Commercial Integrator Magazine – From IT to AV
Integrator Impresses with System at the Boneyard Pub and Grille and likely will lead to more work…much more.
April 30, 2012 By D. Craig McCormack
The high quality of work you’ll find at Boneyard Pub & Grille in Sussex, WI, can be attributed to a lot more than beginner’s luck by Joel Berrettini and his fledgling A/V networking and infrastructure firm IT and Media Solutions of Waterford, WI.
After spending a dozen years in the IT space, Berrettini shifted gears about a year ago and spent several months learning as much as he could about the A/V world. The Boneyard job was his first and it seems he hit the mark—and then some.The six-figure system, with 32 Samsung LED TVs ranging from 40 to 55 inches and an ELAN g! control system as the centerpieces, represented Berrettini’s “go big or go home” philosophy that perhaps was key in him winning the job in the first place. Berrettini wrapped up the job in less than two months, working 10 to 15 hours a day.
Also part of the installation were a private party room with a 106-inch screen with an HD projector and a 3,000-watt 5.1 surround stereo system, an audio system with two Niles SI-1230 amplifiers and an ELAN D12 amplifier to power 60 speakers, bringing hi-def audio and video to every guest in every seat in the house. The job also features fully integrated surveillance and security systems and plans to incorporate thermostats at the former Japanese steakhouse soon.
Berrettini also installed a DirecTV dish on the roof, fixed the LED sign at the front of the restaurant, and created custom playlists for Boneyard employees.
“If it’s not perfect, I won’t put my name on it,” he says. “When I know there’s X number of dollars on the table, I will be there. It doesn’t matter what the gap is. It needs to be filled.”
Making the Client Happy Jim Jones, the pub’s owner, says Berrettini came up with a complete redesign of the TV system layout for the whole restaurant. The new layout maximized the viewing areas and ensured that every guest could see the TVs without having to move or turn around, and it helped land him the contract.
“The ELAN g! system is an incredible improvement over what we have in the original Boneyard Pub & Grille and it’s making the whole entertainment aspect infinitely easier to manage, and therefore better for me and my guests,” Jones says. “All of the TVs come on automatically at 6 a.m. when we open for breakfast and turn off at 2:01 a.m. when the bar closes.
“It’s easy to go through the surveillance camera footage to view an event, and I control everything from one device. The other location is more work and has bugs in the system, because it’s very hard to get 16 DirecTV boxes to work and change channels using just the standard-issue remote.”
A Job Well Done After finishing the installation, Berrettini had to train employees on how to change the content on the system he put in.
“The final reveal was my favorite part, when I walked Jim through the restaurant and showed him how everything worked together, and how the TVs and speakers would automatically turn on and all be set to the right stations,” says Berrettini.
He learned a lot on his first commercial job and says those lessons will help him in the future. The first had to do with scheduling and timing of work.
“You’re kidding yourself (if you think everything will go the way it’s planned),” he says. “This was such a massive job. There were lessons learned from beginning to end. It was pervasive.
“There are always gaps. People fall short all the time, but it has to get done and there is no compromise. I will not settle. Every time I tackle something, it means something,” Berrettini says.
###
Related Posts