Cool Technology for One Cool Cat

At 6'4" and 300 pounds, right tackle Jordan Gross of the Carolina Panthers knows when his body has been through a workout. “So it’s great to have a place where I can relax,” he says. Since moving to south Charlotte last year, that place is a spectacular media room—complete with a 96-inch screen—that Gross had installed in the bonus room over his garage.

After the Panthers selected him in the 2003 NFL draft, Gross moved into a townhouse and then to a larger single-family dwelling, before finding a permanent south Charlotte home last year with the space and privacy for a young family. Yet each of his homes has one thing in common—a media room installed by a Charlotte company, Intelligent Technologies, that specializes in “custom integration.”

“Custom integration of home electronics systems is necessary because of the many in-home technologies now available, and the uniqueness of each home and homeowner,” relates president Charles Walker. For that reason, Intelligent Technologies conducts extensive interviews with its clients. “That’s important,” he explains, “because we work with our customers throughout the entire installation process. And we educate them about technology so they can make better decisions about their systems.”

While media rooms and home theaters are popular, many other custom electronic products are gaining ground. A “distributed audio/video“ system permits families to enjoy their favorite music or DVDs in any room of their homes. Lighting controls are increasingly popular. And many families are now networking all of their home computers, so that digital media stored on one machine can be distributed to computers throughout the house. With so many possibilities, Walker founded Intelligent Technologies as a “one-stop shop that not only builds the wiring infrastructure, but also handles the setup of the computers themselves.”

Recently retired from a long career as a Microsoft Corporation engineer, Walker launched Intelligent Technologies in 1997 to meet the need for a custom integrator in the Charlotte market. Rather than take off-the-shelf systems and squeeze them into a home or business, the company creates custom solutions for each locale.

With certification by the Custom Electronic Design and Installation Association (CEDIA) and designation as a Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer (MCSE), Walker believes he and his company offer experience that can save homeowners in the long run. “We know how to make your systems scalable to handle more add-ons,” he advises, “and since we’re on top of the latest research, we can ‘future-proof’ your home to accommodate new technology.”

Jordan Gross affirms that “a professional installation adds value to our home in a way that a do-it-yourself job never could.” Though it will take more than a satisfied right tackle for the Panthers to win the Super Bowl, he declares that “our new media room is a winner!”

Find out how Intelligent Technologies can transform your home by visiting www.itechsystemsonline.com or calling 704-583-4618.