Commercial Integrator September 2022 - 58

Honor Roll
Pre-pandemic, McCann
realized there was no need
to house all his people in an
expensive office space. Thus,
he proactively shifted his
back-office staff to remote
working. Fortuitously, when
the pandemic hit and everyone
was forced to work from
home, the remote model was
already in place and working.
That being said, operations
and sales have generally
preferred to work out of
McCann's offices, rather than
remotely. As McCann jokes,
" AV people are tradespeople.
There are not a lot of options
at work. You cannot work on
a laptop from a Sprinter van
in Zion for too long. "
As Commercial Integrator
explored in a cover story
earlier this year, McCann Systems
had no staff reductions
because of the pandemic.
And, in fact, McCann's
employees earned bonuses
based on the previous year's
business. Wellness remained
a focus for the team, and employees
were given whatever
time they needed to support
their families. " Culture at
McCann is really important, "
McCann declares. Unsurprisingly,
then, the so-called
Great Resignation did not
really hit McCann Systems.
A large number of AV
professionals ended up
being furloughed during the
pandemic's peak, but not
at McCann Systems. " The
pandemic was a liquidation
event for most businesses
to cut expenses and payroll, "
McCann observes. " During
'The Great Furlough,' we
were able to acquire good
talent and made a strategic
investment in new staff. "
58
In short, it was business as
usual for McCann Systems.
Field techs were busy doing
installs on empty campuses,
and staffers were still on
customer sites maintaining
building infrastructure.
Wise Advice
McCann's advice to help
weather either a business
event, such as an economic
downturn, or a societal event,
such as a pandemic, is to
make sure you keep your
employees interested and
engaged. No one knows what
tomorrow will bring, so he
advises management to focus
on the customer, keep quiet
and fly under the radar.
McCann is a social media
ghost (SMG), but you can
connect with McCann
Systems via LinkedIn:
linkedin.com/company/
mccann-systems.
fied " normal operations. "
Employees worked a hybrid
model - three days in the
office and two days working
from home. Jan Sandri, president
of FSR and a true AV
industry legend, drew on her
leadership talents in those
early weeks, adapting by
being flexible. " I loaded our
team with all the technology
they needed to be successful
working from home, " she
explains. In short, she says,
FSR management empowered
team members do their
job and then stayed out of
the way.
One core tenet at FSR is
that all employees have an
equal responsibility. " Shipping
is as important as an
engineer, " Sandri declares.
With responsibility also
comes a great deal of care,
and that investment flows
from the top down. " Many
people have been with FSR
for 30 years, " Sandri says
with pride. " Employees know
they are cared for. " That
family atmosphere contributes
to remarkable " stickiness "
within the company,
with few people leaving for
different opportunities.
Industry Legend
Jan Sandri,
president of FSR Inc. -
Little Falls, N.J.
FSR, having been classified
as an essential business,
experienced things a bit
differently. Full-on work
from home only lasted two
or three weeks, at which
time it was back to modiCommercial
Integrator SEPTEMBER 2022
Real Benefits
Sandri acknowledges that
there are real benefits to
allowing her employees
to work from home these
days - especially for those
with long commutes. As
a result, she champions
the hybrid-work model to
help keep her team happy.
And, especially during the
pandemic, her employees
welcomed that flexibility.
The FSR team has leaned
on collaboration platforms,
'I loaded our
team with all
the technology
they needed to
be successful
working from
home.'
- Jan Sandri,
FSR Inc.
such as Microsoft Teams
and Zoom. The society-wide
shift to working from home
has even prompted FSR to
evaluate its own product
portfolio and marketing to
see what might be synergistic
with work-from-home
environments.
But not everything can be
virtual. Like everyone else,
Sandri and her team have
come to realize that virtual
fatigue is real. " Younger
employees need social
interaction, " she declares.
" That's how they develop. "
To that end, FSR exhibited at
both InfoComm '21 and '22.
The FSR family's loyalty
and dedication have
allowed Sandri to spend
more time with family and
traveling, both of which she
enjoys greatly. She's also
active in her community.
She has served as mayor
of Little Falls, N.J., and
she's a board member with
Kindness Shared Happiness
Squared, a nonprofit
dedicated to helping kids
and pets.
Connect with Sandri via
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/
jan-sandri-2048556.
commercialintegrator.com
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Commercial Integrator September 2022

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