Commercial Integrator March 2023 - 30

LEADERSHIP Woman-Owned Businesses
The Changing Workforce
Nevertheless, there clearly are still areas
that require immediate attention as the
composition of the commercial AV industry
workforce changes. Those areas include
not only persistent pay gaps and barriers
to inclusion but also obstacles to promotion
and career advancement.
Industry analyses indicate that promotion
pathways are less open to women
than they are to men. One factor at play
centers on maternity leave. Some companies
might hesitate to trust (or elevate)
workers whom they perceive as having
greater potential to take parental time off.
It's worth adding that, although maternity
leave is available to most women, it's not
uniformly available to all - and the duration
of the leave is often insufficient.
With the workplace having been
transformed by the pandemic, many
companies are beginning to understand
the importance of flexibility, and that
understanding might reap benefits for
women and other underrepresented
groups. Speaking of Tempest Technologies'
policies with respect to caregivers,
Williamson says, " We'll work with
[primary caregivers] flexibly, as much as
we can, whether it's shortened workweeks
or shortened days. " Ultimately,
she says, when an integrator finds talent,
that company wants to retain that talent
- and doing so often requires creativity
and adaptability. " We all learned over the
course of the last few years that flexibility
is a real thing, " Williamson adds.
VISUAL SOUND
COMPANY FILE
Visual Sound
visualsound.com
LOCATIONS: Broomall/
Philadelphia, Pa. (headquarters),
Harrisburg, Pa., Baltimore, Md.,
Los Angeles, Calif.
PRESIDENT: Karen Bogosian,
president and CEO
ESTABLISHED: 1967
EMPLOYEES: 85
CREDENTIALS: AVIXA APEX, WBENC
VERTICAL MARKETS SERVED:
corporate, education,
government, healthcare,
house of worship
Karen Bogosian, Visual Sound
Karen Bogosian, president and CEO of
Broomall, Pa.-based Visual Sound, began
in the industry when her father opened his
first camera store in a shopping center in
Broomall, Pa., back in 1957. The business
was a major success and eventually
became the third-largest specialty-camera
dealer in the U.S. Bogosian spent many
years working at her father's camera store
chain before, later, being appointed regional
sales manager for Ritz Camera.
The family camera business' AV-centric
operations emerged from superintendents,
principals and other education
professionals coming into the store and
seeking slide filmstrip, projectors screens
and other equipment for their classrooms.
Bogosian's father would sell fully featured
AV carts. Gradually, in 1967, the family
incorporated Visual Sound as a sister entity
to the camera store.
Eventually, Bogosian's father became
ill and asked her to step in to help run the
business. Having worked only on the retail
side of business operations, she had to
learn the integration and live events side
of the business quickly. She started that
process by interviewing everyone at Visual
Sound. She also attended engineering,
project management, sales and marketing
meetings, as well as industry conferences.
Bogosian was clearly a quick study and, in
2005, became president.
30
Commercial Integrator MARCH 2023
BLUEWATER
COMPANY FILE
Bluewater
bluewatertech.com
LOCATIONS: Wixom, Mich. (HQ);
Grand Rapids, Mich.; Fishers, Ind.
PRINCIPALS: Suzanne
Schoeneberger, president and
owner; Chanel Schoeneberger,
ambassador
ESTABLISHED: 1985
EMPLOYEES: 200+
VISION: Make people smile.
CORE VALUES: Excellence, passion,
integrity, collaboration, fun
CREDENTIALS: AVIXA APEX, WBENC
TOP FIVE BRANDS: Absen, Planar,
Samsung, Crestron, Biamp
Bogosian jokingly compares the
commercial AV industry to the old " Roach
Motel " tagline: " Roaches check in, but
they don't check out. " She adds, " It's in
everyone. It's a love for what [we're] doing
and a passion for the industry. "
Suzanne Schoeneberger, Bluewater
Suzanne Schoeneberger, president and
owner of Wixom, Mich.-based audiovisual
integration firm Bluewater, got her start
in commercial AV under serendipitous
circumstances. She had spent much of
her career in human resources, and then
her husband, Tom Schoeneberger, and
his brother, Paul, started the company
in 1985. Tom Schoeneberger had a
deep love for technology, and Bluewater
emerged from that. After a medical
event, however, he asked his wife to help
run the business.
" Since we're a family business and
commercialintegrator.com
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Commercial Integrator March 2023

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