Liquid Lights Up Lifestyles Of Rich And Famous

Liquid Lights Up The Lifestyles
Of The Rich And Famous

Imagine having a job where you spend much of your time on 150 foot plus yachts?

That’s the life Liquid Automation founders Stephan Goodhue and Bruce Cox have found themselves in after they started their company six years ago.

Specialising in automated entertainment, lighting and security systems for luxury residential, commercial and marine projects worldwide, Liquid’s projects range from a $10,000 in-house system to million dollar-plus AV fit-outs for super-yachts.

The Kiwi company’s reputation is such that it has grown steadily every year since it began.

Goodhue and Cox’s dedication to their craft, along with an outstanding team of project managers and installers, has seen the team gain two international awards in June at the Cedia Custom Installation Awards – considered the Oscars of the industry as Cedia is the professional certification body.

Liquid took home two major awards – Winner of Best Marine Project and Highly Commended for Best Project Design and Documentation, both for the automated AV fit-out of a super-yacht built in New Zealand by Alloy Yachts International Ltd.
“There are a lot of cowboys out there who aren’t certified but our point of difference is our staff are all trained and put through certification. This enables us to create high-quality, reliable, integrated automation/entertainment solutions that work, with no need for frequent follow-up”, says Goodhue.

“That is especially important given that our clients’ super-yachts can be anywhere in the world.” Goodhue says Liquid guarantees that if any servicing is required, its representatives will be on a plane to sort it out as soon as possible.

All of Liquid’s projects so far have come via word of mouth and the company usually has work booked a year ahead. Eight of their past marine projects and two of their current ones have been done in conjunction with another elite Kiwi brand, Alloy Yachts International in Henderson. Liquid has also been asked to consult on a 285ft private yacht project in China and recently to quote for a pair of 229ft Motor Yachts at Austal Yachts in Australia.

Commercial projects Liquid has worked on include TVNZ’s main control room at Avalon in Lower Hutt, the control systems of the Sofitel Hotel in Queenstown and Mercury Energy’s Corporate Office in Auckland.

In the home, a Liquid Automation system could feature an intuitive touch screen which, with a few quick taps, would activate security systems, set lighting and music, close or open curtains and/or turn off sports and movies with surround sound on a big screen.

Environment-friendly features and security are other key components of a Liquid system. “We help make buildings energy efficient so that, when the alarm is set, the lights turn off, windows close, air conditioning switches to economy – all things that save money in the long run. For enhanced security, we can use biometrics to set up a finger-swipe, keyless entry system which logs all movements into the building,” says Goodhue.

Not bad for a company which Goodhue and Cox began with just $2,000 each – “so we could get cards printed and phones”.
An electronics engineer, Goodhue did most of his training overseas, much of it on 200ft private yachts, plus three years with Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen. That provided an excellent grounding for Liquid, given that at the time Allen had seven yachts, two jumbo jets and eight private jets.

An electronics technician, Cox has specialised in marine electronics for nearly 30 years, including almost 13 years with one of the Southern Hemisphere’s largest marine electronics companies.

ENDS

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