Tuesday, December 5, 2017

PixelFLEX™ changes perception at Shoreline Church

Located in Destin, Florida, Shoreline Church has always tried to find creative and unique ways to share their message while changing the perception of a typical church. As their congregation has continued to grow, the church recently had the opportunity to continue their ministry vision with the renovation an old nightclub into a modern worship facility. Knowing they wanted to install the technical elements that would allow them to further the creativity of their worship services, they found a key component to their new design in a FLEXLite II 3.9mm LED video system from PixelFLEX™.

“We have used LCD video projection in the past and recently while visiting the WFX Conference, I began seeing how LED video has now become a viable solution for the house of worship market,” began lead pastor Eric Partin. “Since we were in the process of completing a new building, we started looking at the quality of LED video over LCD projection. Before, it seemed that only the big churches with large budgets could afford LED video systems, but once we saw it was also an affordable solution for us, we decided LED video would be the best option for our new worship experience.”

FLEXLite LED from PixelFLEX™ is an economical and dynamic solution which provides both indoor and outdoor solutions ideal for any retail environment. With its bright, dense display and high refresh rate, FLEXLite tiles are calibrated directly out of the box to insure perfect color and brightness, and its easy access back panels allow for simple on-site repairs without the hassle of removing the entire back of a tile.

“If we were going to try and use LCD projectors in the new space, it was going to create some problems as far as the throw distance, and space required for rear projection should we need it,” continued Partin. “When looking at LED video, it was much more effective due to its high-resolution images that were more clear and crisp. The projectors we currently had were older technology, so we were going to have to upgrade anyway, and when researching the benefits of LED over LCD, it was really no comparison.”

With the decision made to move forward with the LED video solution from PixelFLEX™, the team turned their attention to the installation. In the renovation of the former nightclub, the stage would remain in place and provided the ideal location to create the focal point of the new worship design.

“Since the stage was already in place, we team installed a cross beam that holds the LED video wall in a top-hang configuration and then ran the Cat6 network cables to the back of the house which connect to the NovaStar links,” explained Matthew Metcalfe. “We love being able to use it as a more dynamic background for our worship environment with video clips, lyrics, and then also as a set design feature during our services and special events that occur each month.”

Now complete, the FLEXLite II LED video wall at Shoreline Destin measures approximately 16-feet high and 25-feet wide, but as with many congregations, the understanding of how to control the technology would fall mainly upon a team of volunteer technicians. Knowing they would need a bit of guidance to get started, PixelFLEX™ worked with the church to ensure their team could take full advantage of the creative possibilities of LED video.

“We don’t currently have a full-time tech director and when we first installed the wall, we were a bit challenged by what we knew technically,” concluded Partin. “We really relied on the team at PixelFLEX™ to help train our volunteers technicians on how to design with the LED wall, and it’s been a complete game-changer for our congregation. To have the creative potential of LED video, along with all our new production equipment, it really takes our worship services to a whole new level.”

An American-based LED manufacturer, PixelFLEX™ offers creative solutions, reliable products, and dependable service for our industry-leading LED display technologies and solutions. Driven towards excellence to meet your standards, PixelFLEX™ offers a one-of-a-kind design for your tour, event or installation through our award-winning line of LED video walls and video screens. Working with architects, designers, engineers and consultants, PixelFLEX™ is proud to develop custom LED solutions for each and every customer while also providing top-tier customer support throughout the entire experience. For more information on the complete line of PixelFLEX™ LED video walls and video screens, visit PixelFLEX™ at pixelflexled.com, follow us on Twitter at @pixelflexled or find us on Facebook, Instagram or LinkedIn.

Monday, December 4, 2017

Arby’s Restaurant Group to acquire Buffalo Wild Wings

Arby’s Restaurant Group will acquire Buffalo Wild Wings in a deal valued at $2.9 billion including cash and assumed debt. Arby’s, which is controlled by Roark Capital Group, operates upward of 3,300 international restaurants and Buffalo Wild Wings has around 1,250 units in 10 countries. Read the USA Today story here

Everlane to expand into brick-and-mortar retail

Online fashion retailer Everlane will open its first two brick-and-mortar stores in New York City and San Francisco, says The Washington Post. The shops will give the brand a way to win over new customers and give existing shoppers a place to see and touch the pieces before buying.

JHM Hotels divides company after four decades in business

Privately-owned JHM Hotels has divided into four independent companies and will be operated by several family members. The principals, all members of the Rama family, decided last month to drop the JHM Hotels name after 44 years and fold more than 36 properties bearing Hyatt, Marriott or Hilton banners into the new companies. Read the Hotel Business story here

IHG bringing franchise model to China

InterContinental is bringing franchise hotels to China and will seek operators for Crowne Plaza, Holiday Inn and Holiday Inn Resort properties. Read the South China Morning Post story here

Selling Mixed Use Profitably

ThinkstockPhotos 492914418By Liz Holland

Mixed-use commercial property design is clearly in vogue across the country, but turning the vision of “Live, Work, Play” into reality isn’t easy. How does a developer maximize profitability and minimize road blocks? Through clear, constant communication and condensed timelines.

There’s an inherent push-pull with these types of projects from Boston to Chicago to Houston. Residential and office tenants want to see that first-floor retail hub they were promised in place on move-in day. But retailers and restaurants prefer to wait until loads of built-in shoppers are daily traffic before they commit.

Friday, December 1, 2017

U.S. construction spending in October rose +1.4%

Washington, DC – December 1, 2017 – Construction spending during October 2017 was estimated at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $1,241.5 billion, 1.4 percent (±1.5 percent) above the revised September estimate of $1,224.6 billion. The October figure is 2.9 percent (±1.6 percent) above the October 2016 estimate of $1,206.6 billion. During the first 10 months of this year, construction spending amounted to $1,029.6 billion, 4.1 percent (±1.2 percent) above the $988.8 billion for the same period in 2016.

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