Derek Donnelly's vision has gotten him places. Staying focused on providing the best possible solutions for builders has paid off exponentially for the Long Island integrator and force behind Clear Vision Technologies (CVT). Donnelly "cut some teeth" with Property Markets Group (PMG), a New York-based developer, when they were just starting out as a commercial telecom contractor. Early projects were condominiums and hotels in Manhattan, and they marked Donnelly's beginnings in the residential and hospitality sectors.

"PMG purchased some hotels and we went to work on upgrading the telephony solutions and CCTV," recalls Donnelly. "I've always worked hard to provide the best solutions for their projects. I would never settle for whatever solution I had in my portfolio. If you want to keep your customer for a long time, sell them what they need instead of what you have. It's extra work but it pays off."

PMG now boasts a $3 billion portfolio and is synonymous with some of the swankiest addresses in New York City—among them, 823 Park Avenue, On the Avenue and Hotel 57. Its properties in Florida hardly pale: there's a 1,300-acre Jack Nicklaus-designed golf community in Sarasota and a 2,700-acre equestrian community in Ocala, to name a couple. Its latest undertaking, MEi, is the all-the-rage luxury condo tower being erected on the last build-able bit of beach in Miami. This last resort is in many ways a first and takes its desirable place on a strip known as "Millionaires Row." The 134 owners will enjoy 21st century technology, according to Clear Vision. Delivering that technology is Donnelly's department; it's his job to bring inexpensive, whole-house controls using IPTV networks to the MEi high-rise luxury condos. He's the solutions guy and, as such, has assembled just the right arsenal to provide them.

The Triple Take

Collaboration is key to the MEi project, as the technological scope is broad, spanning voice, video, data, and infrastructure technologies. The triple-play package being bundled for MEi residents includes Internet protocol television (IPTV) with video on demand (VOD), voice-over-Internet protocol (VoIP), and Internet access. With the experience he's amassed over the years, Donnelly has evolved into a general contractor of information technology for builders and developers. He assesses the needs of a project and then brings together a team of partners to make it happen that are specialists in their own fields.

"No one company can pull it off and do it well," says Donnelly. "It all goes back to selling what the customer needs instead of what you have on the shelf. We have been challenged to find the best partners for this project. You have to get people with the same vision that won't let egos get in the way of progress. An integrator must look to what they do best and focus on that with blinders on. You have to resist the temptation to stray off the plan."

That plan for bringing high tech to MEi is being realized through the cooperative efforts of three companies. Joining Clear Vision are New York-based Elite Performance Integration (EPI) and Guest-Tek (GTK) of Calgary, Canada, the largest single global provider of hospitality broadband services and VOD solutions provider that supports MEi's IPTV offering. Both EPI and GTK fill a large bill and are proving to be up to the challenges inherent to the MEi project, according to Clear Vision.

EPI's role is to design, engineer, project manage, market and sell integrated systems that enhance lifestyles in upscale condominium residences. EPI managing partner Michael Curtin explains, "Our value to builders, developers and our integrated systems partners is creating the ‘process' which enables the team partners to bring these projects to a successful conclusion."

The systems they designed, efficiently and on time, include home theater, lighting automation, shade controls, climate controls, distributed audio, iPod integration, telephone, video, data, integrated packages as well as access to amenities and concierge systems.

Not an easy task, as Curtin's counterpart, managing partner John Predham, points out. "In many ways, the design of MDU [multidwelling unit] systems is harder than a complex integrated system. With custom, you're typically designing systems for individuals whose nuances you have gotten to know on many levels. For [MDUs], you're designing for potentially several hundred people or more whom you've never even met. The infrastructure has to go in long before you meet the homeowners and it has to be done in a way that does not impact the developer or builder and their budgets for construction."

GTK also has a full plate—to provide the triple-play service engine, its OneView platform that delivers Internet, telephony, and media services, as a baseline service package for each unit. The MEi project marks a limited entry to the MDU space where GTK is able to deploy its system and be a back-end provider of the infrastructure. "This allows us to focus on our core areas of expertise in delivering and supporting triple-play platforms while the developer and management companies can take care of the requirements of individual residents," says Mike Tourigny, GTK's executive vice president, marketing. He adds, "We definitely see the inclusion of IP tripleplay systems as the emerging standard for new MDU developments as homebuyers will be looking for the flexibility and service quality that these systems can deliver."

Donnelly agrees. "In custom MDUs, the traditional cable providers really have no place," he says. "They move too slowly and cannot integrate applications into their very broad networks and closed networks."

