Residential Tech Talks

Episode 225: ABB Aims to Innovate and Inform Around Electrification in our Homes

Mon, 22 Dec 2025 09:00:00 -0500

Following up on a recent trip out to Phoenix for an up-close look at the ABB-NASCAR partnership, we sat down with a different division within the ABB umbrella to talk about the implications of electrification. Adam Mease, ABB's Business Line Leader for Electrical Distribution in the Smart Buildings Division, shares how the company is rapidly innovating to meet the power needs of the modern home, as well as the role integrators must play from both an installation and education perspective. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0K147DYpi4I

Episode 224: Deako Founder Deep Dives Into What Makes Their Brand and Smart Switches Different

Tue, 16 Dec 2025 07:30:00 -0500

For the last decade, Deako has aimed to provide the best smart home experiences to homebuyers nationwide by ensuring accessible and customizable smart home lighting solutions for everyone. Their innovative product has, in a way, reshaped how homeowners can adopt and maintain smart control solutions. To get a better understanding of the product and the brand, we sat down with founder and CEO Derek Richardson. From the Deako origin story through to today's latest products and solutions, Deako has been focused on making the smart home more attainable and adaptable.

Episode 223: Matt Bernath Shares Some of the Challenges CIs Face in Getting Over the Growth Hump

Tue, 09 Dec 2025 06:00:00 -0500

There is no one-size-fits-all method to building and growing a successfull custom integration business. That said, from what Matt Bernath, President of Vital, has seen in his years of working with and coaching CIs, there are many similarities between a company stuck in that $1-2 million range, and those that have gotten over the hump and scaled their business. At CEDIA Expo, Vital was our booth neighbor, and we sat down with Bernath to talk about those challenges and so much more. https://youtu.be/2tatpXJudII?si=t6pXa-2BzTRkt9xd

Episode 222: Wisdom Audio Recounts a Strong CEDIA Expo Showing

Tue, 02 Dec 2025 07:00:00 -0500

This past CEDIA Expo in Denver was one of the more active Expo's in recent memory for the team at Wisdom Audio. During the show, we sat down with Joe Walters, the eastern regional sales manager for their team, to talk about some of the new launches, their American-made approach, and much more. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aFjBN8o1kJo

Episode 221: Chatting with Somfy’s MaryEllen Oswald, the Guest Publisher for RTT’s Latest Issue

Tue, 25 Nov 2025 09:00:00 -0500

When we were pulling together our Women of Influence issue of RTT magazine, we knew that there was only one individual best-suited to help expertly craft the content alongside our team. With her background in the publishing business and her innate ability to pull the perfect story out of anyone she sits down with, MaryEllen Oswald was hands-down the best choice to step into this role and offer her influence over the message we were trying to deliver. And she more than excelled. After dropping the issue at CEDIA Expo, we sat down with MEO to recap the experience, talk about her own path through CI, and much more. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L8HBexgu8Yk

Episode 220: It's the Culture at Just Video Walls that Makes Them Different from the Rest

Tue, 18 Nov 2025 05:00:00 -0500

Skyler Meek and the rest of the team at Just Video Walls are just a bunch of former integrators looking to make life a little easier for their custom installation brethren. Their approach and their style results in a winning culture that impacts everything from their bottom line to the relationships that they forge and grow with their partners.

Episode 219: Portal Takes a Look at Trends in CI and How They Leverage Data to Better Understand the Market

Tue, 04 Nov 2025 09:00:00 -0500

It feels cliche to say, but data truly is king no matter the industry you're talking about. Having strong data can help you forecast how a particular market will evolve, allowing you to position yourself for success in the future. That's exactly why the team at Portal has placed such an emphasis on gathering the best data possible and leveraging it to make decisions that will positively impact their partners throughout the CI channel. We sat down with Josh Willits of Portal to talk about that and more during CEDIA Expo in Denver. https://youtu.be/YkaL255__uY

Episode 218: 8K Association & IMAX Dive Into the World of Content and Advanced Displays

Tue, 28 Oct 2025 06:00:00 -0500

There are so many nuances and rabbit holes that you can explore when at a show like CEDIA Expo—from the high-end audio world, to video walls, lighting and shading, to media servers and more. One of the hottest topics in recent years has been the methodical rollout of 8K displays and 8K content. While in Denver for the show, we sat down with representatives from the 8K Association and IMAX to talk about the advancements in the space, accessibility of content, mind-blowing demos, and more. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WbcUZupavh4

Episode 217: Elite Screens Chats About Advancements in Screen Technology at CEDIA Expo 2025

Tue, 21 Oct 2025 05:00:00 -0500

After they got done helping us properly install the short throw projection screen that served as the backdrop for our podcast setup at CEDIA Expo, Elite Screens sat down with us for a podcast. During the chat, we dive into the latest advancements in screen technology, what's new with their brand, trends they're following, and more.

Episode 216: Powerhouse Alliance Keeps Their Finger on the Pulse of the CI Channel

Tue, 14 Oct 2025 05:00:00 -0500

Distribution companies sit at a unique intersection of the industries they represent. They see the comings and goings of product, which, when tracked and analyzed properly, allow them to understand which categories, SKUs, etc., are performing best—ergo, they are uniquely qualified to share valuable insights on the ebbs and flows within their particular space. That's why we like to keep close tabs with Dennis Holzer and the team at Powerhouse Alliance. Dennis sat down with us at CEDIA Expo in Denver to discuss the latest trends they're noticing and much more. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v1FQ_HJb1sI

Episode 215: Exploring the Opportunities in Light Commercial and More with Legrand AV

Tue, 07 Oct 2025 05:00:00 -0500

A show like CEDIA Expo is always going to create a lot of news and excitement around new introductions, and new opportunities for custom integrators. In our chat with Alex Weaver of Legrand AV, we dove into one of the hotter topics swirling around the world of CI—that being light commercial, or resimercial work. Seeing the commercial category make its way into a show like CEDIA Expo speaks to how important and relevant it is in the channel today, and we wanted to understand how Legrand is helping integrators succeed in this booming area, and more. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M5HiZbHFp_4

Episode 214: Latest Updates from the Blackwire Designs Team at CEDIA Expo 2025

Tue, 30 Sep 2025 05:00:00 -0500

Blackwire Designs is a special type of distributor in the CI channel, in that they have a team that's intimately aware of the challenges faced by a custom integrator—because they're all former installers in their own right. At CEDIA Expo 2025, we sat down with Cody Crossland, Vice President, Sales and Customer Service at Blackwire Designs, to explore how they leverage that collective experience both internally and in how they work with integrators and manufacturers. In addition, Cody shares some business updates, and we talk trends in the channel. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gsWYWTT_-Jk

Episode 213: Future Automation & Design Spreads Knowledge in New Integrator Academy

