BlairSammons.com

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the administrative assistant at Posilovich Enterprises. We own and manage multiple commercial buildings.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with BlairSammons.com?

After initially reaching out to Blair, who owns a one-man company, to provide tech training for our owner, we brought him on as a full-time IT consultant.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Blair searched for and installed new computers and an advanced copier better suited for our in-house needs. He programmed them with compatible software and integrated G Suite and QuickBooks. Blair now works as our IT consultant, providing assistance or maintenance as problems arise.

What is the team composition?

We work directly with Blair.

How much have you invested with them?

We have spent around $20,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with him in November 2017 and the partnership is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

With thorough research and in-office observations, Blair finds the software that best suits our needs and optimizes our office workflow. Since partnering with him, we have increased productivity and efficiency. For example, our new copier has reduced my weekly copy job from three hours to 40 minutes.

How did BlairSammons.com perform from a project management standpoint?

Blair takes charge of any assigned tasks. He does the necessary research and then provides us with multiple options and suggestions to guide our final decisions on software issues. We communicate steadily through email, phone call, or text.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We enjoy having him around the office. His amiable and humorous personality made for a lasting partnership.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can’t really think of anything. He communicates consistently and works well with our team.

Any advice for potential customers?

Trust his judgement, he really knows what he is doing.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a video producer on the brand team at Verizon Connect. We provide GPS tracking diagnostics, vehicle routing, and other services that connect people to technology.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Blair Sammons?

We needed a centralized location for all of our video assets to allow multiple editors could work on the same material simultaneously over high-speed data lines.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Blair (IT Consultant, Blair Sammons) worked with our IT department to organize the setup and hired an outside vendor to run the lines. He then installed the racks, made several adjustments to the endpoints, and taught our staff how to effectively use everything. We’re using a Synology system, which I’m personally familiar with.

What is the team composition?

We worked solely with Blair throughout the project.

How did you come to work with Blair Sammons?

He was referred to us by an outside agency that we were previously working with.

How much have you invested with them?

The equipment costs were between $20,000–$40,000, but I can’t recall the total for labor costs.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in August 2017, and he provides ongoing support around bringing on new employees.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

It’s too early to speak to measurable results, as we haven’t started using the equipment to its full potential yet. We don’t have our assets push to the new machines yet, so we’ll have more data once that gets done. However, the system has been reliable thus far.

How did Blair Sammons perform from a project management standpoint?

Everything went smoothly once Blair took a lead on the project; we never had to step in or intervene. Communication was very effective on both ends. We spoke primarily via email.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Blair is knowledgeable and takes a straightforward approach to his work. He keeps our interactions simple, which has been very helpful for us.

Any advice for potential customers?

Make sure to come up with a detailed plan and explain it as thoroughly as possible. This will save time and improve your overall experience.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the campaign director for Align International, a nonprofit organization. We partner with local churches in Uganda to bring aid to impoverished kids affected by AIDS.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with BlairSammons.com?

Part of my role is to coordinate our annual fundraising gala, and I needed helped with AV technology.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Blair was responsible for all of the tech and AV needs during the cocktail reception of the program. In advance of the event, we needed direction and assistance with ordering equipment. Blair gave input and direction for all of the equipment that we would need to make sure that the cocktail portion was run successfully. At the venue, he set up the Wi-Fi, speakers, microphone, and a VR station. He was also in charge of making sure that the sound was on par with our timeline for the reception. He managed several volunteers during the reception to ensure that everything ran efficiently. At the end of the evening, he tore everything down and packed it up.

What is the team composition?

Blair is a team of one.

How did you come to work with BlairSammons.com?

My husband knows Blair from volunteering at church. We found out that he does AV for a living, so I gave him a call.

How much have you invested with them?

Blair gave us a significant discount because we’re a nonprofit. He donated several hours of his time, and then charged us a rate of $125 per hour for two and a half hours.

What is the status of this engagement?

I contacted Blair in February 2018, and the event was held in April 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

It was the most successful cocktail reception that we've ever had. We raise funds during the cocktail reception through a silent auction. In previous years, our sound quality was so poor that we weren’t able to direct people to the appropriate areas. The consistent feedback I got this year is that the sound played a huge part in making the silent auction a success by directing people to different stations around the venue.

How did BlairSammons.com perform from a project management standpoint?

