Manager – Senior Project

IntegratorForté Outgrows GPA. Forté and GPA will end their partnership at the end of 2026, marking a major shift in the global AV integration landscape. As GPA loses its largest member, Forté is accelerating its transformation into a fully global workplace technology provider, with further acquisitions expected. August 13, 2026 by Florian Rotberg Forté is leaving GPA, the global network of workplace technology and AV integration partners, at the end of 2026. The separation marks a significant shift for both organizations: GPA will lose its largest member, while Forté continues to expand its own international footprint, increasingly through acquisitions of former GPA partners. GPA and Forté announced that they have mutually agreed to conclude their partnership effective 31 December 2026, allowing both organizations to focus on their respective strategic priorities and growth ambitions. Since joining GPA in 2020 under its former AVI Systems brand, Forté has worked closely with GPA members to deliver multinational collaboration and audiovisual projects. The partnership enabled global customers to benefit from local expertise and service delivery across key markets. However, as both organizations evolved, their growth strategies increasingly diverged. Different visions for global expansion. The separation has been years in the making. GPA is built around a network of independent integrators, with members typically holding exclusive responsibility for their local markets while providing on-the-ground resources and support for global projects. Forté, meanwhile, has steadily expanded beyond the traditional GPA model. Through a series of acquisitions, the Minnesota-based integrator has built its own international organization, including the acquisition of several GPA members. In effect, Forté has been creating a directly managed global footprint rather than relying on a partner network. This strategy positions Forté alongside global integration heavyweights such as AVI-SPL and Diversified, while increasingly competing with technology service providers and managed services specialists including Ricoh and Econocom. At some point, the two models became difficult to reconcile. GPA's value proposition is based on a federation of independent local champions. Forté's ambition is to become a globally integrated workplace technology provider with direct control over customer delivery and service operations. Business continuity remains a priority. Both organizations emphasize that the transition will be carefully managed. Existing projects, customer commitments and active engagements will continue to be supported through agreed transition arrangements. For multinational customers, continuity is expected to remain the priority while both parties prepare for their post-2026 strategies. Who could replace Forté? The departure leaves GPA with a significant gap in its most important market. The United States remains the largest AV and workplace technology market globally, making Forté's role within the network particularly valuable. Several smaller US-based integrators may seek to replace Forte at GPA. Industry observers also speculate that companies such as Kinly could be interested, although Kinly itself has been building a broader transatlantic presence and pursuing its own global ambitions. Regardless of the eventual solution, joining GPA as the lead North American partner would represent a substantial opportunity for any integrator seeking greater influence in the global enterprise market. Forté's next phase. Forté will need to establish direct coverage in markets that are currently served through GPA partners. However, the company appears well prepared for the transition. The move aligns closely with the vision of CEO and Chairman Jeff Stoebner, who has been driving the company's international expansion strategy. According to industry rumors, Forté is expected to announce a major acquisition in the APAC region in the coming weeks, further strengthening its global delivery capabilities. The managed services imperative. Going independent is a logical next step for Forté as the workplace technology market increasingly shifts toward managed services. The industry is moving away from project-based installations toward recurring service models focused on lifecycle management, monitoring and user experience. As enterprise customers prioritize service outcomes over hardware ownership, traditional AV integration is becoming increasingly commoditized. Revenue growth is shifting toward long-term managed service contracts, cloud platforms and workplace technology operations. To succeed in this environment, Forté requires deeper IT and managed services capabilities as it evolves beyond a traditional AV integrator. GPA's federated model and its network of independent members no longer fully align with Forté's direction, investment priorities and global ambitions. After several successful years together, the decision reflects a simple reality: GPA and Forté have outgrown their partnership and are now pursuing different visions of the global workplace technology market.

AVI-SPL expands European presence with new Benelux operations. TAMPA, Fla. - August 4, 2026 - AVI-SPL, the world's leading provider of digital enablement solutions, today announced the establishment of a dedicated Benelux entity, further strengthening its European presence and advancing the company's global growth strategy. The move reflects AVI-SPL's continued investment in key European markets. Home to a significant concentration of multinational corporations, financial institutions, EU and international organisations, and leading life sciences companies, the Benelux region represents an important growth opportunity for the company. The addition strengthens AVI-SPL's position in one of Europe's most influential business centres and further enhances its ability to serve customers with operations across the continent. Customers in Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg will gain access to AVI-SPL's full portfolio of collaboration technology, managed services, and workplace experience solutions, delivered through local teams and supported by the scale, expertise, and capabilities of a global organisation. This local presence will enable AVI-SPL to respond more closely to customer needs while delivering consistent experiences across regional and international operations. "Benelux is an important strategic market for AVI-SPL and a natural next step in our continued growth across Europe," said John Zettel, CEO, AVI-SPL. "Establishing a dedicated Benelux operation builds on our strong European presence and enhances our ability to help customers achieve their business objectives through innovative technology solutions, regional expertise, and world-class service delivery." To lead the new entity, AVI-SPL has appointed Bart Donkersloot as Managing Director, Benelux. Donkersloot brings more than a decade of experience in the audiovisual and collaboration industry, with a proven track record of commercial and operational leadership across the region. Most recently, he served as Managing Director for Benelux at Kinly, where he was responsible for driving growth and executing the company's market strategy. Prior to that, he spent more than seven years with BIS Econocom as Sales Director AV & IT and was a member of the Econocom Group Extended Leadership Team. Earlier in his career, he held leadership roles within the financial services sector. The new Benelux operation will serve as a foundation for AVI-SPL's continued growth in the region, strengthening relationships with customers, partners, and industry stakeholders while supporting organisations as they advance digital transformation initiatives. The investment underscores AVI-SPL's long-term commitment to the market and its confidence in the region's continued innovation, economic strength, and demand for technology-enabled collaboration. For further information, please contact: Eric Barie Senior Vice President, Marketing - AVI-SPL [email protected] About AVI-SPL. AVI-SPL is a digital enablement solutions provider who transforms how people and technology connect to elevate experiences, create new value, and enable organizations to thrive and grow. As the largest provider of collaboration technology solutions, including award-winning managed services, AVI-SPL's highly-trained team works hand in hand with organizations worldwide - including over 86% of Fortune 100 companies - to strategize, design, deploy, manage, and support AV and UC solutions that are simple to use, scalable, serviceable, and measurable to ensure business objectives are achieved. Visit AVISPL.com to learn more, or connect with AVI-SPL on LinkedIn.