Deciding what to call your company is probably one of the most exciting aspects of starting a business. It has to be catchy but relevant and there should be a story behind it.

I came up with my business’s name after a conversation with one of my friends about technology and sci-fi movies.

It was 1997. The Bill Clinton was President, gas was $1.22, scientists had cloned Dolly the sheep, and the public was introduced to ‘The Titanic’, ‘Pokemon’, ‘Harry Potter’ and ‘The Star Wars Trilogy Special Edition’. Released into theaters at the beginning of the year with great fanfare, the remastered versions of the Star Wars trilogy absolutely dominated the box office for nearly two months and science fiction was on every bodies mind.

Many of the world’s greatest creations have been foretold by science fiction. Everything from submarines to space travel have been predicted by these prophets of sci-fi, but few writers have reached the level of prophetic predictions as Arthur C. Clarke and Stanley Kubrick in ‘2001: A Space Odyssey’. The movie predicted technology we take for granted today. For example, the executive briefcase with its phone handset and dial has all the elements of the laptop or smartphone. HAL 9000 computer could be the prototype of the Siri.

The glass cockpit (an update from analog gauges and dials to digital screens and readouts) that is shown in ‘2001: A Space Odyssey’ didn’t come become a reality until the release of MD-80 over 10 years later in 1979.

During the Jupiter mission, the two doctors/astronauts aboard the ship can been seen using electronic tablets that look suspiciously similar to Apple’s iPad. We can also add to this list in-flight Personal Televisions, Robotics in Space, Skype/Face-Time (Videophone), Space Station, Space Tourism and Suspended Animation.

Suspended animation is still in the experimental stages, but the FDA recently approved its usage for medical purposes which allow a patients heart and breathing to be slowed in order to perform emergency surgeries that would not be possible otherwise.

‘2001: A Space Odyssey’ was released in 1968, but it still looks modern and believable. One of the best sci-fi movies of all times, if not the very best.

 

Monolith

The first word in my company name was inspired by the Black Monolith from Stanley Kubrick’s and Arthur C. Clarke’s ‘2001: A Space Odyssey’.

In the movie, Black Monoliths are machines built by an advanced civilization. The Monoliths were sent out to seek out other life forms and push them toward advancement. In the story they encouraging humankind to progress with technological development and space travel. Because my goal is provide technology innovation to our customers so that people can be more productive and profitable in the workplace, the name ‘Monolith’ was a perfect fit.

The Monoliths are capable of many different functions including transmitting and receiving signals. I liked the analogy between AV racks and the Black Monolith – an object that plays a central/essential role. To me they looked very similar. I pushed the envelope a little on this one, but because my clients are knowledgeable professionals who appreciate a good metaphor, I felt it would work.

 

Modular

Modular design is a design approach that subdivides a system into smaller parts called modules. Modular systems are build from independently created parts, similar to putting together a jigsaw puzzle, where each piece of the puzzle is critical for the creation of the end product. An A/V control system is the heart and brain of a collection of communication hardware and software that allows the operator to control each piece managing and distributing digital AV and control signals.

 

By combining Monolith and Modular, I created a name that fits who I am and what my business is about.

In early 1997, Monolith Modular Systems began as Monolith Modular Solutions. Today, Monolith Modular Systems, Inc. is the New York area’s premier Design/Build Systems Integrator that provides creative and cost effective technological solutions to corporate, production and educational clientele.

This is my story. What’s yours?

Rob Fleischacker
President at Monolith Modular Systems, Inc.