The founder of the Polaris Controls agency recalled with AVI Latin America his career in the industry, as well as the history and future plans of the company that has a regional presence.
AVI Latin America
In his adolescence, at the age of 17, Ariel Enrique Gutiérrez took advantage of the summer to work in a recording studio, which became his first experience in the world of audio and would later mark his future and professional development.
In conversation with AVI Latin America, he said that "That was my first real exposure to the world of audio and it was a tremendous experience, in which I learned a lot. I did it one summer and started making copies of radio ad guidelines to tapes that radio stations used before the digital evolution. I also did mixes."
After an academic career in careers apparently not related to the AV world, but to electronics, since he graduated as a Biomedical Engineer, then completed a Master's degree in construction management and began applied doctoral studies in construction engineering, his work career guided him to this exciting industry.
He recalled that after working on Research and Development projects, he went to the lighting controls company Lutron, being in charge of sales in the Caribbean, Central America and later Mexico. He was in charge of Lutron's technical training with different dealers, in a period of 5 years, between 1998 and 2003.
"In 2004 I started a self-built company that operated until 2008, the year in which I went to work at Honeywell in the telecommunications part. During that year at Honeywell I realized that my true passion was in the world of electronics, audio, video, automation, and that's how we started Polaris Controls in 2009," he added.
A new project
In July 2009 and in the company of engineer Maribel A. Barcala-Gutiérrez, Polaris Controls was founded, a full-service representation and support agency for audio, video, lighting, and automation solutions, with a focus on Latin America and the Caribbean. Its objective is to meet the need to develop distribution and installation channels for the products of the factories they represent in this territory.
Maribel A. Barcala-Gutierrez holds a Bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering and a Master's degree in Construction Management. She is fully involved in the day-to-day operations of the company and is responsible for all matters related to customer service.
"Over the past 16 years, Polaris Controls and its team have forged relationships with leading construction contractors, facility owners, electrical contractors, architects, engineers, interior designers, lighting designers, and other construction industry professionals, creating an effective approach to serving customers in the most advantageous way. The team's collective experience and expertise allow us to provide unmatched customer service, support, and ideas to increase sales and product awareness in the assigned territory," he said.
A regional vision
Latin America is a diverse territory of cultures, languages and ways of doing business, although the technology used in the projects is the same. And for a North American or European manufacturer, it can be difficult to understand these dynamics and make it difficult to reach this market. That is why the work carried out by agencies such as Polaris Controls, with their regional vision and knowledge, is so important.
"The Caribbean and Latin America represent a formidable growth opportunity for U.S. and international manufacturers, given the area's construction and development cycles, the appeal of its natural beauty, and proximity to major international ports such as Panama's Port of Colon, Puerto Rico, Miami, and other major import and export centers. In addition, the globalization of the current market, with the arrival of the internet and faster shipments, allows the area to access numerous lines that were previously sold and distributed in countries such as the United States, Mexico and Panama," said Ariel Gutiérrez.
From its headquarters in Miami, Polaris Controls today represents the best manufacturers of audio, video, lighting and automation products that exist in the market, offering its customers all the technical and logistical help they require on certain occasions.
Recently, Polaris Controls opened a strategically located Mexico City office to help its growing area clientele. In addition, they have key personnel in virtual offices in the Dominican Republic, Colombia, Brazil and Guatemala.
"It has been the main goal of Polaris Controls to strongly and constantly train its associates in sales, marketing and technology so that they can collaborate and support 100% to all our customers in technical service, customer service and market experience," he said.
A multidisciplinary team
Ariel Gutierrez highlighted that Polaris Controls achieves its fundamental objectives thanks to the fact that it has a group of professionals who have demonstrated excellent customer service qualities and excellent sales skills strategically located in different Latin American countries to serve and support all customers in the best possible way.
The team is made up of:
Ariel Enrique Gutiérrez: General Manager
• Dynamic, motivating person with a passion for learning and teaching.
• Certified and Licensed General Contractor in Florida.
• Bachelor's Degree in Biomedical Engineering.
• Master's Degree in Construction Administration.
Maribel A. Barcala-Gutierrez: Operations & Customer Service
Focused, motivated and with creative capacity to solve problems, eager to overcome challenges and obstacles. Bachelor's Degree in Civil Engineering.
