The St. Cloud Times was looking for a more properly configured training room to conduct meetings and training sessions which were previously being held in their warehouse. During the process of planning an addition to their building, they felt it was time to also create a new training and presentation center. The needs they identified included the ability to present information on a large screen, clearly visible anywhere in the room; the ability to view a variety of video outputs including VHS and DVD; and they wanted to be able to display PowerPoint slides and eliminate the use of overheads.

Marco’s video system solutions specialist, Todd Spychala, met with several Times’ staff members to review their needs and provided many solutions to choose from for their new training center. The Times narrowed their equipment choices down to the items they felt would be used on a regular basis and meet their objectives. Marco’s video solution included a new Canon digital projection unit, which is mounted to their ceiling and can be remotely lowered and raised as needed; a Biamp audio system with Innovox speakers; a Draper powered 6’x8’ screen; a JVC DVD player and VCR; and a Canon document camera, which clearly projects paper documents or objects onto the screen. Marco also provided them with portable tables and stackable seating for flexible room reconfiguration. Their new climate-controlled training center accommodates up to 70 people and is used for ongoing employee computer classes, computer assembly and testing, and community meetings.

“The impact of our training has improved significantly," commented Mark Hessler, Building Manager for the St. Cloud Times. “This can be readily seen in the heavy use our new training center now receives. The comments we’ve received about the impact of this new technology have all been positive.” Mark added, “Employees would be a little tentative about bringing outside people here because we didn’t have a nice facility to accommodate them. We now have a much more professional environment.”

Once the equipment was installed, Marco conducted three training sessions for the Times’ employees to familiarize them with their new equipment. Two training sessions were conducted for general users, and one more in-depth session for their technical staff.

Mark commented on the installation and training process, “The installation, training, and response to our concerns we received from Marco was outstanding. Marco’s employees were knowledgeable and enthusiastic about the equipment and their work. They worked well with other contractors, were present when needed, and completed the job on time.”

Within two weeks of the installation, the lift elevator on the Times’ new projector broke. Mark was pleased with Marco’s responsiveness to the problem. He said, “When we had problems with the lift, Marco was quick to try and fix the problem and finally replaced the lift under warranty. The bottom line is they were very responsive.”

Today, the St. Cloud Times is taking advantage of the many benefits of their new training facility and video system:

The St. Cloud Times—part of Gannett Co. Inc., a Fortune 300 company—is a daily newspaper serving the Central Minnesota area. They employ more than 175 full-time and 100 part-time workers in a variety of positions. The Times recently revamped an existing room into a presentation and training center with a new video system for employee training, presentations, and community meetings.