Westlake Village, CA--GC Pro has launched a new Technical Support Group initiative, providing a number of technical support services, including customized Macintosh-based audio systems solutions for clients in all of the technology areas it serves, including recording studios, post production facilities, and installed AV.
- GC Pro Director Rick Plushner at Los Angeles’ Record One Studios.
- The Technical Support Group concept kicks off with the addition of two new full-time GC Pro engineered/installed sound technicians, one based in the New York City GC Pro location starting in July, and another at Guitar Center Professional’s Hollywood, CA location since May. Additional personnel for the Technical Support Group are planned for other GC Pro locations in the U.S. in the future.
- A key area that the Technical Support Group will focus on will be designing and building Mac-based audio systems that are equipped with the customers’ specifications for hard drives, video cards, RAM and other parameters. The Group will also provide the service of loading and authorizing the customer’s plug-in packages and integrating key applications — including AVID’s Pro Tools HD systems and others, creating a complete turnkey configuration recording system in-house that is also pre-tested, fully documented, and ready to deliver to the customer in a plug-and-play configuration anywhere in the United States.
- For customers in areas served by Technical Support Group personnel, on-site installation and commissioning will also be available. And all systems from the Technical Support Group will also be available for integration by members of GC Pro’s Affiliate Services Program, which offers the services of certified studio designers, acousticians, systems integrators, and other technical services to all GC Pro customers.
- “Our customers will be able to order CTO Mac Systems on a nationwide basis with on-site installations in the New York and Los Angeles metropolitan areas," said GC Pro Director Rick Plushner. "Going forward, we’ll add additional services and locations. These new services are fully integrated with our GC Pro Affiliates program, offering top architectural studio designers, acoustical designers, systems integration companies and technical services outfits nationwide. This provides new synergy enabling GC Pro to better service the audio industry.”
- In 2011, Guitar Center Professional is commemorating 10 years of operation.
- “Ten years ago, Guitar Center made the decision to create a division that could address the business-to-business aspects of the audio industry primarily,” Plushner said. “P.K. Pandey, a long-time employee of Guitar Center who helped launch our early pro audio sales efforts, actually coined the phrase ‘GC Pro’ – he was calling himself a GC professional and it was the first time it was utilized. P.K. is still with the company today as a senior account manager working out of our Boston location, which says a lot about the dedication of GC Pro associates. Tom Menrath was then hired to pull this idea together within the GC organization, and working with Marek Stycos, gathered the top audio sales professionals in the company to form the original team. I joined in 2005 and took over as director in January 2008.”
- “In the age of the Internet, you can go to a website, buy a product and have it shipped to you. GC Pro utilizes all the resources of Guitar Center including web based purchasing but that’s were our services begin – we also provide the ability to have a local person in your area that you can visit, converse with and come out to your facility providing onsite consultation. We can bring you demo gear to try out, providing services only done in person,” Plushner said. “We’re a boutique style operation networked across the country, utilizing the full power of Guitar Center’s infrastructure and reach.”
