by CI Staff

Commercial Integrator is all about troubleshooting. A client has a problem or a need, and it’s the integrator’s job to come up with a plan to fill that need. And that’s only half the battle.

Once onsite, any number of problems can arise that require quick thinking and ingenuity to bridge the gap between the best-laid plans and the real world problems that can lead those plans astray. Time in and time out, installers find a way to make it to not only make it work, but to make it exceed customer expectations.

Read Full Article

JERSEY CITY, NJ—When you’re America’s favorite baker, you can’t be seen working in just any run-of-the-mill production center. That’s why celebrity baker Buddy Valastro reached out to the team at 360 Media Innovations, who worked with the Cake Boss star to create a customdesigned 35,000-square-foot bakery production center in Jersey City, NJ.

According to Chima Gale, president of 360 Media Innovations, the ELAN g! control system was the best choice for Carlo’s Bakery Lackawanna. “Because the ELAN g! graphical user interface is so easy to use, it’s perfect for this type of commercial installation, where a lot of people will be using the touch screens to adjust system settings. It will be simple to integrate additional subsystems in the future, and the already installed paging and safety features add so much value to the audio system that it would have been a waste to use any other product,” he said.

Read Full Article

by D. Craig MacCormack

The area that seems to have the most potential is the two classrooms where Valastro, his decorators and other guest bakers will offer paid baking classes to the public. There’s talk of taking the classes to the Web too, says Gale, charging attendees a small fee to watch the live feed or recordings. “I see it as a cash cow,” Gale says.

There will also be a couple of digital signage players installed in the new Carlo’s, which will show clips of Valastro’s TV and public speaking appearances and give tour attendees more information about the history and future of the operation. The new space will also allow Carlo’s to start shipping its goodies across the country, or around the world.

Read Full Article

by D. Craig MacCormack

Most fans of his original TLC show know Buddy Valastro as “Cake Boss,” while others probably are more familiar with his cooking show and call him “Kitchen Boss.”

A new nickname may well be in order for Valastro, owner of Carlo’s Bakery in Hoboken, N.J., based on the massive A/V overhaul he commissioned 360 Media Innovations to oversee at his new 35,000-square-foot production facility (Carlo’s Bakery on Washington St. will remain open as a retail shop) in the historic Lackawanna Center in Jersey City.

Read Full Article