• Master's Degree in Construction Administration.
Adán Manfredo Ochoa: Account Manager – Caribbean.
• 20 years of experience in construction and projects.
• Bachelor's Degree in Civil Engineering.
• Master's Degree in Construction Management and Business Administration.
• Certified in Lutron, Savant, SAVI IQ, among others.
Juan Pablo García: Technical Director.
• 25 years of experience in project design, management and integration.
• Bachelor's Degree in Electronic Engineering.
• Master's Degree in Finance and Applied Economics
• Certified in Lutron, Savant, Control4, AMX, Creston, SAVI IQ, Dante Level 3, among others.
Gerardo Padilla: Account Manager – Mexico / Lighting
• Professional Profile: Creative, enterprising and pioneer. Architect with a Master's degree in Lighting Design and extensive experience in international design firms.
• Bachelor's degree in Architecture and Lighting Design
Rafael Sañudo Trigo: Account Manager – Mexico / Audio & Video
• 18 years of experience in sales of audio, video and automation products.
• Former Brand Ambassador for Bowers & Wilkins, Paradigm and Bose for Latin America
Javier Onofre González: Account Manager – Mexico / Audio & Video
• Master's Degree in Audio Engineering and Audiovisual Production
• Bachelor's Degree in Law and Social Sciences
• SAVI IQ Certificate among others.
Yamil Slaiman: Account Manager – Dominican Republic & Haiti
• Field experience in project sales, installation, and contracting.
• Master of Business Administration - Marketing
• Certified in Lutron, Savant, SAVI IQ, among others.
Carlos Mario Calderón: Account Manager – South America
15 years of experience in construction, project management and integration
• Bachelor of Electrical Engineering
• Certified in Lutron, Savant, Control4, SAVI IQ, among others.
José Rodolfo Campollo: Account Manager – Central America
• 15 years of experience in Audio, Video and Building Automation
• Bachelor's degree in Agronomy
• Certified in Lutron, Control4, Savant, SAVI IQ, among others.
Roberto Bayonet Robles: Account Manager - Brazil
• 7 years working in the hotel sector, as well as in customer service and administrative positions.
• 8 years working with Lutron Electronics.
• He has high experience working in a major distributor of audiovisual products and lighting in São Paulo, Brazil, for the last 6 years.
• He is fluent in Portuguese, Spanish and English and will be responsible for the development of the market in Brazil
This team is clear that they are a service company that does not manufacture any products. They offer support to five types of customers: Manufacturers: Companies that contract with Polaris Controls; Distributors: Buyers of the products we sell and promote; Installers: Installers of the products we sell and promote: Specifiers: Architects, engineers, interior designers and decorators, computer designers; and End Users: Users of the products we sell and promote.
"It is important to highlight that the success of Polaris Controls through these 16 years of hard work and dedication has been the technical knowledge of our associates, the ability to handle the needs of our customers, the speed of response to each opportunity presented by our customers and the human capacity to strengthen ties of friendship and daily life with all the people who are involved in the process. This process includes everything from product manufacturing, system design, product selection, to installation and programming. The success of Polaris Controls is undoubtedly a product of the passion and commitment that its staff has towards customer service and the final product that is delivered," he said.
Another fundamental point in the effective development of Polaris Controls in the assigned territory is the ability to have practical demonstrations of audio, video, lighting, Networking, Surge Protection, Building Automation, Lighting Controls, Motorized Curtains and IoT devices in most of the countries we cover. We have portable product demos to travel throughout the region and allow our technical customers to become familiar with the products and apply them as efficiently as possible in their projects.
A vision for the future
Polaris Controls is constantly training in new technologies, new products and systems in order to be able to technically serve our customers and to be able to offer them the best solutions and applications for their projects.
To achieve this, it is affiliated with different industry organizations and attends the most important industry exhibitions allowing us to be up to date on all innovations and new technologies available in the market. The most prominent are Cedia, Infocomm, Lightfair, LEDducation, CES and ISE located in Europe.
"Currently, we are focusing a lot of resources on Mexico and Brazil as they represent the strongest economies in the assigned territory. These two countries have more complex marketing structures aimed at serving the end customer," concluded Ariel Gutiérrez.
