- BALTIMORE, MD-Jake Rivera began working at a local Baltimore touring and contracting company in the early 90s, and soon developed his passions for AV into his own company, Design & Integration (DI) in 1996. "I liked contracting because I enjoyed working with the products and like having something tangible to show at the end," he explained. Now celebrating its tenth anniversary, DI has proven that part of Rivera's enthusiasm for the end result has translated into offering customers the highest quality workmanship to get there.
- Over the years, the most essential element Rivera found for providing his customers with a top-notch experience is if he's got a top-notch team. As business grew, Jake hired his first employee, an engineer, in 1997, and by 2001 DI consisted of seven employees and was producing a total of $729,888 in annual sales. "What helps our growth is bringing in qualified people that can handle responsibility as we round out our business plan," Rivera said.
- DI is now made up of 14 individuals and consists of departments for engineering, sales and marketing, accounting, project management, and service and rental. "Our plans for the future are to continuing growing a solid foundation-but sales is not our only motivator," he concluded. "Our biggest motivator is doing great work and growing on the success of that."
- Design & Integration...www.designandintegration.com