Blair is amazing at working independently, without need for oversight. He took a lot of the event responsibilities off my plate, which is awesome. We primarily communicated through phone and email to get him prepped for the event. During the reception, he floated all around the venue to set up and to check in with each team member.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I've had a lot of experience hiring tech and AV teams. Blair's knowledge is very well-rounded so he’s able to jump in to help with a lot of different problems. In any tech area, Blair really knew what to do. He took charge and led the team instead of me having to direct everyone. He figured everything out on his own, and made sure that the event was successful.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, he far exceeded my expectations.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Find out what he's capable of doing, and then utilize him to the maximum of his abilities. I personally took on more than I needed to, and then Blair ended up taking over many of the tasks. He’s very talented, so allow him to direct.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Directive Consulting is a digital marketing firm with around 30 employees. I handle our agency operations and search marketing.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with BlairSammons.com?

We have client-facing account managers who use video calls on a regular basis. We found our WiFi was struggling to keep up with our demands, so we wanted to find a solution outside of our internet provider.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Blair (IT Consultant, BlairSammons.com) has added some more advanced hardware along with a different security setup which makes up feel more comfortable. He’s installed everything and monitored out network to make sure everything is working correctly. He’s primarily done the work on site.

What is the team composition?

We’ve only worked with Blair.

How did you come to work with BlairSammons.com?

He’d done some work for a marketing company that we’d also done work for, so that’s how we came to know each other. He was a natural choice when we moved offices and increased our staff.

How much have you invested with them?

I believe we’ve spent less than $10,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in December 2017 and continue to use him on an as-needed basis. Our company is rapidly expanding, so we have to increase our internet capacity to keep up. We’ve recently added a backup internet failsafe in case our internet goes out.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

We were seeing issues with our internet cutting in and out, which hindered our productivity on some days. Blair’s contributions have increased our staff’s productivity and we’re now able to get things done more quickly.

How did BlairSammons.com perform from a project management standpoint?

His project management is fairly good. There have been times when we’ve had to wait on a piece of hardware, but that’s not necessarily his fault. He’s always been on time for any installations or meetings. We use email and phone for communication.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Communication is one of his strong points. He’s good at getting back to any type of question I have and makes himself readily available whenever we have an issue. If I can’t reach him on the phone, then he’ll email or call back within a few hours at the most.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Blair is a professional who is fully capable of diagnosing your networking issues and providing suggestions for improvement on a low budget. He’s great to fill in the gap between service providers and provide his expertise for a growing company. Be aware of the types of products you’re purchasing and understand that their expense is necessary for your network’s integrity and security. Blair will lay everything out for you and stay communicative the entire time.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

INK is an advertising agency that does various kinds of marketing: print and digital ads, commercials, email marketing, and more. I'm the operations manager and I oversee the day-to-day activities of the business.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Blair Sammons?

We were moving, so we needed a vendor to help us set up our IT system and make sure everything is working.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

He purchased all the materials and physically moved our equipment from our old building to the new office. It took him about two days to physically set everything up, run wires to all the TVs, and make sure everyone had a remote access VPN (Virtual Private Network) connection. He provides ongoing IT services and comes into our office twice a week to answer our questions or fix any issues we have.

What is the team composition?

We work directly with Blair (Sammons, IT Consultant, BlairSammons.com)

How did you come to work with them?

He was referred to us by one of our current employees who worked with Blair previously.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with him in January 2017 and the relationship is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

The move went quickly and there were no issues, which helped us stay productive, without slowing down our work. He answers all of our questions and has a can-do attitude–he works on every problem until it's solved.

How did they perform from a project management standpoint?

He explains to us what steps need to happen in order for the task to be completed and meets all of his deadlines. He's available via email, phone, or text, and he also has a remote website where we can create a ticket to request his services.

What did you find most impressive about them?

He's very proactive and responsive. We like his positive approach to work.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don't think so. He's fantastic and we really enjoy working with him.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

He has a lot of different ideas. I don't know much about IT, so it's been great to have someone who takes the reins. He always has multiple solutions, but he'll help you choose the one that works best for your needs.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the president of AtYourGate. We are a mobile e-commerce and in-airport gate delivery service. Customers can order from restaurants or retailers in the airport. We’ll have staff in the airport to go pick items up and bring them to the gate. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with BlairSammons.com?

Early on we had to describe what we did as it’s a new idea in the airport space. Airports, the concessionaires, and different people in the industry needed to quickly understand what it is we do, why we do it, and who benefits. For that reason, we needed help with video marketing.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They led the development of the video to communicate that message quickly and efficiently. It began with creating a 60-second video. We had to design and storyboard a video that in 60 seconds could communicate the message. Blair [IT Consultant, BlairSammons.com] had to understand our message, understand our brand strategy, and what our brand was all about, so that when we communicated the message, it was consistent with our brand with our architecture, and with our look and feel. It had to be fun and eye-catching.

They wrote the script. We had an objective of introducing what we did, so there were a lot of words that had to be created for a storyline. Blair, with help from the creative team, had to make sure the words quickly succinctly communicated what we needed to do. 

What is the team composition? 

