The CI staff is generally laid-back, but occasional skirmishes do occur when it comes to baseball. Is Todd Helton a mediocre hitter outside of Coors Field? Should Dwight Evans be in the Hall of Fame? These are questions that sometimes need to be resolved before we can get back to work.

Our mediator is Baseball-Reference.com, the definitive site for player statistics. There’s nothing quite like data to provide black and white answers to certain questions, but not everything is clear-cut. We focused on the gray areas in determining the 2011 Commercial Integrator “Integrator of the Year” - AVI-SPL - and in recognizing several sub-category honorees.

An integrator’s effectiveness can’t be entirely measured in revenue. So rather than leaning on data, we rely on conversations with these integrators, manufacturers and clients. Commercial Integrator “Integrator of the Year” is a reflection of how impressed we are with companies’ operations.

That’s not to say that we’re not impressed with AVI-SPL’s $550 million in projected 2011 revenues. But we chose it as “Integrator of the Year” because of its profound impact on the industry. The sprawling organization - with 32 locations - sets a tone for the commercial integration industry. We’re not prepared to say, “As AVI-SPL goes, so goes the market,” but it’s clear that the market needs to look at where the behemoth integrator is going or risk being left behind. Where AVI-SPL is going is what we analyze in our profile.

Data had little role in determining sub-category integrators of the year. Commercial Integrator editors had conversations with these companies during 2011, and their stories - their successes, their mistakes - need to be conveyed to other integrators.

Undoubtedly, there are alternate integrators we could have chosen for each of these categories, including “Integrator of the Year.” We look forward to hearing why our choices are right, as well as why they’re wrong.

Here’s a look at our upcoming coverage of the Integrators of the Year:
Integrator of the Year: AVI-SPL
Customer Service Integrator of the Year: Signet Electronic Systems
Digital Signage Integrator of the Year: ANC Sports
System Design Integrator of the Year: HB Communications
Entertainment Integrator of the Year: Technomedia
Manufacturer/Integrator of the Year: Alpha Video and Audio
Strategic Planning Integrator of the Year: Human Circuit

About the author

Tom LeBlanc - Editor-in-Chief, CI, Tom

Tom has been covering electronics integration since 2003. Prior to being named editor-in-chief of CI, he was senior writer and managing editor of CE Pro. Before that, he wrote for the sports department of the Boston Herald. Migrating to magazines, he was a staff editor for a golf publication and an outdoor sports publication. Follow him on Twitter @leblanctom.

View all posts by Tom LeBlanc