Meet Navistar. They are an international company headquartered in the Chicago area and they are a leading manufacturer of commercial trucks, buses, defense vehicles and engines. Like so many of us during the coronavirus lockdown, the team members at Navistar have become adept at videoconferencing from home. But recently, their team started returning to the office. They needed a solution that would allow them to continue to host video conferences that go beyond a single laptop and that includes the active participation of everyone in the room as well as of external participants.
Hybrid solutions for hybrid offices
Navistar required solutions to turn a number of their traditional conference rooms into full video conference rooms right away. With about 35% of their workforce back in the office, they still needed to connect those in the office with those working remotely. And while the laptop was a great tool for participating in video conferences, its camera and audio are designed for one person at a time. Using ClickShare Conference to connect instantly and wirelessly to all the speakers, mics, and cameras in existing conference rooms, employees were able to still run the meeting from their laptop (and video conferencing software of choice), while capturing all the participants in the room on video with the room camera.
An immediate need
In addition to the hybrid workplace challenges many are facing today, Navistar had an added layer of urgency in getting video conference rooms set up. They were in merger talks with Volkswagen. This meant a lot of communication was required between department heads and within individual departments as well. Communication that couldn’t to be sent over email or handled over the phone. These meetings needed to be conducted in a way that expressions could be read, and non-verbal communication could be utilized. ClickShare Conference not only met these needs, but because Barco is a large government contractor operating within the requirements of being a GCC (Govt Community Cloud) Tenant, we also provided them with an option that met the requirements for collaboration in the most secure communications on government contracts.
Room friendly and user friendly
In order for video conferencing to be effective, it needs to be easy to use. Because ClickShare Conference instantly and wirelessly connects to cameras, speakers, and mics from just about any manufacturer, Navistar made it easy for all team members to set up a video conference within seconds. The fact that it’s an open system with no need for cables and adapters, makes hybrid meetings as intuitive and straightforward as face-to-face. Users can seamlessly mix and match between Microsoft Teams, Webex, Zoom and many more. No additional software needed, no touch panels to control, no settings to be managed. Navistar could enjoy the same, one-click user experience in all rooms.
Worked so well, they expanded it
For Navistar, there was only about a two-week turnaround from inception of the idea to the first of 20 installations. The video conference rooms they created worked so well and were so intuitive to use, they expanded their scope and created another 30. These video conference rooms have been helpful in connecting team members as they navigate the new normal of hybrid office as well as their merger talks. On October 19th, it was announced that Navistar International accepted a new merger offer from The Volkswagen Group, adding to the number of remote participants on each video conference.
A graduate of DeVry Institute of Technology, Doug has been in the Technology industry since 1976 and actively oversees Fearing’s daily operations. Along with his wife, Lois, and three others, Doug started Fearing’s in a 600 square-foot facility in Portage, Wisconsin. In the 25 years since, the company has grown to over 30 employees with offices in Madison and Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Doug likes to say he’s a “TV Technician with a dream� going back to his history with the family’s original business-Fearing’s TV and Appliance.
Doug values time with family, watersports, hiking, snowshoeing and skiing. In addition to being a devoted member of his church, Doug serves as Board President for Kinship Mentoring of Columbia County, Board member of Schools for Haiti and Scripture Chair of the Gideons-Portage camp.
A graduate of MATC, Lois oversees Fearing’s daily book keeping along with various HR responsibilities.
Along with Doug, Lois is deeply connected to community outreach, serving as a Board member and Fundraising Committee Chairperson for Kinship Mentoring of Columbia County. She also serves on the Schools for Haiti Fundraising committee. In addition, Lois’ ongoing passion and commitment to provide care for the elderly comes from her 10-year history of working in a Reedsburg, Wisconsin Nursing home.
Lois enjoys singing, hiking, sunny days on the pontoon, and spending time with her 4 grandchildren.
Ehren drives Fearing’s technology by continually seeking out trends to enhance capabilities while supporting Sales, Engineering and Installation teams. Throughout his years with Fearing’s, Ehren’s talent and vision have joined forces to create a wide variety of projects and strategic solutions that exceed expectation.
Ehren loves music, family time, movies, nature, sustainability efforts and electric vehicles.
With 10 years with Fearing’s and over twice that long in the industry, Ben continues to lead, coordinate, and develop the Commercial AV team.
By consistently delivering an outstanding experience and outcome, Ben contributes to the Fearing’s legacy of long-lasting partnerships that truly make a difference. Whatever the Commercial AV need may be, Ben and team deliver at the highest level.
Ben is an avid fisherman and photographer. He enjoys coaching his sons and other youth.
Chris has been with Fearing’s for 20 years and in the industry for over 2 decades. As a Certified leader in Sales Acceleration and trained in EOS (Entrepreneurial Operating Systems), Chris successfully utilizes his skills to lead the Fearing’s Salesforce. Chris and team are motivated and driven to develop new client partnerships while continuing to reinforce loyal long-term relationships with ongoing Service excellence.
Married for 19 years with 3 children, Chris enjoys skiing, hiking, fishing, boating, hunting, camping and golf. He’s also been actively involved as a Youth Football and Softball coach for his family and others.
