Commercial Integrator December 2022 - 18

INTEGRATOR OF THE YEAR
VISTACOM:
AN ENDURING LEGACY
The woman-led firm has grown
into a formidable business,
renowned for its expertise in the
control room and healthcare
verticals, as well as for its
commitment to employees
and clients. By Amala Reddie,
photography by Carl James
THE AV INDUSTRY THRIVES on connections and networking among people
- of that, there is no doubt. However, it's extremely rare for an integration firm
to be as united and generation bound as a family. Vistacom happens to be one
such firm.
Founded in 1954 by Jack Ferlino, the Allentown, Pa.-based integration leader
presently has sibling duo Angela Nolan and Jim Ferlino leading the company,
which specializes in healthcare, control rooms, conferencing and other vertical
markets. But the company is much more than merely its products and services.
Vistacom has flourished in the last 65-plus years as a result of its commitment
to its people and its core values. Not only that, but, as a woman-led firm,
Vistacom has persisted in its efforts to support diversity, equity and inclusion
throughout the organization.
For those reasons and plenty more, Commercial Integrator is proud to select
Vistacom as our 2022 Integrator of the Year!
COMPANY FILE
Vistacom
VistacomInc.com
Primary Location:
Allentown, Pa.
Years in Business: 68
Employees: 80
Technology
Partners: 300
Customers: 500+
Podcast: Tech
Unraveled (with Lianna
Russell and Josh
Herring)
18
Credentials: AV9000
Compliance, Women's
Business Enterprise,
AVIXA's Audiovisual
Provider of Excellence
(APEx), PSNI Global
Deployment Certified
Core Values:
Customer success,
teamwork,
accountability,
responsibility
growth, integrity and
community
Commercial Integrator DECEMBER 2022
Leading the Control-Room Vertical
The evolution of Vistacom from being an audio-only company to being a
full-fledged audiovisual integration business has been a long, but extremely
rewarding, journey. Nolan, CEO of Vistacom, reminisces, " My father, Jack Ferlino,
started Vistacom when he decided to pursue audio as a career avenue after
returning from World War II as a communications officer. " The company stayed
small for a long time, working on sound systems for churches and auditoriums,
as well as paging systems, to ensure emergency preparedness. It then entered
the next phase by working as part of the installation team at Veterans Stadium
(now demolished) in Philadelphia. " That was one of the key projects that propelled
us in the '80s, and Jim really got to sink his teeth in the project, " Nolan
adds. " We became an official AV company then and worked on our first large
control room project for the Global AT&T Network in New Jersey. "
Noting the company's success since then, Nolan attributes it to the company's
mantra, which her father established: Get things right at the drawing board
stage. She expands further, saying, " As an engineering-driven company with a
focus on technical education for employees, we value education and expertise
growth within the organization. " Living up to those values, Vistacom in 2014
launched a dedicated department for its control-room business, with its own
set of staff and resources.
Diving further, Tom Iasiello, director of control room operations, states, " We
realized early on that we needed a laser focus on the control room - from
engineering, to sales and services, [to] even installations. We also realized that,
in these mission-critical spaces, security is taken very seriously. " Vistacom leadership
collaborated with several team members. " Over time, we've become
experts in the field, and that's really helped us, " he remarks. " We understand
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Commercial Integrator December 2022

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