Blair is an independent sole proprietor, but he’s got a network of other people that he connects with. It could be from a video development standpoint or digital marketing perspective or tech perspective. He’s extremely well connected, especially here in Orange County, California. He brings resources forward based on the needs of his clients.

How did you come to work with BlairSammons.com?

I’ve worked with Blair on some other projects here and there. He came recommended by some other agencies. We’ve had an ongoing business relationship for the last 5–7 years. 

How much have you invested with them?

Under $10,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from June to August 2016. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

The video is our explainer front and center on the website. It’s had 1,000 plus views and is very well received. All of us senior executives use it in our email signature. If people want to know what it is, we send them the YouTube link, because within 60 seconds it says what we do. People say they get it and that’s what I wanted. I needed people to look at it, spend a minute, and have an understanding. He accomplished the objective.

Out of well over 1,000 views, I can attest to the fact that I have not had one person say they didn't understand. If I was keeping score, I’d say 1,000 people liked it and got it and none didn’t like it or didn’t get it. They nailed it.

How did BlairSammons.com perform from a project management standpoint?

I give Blair 9.5 out of 10. He is working as the project lead with outside influences. If he had direct control of all resources and they worked for him, I’d probably give him a 10 out of 10. He has to use his influence on other people who work for other companies. Going into it, you know there's a network of related and associated people that he’s working with. We communicated by text, email, and phone.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I’ve been in the marketing space 25 years. I’ve worked with other companies who have done explainer, short informational videos like this. I can certainly attest the fact that Blair and his team were the best I’ve ever worked with.

He’s very professional. He’s got a good brain and is a good man. Part of our culture is we like to work with people who are great. He fit with our culture because of his personality, his honor, his integrity, how he handles situations, how he communicates, is easy to work with, and how I can count on him. Those are all very important traits, because some agency people are not good people. He’s the complete opposite of that. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

No. I know he’s evolving his portfolio. It’s amazing watching him build the breadth and depth of his skills. I guess my only advice to him would be to continue to diversify. He does a lot of IT and technical work and has a very broad, diverse portfolio. I would challenge him to keep expanding because he’s getting better and more relevant to people that way.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Blair has the skill to synthesize what you need and then come back to you with the salient points. Don’t hold back and tell him what you’re thinking about. In our case, we sent him our brand standards and brand positioning documents. It was probably more than he needed to know, but he was able to take all of that and get a better sense of where we’re coming from. You don’t need to spoon feed him.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I work at Nice Shirt Media, we’re a video production agency and a culture consultancy. We do a lot of work in the digital marketing space, with a specific focus on targeted video marketing. Our job is to work with brands on identifying who they are, the language that they need to be using, and how they want to be perceived in the market, and then we produce video content that reflects those preferences. I work in client relations, project management, and general creative strategy.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Blair Sammons?

We have a lot of IT needs for what we do, because we’re very much in the tech and digital marketing space. We also need high processing power and high-quality hardware to support the work we do with video.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We brought Blair on to help us build out a system of high-performance computers that could run the kind of software that we needed, and to set up a server capacity that would allow us to back everything up and store everything we needed. Most of the work he did for us was done remotely, so he would finish the IT builds, send us the hardware, and then be able to remotely access it and help us set everything up.

What is the team composition?

I'm not entirely sure. I have only worked with Blair directly, but I don't know if there are other people that I just wasn't interfacing with.

How did you come to work with Blair Sammons?

We’ve known each other for a long time, but I had worked with other IT consultants before him. When our previous vendor didn’t work out, he was the natural next step. I initially reached out for a recommendation, but he had transitioned to doing IT work fulltime, so it made more sense to just hire him directly.

How much have you invested with them?

For the computer hardware, we invested about $5,000. As for the server set up, we're closer to $20,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in August of 2016, and completed the project within 4-6 weeks. We’ve continued to work together on various projects since.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

Our ability to access and edit the footage that we work with has become four or five times faster since improving our set up with Blair. We're working with high-resolution, 4K raw footage, and before the restructure, we'd have to use a proxy workflow and down-res the footage to edit and work on it. With what he has built for us, we're able to live-view full-resolution material and edit it, which has been amazing.

How did Blair Sammons perform from a project management standpoint?

He was great. With a lot of vendors, I unfortunately end up spending a lot of my time tracking people down to get updates on the project, but Blair was always on top of it. If there was ever a hiccup or a delay, or if we were ahead of schedule, he would reliably reach out and provide updates on the status. Throughout the project, his communication and follow through were great.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We’ve worked with several IT consultants and a lot of people in the field are singularly focused, in that they’re not great with client communication, follow through, or project management. That hasn’t been the case with Blair at all. He’s been great at meeting deadlines, and he’s a very open communicator.

