Commercial Integrator January 2023 - 16

COVER STORY
Integrator Profile
CI ENTERS THE COCKPIT
OF LONE STAR
COMMUNICATIONS
Ray Bailey pilots a vision for future business growth,
alignment with NSCA and the AV industry's bright future.
By Alyssa Borelli,
Photography by Steve McAlister
COMPANY FILE
Lone Star Communications
lonestarcom.com
Primary Location:
Grand Prairie, Texas
(HQ) + locations
spanning eight states
Principles:
One team, one
purpose, one family
Years in Business: 32
Employees: 285
Total Revenues:
2022: $71 million
2021: $62.4 million
Number of
Commercial Installs:
Schools Secured: 275
Hospitals Made Safer:
521
16
Markets Served:
Education, Healthcare
Technology Partners:
Rauland, CareSight,
Visibli, Helpp.ai
'Consumers like to
consume things,
as opposed to
purchasing things.
Nobody wants to
go out and spend a
million dollars on a
system when they
can subscribe to it.'
- Ray Bailey,
Lone Star
Communications
AT 12 YEARS OLD, Ray Bailey, the founder and president of Lone Star Communications
(LSC), knew exactly what he wanted to do: fly bush planes in Alaska. The
Oregon native fulfilled his childhood dream after joining the U.S. Air Force a week
after he graduated from high school. While in the Air Force, he specialized in
electronics. And, after four years in the military, he flew as a bush pilot in Alaska for
six-and-a-half years.
" I ended up going back into electronics and into this industry through a friend
who I was in the Air Force with who got out and got into this business, " Bailey recalls.
" He said to me, 'Ray, you're going to love this. We're working in schools, [and] we're
doing signaling and emergency paging systems.' " At the time, the Alaska pipeline
was being built, and Bailey and the team were doing all the signaling for the living
quarters, the pump station, custom panels, etc. " It really was a very interesting industry, "
he says, recalling his initial thoughts. " I just fell in love with the business. "
When he's not in the cockpit, Bailey now charts the course of Grand Prairie,
Texas-headquartered LSC, an integration firm whose specialty is life-safety
solutions for healthcare. In addition, Bailey serves as president of the Board of
Directors of the NSCA.
Working with NSCA
When Bailey started LSC more than 30 years ago, one of the first calls he made
was to NSCA, seeking to become a member. It wasn't until the early 2000s that he
decided to get involved on the advisory board. NSCA is, of course, the not-for-profit
association representing the commercial integration industry, as well as a key strategic
partner of Commercial Integrator.
" NSCA became important to my business from the very first day I started LSC, "
Bailey recalls. " The Essentials Library, [which is now online,] proved to be a great
resource. Since then, through NSCA, I've had people I could share with and
talk to about the industry and running a business. I could ask them, 'What's your
advice on how to do this?' Everyone was open and willing to share. And that's the
way I have become over the years, as well. " Indeed, as president of the Board of
Directors, he's helping set the vision for the association so it can serve integration
Commercial Integrator JANUARY 2023
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Commercial Integrator January 2023

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