25th Anniversary Q+A: Spencer Rankin

Ivan Gwynn of Serenity Studios sat down with Spencer Rankin to discuss the growth he’s experienced in his 17 years at Delta, as well as the team and company culture.

Getting Started at Delta AV

Ivan: What inspired you to pursue a career in the AV industry? How did you get started?

Spencer: I started working at Delta in the mid-nineties. Mark Gottwig had actually moved in next to my parents when I was in high school. I started working summers at Delta AV, mainly building racks, when they were at the small, shared warehouse space down on Moody Avenue. So it was a summertime gig for three or four years in high school. I went to college and graduated from Oregon State in 2004 and wanted to do something tradewise and work with my hands a little bit after being in school for four years. Delta had an opening for a technician spot, so I decided to rejoin that team and pursue a technician license.

The technology was neat. The construction aspect was cool, kind of a blend technology and construction together. The construction is fun and always evolving, it’s often what gives a room its purpose. Without video conferencing, you just have a boring, old space. So that was the draw, being able to build something and make it interesting.

Ivan: So how long have you been with Delta then?

Spencer: Yeah, that’s a good question. 2004 on as a full-time gig, but I think it was ’94 or ’96 when I first started helping out. It’s been a long time.

Ivan: I imagine it looked a little different in 2004 versus when you were working part time then?

Spencer: Yeah, starting the first year with Mark, he’d drive me to work. I’d go with him in the morning. It was a warehouse space, with an office and I think they shared the space with a CD pressing company. So it was really a little nook in this big warehouse where they had some shelves with some AV gear on it, and an office and probably eight people working there. It was Bob and Steve Jellerstein and Mark all in their cars doing everything; install, sales, engineering, the whole shebang. So from that to now having 50 or so employees, they’re very own building, a fleet of vehicles, it’s been really impressive and special to watch them and be a part of it.

Company Growth

Ivan: Absolutely, that’s a pretty big transformation with a lot of organic growth. What are some of the biggest accomplishments for Delta AV in your 17 years? What are you most proud of?

Spencer: I think overall, honestly, it is the growth of the company. It’s impressive to start so small and grow so big. Having a part in that has been awesome. And just being able to work through every aspect of the company’s been great; starting in the warehouse to getting my low voltage license and doing install work, and then moving into the Project Management aspect has been really interesting for me. Every role has its own challenges and rewards, but overall, just being a part of watching this thing grow has been the cool part.

In my PM role, I’ve been here long enough where I’ve seen some apprentices just starting out who are now running jobs and are a really important part of where we want to go. So just watching the growth and watching them develop has been great.

Ivan: What gets you to work every day? What excites you about the work that you’re doing?

Spencer: A challenge and knowing we’re all good enough at what we do that we can always find a solution. So that’s rewarding. I like building things and really what we do is build cool things. Your cool video walls or your gymnasiums. To take that project from infancy and see it grow up is really cool.

Trust + Team

Ivan: And to know that you’ve got the backing of a really creative and talented team, can you speak to that?

Spencer: We’ve got a lot of talent, which is key. There are so many variables and challenges in construction and technology. When you combine them together, you get a double whammy of sets of problems you deal with. And we’ve got enough experience and talent that I don’t think there’s a lot that we haven’t taken on. So that different experience and knowledge really helps throughout the company, as a whole, in every department. Knowing that you’ve got a pool of resources to draw on, it makes it a lot less intimidating and there’s a sense of comfort in that.

Ivan: Would you say you’ve got a high degree of trust in the people that you work with?

Spencer: Yeah, there’s no doubt that everyone’s got the company’s best interest in mind as well as the client’s best interest. We want to get a solution that works how we think it’s going to work and provide exactly what they need.

Ivan: Since you had a snapshot of Delta back in the ’90s, did you imagine Delta would become what it is today? Has anything surprised you along the way?

Spencer: Starting as small as it was, it would’ve been tough to see that leap. But as it went along, you could understand that there was momentum. There just seems to be a value of constant improvement. So that kept us moving and growing. I think that spirit of what was started back then has been true, because it keeps growing and improving.
Ivan: There’s been a really big theme of support within Delta’s culture and legacy. Do you have anything you would add to that from your perspective?

Spencer: I do think the culture is; you can be as good as you want to be. They support you in whatever you’ve got an aptitude for within the company. So that support is really encouraging and their willingness to let you grow is a really cool aspect of Delta.