Designing a $1.4M Project
By Tom LeBlanc
There were only $800 of overages in the engineering of the system for this 75,000-square-foot corporate headquarters.

Some CE pros might have been uneasy taking on the electronics integration of clothing manufacturer Affliction's 75,000-square foot building. After all, part of the objective is to impress high-profile clients - including boxers, rock stars, MMA fighters and even Donald Trump - as they stroll through the corporate office.

Synovate Technologies didn't bat an eye, says CEO Ricky Willis.

The Fountain Valley, Calif.-based integrator, which does equal parts commercial and residential projects, gets its confidence from an ambitious approach to design and engineering.



Before founding Synovate, Willis worked in Las Vegas during the construction boom, engineering $10 million low-voltage projects. "That kind of instilled the courage and knowhow not to let a project like this scare me."

Then there's chief engineer and programmer Judd McWhorter, who has built up his appreciation for engineering and design over his 17 years in custom electronics. "We've learned that you need engineering because we've seen other guys do this the other way, fly by the seat of their pants and be eaten alive."

So for Synovate, the only really hard part of Affliction's $1.4 million project - which includes Crestron in the lobby and executive offices, a theater room, a fully audio/video/equipped gym, a Kaleidescape server, 36 flat-panel displays and 106 SpeakerCraft speakers - was designing it.

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