Thu, 25 Sep 2025 05:00:00 -0500

Patrick Coleman and his team at Future Automation & Design have built a reputation of being a very hands-on and white-glove type of integrator. That approach has helped them build clients-for-life and one of the most knowledgeable teams around—all as the business prepares to enter adulthood in its 18th year. Now, Coleman and his team are working on a new initiative to help other integrators learn not only the tricks of the trade, but improve their own customer relations. Their recently redesigned showroom (which we detailed here) includes an active training center that'll allow the group to host rotating classes in their Integrator Academy. The first class, which kicks off in October, will be the start of something special for their business and the entire channel. Learn more about Future Automation & Design here: https://futureautomationdesign.com/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NcoYTiDGQh4

Episode 212: Just Add Power Brings Latest Innovations in AVoIP to CEDIA Expo 2025

Tue, 23 Sep 2025 07:00:00 -0500

Massive displays and impressive audio might draw all the attention at a show like CEDIA Expo and in the world of custom integration. But the channel wouldn't be possible if it weren't for the products and solutions that come out of a brand like Just Add Power. The brand brought a bunch of new Audio and Video over IP solutions to the event, showing how there's still plenty of innovation to be had from what many might consider a mundane category. https://youtu.be/1cBc96sg5I8?si=rBGlnhmUt5b0WlRw

Episode 211: Lutron Talks About Partner Programs and More

Tue, 16 Sep 2025 05:00:00 -0500

At CEDIA Expo 2025, Lutron rolled out a massive new partner program that has the potential to change the course of the channel. The first major product to launch out of the program was a collaboration between Lutron and Coastal Source. We sat down with Ben Bard, VP of Luxury Residential at Lutron, to dive into the program, it's intended benefits to the integrator, and much more. https://youtu.be/lZJkr6C_FYM Our CEDIA Expo episodes are supported by and made possible thanks to: The 8K Association | Elite Screens | Hisense | Oasys Residential Technology Group

Episode 210: Andrew Davis Gives Us a Tour of the New World Wide Stereo Experience Center

Fri, 12 Sep 2025 09:00:00 -0500

Ahead of its official grand opening, Andrew Davis walks us through the brand new World Wide Stereo experience center in Wayne, PA. Davis, the CEO of Gramophone and Partner at World Wide Stereo, explains how the 21 different zones come together to paint a complete picture for potential clients. Bringing the building to life was also a great example of the growing partnership between the WWS and Gramophone teams. Check out the video version of this episode to peek inside the new location: https://youtu.be/hKtpgewfTWg

Episode 209: A Look at the Influence and Impact of Home Theaterology One Year Later

Tue, 09 Sep 2025 07:00:00 -0500

At CEDIA Expo 2024, Richard Charschan introduced us to his passion project, Home Theaterology. The book serves as a love letter of sorts to the home theater industry. But it's also proof that the ultimate in-home cinematic space can still be the heartbeat of the custom integration industry. One year since its launch, we caught up with Charschan to look back on the book's influence, how it came together, the unexpected benefits of the content, and where it could go in the future. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fM-BC5_iyc8

Episode 208: Exploring the Vastness of ADI | Snap One with VP of Product Management Matt Kamp

Tue, 02 Sep 2025 07:00:00 -0500

When you look at the portfolio of a company like ADI | SnapOne, it's easy to feel slightly overwhelmed as an outsider. Imagine what it must be like, then, to manage that massive product landscape. For Matt Kamp, VP of Product Management for the brand, it's a role he feels like he was built for and is thriving in. We jumped into it with Matt to explore the trends of today, where there are growth opportunities for integrators, and much more. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F7tOPl-pD_0

Episode 207: Why Smart Heat Pump Water Heaters Should Be on Custom Integrators’ Radars

Tue, 26 Aug 2025 07:00:00 -0500

Messing with water heaters sounds like something that professionals who typically deal with hard wiring and electrical work would much rather avoid. However, in today's increasingly connected home, where every system appears to interact and communicate with one another, water heaters are becoming smarter. Here, we chat with Cala Systems Co-Founder and CEO Michael Rigney about the company's forthcoming smart heat pump water heater, how it's changing the game from an efficiency standpoint, and the role he hopes custom integrators can play in getting their product into more consumers' homes, quickly. https://youtu.be/QiPSVg9i3gw

Episode 206: Can a Virtual Smart Home Help Boost Your Business?

Tue, 19 Aug 2025 09:10:00 -0500

Explaining what's possible within the realm of custom integration is a constant challenge when speaking with an industry outsider, or a potential client for that matter. The biggest reason why? This is an experiential business. You have to "see it to believe it" in every sense of the phrase. The problem, then, becomes how you go about getting a client to experience the smart home before they decide to partner with you. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OxWuIQ7inzw

Episode 205: Exploring OpenAV Cloud’s Drive for Better Interoperability, Standardization

Tue, 12 Aug 2025 07:00:00 -0500

Launched earlier this year, OpenAV Cloud is a new platform, founded by some of the most influential brands in the pro-AV space, that promises to bring a simpler, easier, and more customer-focused experience to the connected AV industry. Their goal? More collaboration among brands, and true standardization and adoption of open cloud connectivity. We chat with Steve Hoenig, Engineering Director at Legrand AV, one of the founding members of the group, about the initiative and what it could mean for integrators and consumers in the near future. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UsQ841vITec

Episode 204: Dirac Dives Into Their Room Correction Technology as it Enters a New Era

Tue, 05 Aug 2025 07:00:00 -0500

Dirac has been making a push, recently, to get their room correction technology out into the market and improving more consumers' audio experience in a more streamlined and simpler way. Ahead of the official launch of the Dirac ART tech in Marantz and Denon product later this year, we sat down with Rikard Hellerfelt, VP of Consumer and E-commerce for the brand, to learn more about the push, the strategy around it, and more. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WSK1kfVwS0Q

Episode 203: Audio Industry Veteran Rob Jones on Bringing Magnetar to North America

Tue, 29 Jul 2025 07:00:00 -0500

Leaning on his engineering expertise and audio industry savviness is nothing new to Rob Jones—nor is launching brands into the CEDIA channel. This go, Jones is helping lead the charge for Magnetar Audio as the brand enters the North American market. In this conversation, we chat with him about Magnetar, their niche-yet-necessary product, and how it serves the evolving audio consumer's needs. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-QxOOa-53Hs

Episode 202: Emerald Expo’s Jason McGraw Talks on CEDIA Expo, Trade Show Evolution, and More

Tue, 22 Jul 2025 08:00:00 -0500

Chopping it up with Jason McGraw is a favorite pastime of ours for many reason, not the least of which is his love and passion for the custom integration and technology industries. He's been in this space—on the trade show side—for many years, and his expertise around it is among the best in the business. Here, we chat about the upcoming CEDIA Expo in Denver, how trade shows, including CEDIA Expo, have evolved over the years, and what attendees can expect to see different at this year's event. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vDXWvBrCLx8

