Professional Sound - December 2017 | Page 30

FORWARD- THINKING FOR 40 YEARS SOLOTECH CELEBRATES A MILESTONE ANNIVERSARY By Kevin Young S ince being founded in Montreal in 1977, Solotech has become a world-class provider of technical solutions and services for a broad range of clients, market sectors, and appli- cations worldwide. Since marking their 35 th anniversary in 2012, the company has continued to expand and evolve with the goal of bet- ter serving its growing client base while adopting and deploying leading-edge technologies from the various tech seg- ments it covers. For insight into their recent efforts, operations, and future trajectory, Profes- sional Sound approached Philip Giffard and Martin Chouinard, presidents of Solotech’s Sales and Integration and Rental Divisions, respectively, as well as President and CEO Martin Tremblay. Solotech announced Tremblay’s appoint- ment as president and CEO on June 1 st , 30 • PROFESSIONAL SOUND 2017. He boasts years of experience in en- tertainment and technology, having served as president and CEO of Ubisoft before moving to L.A. to fill the role of president/ CEO and, ultimately, president of world- wide studios for Vivendi Games, and later as president of Warner Brothers Interactive Entertainment (WBIE) and executive VP of strategy and development for the Just for Laughs Group. Tremblay’s diverse experiences in the entertainment and technology fields are a good fit for Solotech’s ongoing growth and evolving vision and there’s definitely a connection between his background and Solotech’s expertise. In each case, he’s been integral in providing support and tools to colleagues, clients, and consumers in terms of design, engineering, and ensuring that products that may not necessarily fit together at first glance, work flawlessly to realize a common vision. Tremblay's current focus for the com- pany is unsurprisingly forward-looking. The question he poses is: “What is the business going to look like, say, five years from now?” Obviously, the need for traditional pro- duction technology – audio, lighting, video, and so on, will continue. “But everything is turning to IT now,” he offers. “It’s extremely complex. The technology is mind blowing.” Knowledge is key, he continues, add- ing that he’s impressed with the capabili- ties that Solotech brings to the table. “We’re looking at the business, not as it is now, but what it’s going to be, and we want to be among the enterprises and companies that exist within this space and innovate.” Solotech’s insistence on innovation is a part of the reason that the company main- tains so many long-term clients. It’s a con- stant willingness to provide state-of-the- art, larger-than-life experiences for clients and their patrons, audiences, or consumers. That’s true of every facet of the busi- ness – from touring and rentals to integra- tion and beyond. “The promise we make to them is to keep them involved, make them