“Work with a "can-do" mindset”

Pro AV Systems, Inc. is a full-service integrator of audio/visual equipment and accessories based in New England. It has become the industry's go-to A/V provider for corporate zoom/teams room systems and classroom systems. Co-founded in 2006 by the president, Kim Bishop, and her husband and CFO, Les Bishop, Pro AV has expanded with office locations in Massachusetts, Maine, and Vermont. They can cover all six New England states, including the islands of Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket.

For those customers that have worked with Pro AV, the referrals and reviews show that they have the expertise to design some of the most innovative and state-of-the-art systems for both their executive and education customers. This company is woman-and minority-owned and prides itself on being part of most New England statewide contracts for audiovisual construction projects. They are based in Massachusetts and are certified by the state as an SDO (Supplier Diversity Office) partner. Being DCAMM-certified keeps their status as an approved partner for all state government work.

Prior to starting Pro AV Systems, Kim entered the audiovisual market by selling LCD projectors, which were just becoming affordable options in the business market in the late 1990s. She became the top salesperson at a separate education-focused A/V firm, where she attributes much of her success to her late stepfather, Ed Lobdell, who had a profound influence on her when she started her career in sales. She admired his product knowledge and his exceptional people skills. His advice to Kim was to "carefully listen to your customers so that you provide the right products to fit their needs." This advice is still followed in all aspects of PRO AV systems today. The decision to form Pro AV Systems came after both founders realized that New England businesses and schools needed more providers of A/V technology. When Pro AV was launched, the goal was to expand beyond selling products and enter the complete audiovisual design and build business. Utilizing Les’ engineering and building experience with Kim’s human resources and sales skills, they formed the thriving corporation that Pro AV has become today.

It is important to both Kim and Les to know every Pro AV Systems team member by name. They have an "open door" policy, and both prefer in-person meetings to email or Team/Zoom meetings. During the recent pandemic, everyone had to shift gears, and virtual meetings became the best alternative for communication. But as soon as it was safe to get back in person, she quickly shifted directions for the company to get back to normal. Kim believes a leader must value their employees if they want to retain them. A company that doesn’t motivate, encourage, and communicate with the team will have trouble with turnover. That is something that Pro AV is proud to acknowledge as it touts its low turnover. The Pro AV management team continues that same culture. When you work for Pro AV Systems, you immediately feel a "team" environment, as noted by the many annual employee events throughout the year to recognize everyone’s hard work. Kim believes that great leaders must prioritize staff education and provide tools to help them keep up with the ever-changing market. To earn the confidence to lead future initiatives, they urge staff to routinely expand their talents and embark on more difficult assignments. By promoting from the inside first, they are able to develop employees' skills and encourage advancement and leadership. Leaders who have improved their skills and experience will make better decisions and become more effective leaders.

Pro AV's "can-do" culture comes from hard work and treating employees well, creating confidence, and acknowledging the "teams'" contributions on every opportunity. The company also recognizes that the Executive Management Team helps with business and customer decisions. To meet deadlines, they'll decide whether or not to buy sooner if supply chain concerns require taking on that financial risk. Pro AV has top A/V sales, engineering, service, and installation teams, and their major strength is teamwork. This helps them satisfy client expectations and requires that all departments stay on top of their game in order to finish a job. By following industry and product trends and knowing their product lines and how they work, Pro AV Systems can assure customers that they are purchasing a quality system that is personalized to their needs and expectations.

Pro AV wasn’t the only company to face the challenge of supply chain shortages in the last two years, but they tackled those problems proactively to meet our deadlines. One example that Kim noted was a new classroom project that required projectors that had been on backorder for upwards of 6 months. The project team exhausted all supply channels without success, so an alternative had to be addressed immediately, especially when the team reminded them they had never missed a deadline to open a new school. Management decided to buy and install a temporary projector model that didn't have all of the features but was available right away. Pro AV purchased and installed this available model and then scheduled a return visit at a large expense to the company to swap them out when the original order finally shipped.

The customer was thrilled as they were able to have working technology in every room before the start of school. Classrooms worked, schools opened on time, and the end result was success!

As shown by the COVID-19 pandemic, many of the K–20 school systems lack remote instruction resources, Kim asserts. Schools are now starting to deploy microphone arrays, self-tracking cameras, larger displays, Zoom/Teams cameras, and more as they implement new methods and technologies to enable all students to learn—even when having to be remote from the physical classroom. Particularly in higher education, this technology has transformed the way students can obtain post-high school education and lowered the cost of a degree. It’s a very exciting time to be part of this technology implementation. Pro AV designs, builds, and services some of America's most complex AV systems, and Kim claims that it will continue to build its design and construction brand to stay current with market trends. LED video walls, multi-camera tracking Zoom and Teams rooms, massive venues with steerable sound systems, and other similar technologies will dominate their work. Pro AV Systems has the proven experience to design high-value, reliable, and easy-to-use solutions.

Kim is delighted to share that after 17 years, Pro AV Systems has more than 80 employees in three locations that serve all of New England. If there is a need for consultative services before you begin your next audio/visual project, you can call Pro AV Systems at 844-33-PROAV to have them help you find the best system to meet your needs and budget, or visit them at www.proavsi.com.