This submit is a part of a sequence sponsored by Previous Republic Surety.
A serious league ballpark is usually a feast for the senses, from colourful fan gear to a tasty barbecue sandwich. There’s at all times loads of motion down on the sphere, however guests wish to be entertained within the stands as effectively.
That’s why stadiums are using state-of-the-art video expertise to boost their followers’ game-day expertise. A working example is PNC Park, the house of the Pittsburgh Pirates.
In 2022, PNC Park determined to improve its video manufacturing gear with high-definition cameras, switchers and wiring. The stadium had just lately spent $5.6 million to double the dimensions of its scoreboard, and it needed to make the most of the brand new show’s superior capabilities.
Texolve Digital Inc. was chosen for the $4.3 million undertaking, but it surely wanted a bond. The catch was this area of interest firm didn’t match the standard mildew for contract surety. However, Previous Republic Surety discovered a approach for Texolve Digital to hit a house run and rating a win for PNC Park.
From sticks and bricks to high-tech
Most contract surety bonds are written for “sticks and bricks” — buildings, roads and bridges — and contractors present construction-oriented accounting data to qualify for a bond.
However what occurs when a contractor isn’t a development firm? Such was the case with Texolve Digital, a nine-person agency that designs and builds video manufacturing methods. Bonding wasn’t one thing that Texolve Digital had expertise with.
As Previous Republic Surety Bond Supervisor Kerry Enders explains, “With a traditional surety contractor, you’re taking a look at three or 4 years of construction-oriented monetary statements, work-in-progress experiences and job schedules to see if the earnings have held up.”
However the PNC Park undertaking was completely different. “The usual job costing that’s executed on a percentage-of-completion foundation doesn’t lend itself to this type of undertaking,” he says. “We had to take a look at it differently. We needed to focus extra on their experience, how lengthy they’ve been in enterprise, their references and their job efficiency.”
Based on Enders, “Texolve Digital’s financials have been very sturdy, however we needed to higher perceive their work and the way effectively they carried out on earlier tasks. What helped is that we discovered their purchasers completely cherished them.”
Offering a greater fan expertise
It didn’t damage that Texolve Digital already had a presence at PNC Park. The corporate has offered technical assist for each house recreation because the stadium opened in 2001. One in every of just a few video methods integrators in Pennsylvania, it excels in a specialised discipline that Texolve Digital President Mike Gianutsos says consists of not more than about two dozen corporations within the U.S. able to doing this type of work.
“Stadiums want our experience to improve their manufacturing gear and supply a greater fan expertise,” he says. “Gear is getting extra refined and costly, too. Greater dynamic ranges, quicker body charges, 4K decision — rather a lot has modified.”
Texolve Digital takes a soups-to-nuts strategy to its tasks. “We design methods tailor-made to our purchasers’ necessities and purchase the {hardware} to satisfy their schedule and funds. We often construct the methods at our personal facility, then mobilize on-site to do the set up.”
For the Pirates undertaking, that meant constructing and testing methods off-site through the 2022 season. When the season was over, Texolve Digital gutted the management room and put in new gear and wiring. The undertaking was accomplished in March 2023.
Making a dream group with Previous Republic Surety
Gianutsos describes his expertise with Previous Republic Surety as “stellar.” He additionally offers kudos to surety agent Wealthy Taylor of ACS Surety Bonds in Pittsburgh for putting the bond.
“When a surety firm is keen to say they’ll stand behind you, it means rather a lot for those who’re an unknown,” Gianutsos says. “We demonstrated what we’re able to and confirmed them different work we’ve executed. And primarily based on that, they have been excellent in offering a product we wanted.”
When it got here time for Texolve Digital to bid on the same undertaking on the Penguins’ PPG Paints Enviornment, there was little doubt who they’d name on for a bond, he provides. “We stated we needed to do the very same factor once more with Previous Republic Surety.”
“Previous Republic Surety is simply wonderful to work with,” says Taylor. “Not each surety can be keen to work with a Texolve Digital, however Previous Republic Surety stepped up and confirmed us they will do extra than simply development. As an agent, it’s good to know that I’ve a surety I can depend on like that. It’s spectacular.”
PNC Park Mission at a Look
- $4.3 million in bonds
- Video manufacturing system substitute
- Proprietor: Pittsburgh Pirates
- Contractor: Texolve Digital Inc., Oakmont, Pennsylvania
- Agent: Wealthy Taylor, ACS Surety Bonds, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Previous Republic Surety consultant: Kerry Enders, bond supervisor, Harrisburg, Pennsyslvania
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