Meet Julia Thompson | Owner

We had the good fortune of connecting with Julia Thompson and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Julia, is there something that you feel is most responsible for your success?
One of the most important factors behind National Audio Visual Services’ (NAVS) success is directly attributed to our integrity and not cutting any corners on any job – from setting up and running a live event, to completing an audio visual installation project, or simply live-streaming a wedding or funeral, and even out on a video shoot. Our audio technicians and video technicians are trained that there’s a right way to do a job, and then there’s the ‘lazy way’. NAVS’ holds a high value on doing a job the right way the first time, in order to give our Clients the most professional and top-notch service of any AV provider. We also try to stay out front being innovative in our field with new technology & creativity in Live Events. NAVS’ motto is “When you need to be seen or heard, we go above and beyond to make that happen for you.” And “We bring your ideas to reality!” Often our Clients become like family because they know that NAVS will take care of their every AV need.

What should our readers know about your business?

National Audio Visual Services (NAVS) is an Audio Visual company local to Columbus, Georgia. We serve areas surrounding Columbus, Fort Benning, and Lagrange in Georgia and Phenix City, Auburn, and Montgomery in Alabama. Our mission when starting our company was to be able to serve our military, churches and schools & provide professional and expert service. We offer a dynamic range of services for anything AV related – setting up and running every facet of AV for live events; Livestreaming events, weddings & funerals; aerial photography/videography with FAA licensed drone pilots; helping clients select the appropriate AV equipment for installation and executing the install; training on AV equipment; video production and post-production services; renting out AV equipment for meetings, movie nights, etc; and offering transfer & duplication services for old tapes and film reels!

So there is only one other AV company locally – a little competition never hurt, and it forces you to grow and adapt to stay on top of your game! What sets us apart from our competition is our willingness to go above and beyond to get the job done! Our audio and video technicians are taught that mediocre is simply not accepted as a job well done. Communication is a very important aspect for any event or job that we are doing – We want our clients to know that they are getting the top-notch service that they are paying for & they can count on us!

NAVS was opened in August 2019 and just celebrated our 2-year anniversary of being open! I could have never imagined that only eight months after opening our company that Covid would shut live events down, which was a huge part of the business. But we’ve survived that challenge! NAVS was able to and still continues to assist churches with setting up a permanent solution for Livestreaming their services to multiple web based platforms to reach their congregation. We have been able to assist many of our local businesses with solutions for Video Teleconferencing. Live events are making their way back for in person attendance, and we are able to also offer our clients a virtual aspect for it as well. Hybrid Events are going to stick around, adding a dynamic layer to live events! It hasn’t been an easy two years, but God has guided our work flow and moved us in the direction to help us be most successful in growing the company. We are excited to see what the future holds, as we’re making moves to continue to set us apart!

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Columbus has grown tremendously in the last 10-15 years! It is amazing to witness this first hand, as tourism has really become an integral part of our local economic growth added onto our military foundation for our community. I’m not sure if we could cover everything in just a week’s time!

We would surely have to take in the sports scene that has exploded in the last few years – we would have to start with a Chatt-a-hoots baseball game at the newly revitalized Historic Golden Park which overlooks the Chattachoochee River. Maybe catch the Riverdragons hockey team in action on the ice next door to that at the Civic Center. An awesome announcement that was just made is that Columbus will soon be getting a men’s and a women’s indoor soccer team! If you’re lucky enough, you may catch a softball tournament down at South Commons which hosted the 1996 Olympic softball games. Ziplining across the river and whitewater rafting down the river is sure to get your adrenaline pumping! Columbus has been named to host the 2022 Canoe Sprint World Cup & 2023 ICF Canoe Freestyle World Championships.

For my foodies, we have some great local BBQ joints that you don’t want to miss a taste of! A visit to Country’s BBQ and Clearview is a must. Just venturing through the downtown area (affectionately renamed Uptown by the new generation) will leave your drool along the sidewalks – satiate your palette with a seafood or steak dish from Stockmarket Dueling Kitchens, custom fine cuisine from Epic, Saltcellar or 11th & Bay, and a taste of Italian cuisine from Mabella’s. Wherever you wind up, you can’t go wrong! And if you wind up on top of Hotel Indigo, check out the Eighteen85 Rooftop Bar for a drink and stunning view of the sunset over the river!

The Springer Opera House and The Rivercenter for Performing Arts are always host to some great live shows for music and theatre. Oxbow Meadows Environmental Learning Center has some great programs for kids and adults alike. And you can’t miss a visit to the National Infantry Museum to learn about the rich history of Fort Benning, and the OCS and Ranger Hall of Fame.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Shout-out to our NAVS family and clients who have made this journey possible! To my Yang for being a sounding board for all of my crazy ideas. And to my husband, Alex, for making this leap of faith with me, leaving our old jobs behind like dust in the wind! It’s been many long days and nights to build a successful company from the ground up & I could not do this without him!!!!

Website: www.nationalavs.com

Instagram: https://instagram.com/nationalsacs?utm_Medium=copy_link

Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/national-audio-visual-services-504396192

Facebook: www.facebook.com/nationalavs