Episode 201: Exploring the Evolution of Oasys, the CI Channel, and More with Hank Alexander

Tue, 15 Jul 2025 07:00:00 -0500

A little over three years since the rebranding of his group—and just a few weeks post the third-annual Oasys Summit—we sat down with Hank Alexander, director of Oasys Residential Technology Group. We dive into the progress his team has made over that time, where their attention is right now in terms of creating value for members, and look at the evolution of the CI channel. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4joAEgLKoWU

Episode 200: Kaleidescape Chats About New Product, Design Excellence, and More

Tue, 01 Jul 2025 07:00:00 -0500

Tayloe Stansbury was just your average home entertainment consumer when he first met the Kaleidescape team. Their mission and commitment—and product—ultimately won him over to the point that he became Chairman and CEO of the company. We sat down with Stansbury to dive into the brand's newest product and learn more about how the commitment to design excellence, which was recently rewarded with a Red Dot Desgin award, permeates throughout the company and is reflective of who they are and who they aspire to be—and serve. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-Z8bli0v2U

Episode 199: Azione Unlimited's Message of Controlling What You Can Control

Tue, 24 Jun 2025 09:00:00 -0500

Azione Unlimited Executive Director Patrick McCarthy is just about half-a-year into his new role, but the messages he's imparting onto the members of the group sound like someone who's been at the helm for half-a-decade. Having served in the shadows on an industry legend, it's fair to assume he's picked up a thing or two, and now with the reigns in his hands, he's continuing to steer the group and its members in a very positive direction. During their recent event in Indy, Patrick sat down with us to talk about his message of "controling what you can control" and blocking out the negative noise that's out there.

Episode 198: Looking Back at 10 Years of Josh.ai

Tue, 17 Jun 2025 06:00:00 -0500

CEO Alex Capecelatro has steered the ship for Josh.ai since the company launched 10 years ago this year. In that time, Josh has evolved from a piece of forward-thinking software into a full-blown home automation platform. We sat down with Alex to reflect on the past decade, discuss how far AI has come—and how far is still has to go—and how custom integrators have leveraged the platform to help their clients build the ideal smart home.

Episode 197: AVPro Global CEO On RTI Acquisition and More

Tue, 10 Jun 2025 07:00:00 -0500

Fresh off the news that his family-run company had agreed to acquire RTI Control, AVPro Global Holdings Founder and CEO Jeff Murray sat down with us to talk about the deal and so much more. We get into the company's 10-year history, how they've grown so fast and so quick, lessons learned from their AudioControl acquisition, and what the future could hold for this newly combined entity. With InfoComm upon us, we might not see what a true mashup looks like, but those plans could start to come to fruition by the time the industry gathers in Denver for CEDIA 2025.

Episode 196: Lessons in Life and Integration from Premiere SAV's Ann Johnson

Tue, 03 Jun 2025 06:00:00 -0500

Every integrator has a unique backstory for how they got into the business. But once they've made the decision to jump into this industry, they tend to face the same challenges and obstacles as their peers. That's why it's always enlightening to sit down with someone like Ann Johnson, co-owner and principal of Premiere SAV, and talk shop. Ann's background and path into the business is unique, but her passion for growing and evolving her company might be unmatched – as is her knowledge and expertise. It was impressive to tap into that and get a glimpse of her approach to the technology, design, and operational aspects of the business.

Episode 195: Sony's New CI Lead Shares Outlook for the Brand and the AV Industry

Tue, 27 May 2025 06:00:00 -0500

It had only been a few weeks since Kathleen Thomas took over as the head of custom integration for Sony when we sat down for this interview, but having spent many years preparing for this moment, and with the support of the team around her, she's clearly more than up for the challenge. We dive into her plans and expectations in the role, explore Sony's lens to livingroom approach to entertainment, and look back on the influence of the industry icon she's replacing.

Episode 194: CEDIA Shares Updates on its Advocacy Efforts

Tue, 20 May 2025 06:00:00 -0500

Shortly after the association's second-annual Smart Home on Capitol Hill Day – and on the heels of the "Liberation Day" announcements – we sat down with CEDIA to talk about the issues that are impacting the custom integration channel. Daryl Friedman, global president and CEO, and Darren Reaman, director of government relations, recap the event, talk tariffs, and much more on this week's episode.

Episode 193: Riding the Energy Wave with Bryce Judd of Savant

Tue, 13 May 2025 06:00:00 -0500

Awareness around energy storage and energy management has been something like a wave, as Bryce Judd, Chief Revenue Officer at Savant, put it. The California kid explains in this episode how our industry is right at the point where the wave begins to swell. The challenge for integrators, then, is whether they can spot that wave coming, and whether they plan to ride it when it starts to crest or let it pass them by.

Episode 192: The Lighthouse Design

Tue, 06 May 2025 07:00:00 -0500

Ever since fully investing themselves in the CEDIA channel, Lighthouse Design Studio has had a series of lightbulb moments – pun absolutely intended – in how they can help with integrators become more effective and efficient in their outdoor lighting efforts. Tim Ryan, Executive Director and Principal Designer at Lighthouse, joins the podcast to talk about the many similarities between outdoor lighting design and the work of a CI, and how he hopes to elevate the professionals in both industries through education.

Episode 191: On the Intersection of Design and Integration with Hunter Douglas

Tue, 29 Apr 2025 06:00:00 -0500

Had you told Scott Stephenson at the start of his career that he’d someday know the know and understand the lighting qualities of different shade fabrics, he’d have told you to go pound sand. Today, as Senior Director of Product for Hunter Douglas, it’s his job to help custom integrators – and the team at Hunter Douglas – make sense of how the worlds of home automation and custom window treatments not only need to coexist, but work together to improve the lives of homeowners.

Episode 190: The Role Integrators Play in Shaping a Greener World

Tue, 22 Apr 2025 07:00:00 -0500

Today's consumer cares more deeply than ever about their environmental impact – or, at the very least, the ways in which their energy consumption directly impacts the environment as well as their wallet. That's why we're hearing more about technologies like what Airzone brings to the table, allowing integrators to help their clients take control of their environmental impact through one of the most impactful areas in the home: their HVAC system. Victoria Garcia Massimo joins the podcast, right around Earth Day no less, to talk about how Airzone is helping our channel become more educated around the HVAC category and why it's something we need to start paying more attention to.

Episode 189: Tom Doherty Helps Integrators See the Light

Tue, 15 Apr 2025 06:05:00 -0500

It took a few years, but the work is finally paying off for HTSA and Tom Doherty, director of technology initiatives for the group, when it comes to the major emphasis on the lighting category. During their recent Spring Conference, we sat down with Tom to talk about the results the group's dealers are seeing across the board because of their commitment to – and investment in – lighting.

