Trio Video is expanding its fleet for the second time in less than two years with the infusion of a $10 million investment from two venture capital companies.
Management of the company is unchanged. Trio is owned by partners Jack Walsh and Gary Meagher, who will celebrate the 25th anniversary of their company next year.
Through the investment from Marquette Capital Partners of Chicago, BIA Digital Partners of Chantilly, Va., Trio is building its third HD/multi-format truck and a Beta support vehicle for delivery next March.
Trio will then boast a six-truck fleet next spring when a new HD/multi-format truck, estimated at a cost of $8-$10 million, and support vehicle that houses offices, editing and technical gear are delivered, said Peter Kimball, director of program development and production.
Trio currently operates two 53-foot HD/multi-format trucks, Tango and Phoenix, that were added less than two years ago, and two 48-foot standard definition trucks.
The company is located on more than an acre in River West, employs 20 full-time and hundreds of private contractors to provide mobile television facilities and support services for professional sports teams, entertainment and corporate productions.
Clients include all four Chicago sports teams?most especially the White Sox, a client dating back to the ?80s, and the Cubs?broadcasting over WGN networks and Comcast Chicago sports, and 15 weeks of Fox NFL football starts next week, Kimball noted.
Concerts are another big part of Trio’s business. It provided equipment and technical support to Chicago’s recent big Lollapalooza rock concert and to Third Wave Productions’ historical production of Nashville’s Bonnaroo Music Festival 2006 live over the Internet for AT&T.
Marquette Capital invests in manufacturers of consumer or industrial products, value-added distributors, business to business service companies, and retail businesses.
BIA specializes in all facets of the communications industry.
Trio Video is located at 2132 W. Hubbard, phone 312/421-7060. See www.triovideo.com.