The cost-benefit ratio of working with them has also been great. We were paying our last IT consultant just under double what we pay now, and the work that we've gotten from Blair has been better, partially just because I knew what was going on throughout the course of the engagement.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No. My partners and I have been thrilled with the work.

Advice for potential customers?

When you make the decision to hire an IT professional, my recommendation would be to trust them. We tend to follow his suggestions, because there’s always a reason behind them.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the operations director at Cross of the Christ Church in Southern California.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Blair?

We had numerous audio, video and IT needs, which I didn't have the expertise to address, so we contracted Blair to do those services for us. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

He did all the audio/video work for us: he set up ProPresenter on a MacBook Pro and networked that into our system. He also installed a lighting sequence, so we now have stage lighting that we can control through the MacBook. Everything is captured on the console and is linked to the video and audio, so we can even run our church band sound system. 

He worked remotely on the programming and then brought the console and the speakers on site to set everything up. He also found the best deals on all the products we had to purchase and trained our volunteers on how to use the system. His services are very broad when it comes to the general computer technology.

How did you come to work with them?

I found Blair through a referral. 

How much have you invested with them?

We spent around $10,000–$12,000.

What is the status of this engagement? 

We started working together in July 2017, and the project is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

He delivered the most efficient product that requires the least amount of setup, which is exactly what I was looking for. We get the maximum output using very few parts, so people with little tech experience can set up and run the system. We've been very pleased with the results.

How did they perform from a project management standpoint?

He's very professional in his communication and delivers everything on time. We used text and email to communicate and met in person for the training.

What did you find most impressive about them?

He's friendly, knowledgeable, and has a natural ability at training people. Our volunteers are now comfortable using the system with little oversight because he guided them through the process.

Are there any areas they could improve?

He runs a small business and doesn't have a lot of support staff, so I might not have immediate access to him if he's working on another project.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Share your needs with him, and he'll find a way to address them – even if they seem out of his scope. He's very resourceful and has a network of people he works with.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the music producer for Fresh Life Church. We record the sermon every weekend, and we have a large production team of cameras and live streaming. I work with bands of musicians, doing recording, mixing, and songwriting.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with BlairSammons.com?

I needed a new computer, but I use numerous programs that run in a Mac OS environment, so I didn’t want to leave that. Those types of computers are expensive, though, so we were trying to find a way to get the tech we needed without spending as much money.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

My computer needed to have a Thunderbolt interface, and I saw that a Hackintosh could let me do that without spending as much. However, it’s pretty tricky, but Blair said he could get it done. He explained how it would work and answered any of my questions, because I needed it to have specific features and capabilities.

Getting a Thunderbolt to function on a device that’s not officially supported is a pretty difficult task, but Blair found a way to do it that’s reliable and efficient. He set it up and shipped the entire computer to me, assembled and ready-to-go.

What is the team composition?

The team is just him.

How did you come to work with BlairSammons.com?

Blair’s a friend of mine, so I reached out to him, told him what I needed, and he said he could do it.

How much have you invested with them?

Including labor and parts, the final price was just under $3,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

He started and completed the project in June. It was a quick build.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

I actually had him build me my own personal computer because I was so happy with the one he built for the church. His machines can run circles around others. When I first got the computer, I wanted to do a stress test to see how far I could push it. I opened a project and added as many plugins as possible, but it wouldn’t break; that’s how good it is.

We did a live recording with numerous musicians and recorded the whole thing for about an hour, and the computer processed all the input with almost no latency. We multi-track recorded, playing 150 gigs of content, and it was constantly processing through the whole night. That’s a huge achievement, and I never dreamed of doing anything like that on a laptop. It works much better than I thought it would.

How did BlairSammons.com perform from a project management standpoint?

Blair was excellent. He knows how to discern what I want and then finds a way to deliver. He instantly responded to any questions I had, and he moved as fast or as slow as I wanted. He always knew what to do next, right away. We mainly communicated through text or email when I needed something more concrete.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I was incredibly impressed at how smoothly the Thunderbolt connector works. My whole workflow goes through it, so I needed to make sure it would function perfectly. When I was researching online, numerous people said it was risky, but Blair was confident he could figure out a way to make it work. And he did. He paid attention to my needs and found the best solution to meet them.

Not only is Blair great at his job, but he’s a joy to be around. We get along well, and that makes working together so much better.

Are there any areas they could improve?

He might move too fast for some people. Within an hour of asking him about the project, he sent me a parts list, projected cost, timeline, etc. I think it shows drive, but I could see how that might intimidate someone who likes to take their time with these kinds of decisions.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Blair works best when he's challenged to do something difficult. He can accomplish easy and simple jobs, but that’s not where he shines. To really take full advantage of Blair, give him projects that need creative tech solutions.