Episode 188: Avi Rosenthal Breaks Down the Challenges and Opportunities in the Smart Home

Tue, 08 Apr 2025 07:00:00 -0500

In his early days as an integrator and self-proclaimed networking nerd, Avi Rosenthal saw the potential in a fully connected and automated home. He took that passion and hobby and turned it into a career that now includes serving as the Chairman of the Board for the Z-Wave Alliance – among many other roles at highly impactful and important organizations. We tap into Avi’s networking knowledge to get a better lay of home automation landscape, see where the challenges exist, and spot potential gaps that integrators can help fill.

Episode 187: An Interview with RTT’s New Executive Editor Rob Stott

Tue, 01 Apr 2025 06:00:00 -0500

Just a few short weeks ago, Residential Tech Today welcomed CI and communications industry veteran Rob Stott into the fold as our new Executive Editor. Before he steps behind the mic to take over the podcast, we’re putting Rob in a spot he’s slightly less familiar with – being the interviewee. In this episode, Charles Warner, CEO and Editor in Chief of IPW, the parent company of RTT, sits down with Rob to talk about his career, what brings him back to the editorial side of things, and where he sees RTT going in the months and years ahead.

Episode 186: How Larry Dashiell Manages Renewable Energy Tech

Tue, 26 Nov 2024 08:00:00 -0500

On this week’s podcast, Larry Dashiell joins us from Santa Rosa, CA, where he is owner and CEO of Summit Technology Group, a team of more than 60 professionals who provide smart home technology, electrical, and renewable energy solutions across California’s North Bay and the North Idaho area.

Back in 1986, our guest today was thrust into a leadership role in his father’s electrical company at the young age of 22. Since then, he has built a stellar reputation for bringing together a “total solution” of electrical contracting, lighting design, and integration of sophisticated audio, video, and renewable energy system management under the same roof.

In this episode, we discuss Larry’s unique perspective as a 38-year industry veteran of both the electrical and low-voltage electronics trades, in particular his insights into lighting and renewable energy management business opportunities for the custom integration channel.

Episode 185: John Palser’s Multi-Location Lessons at Denizen

Tue, 19 Nov 2024 14:18:00 -0500

On this week’s podcast, John Palser joins us from Omaha, NE, where he is president of Denizen, a custom integration company with locations in Omaha, Kansas City, Dallas, and Austin. From a complete home that you can walk through in their HQ Experience Center in Omaha to regional domination across 14 states from north to south in the middle of the country, Denizen is re-defining what transformative technology can do in a home.

During the recent HTSA Fall Conference outside of Denver, John got stuck talking to Jeremy at the closing night dinner. John was very patient with Jeremy’s 50 questions about this business and career history, which proved to be an excellent pre-interview for this podcast, minus maybe a few celebrity athlete client anecdotes which we won’t be able to share here unfortunately.

Episode 184: Josh Willits on How AI is Transforming Portal Proposals

Tue, 12 Nov 2024 08:37:00 -0500

On this week’s podcast, Josh Willits joins us from Mechanicsburg, PA, where he is COO of Portal, the proposal software and product/pricing database for integrators. Although you’ve seen him wearing the Portal orange pants at trade shows going on 11 years now, Josh’s career has also included a tenure in the custom integration trade, as well as several years with a well-respected Crestron programming company. You may even remember his Covid-era side hustle as a gentleman coffee roaster.

Today we’ll touch on a bit of that career arc, but mostly we’ll focus on Portal’s latest innovation: the AI Proposal Builder. Released in beta to the industry on November 12, the new tool promises AV and security dealers the ability to create complete project proposals in just seconds, transforming often-tedious process and making it easier for integrators to sell projects and get paid.

Episode 183: Bert Herrero Previews His New Daisy Franchise Plans

Tue, 05 Nov 2024 07:15:00 -0500

On this week’s podcast, Bert Herrero joins us from Pompano Beach, FL, to discuss his career in custom integration, including his new role as a franchise owner with Daisy, the national smart space installation and services company. Our guest today founded First Priority Audio in Pompano Beach back in 2001 and led that CI firm until a few months ago when it was acquired by Daisy. Then, just a few weeks ago, Daisy announced that Herrero would be launching the seventh Daisy franchise, choosing red-hot Ocala, FL, for its location. This is the second time in Daisy’s first year that an independent owner who was acquired has turned around and launched an entirely new Daisy franchise location. Building from his track record of running a best-in-class operation for more than 20 years at FPA, Herrero is looking to leverage Daisy’s robust branch support systems to establish a strong presence in Ocala.

Special thanks this week’s sponsor: the Sonos Era 100 Pro.

Episode 182: 30+ Years of Inventions with Modern Atomics’ Mike Braithwaite

Mon, 21 Oct 2024 11:27:00 -0500

On this week’s podcast, Modern Atomics co-founder Michael Braithwaite joins us from Austin, TX, to discuss his 30-plus-year career as an innovator and inventor of smart home and commercial AV technology. Mike and Jeremy recently re-connected, prior to his new company’s launch at CEDIA Expo last month in Denver, and that chat was so insightful, that Jeremy wished afterwards that he’d recorded it for this podcast. In this episode they re-capture some of that magic as they discuss Modern Atomics’ first product, called Reaktor, which is a power distribution unit designed specifically to save energy while powering motorized shades. We also learn how the company plans to use its innovations in other applications going forward and look back on Mike’s impressive career leading Crestron’s residential systems group in the early 2000s, co-founding NetStreams, and helping bring more innovation to Screen Innovations.

Special thanks this week’s sponsor: the Sonos Era 100 Pro.

Episode 181: Michael Heiss on CEDIA Product Trends and the Laundry Jet

Mon, 14 Oct 2024 12:02:00 -0500

On this week’s podcast, our contributing editor Michael Heiss joins us from his home in Los Angeles to talk about his experience at last month’s CEDIA Expo, including the biggest trends, biggest surprises, and most over-hyped and most-under-the-radar introductions. This is our third podcast this month featuring a CEDIA Expo focus, but without the perspective of today’s guest (Jeremy’s fellow CEDIA Fellow who is also a CEDIA Lifetime Achievement Award recipient) do you really know the full story for our most important annual convention?

Special thanks this week’s sponsor: The Sonos Era 100 Pro

Episode 180: John Sciacca’s Pickleball Success and CEDIA Favorites

Thu, 03 Oct 2024 09:07:00 -0500

On this week’s podcast, John Sciacca joins us from Myrtle Beach, SC, where he co-owner of Custom Theater and Audio. Whenever John is on the podcast, the conversation is sure to drift away from smart home tech topics toward he and Jeremy’s other favorite topics such as Taylor Swift, the latest movies, and pickleball. Our host and today’s guest connected in person last month at CEDIA Expo in Denver, where John organized and led the very successful, first-ever CEDIA Pickleball tournament, which was inspired by a much smaller John and Jeremy outing at CEDIA last year. On the podcast, John and Jeremy revisit their challenging Uber rides in Denver and discuss their respective CEDIA new product summaries, comparing notes on what they saw at the show and experienced in booth demos. Special thanks to 2N for sponsoring this episode.

