I’ve been working on Ricky T's AV setup since 2009, and I’ll tell you right now: it’s one of the projects I’m most proud of. Not just because of the gear we installed. But because of what that place means to the people who show up there along with those who depend on it for a living.

This is the story of how Rickey T’s flooded—and how we helped them come back.

The Original Setup: Built to Be Heard

Back in 2009, Brad Piche brought us in to design a small AV system for Ricky T’s. He was changing the space, and wanted to make some improvements. He wanted something solid. Functional. Tuned for his space, his crowd, his brand.

So we built it custom:

• Custom TV mount  (not the off-the-shelf stuff) to support a TV sitting on top of a partition wall that was secure and theft-proof. We created and welded a custom solution on site.
  
  
• Surround sound audio system with a subwoofer to improve the area and add some bass
  
  
• Bracketed speakers around the perimeter

• Surround sound receiver to provide processing and amplification
  
  

That system met their needs for many years.  We performed occasional upgrades and additions, including a good renovation many years later. It existed through tropical storms. Through spring breaks. Through playoff seasons and countless live shows. We’d come in to service it now and then—clean up some wires, upgrade a component—but it held strong.

Until it didn’t.

The Double Storms That Wiped It All Out

Florida’s no stranger to hurricanes, but 2024 hit differently.

First came Helene. Strong winds. Some water. Minor damage. We were watching it closely.

Then came Milton, and Milton wiped everything out.

Storm surge flooded parts of Treasure Island that hadn’t seen water in decades. Ricky T’s took on water fast. Walls were damaged, equipment destroyed, speakers shorted. TVs fried. Wiring corroded. It was the kind of damage where you don’t just “fix” things. You start over.

Brad and his crew called us a few months after the storm. His voice? determined. He said, “Chip, we need you out here, we need a complete new system..”

Four Months of Work, One Goal: Get It Right

We didn’t slap gear on a wall and call it good. This was a full gut-and-rebuild.

We spent nearly four months on this project.  AV planning, wiring, installing, adjusting. Working around construction crews. Timing installs with drywall and paint. Climbing ladders, drilling into concrete, adjusting cable runs so everything was clean but accessible.

Here’s the AV Equipment we installed:

• 12 new larger (65-75” Samsung) flat-screen TVs, positioned for max visibility no matter where you sit
  
  
• 14 new larger speakers, each calibrated to deliver even sound across the (4) bar areas
  
  
• 2 subwoofers to bring in that low-end punch—because let’s face it, music should move you
  
  
• 4 high-output amplifiers that power the whole setup without a hiccup
• Easy to use controls so all of the employees can make quick adjustments
  
  

Every wire is labeled. Every connection is tight. Every speaker is tuned. This wasn’t about filling a checklist. It was about making sure when Ricky T’s came back, it came back better than ever.

Brad Piche: The Guy Who Got It

Let me take a second to talk about Brad.

You can’t do a project like this without someone on the other end who cares. Brad cares.

He didn’t cut corners. He didn’t rush decisions. He was in the trenches with us—making sure it was done right. Brad didn’t just rebuild Ricky T’s to open the doors again. He rebuilt it because the community needed it. He knew people had lost more than property—they’d lost their place. And he made damn sure they’d get it back.

That’s the kind of person you go the extra mile for. Every time. Lots of hours. Late nights. He depended on us to keep our portion of the project on schedule.

Why This Project Mattered to Me

I’ve installed AV in corporate boardrooms, churches, private homes, backyards,  breweries and restaurants of every size.

But this job? It was personal.

Because when a place you’ve worked on for 15 years calls you in after a disaster—when they trust you to help put it all back together—you don’t just show up with tools. You show up with heart.

I walked into Ricky T’s after the storm and felt the weight of it. The damage was substantial. The structure was gutted down to the shell to begin the rebuilding process. Months later, the soft opening party was something special. We even made the news.

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