THE #1 AV NEWS PUBLICATION. PERIOD.

Updated: Whitlock Group Buys Xerox Audio Visual Solutions

whitlock-xerox-0714Updated – the official announcement is below the original story.

Although the ink isn’t dry on the deal yet — and it hasn’t been announced, we know that Whitlock Group — the U.S.’s second largest AV integration firm — is buying the assets of Xerox Audio Visual Solutions.

Xerox has been in AV since 1981, doing business as Xerox Audio Visual (XAV) and is basically like most full-service AV dealers aimed at providing AV rooms and systems for the commercial, education, house of worship, healthcare, retail, hospitality and government markets. Currently, it’s led by John Schweizer, who joined XAV as president and CEO in July of 2012, and have about 10 offices all over the southeastern portion of the U.S. as well as Pennsylvania.

Whitlock Group is headquartered in Richmond, Va., but has over 20 offices in California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia, Washington DC and Washington state.

Neither Whitlock or Xerox will comment on the deal but our sources say it’s a buyout, not a merger, with Whitlock ending up with the assets and not the debt of Xerox. We’ll update this story as we get more information.

_________________

The acquisition has been announced. Here’s the official press release:

Whitlock Announces the Acquisition of Certain Business Operations of Xerox Audio Visual Solutions (XAV)

Whitlock and XAV customers can expect the same level of high quality service plus the added value of a larger footprint and support in key markets.

Whitlock is pleased to announce the acquisition of certain business operations of Xerox Audio Visual Solutions (XAV) from Global Imaging Systems (GIS), a wholly owned subsidiary of Xerox.

While XAV had built a strong audiovisual business with increased emphasis on enterprise and government customers, after strategic review, GIS decided that XAV did not align with the rest of its extensive business services portfolio.

“Whitlock has a strong commitment to culture and a long history of organic growth, but this opportunity with XAVmatched perfectly with our core business principles and values,” states Doug Hall, Whitlock’s CEO.

In deciding to transition out of the business, GIS sought a company that could ensure its audiovisual customers would continue to enjoy excellent service and its employees could continue to develop and grow their careers. Whitlock is able to offer great benefits to both, including a proven track record, financial stability and an expanded footprint for improved service and support nationally and globally.

A number of XAV operational employees will become Whitlock employees, with customer relationships and existing contracts being assigned to Whitlock. XAV business operations in Florida, Georgia, Alabama, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania will further strengthen Whitlock’s national service delivery to enterprise customers.

“Whitlock’s mission is to retain, acquire and develop mutually rewarding customer partnerships and the most respected workforce in the industry,” Doug explains. “The XAV addition has provided an opportunity for Whitlock to acquire some exceptional employee talent and customer relationships which are complementary to our existing business.”

“The more we met with XAV leadership, mutual respect grew into excitement about our common cultures and strategic direction,” adds Roger Patrick, Whitlock’s COO. “We were more aligned than we could have imagined, and the merging of our teams will allow Whitlock to quickly scale in key markets and offer the talented XAV workforce a place to develop their career paths, contribute to best practices and continue to deliver outstanding customer experiences.”

As of today, Whitlock has 20 U.S. locations and more than 700 employees.

Top