Episode 179: Kyle Steele’s Smart Home and Wellness Tech Insights

Thu, 26 Sep 2024 10:29:00 -0500

On this week’s podcast Kyle Steele joins us from Burbank, CA, where he is president of Global Wave Integration and founder and CEO of FutureCare Solutions Group. Kyle and Jeremy connected recently during John Sciacca’s pickleball tournament at CEDIA Expo 2024 in Denver. CEDIA was a busy time for Kyle, as he participated on a panel about his company FutureCare’s aging in place tech solution, toured Expo with Denver-area high school tech charter school kids, and even one a prestigious CEDIA award for best media room. We are excited to have him on the podcast to share his latest insights and to talk about how he got into this industry and some of his keys to success so far.

Episode 178: Hagan Kappler on Building the Daisy Brand

Thu, 22 Aug 2024 10:19:00 -0500

On this week’s podcast Hagan Kappler joins us from Costa Mesa, CA, where she is co-founder and CEO of Daisy, the national smart home integration brand. With a career spanning service brands like Starbucks, Carrier, Trane, Club Car, Terminix, Merry Maids, and ServiceMaster, our guest today has navigated corporate life, solving, challenges, building teams, and seizing opportunities. Her goal since launching Daisy into the CEDIA channel this past January is to be the strongest national brand in technical support… offering clear, simple solutions. By partnering with the best home automation companies and top entrepreneurs, Daisy strives to provide “wildly simple solutions and unwavering support to our customers.”

Episode 177: Richard Charschan and His Home Theater-ology Vision

Thu, 15 Aug 2024 10:12:00 -0500

On this week’s podcast Richard Charschan joins us from Long Island, New York, where he is president of AcousticSmart Home Theater Interiors. Richard founded AcousticSmart for more than 25 years ago and has worked on some of the world's finest custom theaters and developed his own home theater seating and star ceiling products, as well. But just as interesting as that, he also helped create a new coffee table book called “Home Theater-ology” that will debut next month at CEDIA Expo in Denver. With insights from experts like Joel Silver on video calibration and Tony Grimani on acoustics, “Home Theaterology” provides valuable knowledge to inspire designers and architects to embrace the resurgent trend of home theaters.

The book is cosponsored by prominent industry-leading brands, such as Kaleidescape, Barco Residential, Screen Research, CEDIA, CEDIA Expo (Emerald), Storm Audio, Meridian, JBL Synthesis, D-Tools, TPI, 360 Power Quality, and MadVR, among others.

Visit hometheaterology.net to preorder.

Episode 176: How Trinnov Waveforming Actively Shapes Room Acoustics

Thu, 25 Jul 2024 08:00:00 -0500

On this week’s podcast Arnaud Laborie joins us from Paris, France, where he is CEO of Trinnov Audio. Over the past 20 years, Trinnov has earned a reputation for developing advanced sound processing technologies, including proprietary loudspeaker and room optimization, four-element 3D mapping technology, and, most recently, WaveForming Technology. WaveForming promises to improve low-frequency reproduction in home theaters by actively shaping room acoustics rather than just treating them. This approach optimizes subwoofer interactions within any space, delivering consistent, detailed bass across all seating areas. Laborie tells us more about these innovations and other new developments from the company in the months leading up to CEDIA Expo in Denver.

Episode 175: Mike Jordan Says It’s Time to Give RTI Another Look

Thu, 11 Jul 2024 10:30:00 -0500

On this week’s podcast Mike Jordan joins us from Charlotte, North Carolina, where he is chief product officer at RTI. With more than 12 years of industry experience, our guest today is known for leading productive, successful product teams. Prior to joining RTI this past December he spent the previous five years as senior VP of products at Snap One, which included leadership of the Control4 product line. Prior to Snap One he held a similar role at Core Brands, where he worked with current RTI CEO Joe Roberts, who was president of Core Brands at that time.

RTI has been busy building a new team with new products on a singular platform designed for success in any channel — resi, office, hospitality, and beyond. As we start looking toward CEDIA Expo in September, we thought it was a great time to catch up with one of the veteran control system brands in the custom integration channel and see how things are going for their new chief product officer so far.

Episode 174: Lutron’s Ben Bard on D2 Luxury Downlights

Thu, 13 Jun 2024 09:45:00 -0500

On this week’s podcast Ben Bard joins us from Coopersburg, PA, where he is VP of luxury residential business at Lutron. Ben was one of the presenters at an event that Jeremy attended last month at Lutron’s Ketra manufacturing facility in Austin, TX. That’s where Ben and his Lutron colleagues introduced the all-new Ketra and Rania D2 luxury architectural downlights to invited dealers, lighting designers, and press. Today, we’ll get to know a little bit about Ben’s experience at Lutron and find out everything you need to know about Lutron’s latest lighting fixture introduction.

Episode 173: Mike Gleason on Skyworth USA’s CI Strategy

Thu, 23 May 2024 11:09:00 -0500

On this week’s podcast Mike Gleason joins us from Austin, TX, where he is director of sales for Skyworth USA, manufacturer of the Clarus S1 outdoor Google TV, Companion P100 Portable LED Display, and Canvas Art Display. Mike’s career in consumer electronics spans a list of companies that reads like a who’s who of the history of AV integration tech. From the early days of Mitsubishi Digital in the late 1990s to the first consumer plasma TV in the U.S. at Fujitsu General to stints with Sharp Elite, the distributor AVAD, and Noel Lee’s Monster. Today we’ll learn more about his recollections of some of the more historical stops in his career and find out how his first year at Skyworth USA has been going so far.

Episode 172: Jennifer Kirkpatrick on ProLuxe Lighting for the CI Channel

Thu, 16 May 2024 11:04:00 -0500

On this week’s podcast, Jennifer Kirkpatrick joins us from Denver, Colorado, where she is director of sales for American Lighting and its custom integrator focused Proluxe division. Jennifer and Jeremy met a few months back at the Lightapalooza conference in Glendale, AZ, where she provided an overview of her company’s linear and tape light offerings. Today, we’ll learn more about Kirkpatrick’s background and career and discuss what the custom integration channel needs to know about Proluxe’s extensive lineup of products for their next lighting design and installation.

Episode 171: Eric Smith’s OliverIQ Progress Report

Thu, 02 May 2024 08:50:00 -0500

Joining us on the podcast from Salt Lake City, UT, is Eric Smith, who most people with a history in the custom integration industry will immediately associate with Control4, the company he co-founded, along with Will West, back in 2003.

