While he doesn’t recommend rushing jobs, this project showed integrator Casey Johnston what is possible with the best equipment, extensive planning and an experienced team.
PETALUMA, CALIFORNIA, February 13, 2018 — Once you’ve installed complete control and audio/video solutions in seven nearly identical restaurants, it can start to seem like a cookie-cutter operation. For Union City, N.J.-basedSerious Audio Video, however, the eighth ELAN control installation in a Buffalo Wild Wings location was anything but standard.
“This is the only job I’ve ever been on where we needed three shifts of three-worker crews, working 24 hours a day,” Johnston said. “Although the business isn’t prohibitively far from our office, we had nine employees staying in a hotel down the road because we only had two weeks to do four or five weeks’ worth of work. On top of that, it wasn’t just us installing new technology equipment, it was all the different contractors working on top of each other – carpenters, electricians, flooring installers, and painters — the list goes on. The building was stripped down to the studs and everything was replaced. It was exciting to see a big project move that fast, but it was a pretty crazy environment to work in.”
“I don’t know if we could have completed this job in the time frame required if it was a one-off project and we hadn’t already known exactly what the client wanted and needed,” Johnston added. “At this point we know pretty much everything that’s going to happen during the install, and we run a tight ship in regard to the order in which things are done, who does what, and everything we need down to the literal nuts and bolts. Also, we knew that using the ELAN system was crucial to the job’s success, because it’s so much easier to program and get up and running than some other control systems. Had we been using a competing product that’s more custom-code-based, it would have been a mad rush to get the thing actually working while the paint was drying next to us.”
“If this job had come from a new client, I might not have even bid on it,” Johnston confesses. “Fortunately we have a great relationship with this franchisor [BH1] [JP2] and have completed installations in several homes of family and friends in addition to every N.J. Buffalo Wild Wings. It will continue to be a good partnership for both our companies, even as other locations come up on their seven-year redesign milestones. While this kind of rushed installation isn’t recommended or fun, working with experienced team members and familiar components help to make it manageable. My crew really showed their stripes on this job, and we now know that with planning, dedication, and a simple, reliable backbone like the ELAN control system, anything is possible.”
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About ELAN
ELAN, now part of Nortek Security & Control, develops an award-winning line of whole-house entertainment and control solutions distributed through a comprehensive channel of select dealers throughout the United States, Canada, and countries worldwide. The ELAN 8 update was honored with the “2017 Human Interface Product of the Year” award and continues to expand its intuitive functionality. To learn more, visit www.elanhomesystems.com.
About Nortek Security & Control
Nortek Security & Control LLC (NSC) is a global leader in smart connected devices and systems for residential, security, access control, and digital health markets. NSC and its partners have deployed more than 4 million connected systems and over 20 million security and home control sensors and peripherals. Through its family of brands including 2GIG®, ELAN®, GoControl®, Linear®, Mighty Mule® and Numera®, NSC designs solutions for national telecoms, big box retailers, OEM partners, service providers, security dealers and consumers.
Headquartered in Carlsbad, California, NSC is a subsidiary of Melrose Industries PLC, a global investment company specializing in acquisition and performance improvement. With over 50 years of innovation, NSC is dedicated to addressing the lifestyle and business needs of millions of customers every day. For further information, visit nortekcontrol.com.
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