What Inspires Me (Debi Martin)

As the purchasing assistant, I don’t have a lot of opportunities to actually interact with the customers and hear their stories, but I am nevertheless blessed daily. My main interaction is with our vendors and working with them to get our products here in time. One thing that I have found inspiring from this angle is when I show one of our vendors around PCI. Rather than just being a voice on the phone or another customer to them, they see what it is that Portable Church Industries is all about and what we are trying to accomplish. They get excited about what we are doing and will often go out of their way to help meet our needs.

Another inspiring moment for me is watching our towing company pull a church’s trailer out of our parking lot and onto the road on their way to the delivery. There is a feeling of satisfaction at the sight, knowing that we are helping a church to make a difference in their community... all over North America!


Debi is part of our Purchase & Design Team. She has been with Portable Church for four years, and has often been the voice on the other end of the line greeting clients! Personally, Debi is a devoted blogger, reader, cat aficianado and is married to the affable (and Red Wings Fanatic) Jono.

Thank You!

Tomorrow, several team members from Portable Church Industries are headed off to The WhiteBoard Sessions, an incredible conference in Reston, VA. PCI has had the great pleasure of providing all of the audio, video and lighting for the conference. It has been a great project to "dream" with Ben Arment, the conference visionary and build the WhiteBoard System.

Most of you know that Portable Church Industries is a one-source-partner for church planters, meaning that we design, build, deliver and train you on the system of your dreams for your Portable Church (TM). We are able to build & deliver these state-of-the-art systems by quoting & distributing the professional equipment of hundreds of vendors.

We (PCI) have put together a dynamic system for the Whiteboard Sessions, but we could not have done so without the incredible efforts of our Purchasing Team and the overwhelming generosity of several of our key vendors. I wanted to take a moment to thank several of them for their incredible support of PCI and the WhiteBoard Sessions.

• Yamaha Commercial Audio - providing the board, speakers and rigging efforts
• Shure - providing vocal and instrument microphones
• Nexo - providing amps
• Aviom - providing in ear monitor mixer supplies
• Quik Stage- providing stage accessories
• Advance Sound & Lighting - providing the Truss
• Eiki - providing (2) 15,000 ANSI Lumens Projectors
• Renewed Vision - providing a copies of Pro Presenter & Pro Video Sync for video
• ETC - providing almost the entire lighting system
• Panasonic - providing (1) 15,000 ANSI Lumens Projector

Our support of the WhiteBoard Sessions is made possible because these vendors have generously granted us the use of their equipment for free. If you have a chance to stop by our booth at the WhiteBoard Sessions, you can see the equipment up close & personal. All of the equipment in use at the conference is equipment that we (PCI) integrate into Portable Church(TM) systems on a regular basis.

Thank you, thank you, thank you to our vendors for partnering with us. You have allowed us to showcase a beautiful system, and help hundreds of church planters & multi-site pastors enjoy a great conference!

As the Project Manager for the WhiteBoard Sessions Design, I have been acting as both the client & the supply partner. I have seen first hand how things come together for the clients, and I have been amazed at the technical expertise required to execute this project. I am excited to see the system perform. Be sure to stop by the engineering station or by the PCI Booth for more details on how we can create a system like that for you.

The Whiteboard Sessions

PRESS RELEASE

PCI Sponsors Unique Conference for Church Planters and Leaders

On Thursday, May 22, 2008, Portable Church Industries will sponsor a first-of-its-kind conference for church planters, pastors and ministry leaders in Reston, VA, called The Whiteboard Sessions.

PCI will provide complete state-of-the-art audio-visual and lighting solution for the conference itself. Guests will get a first-hand experience of PCI’s capabilities.

Whiteboard is a one day event that will feature eight influential ministry leaders, presenting one compelling idea in 30 minutes each. The speakers have been asked to address a core idea that drives their ministry, their one pure and holy passion.

The speakers will include:

Perry Noble – Senior pastor of NewSpring Church in Anderson, SC

John Burke – Senior pastor of Gateway Community Church in Austin, TX, founder of ELI, and author of No Perfect People Allowed

Ed Stetzer – Director of research for Lifeway Christian Resources

Mark Dever – Senior pastor of Capital Hill Baptist Church in Washington, DC

Mark Batterson – Lead pastor of National Community Church in Washington, DC, and author of In a Pit With a Lion on a Snowy Day

Darrin Patrick – Lead pastor of the Journey in St. Louis, MO, and vice president of the Acts 29 Network

Tim Stevens – Executive pastor of Granger Community Church in Indiana, Author of Pop Goes the Church

Vince Antonucci – Lead pastor of Forefront Church in Virginia Beach, VA, Author of I Became A Christian and All I Got Was This Lousy T-Shirt.

The conference will also feature the music of Lashey & Joyner, a combination of two gifted worship leaders from different churches in Virginia. You can read about their latest CD project called HYMNS at www.myspace.com/lasheyjoyner.

The Whiteboard Sessions will be held at the Hyatt Regency Reston Hotel, which is located in Reston Town Center near Washington, DC.

You can register and find more information at www.TheWhiteboardSessions.com or by contacting Ben Arment at (703) 869-9523 and ben@towncenterchurch.com.

Portable Church Industries Honored

Press Release

Local Company Receives Top Honor
Second Stage Business Honored as one of “Michigan 50 Companies to Watch”

Troy, MI March 3, 2008: Portable Church Industries has been recognized as one of the “Michigan 50 Companies to Watch,” an awards program sponsored by the Edward Lowe Foundation.

Portable Church Industries was recognized at an awards ceremony during the third annual Michigan Celebrates Small Business event, April 24 in Lansing.

"Michigan 50 Companies to Watch” is a unique awards program designed to shine the spotlight on second-stage companies,” says Mark Lange, executive director of the Edward Lowe Foundation, a not-for-profit operating foundation based in Michigan. The foundation’s mission is to “champion the entrepreneurial spirit” by encouraging entrepreneurial cultures in communities throughout the country and helping second-stage companies learn from each other.

"When it comes to a robust economy, second-stage entrepreneurs play a critical role because they generate new jobs and sustainable growth,” Lange says. “And yet, they’re not often recognized or appreciated for the impact they have on the economy or the community.”

Portable Church Industries (PCI) is a professional consulting and equipment supplier, specializing in churches who rent their primary meeting space. Using specialists in technology, specialists in project management and a customized cargo approach, PCI provides a one source solution for nomadic churches.

Companies nominated for the “Michigan 50 Companies to Watch” list must be second-stage companies, defined as having 6 to 99 full-time-equivalent employees and generating $750,000 to $50 million in annual revenue or working capital from investors or grants. In addition, the companies must be privately held and headquartered in Michigan.