After some time away from the smart home industry, Eric and Will have returned with their new company, called OliverIQ. Their goal is to put smart home automation “in reach for everyone” through what they’ve dubbed Smart Home as a Service.

Partnering with national and global service providers, such as ISPs and large home builders for example, OliverIQ aims to scale their platform rapidly, offering comprehensive product support, unlimited online and phone support, in-home assistance, and security system monitoring, all for a low monthly cost.

Our guest today, who serves officially as CTO of this new company, helps explain more about the concept behind OliverIQ, provide some updates since its launch back in January, and share some surprising reactions from custom integrators so far.

Episode 170: Alex and Amanda Put on Their CEDIA Hats

Thu, 25 Apr 2024 08:00:00 -0500

Joining us on this week’s podcast are Alex Capecelatro, the CEO of Denver-based Josh.ai, the voice-controlled home automation system, and Amanda Wildman, the co-owner of TruMedia, a respected custom integration firm in Ada, MI. As chairperson and vice chairperson of CEDIA, respectively, Capecelatro and Wildman are two of the best people to fill us in on all things CEDIA.

The professional smart home industry’s global trade association recently completed a record year for new member acquisitions, its first-ever CEDIA Smart Home Day on Capitol Hill to lobby for integrator recognition, and a return to financial and organizational stability with a balanced budget and extension of CEO Daryl Friedman’s contract through 2027. To top it off, the organization just announced the addition of Paul Dolenc and Mitchell Klein to its leadership team to help bolster growth and expansion initiatives. Today’s guests discuss all of that and more on the podcast.

Episode 169: Re-Imagining Remote Tech Support with Jason Griffing

Thu, 11 Apr 2024 07:00:00 -0500

On this week’s podcast, Jason Griffing joins us from Highlands Ranch, CO, where he is director of product for OneVision Resources, the remote support and RMR provider to custom integrators. Jason is responsible for overseeing the development and strategic direction of the company’s service platform, serving as OneVision’s voice of the customer, advancing their product roadmap and R&D initiatives.

Prior to joining OneVision in 2017, Jason spent a decade as a residential integrator doing everything from pulling wire in dusty attics and wiring racks, to project management and operations.

Jason is on the podcast today to tell us about several new initiatives, including OneVision’s Flex Support packages, launched back in August, that were designed to make it easier to get started with remote support and recurring monthly revenue solutions and ProVision Signal, a dedicated on-call management solution designed to make it easier for integrators to build a robust incident response plan that ensures clients get the level of service they need for their technology issues, 24/7/365.

Episode 168: Chris Lehnen on Luminii’s New Lighting

Thu, 28 Mar 2024 07:15:00 -0500

On this week’s podcast, Chris Lehnen joins us from Portland, OR, where he is a business development manager for Luminii, a manufacturer of architectural lighting solutions. Luminii was one of the lighting fixture exhibitors at the third-annual Lightapalooza conference held last month in Glendale, AZ, where the company showcased its specification-grade, low voltage fixtures, including a new LED linear product range and micro-optics solutions ideal for the custom integration channel. Our guest today comes from the CI space, having spent many years with the AV brands iRoom, Origin Acoustics, and SpeakerCraft, but now after a year and half immersed in the lighting fixtures business, he’s just the person to call if you’re looking for a high-end LED linear or low-voltage micro-optics solution for your next project.

Episode 167: Eddie Shapiro on CEDIA’s Trip to Washington

Thu, 14 Mar 2024 07:15:00 -0500

On this week’s podcast, Eddie Shapiro joins us from the Washington DC area, where is a chief AV designer and owner of the custom integration firm, SmartTouchUSA. Eddie, who recently completed his three-year term as a CEDIA Board member, just this past week joined a contingent of CEDIA representatives in the nation’s capital to advocate for current and future generations of the smart home industry during the Inaugural CEDIA Day on the Hill. Meetings with political leaders on March 6 addressed two critical matters: The Freedom to Invest in Tomorrow's Workforce Act (S. 722, H.R. 1477) and creating a classification of “integrator” in the Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) system. While this is just the first in several follow-up conversation that we have planned on this topic, we wanted to start with Eddie’s unique perspective. We also chat about the recent Lightapalooza conference in Glendale, AZ, where Jeremy witnessed Eddie taking more notes than any of the industry journalists attending the event!

Episode 166: Russound’s Charlie Porritt on His Career in Audio Tech

Thu, 07 Mar 2024 09:30:00 -0500

On this week’s podcast, Charlie Porritt joins us from Portsmith, New Hampshire, where he is CEO of Russound, an internationally respected leader in manufacturer of audio products and technology. While it seems as if those of us who know Charlie today only associate him with his 24 years at Russound, they’re failing to recognize early stops in his career at such other legendary brands, Harman and SpeakerCraft. Today we’ll look back a bit on our guest’s career arc, finding out what wisdom he picked up along the way and developed on the job in his career role, and explore some of Russound’s recent cool product introductions, including the AVA Series mini AVR, which is now shipping.

Episode 165: Ric Litofsky on Video Processing with MadVR

Fri, 23 Feb 2024 05:30:00 -0500

On this week’s podcast, Richard Litofsky joins us from Rockville, MD, where he is co-founder and CEO of madVR Labs, the developer of the Envy Extreme and Envy Pro video processors for the high-end home cinema market. Ric is a serial entrepreneur with an expertise and focus on several technology categories, including, of course, real-time video processing, which we will dive into on the podcast. Many CEDIA EXPO 2023 attendees felt that the home theater demo featuring madVR tech video processing was one of the most impressive looking and sounding demos of the show, so we knew it was only a matter of time before it became a topic of conversation here on the podcast.

Episode 164: Michael Heiss on BIG TVs, CTV, AI and More

Thu, 15 Feb 2024 09:30:00 -0500

On this week’s podcast, our contributing editor Michael Heiss joins us from his home in Los Angeles to talk about his experience at last month’s Consumer Electronics Show, including the biggest trends, biggest surprises, and most over-hyped and most-under-the-radar introductions. Like I said last year at this time, we especially appreciate Michael’s reports from Las Vegas. He was there so you and I didn’t have to be. Although he didn’t leave Sin City unscathed (stupid Covid…) there’s still no one better suited to provide the custom integration perspective on a massively broad event like CES than my fellow CEDIA Fellow who is also a CEDIA Lifetime Achievement Award Recipient, and one of the foremost experts on consumer and broadcast video technology.

