Arizona Republic
9/15/2003

Chandler electronics firm expands into new market
By Mike Fimea

Over the past three years, a lucrative federal contract has allowed Chandler-based ExhibitOne to more than quadruple its staff and increase its annual revenues to more than $8 million.

Now the company, which makes electronic presentation systems for courtrooms, is seeking customers in the hotel and conference center market.

"We may not be in the position of strength we have in the courtrooms, but the technology is identical and it can be translated in to the business environment," said Kevin Sandler, chairman and CEO.

"Most hotels and conference centers have a small audio system with a projector that might be on a cart, with no digital recording capability. It’s a matter of education them about the investment. A full presentation system will attract clients who conduct large meetings and want the best in audio and video reproduction."

ExhibitOne hit its stride in the late 1990s, when it secured a five-year contract to equip federal courtrooms across the country with electronic systems. As one of three companies selected by the government to install the high-tech equipment, Sandler had a foundation upon which to build his firm.

From fewer than 10 employees in 2000, ExhibitOne now has a staff of 43 in two offices in a Chandler business park. The additions include three design engineers and two computer programmers.

"It’s what I’d hoped for, but I kind of underestimated the space needs," Sandler said of the rapid expansion.

ExhibitOne has equipped more than 325 federal, state and county courtrooms. Its Phoenix presence includes eight electronic courtrooms in Maricopa County Superior Court and nine in the Sandra Day O’Connor U.S. Courthouse in downtown Phoenix.

Sandler estimates that about half of all U.S. Courtrooms have electronic capability.

"There’s still tremendous growth potential, but it depends on budgets at the state and federal level," he said.

Although the configurations vary, a presentation system can include flat screens for jurors, judges and attorneys, a VCR and/or DVD player, an electronic podium with a document camera, videoconferencing capability and digital recording of the court proceeding.

A system with all those features can cost up to $250,000. A $450,000 system is also being incorporated into a teaching courtroom under construction at the Southwestern University School of Law, a private law school in Los Angeles.

But portable units can be built for as little as $20,000, Sandler said. The portable approach worked in Ventura County, Calif., where the Superior Court didn’t have enough money to outfit all 19 of its courtrooms. Instead, it bought six ExhibitOne units for $30,000 apiece.

"We teamed up with the local Bar association to train attorneys on the system and it’s been a big success," said Robert Sherman, deputy executive officer for the court.

"Electronic presentation is becoming the standard. We’re building a new juvenile courthouse with six courtrooms and we’ll have that wired to handle the portable units."

In Tucson, six of the 13 courtrooms in the U.S. District Court have electronic systems. ExhibitOne completed an installation there in June.

"It enhances the trial because you can present evidence to more than one person at a time, and it speeds up the proceedings," said Carol Agne, systems project manager for the U.S. District Court in Arizona.

Agne’s department also supervised outfitting the nine electronic courtrooms in the O’Connor building, which opened in mid-2001. Attorneys are invited to a brief training session before the beginning of cases.

"They have to get used to moving the stylus pen over the document camera, but other than that they do really well," Agne said. "Within 12 months of moving into the O’Connor building, using the (electronic) equipment became something of an expectation among attorneys."

Only a handful of ExhibitOne systems have been sold to law schools and private law firms. As more courtrooms go electronic, though, Sandler thinks his products will have more appeal.

"What makes attorneys wake up is when they face a tech-savvy attorney in court and lose," he said. "They want the opportunity to do their prep work on an electronic system."