Campbell. Front Row: Josh Cabanas, Jario Jiminez, Josh Mayer
About one minute after hitting send on the email announcement yesterday, phones started ringing off the hooks across our offices. The outpouring of support was outstanding, and plans to actually get stuff done were quickly pushed off by the need to talk to clients and friends from across the industry.
Keith Menne in our Lansing office had a long-time friend call from a job site in Dallas. “Why didn’t you do this sooner!” was all he could say.
I just got off the phone with Colin Murphy, General Manager of our new Scenic Division, who was swamped twice as separate email blasts went out. His only regret? Not being able to talk to the people who were calling in, as he was on the phone. Looking forward to seeing “SGASi” in a new sign he’s designing & building for InfoComm next week in Orlando.
Seriously, thanks to everyone for the support, we look forward to getting to business immediately, but sometimes it’s nice to pause and know you were part of something bigger.
For all the employees who answer our incoming calls, (Angi, Amanda, and today Kathleen!) a five-star rating is deserved for your support and enthusiasm. Hearing (and trying to remember to say) “SGASi” after 13 years here is excitingly different.
I’ve been promised photos soon, will post to the site when I receive them.
Dennis thought it was prudent that we’re there, and we’re going to be doing a soft launch of the new brand. If you’re coming be sure to let us know we’d love to connect. If you’re local, hit us up for some passes, and let’s meet up.
We’ll be at the far right end of the convention center in the Staging Pavillion, booth 1574.
Acquisition Extends Product Offerings for Company and Adds Strategic Locations
__________
LANSING, MI and ORLANDO, FL, 10 June 2009 – SGA Production Staging is pleased to announce the simultaneous acquisitions of ASI Production Services and All Staging Unlimited. The combined company will begin joint operations immediately as SGASi Production Services. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
SGA is the industry leader in the design and execution of scalable event seating and staging solutions, including seating systems and audience risers. ASI is the nation’s leading rental provider of theatrical drapery and temporary stages with warehouses in Atlanta, Orlando, Las Vegas and Ft. Lauderdale. ASU is a premier provider of scenery, production automation and sets. SGASi will provide the broadest range of venue transformation capabilities to the events marketplace. SGASi will be led by Tom Hilton, President. ASI’s President, Dennis Smith, will remain at SGASI as Executive Vice-President.
”I’m very pleased and excited to announce the merger of SGA Production Staging with and ASI and ASU,” said Tom Hilton, President of SGASi. “The combined rental assets, the expertise and artistry of ASU and the support of the most experienced production team in the industry sets the stage for an extremely powerful combination. Our customer base will notice the expanded range of product offerings, which enables us to provide an unsurpassed level of services. We proudly welcome Dennis and the rest of his team to SGA.”
“I am very proud of our 25 years of service to the event industry and look forward with great confidence and enthusiasm to the heightened success that the combined companies will bring, said Dennis Smith, Executive Vice President of SGASi. This new company will offer conveniences and synergies that will quickly be recognized by our clients. The production experience in SGASi is unsurpassed in the industry and is the one-stop choice for all elevated risers, drapery and scenic design. I am very happy to be a part of this strong company and talented team and look forward to many years of success in the event industry with SGASi.”