Episode 163: Tim Bigoness on the Evolution of D-Tools

Tue, 30 Jan 2024 06:00:00 -0500

On this week’s podcast, Tim Bigoness joins us from Atlanta, GA, where he is chief marketing officer and VP of sales for D-Tools, the provider of business software for low-voltage system integration firms. Founded in 1998 by chairman, Adam Stone, D-Tools pioneered the category of data-driven proposal, system design, and field service management in the system integration industry with its on-premises System Integrator software. In 2019, D-Tools introduced its cloud-based platform, D-Tools Cloud, which is designed to help smaller companies and projects streamline sales processes, from initial client engagement through field service management. Then, just last month, the company made a huge splash when they announced that their D-Tools Cloud Solo plan would be available for free, effective immediately. Tim helps us understand the evolution of D-Tools and how making D-Tools Cloud Solo free will help drive more business and improve the professionalism and productivity of the residential tech integration industry.

Episode 162: Tom Doherty Previews Lightapalooza 2024

Thu, 04 Jan 2024 06:00:00 -0500

On this week’s podcast, Tom Doherty joins us from Palm Desert, CA, where he is a director for the HTSA buying group. If CEDIA had the equivalent of the Disney Legends program for its founding pioneers, then Tom would be in its inaugural group. He was literally there at the beginning of the industry’s premier trade association’s CEDIA Expo and he has led an impressive career as integrator and manufacturer, culminating in his current role where his vision has brought the lighting category to the forefront of the industry and now AI as one of the leading topics of the day. With plans for the 3rd annual Lightapalooza conference recently announced, we thought it would be a great time to have Tom on to give us an update on that event and tell us why you won’t want to miss it.

Today’s episode of Residential Tech Talks is brought to you Nice, a global manufacturer of smart home, security, and building automation solutions. Nice is bringing together 30 years of innovation with award-winning products from ELAN, SpeakerCraft, and Panamax, to create a holistic ecosystem for builders, integrators, and consumers. Learn more about how you can create One Home with One Solution at go.niceforyou.com/rtt.

Episode 161: Exploring the Hailo AI Capabilities of Snap One’s Luma Security System

Thu, 28 Dec 2023 08:44:00 -0500

On this week’s podcast, Mark Grobman, CTO of machine learning for Hailo, and Derek Webb, surveillance product manager for Snap One, join us to discuss a recent announcement from Snap One about how the company’s Luma Insights security system has leveraged the Hailo-8 AI chip to allow for advanced security capabilities. The Insights service integrates with existing Snap One products and requires minimal setup for integrators, allowing for near-instant access to AI-powered visibility from Luma cameras in a Control4 system.

Episode 160: Audio Innovation with Nice’s Terence Dover

Thu, 21 Dec 2023 09:00:00 -0500

On this week’s podcast, Terrence Dover joins us from New Haven, CT, where he is senior global product line manager for Nice North America. Following an award-winning four-year stretch with Harman’s Mark Levinson audio brand, Terrence joined Nice North America in August 2021 where was tasked with updating and modernizing the company’s brand portfolio, which includes 22 products launched over 18 months. Today we will learn more about Terrence’s career path in the audio technology and music recording business and find out how he is working now to maintain the DNA of legacy audio designs and tech within the Nice portfolio, even as they evolve and are marketed under the Nice family name and completely new electronics and speakers are developed.

Episode 159: Healthy Home Tech with RePure’s Michael Don Ham

Thu, 14 Dec 2023 10:24:00 -0500

On this week’s podcast, Michael Don Ham joins us from the New York area where he is co-founder and president of RePure, a company that is on a mission to transform indoor spaces into smarter and healthier environments. In a post-COVID world, awareness of Indoor Air Quality has surged, yet we're still awaiting regulations and codes to ensure our homes and buildings are as safe and healthy as possible. It’s crucial for architects, interior designers, home builders, and custom integrators to recognize their collective power in improving the health and well-being of their clients, and that’s the mission of RePure and Michael Don Ham. Michael’s vision is to make managing Indoor Environmental Quality in homes and buildings as simple as how a thermostat manages temperature so that everyone can spend time in environments that are elevating health and well-being from behind the scenes yet also have access to the status of their air and water quality in real-time.

Episode 158: Hank Alexander and the Oasys Buying Group

Thu, 07 Dec 2023 10:41:00 -0500

On this week’s podcast, Hank Alexander joins us to discuss his role as director of Nationwide Marketing Group’s Oasys Residential Technology Group and its impressive progress this year in its “Drive to 1,000” members. Nationwide, headquartered in Winston-Salem, NC, is North America’s largest buying and marketing organization for independent major appliance, consumer electronics, and home furnishings dealers. Oasys, a custom electronics and installation network inside of Nationwide Marketing Group, is the newest and fastest growing group in the CI business now with 300 members to date. Today, we’ll learn more how Alexander’s time at legendary party school Arizona State prepared him for a long sales career in the CI channel, and how Oasys is different from other buying and education groups, in particular Azione Unlimited, which is also owned by Nationwide.

Today’s episode of Residential Tech Talks is brought to you by Nice, the global manufacturer of smart home, security, and building automation solutions. Nice is bringing together 30 years of innovation with award-winning products to create a holistic ecosystem for builders, integrators, and consumers. Learn more about how you can create One Home with One Solution at go.niceforyou.com/rtt.

Episode 157: Jeff Shaw on Nice’s ‘Home Manager’ System Focus

Thu, 30 Nov 2023 08:53:00 -0500

On this week’s podcast, Jeff Shaw joins us from Petaluma, CA, where he is vice president of product management for Nice North America. This is Jeff’s second time on the podcast, so today we skip most of the usual biographical part of our interview and dive right into news from Nice, including an exciting promotion for Jeff’s colleague Paul Williams, as well as insights into smart home product category trends, best practices for custom integrators, and even a look ahead to Nice’s product roadmap.

Episode 156: How Airzone Aidoo Pro is Bridging Smart Thermostats and HVAC Inverter Systems

Thu, 16 Nov 2023 06:00:00 -0500

On this week’s podcast, Airzone North America’s National Operations Manager, Victoria Garcia Massimo, and Regional Sales Manager for the US Central & West, Bob Howey, join us from Miami and Dallas to discuss their company’s smart control solution for HVAC systems. Airzone’s Aidoo Pro acts as a bridge between proprietary HVAC inverter and mini-split manufacturers’ protocols and IoT device or smart home control system APIs. Our guests today describe how the market for inverter and mini-split systems, which is already huge around the world, is beginning to take hold in North America and why using smart home thermostats with these HVAC systems is detrimental to their energy-saving features.

Episode 155: Gavin Lantzy on SaaviHome’s Franchise Plan

Thu, 09 Nov 2023 10:04:00 -0500

On this week’s podcast, Gavin Lantzy joins us from Denver, CO, where he is president and founder of SaaviHome, a custom integration firm founded in 2004. SaaviHome recently launched a franchise business model to provide entrepreneurs with a turnkey program to enter the smart home technology and light commercial markets. Our guest today has spent years developing a business model that offers franchisees the tools and support necessary to build a successful operation. The program offers comprehensive technology training, marketing support, and access to the company’s extensive network of resources. Today, we’ll learn more about our guest’s career path in home tech, his company’s history, and how the SaaviHome franchise model actually works.

