In an effort to branch out further into the high-end corporate staging market, AVW-TELAV Audio Visual Solutions, based in Quebec, Canada, has acquired Alford Media Services of Dallas, from Stellar Event & Presentation Resources. AVW-TELAV Audio Visual Solutions, one of The Freeman Companies, offers Total Show services that support the meeting, convention, and exposition industries throughout North America. The company has its U.S. headquarters in Dallas and offices throughout North America.
AVW-TELAV is one of the stronger players in the AV rental/staging as well as the AV installation business, offering services as diverse as AV rental, simultaneous interpretation, audience response systems, system design and integration, computer services, and exhibit and trade show programs, but it is seeking in Alford a bigger piece of the very high-end corporate staging market.
According to AVW-TELAV's CEO, Robert Thiel, "Alford will continue to operate as a stand-alone, independent entity. We made this strategic investment in America's premier corporate staging company because of their strong customer following and excellent performance record."
Steve Alford, president, and Tom Alford, vice president and general manager, will continue to lead Alford Media. Alford supports corporations, production companies, independent producers, and technical directors by providing high-end audio, video, lighting, and technical services for corporate events throughout the United States.
Said Steve Alford, "We are excited about our new ownership. Alford Media Services and AVW-TELAV are both family-operated businesses that understand the value of long-term customer relationships. The support from AVW-TELAV will be primarily administrative in nature and will not be visible to our clients or the industry. However, the opportunities and advantages it will afford our clients and us are substantial. Our clients should expect Alford Media to continue to lead the corporate staging industry in providing the highest level of support and expertise."
Alford began in 1984 as the sole proprietor of Alford Media Services, but the company soon became a family affair. In 1989, brother Tom joined the newly incorporated firm as partner, alongside family friend Danny Harris. Two years later, a sister company was born: Alford Media Sales. This addition, which focused on audiovisual sales and installations, was sold to EISI in 1998.
In 1997, Alford Media Services opened branch offices in Alpharetta, GA (outside of Atlanta), and Irvine, CA. Alford Media became a member of Stellar Event and Presentation Resources, a holding company of event service firms, in 1999. Today, Alford Media Services continues to operate out of Dallas and Atlanta, employing 85 full-time employees and a fleet of approximately 100 independent contractors. Boasting an event roster that features the likes of Aventis, Coca-Cola, Exxon-Mobil, Frito Lay, General Motors, IBM, Lennox, Microsoft, PepsiCo, Radio Shack, Sherwin-Williams, and Southwest Airlines Alford stages and events nationally as well as all over the world, including in Tokyo, Taipei, Buenos Aires, and Milan.
The CEO Institute and the Caruth Institute of Owner-Managed Business (at Southern Methodist University), both based in Dallas, recognized Alford Media as one of the fastest-growing companies in the DFW Metroplex. In 1997, the Baylor University Institute for Family Business in Waco, TX, recognized Alford Media as the Outstanding Family-Owned Business in Texas.
