Low Voltage Solutions’ (LVS) experience and skilled employees work to ensure the delivery of only the best products and services in the low voltage electrical installations industry. The company is a full-service provider of low voltage infrastructures and products. It has been supplying cabling infrastructures systems for data, voice, and video along with fire alarm, audio/visual, sound, and security systems in the Chicagoland area since 1997.
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“One of the biggest differentiators between us and some of the other low voltage contractors is our ability to handle large scale projects and provide the industry’s top manufacturer certifications. Low Voltage Contractors of our size and capability are typically divisions of their larger Electrical division. We work with the electrical contractors who either do not have a low voltage division or those who do but are not able to provide the top manufacturer certification. That’s where we deliver the most value,” said the company’s Chief Executive Officer Gary St. Cin.
What began as solely a structured cabling company by offering voice and data services during the dot.com era has expanded to better serve its growing customer base. The business has remained viable and competitive by spreading into IT, security and other services that serve as a natural extension of its low voltage solution repertoire.
“We’re strictly a low voltage company,” St. Cin explained. “Besides working with our electrical contractor partners, we also perform work for general contractors, direct end-users, industrial, K-12, colleges and universities, retail, and healthcare facilities. We offer voice, data, video, fire alarm, audio/visual, sound and security systems. That’s our go-to; we’re a one-stop-shop,” he said.
“We wanted to spread our expertise out over other low voltage systems. When [requests for proposal] come out from general contractors or electrical contractors, we needed to be able to provide most, if not all, of the low voltage systems in the RFP. This way the General Contractor or Electrical Contractor only needs to manage and hire one Low Voltage Contractor, not three or four. Over the years we were able to bring in the right people to handle all of those different varieties of low voltage systems.”
It only took a few years for LVS to realize its full potential, as it seized every opportunity that presented itself. St. Cin cites Silver Cross Hospital as the project that proved to be a major turning point for the company, catapulting it to success.
“There’s only one new hospital in the Chicagoland area that has been built from the ground up. There have been a lot of patient towers and medical office buildings built over the years,” St. Cin explained of Silver Cross Hospital. “LVS performed the structured cabling on that project. It was a two-year project – a high-vision project – and we landed the work, and it came in on time and under budget.” What more could a client want?
The company was selected as the low voltage specialist for the new 289-bed facility, located on seventy-six acres in New Lenox, Illinois. Silver Cross was a state-of-the-art project exemplifying the integration of advanced healthcare and building technology applications. The hospital broke ground in 2008 and was completed in 2012 and is truly exceptional.
LVS completed premium cabling work using some of the best available products on the market. Category 6 cabling systems were installed to support the hospital’s operations. Often called Cat 6, this cable provides higher data rates. The hospital invested in what has been referred to as future-proof technology and employed the industry’s best products, technology and specialists, all of which was facilitated by LVS.
Due to its success on the project, LVS quickly grew and now employs over seventy people. Each of these employees plays a key role in the company’s success, by reinforcing the culture of integrity, quality and safety for which the company is recognized in the industry.
LVS serves Fortune 500 companies, financial and educational institutions, retail structures, hospitality, healthcare and industrial clients as well as data centers and offers only the top products on the market. Following the successful completion of the Silver Cross Hospital, the company acquired certification to supply quality brands that increased the value of its services dramatically. “In fact, training and certifications for our technicians is a high priority for LVS with more than 10 courses completed annually by over 2/3 of our technicians.”
The best in product and service delivery, LVS is versatile, highly-responsive and offers comprehensive, professional services and support. This commitment to its customers’ satisfaction and quality equips LVS to undertake projects of any size, straightforward or complex. It continuously builds on its industry-leading proficiency.
LVS thoroughly understands its customers’ needs, and the company’s experienced, well-qualified team is committed to achieving excellence from consultation and design through installation and project completion.
The LVS Process ensures that customers achieve their vision. The company works closely with its customers in a six-step process to discover their project requirements, present an accurate proposal and quotation and assign the necessary knowledge and resources required to see a project through. All while offering the necessary support that customers need after the job is done.
“We have a great team,” acknowledged St. Cin. “Just the way that we do business is by building long-lasting relationships with all of our customers, and it’s the hard work of the people in the field. It’s a good group of people.” He also highlighted the positive work culture that makes employees a priority.
“We’re very fair with our people,” said St. Cin. The company gives compensation and respect, and has “a good vibe and atmosphere.” LVS will shut down early on select days in the summer to allow for every team member to participate in sales meetings and interact with visiting manufacturer representatives.
“We like to work hard and our people put in long hours,” St. Cin acknowledged. “Occasionally on Friday afternoons we invite our manufacturers’ reps, suppliers and customers and we fire up the grill. It takes time from a busy week.” This seems to be very well received by LVS employees and customers alike.
Moving forward, LVS is looking to expand to serve a wider area. “We’ve completed projects at the University of Illinois and Illinois State University, which is in Central Illinois. We’re seriously considering, in the near future, putting a branch office in Central Illinois to cover those areas,” said St. Cin.
The future of LVS is important for St. Cin, especially since this is a family-owned and operated business. He recognized that his three daughters and his son-in-law are likely to play an important part in the company’s plans. Two of his daughters currently work at LVS.
LVS is committed to the culture of quality that leads to satisfied customers and has fuelled its growth over the years and has driven its well-deserved success in the industry as a leading low voltage and fiber installation specialists.