The only systems, Donnelly contends, that are standards-based and widely accepted are privately owned networks like IP. "We are just beginning in these new solutions," he says, "and there is so much more we will be able to accomplish that we have not yet even conceived of. If we build well-managed and open networks, people will think of new applications to run on them. The Internet is a good example. Someone built it and the applications just keep coming."

Collaboration Is Key

Building the open networks of which Donnelly speaks, in order to facilitate progress, is becoming a reality because of his willingness to collaborate with others. EPI's Predham says, "Partnering with other integrators is always a challenge. You need to trust who you are working with and clearly understand each other's scope of work for the particular project."

This project was pretty simple for EPI to define: Clear Vision would create superior value with its managed building-wide network and offer triple-play packages including phone, data and video services using the latest technology. EPI would handle the systems integration work process within each unit and partner with local installers for installation and service.

"As the general contractor of information technology, Clear Vision has to assign responsibility for the network and applications that run on it," says Donnelly. "We make sure the applications and vendors are the correct ones for the project and that they will work. [Clear Vision] does have a great deal of input on the network design, but EPI is the chosen integrator for the MEi project and it has produced some excellent technology packages for the homeowners in unit technology. Its design work is unmatched."

Donnelly was also very secure in his confidence in GTK. He had previously engaged its services for the VOD, IPTV and high-speed Internet access (HSIA) solution for a hotel project. "I started out wanting a coax non-IP solution for the hotel and solicited two bids: one for a coax solution and one for an IPTV/VOD solution. Both bidders were known in the industry as the leader in their fields. GTK was into guestroom HSIA for hotels and entering into VOD. I spoke with a contact at Cisco Systems about the reliability of IPTV and became convinced that was the way to go."

Donnelly contends that if the coax proposal would have allowed for a short-term contract, he may have gone that way first with a planned upgrade later. It was a bit early for IPTV, but if he'd gone with a coax solution he'd be stuck with it when, a few years later, other competing hotels would be using a better solution.

"Making the best choice for the customer was the paramount issue," he says. "I chose the IPTV solution supported by GTK as the best hotel IP service provider and Cisco systems as a guarantee of network performance. That was the first IPTV hotel install in North America and it came with a few more cut teeth. Now we have the best solutions for integrated MDUs."

Piecing it Together

So when PMG asked Donnelly to propose a solution for the MEi project, one that required many pieces of technology, he started thinking about how to provide a standards-based integration solution that would allow different vendors to communicate across a common network. "I realized I already had one and I was building the prototype already. I approached GTK about working with Clear Vision to provide a solution for luxury integrated MDU."

Although the idea was accepted, it took some time, says Donnelly, for everyone to see the value. "It turned out to be a great approach for some hotel and condo hotel brands, as well. Now, we can provide the best of breed network and exceptional management for our customers. I just want to provide the best solution possible."

Tourigny is pleased that GTK is part of that solution. "It's great for GTK to have a player like Clear Vision on the project to ensure all the various components of technology and infrastructure planning are in place. It removes many of the potential risk areas where a project can go over budget or get delayed due to gaps in communication or planning."

One Network

Indeed, Donnelly reports that the shell is going up at press time and residents will begin arriving around August 2007. He maintains that you must always have a presence on the job site or problems will sneak up on you. He won't maintain the systems once they're up and running, he will supervise those who do.

While the cost of the triple-play service varies from project to project, Donnelly points out that the service is not like that of a local cable provider. These systems are custom-built to match each developer's vision.

Builders should be aware, says Donnelly, that savvy competitors are offering these bundled packages to boost customer satisfaction and to make money. For developers selling parcels to individual builders, offering triple-play services can boost per-lot-sales prices because the land will be more desirable. The value goes beyond that though, Donnelly asserts.

"It's more than just triple-play. It's about the total solution that allows any application to run on it and having someone to keep it running," he says. "With our solution, homeowners can have their amenities, CCTV, and administration services running on one network."

PMG opted to offer IPTV in MEi because, according to PMG founder Mitchell Schneiderman, "We wanted the most advanced solution to enhance the value of the property. Everything we do has to add value and be the best quality for our clients. The network allows many vendors to install their systems on it at a reduced cost to the project."

The triple-play service costs are included in the homeowner's association fees at MEi and customer service is available 24/7. "The builder still can see some profit but without the headache," Donnelly says. "We are good at taking headaches away and dealing with them." THB

Erin Harrington is a freelance writer based in Lindenhurst, N.Y