NSCA Announces 2015 Excellence in Business Awards

The National Systems Contractors Association (NSCA) announces the winners of the 2015 Excellence in Business Awards in six categories:

• Customer Experience: All Systems in Kansas City
• Talent Development: Electro Acoustics in Ft. Worth, TX
• Differentiating Strategies: ESCO Communications in Indianapolis
• Employee Engagement: Mechdyne in Marshalltown, IA
• Business Performance: Spinitar in La Mirada, CA
• Strategic Transformation: VCRNow in Red Oak, TX

"This year's winners are a motivating group," says NSCA executive director Chuck Wilson. "The quality of entries improves every year. We're continuously impressed by the changes integration companies are making to achieve business goals. These winners understand the importance of forward-thinking ideas to encourage growth, employee engagement, and customer satisfaction."

NSCA's Excellence in Business awards honor the following systems integration firms and their efforts to implement new strategies to navigate the constantly changing industry:

• All Systems, winner in the Customer Experience category, determined that recurring monthly revenue would be vital to growth and survival. Initially, maintenance agreements were custom-designed, which didn't allow for easy management of agreements or customer relationships. To fix this, All Systems developed a Customer Experience Department. The department standardized customer agreements, reorganized the standard maintenance department, and improved customer responsiveness and communication. As a result, All Systems has increased customer satisfaction and signed the largest service agreements in its history, the NSCA says.

• Electro Acoustics, winner in the Talent Development category, experiences little turnover due to its commitment to developing a talented team. Employing 23 staff members, the company has invested $250,000 in training in the last five years. To promote professional development, Electro Acoustics pays for CTS certification prep time, training, and testing. The company also reimburses for college classes and seminars. Rigorous hiring processes (including skills, knowledge, and personality/aptitude tests, combined with multiple interviews) ensure that the right people are hired -- and stay with the company, the NSCA says.

• ESCO Communications, winner in the Differentiating Strategies category, took note of declining margins in the traditional AV systems environment, and instituted changes to adapt. The company restructured four independently operated offices to create one ESCO Communications, which was then rebranded from top to bottom. Sales teams are based on vertical markets instead of office location, and a new CRM system improves visibility and accountability. ESCO Communications also increased product offerings, bringing on new technology for the healthcare market. As a result, the company achieved records in new sales input and revenue in 2014: gross margins up by 120%, a 10% increase in staff, and a major increase in healthcare business, the NSCA says.

• Mechdyne, winner in the Employee Engagement category, created Mechdyne University to help employees identify and obtain skills for career growth. When a goal is reached, it is celebrated and communicated through a Sharepoint site to remote teammates. The firm ensures that remote teammates are engaged in other communications as well. Along with celebrating and sharing successes internally, regular communication with remote teammates' family and friends helps their loved ones understand their accomplishments. As a result, Mechdyne experiences record customer satisfaction, significant bottom-line growth, and an increasing net-promoter score, the NSCA says.

• Spinitar, winner in the Business Performance category, has seen its T&M, maintenance agreements, and managed services agreements grow exponentially, thanks to performance improvements. An integrated ERP system now serves as a single portal for client, sales, project, and service data. The company has also learned to lead with service competencies, approaching technology as something that follows services, the NSCA says.

• VCRNow, winner in the Strategic Transformation category, needed to do something drastic to become an integrator that could sustain industry changes and bring in more RMR. It acquired a small IT company, and restructured its team to operate as three divisions: integration, live production/creative services, and managed services. As a result, VCRNow's service contracts have grown from $7,000 to more than $40,000 each month. The company anticipates increases of between 150% and 200% in 2015, the NSCA says.

Award winners receive a complimentary admission to NSCA's Business & Leadership Conference, Feb. 26 - 28 in Tampa, FL, and are recognized during the event. To attend the conference, or learn more, visit: