MCBC 33rd Annual Golf Tournament

This past week we got to participate in the Master Custom Builder Council’s 33rd annual golf tournament at The Golden Bear Club at Keene’s Point. All of us love going to this event every year for many reasons. We love supporting our friends and partners at MCBC. This council is made up of custom builders and adjacent trade professionals that come together to serve our community.

As always, we brought our A game when it came to food. In the morning we served breakfast fatty on Hawaiian Rolls (for step by step instructions on how to make a breakfast fatty click here) and then switched over to authentic tacos made by one of our technicians, Memo. Everyone was raving about the tacos and we even had a taco delivery service going on to other tents.

We had four people golfers in the tournament this year and one of them, a beloved client of ours. took second place in the tournament along with his team! Our other three golfers had a lot of fun, ate great food and enjoyed delicious drinks around the course so really there were no losers. One of the best parts about this event is that you get to catch up with other people in the industry and bounce ideas around on how to better our business and deal with the social and economic changes happening around us.

We are always honored to be a part of the MCBC and really enjoy the people, events and charity work that we get to be involved with through them!

A talk with Technician Tim...

We sat down with one of our most beloved technicians, Tim Bartell. Tim has been with Millennium for 11 years, making him the longest employed at the company. Read on to get to know a little bit about him, his journey and some of his experiences at MSD.

What is the most interesting project you’ve ever worked on?

“It would be a toss up between three big jobs. I tend to find I enjoy the more challenging projects better than the standard installs. The most interesting would probably be a theater and golf simulator combo room that we completed a few years ago. The most challenging part of that project was design and implementation. It was a small room and we needed to be able to have both aspects of the room (the theater and simulator) be top of the line and fully functional. The project turned out to be amazing and we have won multiple awards for that room. I am proud to have been involved.”

What is the funniest thing that you’ve seen while on a job?

“The funniest thing I have seen on a job is our sales team was walking a job and one of the guys backed straight into the pool. He didn’t think it was too funny, but I did. Another event involving water was at a job out of town and we were in the attic with another trade and one of their guys stepped on a pipe and it broke and started spewing water everywhere. I don’t think wither of these would have been funny if I was the main character but both were hilarious as an onlooker.”

What technology do you have in your home? What technology would you have in your dream home?

“I currently have an Elan automation system, which I love. In my dream home I would have an Elan automation system with a 200” screen, projector and a full Meridian system. I would absolutely have a dedicated listening room with a set of monoblock amps, Kat Audio speakers with a pure phonograph and high end CD input.”

What are your hobbies?

“I like to hunt, fish and remodel my house on the weekends. My wife and I enjoy traveling and playing with our dogs.”

What is your Millennium story?

“Mike and I worked together at Sound Advice many years ago, I started working at another AV company and that company went out of business in 2008. Mike and I had stayed connected throughout the years and when he heard I was looking for a job he offered me a position at Millennium Systems Design. I have been here ever since and have worked my way up to a senior lead technician position. My favorite thing about working for Millennium Systems Design is the comradery and the projects that we get to be a part of.”

How did you get into the AV industry?

“I started at Sound Advice doing inventory control then moved to car audio while I was there. When DirectTV started, I became a subcontractor for Sound Advice and installed Dishes and did deliveries and AV setups. That migrated into custom AV installs for APEX Home Automation where I truly started my custom AV journey.”

What is an integration company? Where do I start?

What is a home integration company? What services do they provide? How do I select a reliable company? These are all questions that we can answer for you. We are Millennium Systems Design, a home theater and home automation company. We are family owned and have served the Central Florida area for over 20 years. 

Put simply, home automation describes a system of networked, controllable devices that work together to make your home more comfortable, customized, efficient, and secure. As always, when you have someone in your home you should ensure that they are from a reputable, licensed and established company. Home automation companies can complete a variety of tasks ranging from the simple like installing a network and TVs to the more complex like a whole home system. 

The first step is to figure out what type of system you want in your home. You can check out our budget calculator here to get a ballpark range of pricing and come into our showroom to touch and see different products and systems to determine what is best for your family. At this point in the process your integrator should sit down with you to discuss budgets, wants, needs and the best way to make 3 come together as seamlessly as possible.

Once you hire a home automation company they should give you proper documentation detailing the project specifications so that the integrator and client are on the same page about what to expect throughout the process. There should be communication throughout the process and proper service after the sale. All of the things that you would normally expect from a company that you are trusting with your home and money. 

A proper home automation company should have both certifications and experience. Both are equally important but one without the other is going to lead you to a poor experience. A properly situated integrator, like a company that is HTA certified,  would have both experience and training/certifications. Your integration company should also make sure that your system is secure. Over our 20+ years of experience we have entered multiple homes that still have the default network username and password. This is a jackpot for a hacker who could easily pull up outside of your home and access all of your information. Any proper integrator would never leave a default login once installed. 

The final thing you want to make sure your integration company understands is how to provide concierge services. As an integrator you have to know and understand budgets. You can get the most bang for your buck for $10,000 or $100,000 but neither will be accurate if you are looking to spend $60,000. An experienced and reliable integrator should be able to offer you more than one type of control system because they understand that different clients need different solutions and there isn’t a ‘one size fits all’ approach for integration. There should als be enough people on staff that the integrator can be flexible and respond quickly for service or security needs. At Millennium Systems Design, because we understand what concierge service takes and we have the experience we are happy to and have the capability to be flexible and cater to our clients schedules and needs 

If you are happy with your integration company then please, continue on and be thankful that you have found one that fits your family. If you are not, please reach out to us if you think that we can help. We would love to have you as a part of the Millennium Family. As always, feel free to contact us or stop by our showroom located near the Mall at Millenia. 

Are you looking for a holiday gift that won't be duplicated?

One of my favorite things to do during the holidays is to look for unique gifts for my friends and family. One of the best ways to do this is to shop somewhere that people don’t normally think of when they go to purchase gifts. There are so many ways to incorporate technology into your home, we are happy to help you find a gift that your loved one will enjoy for years to come.

Millennium Systems Design is the place to come for holiday gifts of all sizes and price points. From in ceiling speakers or outdoor audio, to golf simulators and automation systems, we can provide the perfect present for your technology lover.

In ceiling speakers and outdoor audio are great ways to enhance a space. Adding audio completely changes the feel of a space and is the best form of a gift that keeps on giving.

On a larger scale, golf simulators are the perfect gift for your golf enthusiast. If you think you don’t have the space, think again. A one car garage, media room, or spare bedroom is all we need to bring the course to your home. Over the past few years golf simulators have grown tremendously in popularity. We have one client who just put a simulator in an unused section of his garage, another who turned a room into a theater/simulator combo and the most recent is a project to convert a bonus room space that the children have outgrown into a simulator/lounge combo.

If you want to go all out and spoil the movie lover in your home, our favorite gift is a custom home theater. There are so many options for themes, colors, uses and technology, that you can truly have your perfect space. We have done theaters that are dedicated theaters and others that are also used as 2-3 other spaces. When building a custom home theater, the possibilities are endless.

How to Select a Custom Audio/Video Integrator

This is a true story…

A few days ago I was scrolling through Facebook and I saw a friend of mine post about how they got a great deal on someone to come and mount their TV, unfortunately they included a picture. The TV was UPSIDE down and only about 6” from the ceiling. EEK! My husband and I got a good laugh out of it but then we started talking about how many companies are out there doing this same thing all the time. They lead people to believe that they are a legitimate company by using pictures from the internet and then taking (a lot of) their money and completely butchering the job! If you are in the market for an A/V upgrade or install we hope you will take the time to read these tips and tricks for hiring an integrator.

Certifications

This is probably the most black and white way to compare integrators and determine if a company is reliable. The easiest way to do this is to ask for a list or check their website. Most integrators have their certifications and affiliations on their website but if not, feel free to ask! Research the different certifications, their validity and difficulty to obtain them. Your integrator should be a member of an educational program like Custom Electronics Design and Installation Association (CEDIA). There are a lot of other great associations that your integrator can be a part of too, just make sure you are researching the organization and checking to see what their requirements for membership are.

Experience

Ask how long the company has been in business. You want to make sure you are working with a company that will continue to be around to service and upgrade your system. Ask about the team members. Questions like, how much experience the technicians have and how many members are on the service team will allow you to figure out how well the company will be able to serve you. Ask the integrator about recent projects they have completed and what types of technology they installed. I have included some questions below to get you started.

Tell me the last time something on a job didn’t go as planned. What was done to solve the problem?

Tell me about a design challenge that your team had to overcome. How did you come up with the solution?

Tell me about the last job that was completed by your team.

Do you recommend one particular control system or does it depend on the job?

Questions like these don’t have set answers and will allow you to get a feel for the knowledge of your integrator and get to know their personality.

References

For whatever reason, many people don’t ask for references. This is always the first thing I do when I am looking to hire someone. I always ask for two or three references and I specifically ask for them to be jobs completed in the last few months. That way I know I am getting a true sample of the integrators recent work and I am not just talking to their “biggest fans”. You can also take this one step further and ask for contractor references too. Builders, architects and other trade professionals can be a great asset when determining the validity of a custom integrator.

Office

If you are hiring an integrator to design and install an expensive and intricate custom AV system, someone working out of their home garage may not be the right person for the job. You need to know that you can trust your integrator with your money and time and that they have ample resources to be able to prep, build and install your system. Most integrators who operate on the caliber that you are looking for will have showrooms or design centers where you can go and touch, see and experience the technology that they offer.

Why Millennium Systems Design?

If you are in the market to hire a custom integrator we hope that the information provided in this blog has helped guide you in the right direction. If you are in the Central Florida area, we would love to have the opportunity to be your integrator. We are CEDIA certified as well as members of HTA and the Master Custom Builder Association. Our technicians are CCP, CTS, CEDIA COI, CEDIA ESC-D, CEDIA ESC-T, DMC-E, EAVA and OSHA certified and we have an experienced Crestron programer on staff. Millennium Systems Design has been in business for over 20 years in the Central Florida area and all of our business is referral based. We would love for you to come and visit us at our design center in Orlando, near Holy Land. You can take a tour and view our two complete client experience centers where you can explore different control systems to see which you prefer or take a seat and experience our custom Dolby Atmos theater. We hope to have the opportunity to work with you in the future!

Learn How Millennium Systems Design Ensures a Solid Network and Home Entertainment Experience

At Millennium Systems Design, we pride ourselves in providing only the best for our clients. Having a solid network is important because it is the backbone of your home entertainment or integration system, that’s why we have partnered with Access Networks. Access Networks is based on one simple premise: Keeping you connected.

Having an enterprise-level system that is designed, engineered, and manufactured by networking experts to deliver better speed, reliability, coverage and consistency is key to protecting your family and your AV investment. Having connected devices is convenient and useful, but if you’re not careful, connected devices can open portals to valuable information like social security numbers, financial assets and more. A custom-designed enterprise-level networking system provides a strong firewall to protect your information.

Access Networks scales with you as your family and home grow. With each modification, your home network should be able to easily adapt. The systems we recommend for your home can easily be expanded through firmware upgrades, the addition of hardware, and service options such as proactive network marketing and network security. One reason why we love working with Access Networks is because their team, like Millennium Systems Design, is forward thinking and wants your home to be prepared for the future. They are continually refining their networking solutions to provide access to the most technologically advanced features on the market.

Having a robust home network system is vital to the performance of your home entertainment or integration system. Are you interested in upgrading your network? Do you have questions about improving your connection? Contact us today to schedule a networking consultation.