Avidex just acquired Visual Commands, Commercial Integrator learned exclusively today. The former is a global AV integrator specializing in the design, integration and support of AV solutions. The latter, meanwhile, is an AV programming and design consultant boasting expertise in custom programming and design, control system coding, automation and remote monitoring service solutions. As part of this transition, Monty Champoux, president of Visual Commands, now joins Avidex as CTO. His remit entails leading technology strategy and innovation across Avidex’s portfolio.
Exclusive Comments: Avidex and Visual Commands Leadership
In an exclusive interview with Commercial Integrator, Champoux and Jeff Davis, CEO of Avidex, share insights into how the acquisition came together and will benefit customers across the globe.
The acquisition builds upon a trusted partnership spanning more than two decades. In the early days, Visual Commands served in an overflow capacity for Avidex, providing Crestron control programming as needed. “Avidex was always just a great partnership,” Champoux reflects. “When they needed programming, they reached out.” That relationship blossomed further over the last five years, during which time Visual Commands and Avidex collaborated to develop and implement Avidex Assure, a remote monitoring and managed services platform. This very much reflects and emerged from Champoux’s vision, shared with Avidex vice president and chief technologist Jim Colquhoun, of a software-centric future for our industry.
Davis underlines Colquhoun’s centrality to this story, saying, “I think this was always part of Jim’s vision. He really wanted to see Monty and his team become part of our organization.” Serious discussions regarding acquisition commenced about 12 months ago. As Davis explains it, “When Jim and Monty really put their heads together and started working and built something that we were really happy with and thought was a really good client deliverable [Avidex Assure], we just kind of expanded off of that.”
And the acquisition, both leaders agree, now paves the way for even greater innovation, scalability and service enhancements across Avidex’s portfolio.
Entire Visual Commands Team Transitions to Avidex
Monty Champoux, president of Visual Commands, now joins Avidex as CTO. Image courtesy of Avidex.
Refreshingly, at a time when many companies seek to streamline workforces to drive cost efficiencies, the entire Visual Commands team seamlessly transitions to Avidex as part of this deal. “Our entire team plugs in here,” Champoux confirms. “There isn’t a single person in my organization that doesn’t just plug into a very similar role within Avidex.” He continues, “We want to make sure everybody’s taken care of. But it also expands their capabilities. It gives these guys more upward mobility…more opportunity.”
Meanwhile, Davis and the Avidex executive team were mindful in ensuring a smooth transition process — not always a given when a small, family-style business like Visual Commands merges into a sizable organization of 500 people. “We’ve been very in tune to that piece of it,” Davis remarks. “Making sure, culturally, everybody felt like they were part of a team.” He continues, “We want to make sure that, as we grow and as we get bigger, we maintain the culture. Because I think that’s what has made Avidex a great company.”
As Avidex continues to expand its reach and grow into markets like Dallas, Nashville, Tenn., and others, company leadership believes the additional resources that the Visual Commands acquisition brings will serve Avidex well. “As we go into some of these startup markets, they might not have the full complement yet,” Davis acknowledges. “So, we now have, from a programming perspective, a very large team that can help in some of these startup markets. It gives us a farther reach.” That means not only expanded capabilities but also deeper technical expertise and a shared commitment to client success.
Exceptional and Specialized Programming Capabilities
Speaking of client success, Avidex’s executive leadership is convinced that, these days, it is intrinsically tied to the exceptional and specialized programming capabilities that the Visual Commands team now brings in house to Avidex. According to Davis, this is the recipe for increasing Avidex’s ability to serve complex client needs, drive meaningful advancements in AV technology and deliver an even higher level of service.
Champoux amplifies the point, saying, “We’re getting into a world where software, as opposed to hardware, is the driving decision-maker of how you’re going to put a space together.” He continues, “Avidex is understanding of that and really embracing that.” It’s an exciting development in an industry that, Champoux concedes, is sometimes quite reluctant to jump into a new architecture or a new vision for how projects work. But boldness is on the menu as Avidex and Visual Commands come together, with Champoux promising to deliver outside-the-box, specialized programming and platforms to clients while simultaneously enhancing service offerings.
Davis shares the excitement, saying, “We had a good dev team. Now, we’ve got a much, much stronger dev team with a lot more depth and a lot more knowledge base. We can take some of these proprietary offerings we have and really expand them beyond what we thought they could ever be.” That sets up an exciting future not only for Avidex Assure but also for the company’s proprietary interactive patient engagement system, TigrPX.
“This strategic acquisition aligns with our mission to continually elevate our technology solutions, expand our talented team and provide the best possible experience for our clients,” Davis concludes, “while also strengthening our foundation for the future.”