Episode 154: Jeff Klida on EPV’s CI-Specific Projection Screens Focus

Thu, 02 Nov 2023 14:48:00 -0500

On this week’s podcast, Jeff Klida joins us from Bay City, MI, where he serves as vice president of sales at EPV Screens, the division of Elite Screens dedicated to the custom install market. From front projection and acoustically transparent to ambient light rejecting and polarized 3D materials, EPV provides electric and fixed-frame projection screens that fit just about any viewing experience. Today, we dig into projection screen trends and developments, learn more about EPV’s evolution as a CI-focused brand, and learn more about our guest and his career path to where he is today.

Episode 153: Jason Sayen on Streamlining Your Business Using Lean Six Sigma Principles

Thu, 26 Oct 2023 11:26:00 -0500

On this week’s episode, "I am Sayen" Founder Jason Sayen joins us from his home in Ft. Lauderdale, FL, to explore how his certification as a Lean Six Sigma helps him guide CI businesses in eliminating waste and transforming problems into opportunities. With 27 years of experience in the custom integration industry, Jason's journey has encompassed diverse roles in manufacturing, distribution, and independent representation. Today's conversation provides just a taste of the practical insights and strategies that Sayen uses to revolutionize the way custom integration companies think and operate.

Episode 152: Paul Williams on the State of Control Systems at CEDIA

Tue, 10 Oct 2023 06:00:00 -0500

On this week’s podcast, Paul Williams joins us once again from Salt Lake City, UT, where he is chief product officer for Nice. Nice last year began the absorption of its acquired custom integration brands, ELAN, SpeakerCraft, and Panamax, and at CEDIA Expo last month, their consolidation into the Nice brand was fully evident on the show floor, where the company showcased its commitment to offering a holistic home management solution for its partners and customers. Prior to the show Jeremy chatted on this podcast with Jeff Shaw, the company’s VP of product management, where they did a deep into all of Nice’s new products. With those details pretty well covered, but with everyone is still talking about CEDIA Expo-related news and industry trends a month later, we thought we could get Paul’s veteran perspective on the show, his thoughts about his company’s experience there, and his insights into the current state and future of home control and home automation technology.

Episode 151: CEDIA Expo ‘Hardball’ with Briesemeister and Hartman

Tue, 03 Oct 2023 11:07:00 -0500

On this week’s podcast, Jamie Briesemeister joins us from St. Louis, where she is CEO and co-founder of Integration Controls and Patrick Hartman joins us from Reno, Nevada, where he is general manager Technology Design Associates. Patrick and Jamie were the two people recruited Jeremy to help launch the CEDIA Business Xchange conference back in 2014, and that experience created a bond and friendship that has lasted almost 10 years. During CEDIA Expo 2023 in early September, Jamie subbed in for industry legend Frank White, joining Patrick in teaching a course titled, “Hardballing: How to have Difficult Conversation” that better prepares attendees for conflict resolution with their staff and clients. We learn more about that course, and Jamie also tells us what she learned from CEDIA’s AI Symposium.

Episode 150: Jason Knott on D-Tools’ Mid-Year Report

Mon, 25 Sep 2023 17:18:00 -0500

On this week’s podcast, Jason Knott joins us again from his home office in Sturbridge, MA, where he now serves as data solutions architect & evangelist, Data by D-Tools. It was only 10 episodes ago that Jason came on to discuss his newly created role at D-Tools, where he works with a special team to define and deliver industry analytics and insights. Well, some of those results are now included in a very thorough 2023 Midyear Market Health Report. We wanted to discuss those findings in detail, but also share our guest’s new perspective on the recent CEDIA Expo show now that he’s not moderating a hundred panels on the smart stage or trying to meet with exhibitors in his former role as an industry magazine editor.

Episode 149: CEDIA’s Walt Zerbe on Immersive Audio Design and More

Fri, 15 Sep 2023 12:01:00 -0500

On this week’s podcast, Walt Zerbe joins us from Lancaster, PA, where he is senior director of technology and standards for CEDIA. Walt and Jeremy, like many of you in the audience were in Denver, CO, at this time last week attending a very energetic and inspiring CEDIA Expo event. Our guest today was not only checking out as many new products and technologies as he could on the show floor but was also participating in multiple CEDIA (the association) hosted education training and panel discussions and hosting the CEDIA podcast directly from the exhibit floor. In the episode, Walt and Jeremy will discuss a little bit about all of that, but most importantly they will dive into perhaps the biggest news from the show: the long-awaited release of the CEDIA and CTA - RP22 Immersive Audio Design Recommended Practice document.

Episode 148: Nice North America’s Jeff Shaw Gets Ready for CEDIA

Thu, 31 Aug 2023 06:00:00 -0500

On this week’s podcast, Jeff Shaw joins us from Petaluma, CA, where he is vice president of product management for Nice North America. Jeremy and met a year ago at this time, when Nice welcomed members of the trade media to their U.S. headquarters in Carlsbad, CA, to meet the team and learn about their product direction. At that time, Nice announced its plan to sunset the ELAN, SpeakerCraft, and Panamax product names. This year their focus is less about rebranding, and more about new products. Shaw provides us with an update on a new remote control that will soon begin shipping and remind us about the June 2023 OS 8.8 software update for Nice Control, the July announcement of Nice Custom Smart Sun Shades, this month’s audio solutions from what had been the SpeakerCraft line.

Episode 147: Michael Short on the Crestron Home OS 4 Launch

Thu, 24 Aug 2023 12:00:00 -0500

On this week’s podcast, Michael Short joins us from London, where he is senior director of residential and hospitality marketing at Crestron. It’s been almost a year since Jeremy had dinner in Dallas during CEDIA Expo with Michael, along with several members of the Crestron executive team. At that time, they talked about all of the hullabaloo surrounding supply chain challenges and pricing inflation, but then we mostly just unwound and decompressed from a long day on the show floor. This year, the news is much more fun. At CEDIA Expo 2023, Short and his colleagues will roll out Crestron Home OS4.

Crestron Home OS 4 is the next evolution for the smart home, featuring a completely new, intuitive interface for the client while further speeding and simplifying installation for dealers. Crestron Home OS 4 offers interoperability and control of both Crestron and thousands of third-party smart devices and delivers a new level of user-friendliness, functionality, customization, and whole home control from a remote, touch screen, keypad, or mobile device for everyone, including residents, children, and even house guests.

Episode 146: Murray and Kane on the AVPro Global Acquisition of AudioControl

Fri, 04 Aug 2023 10:20:00 -0500

On this week’s podcast, we welcome two esteemed guests, AVPro Global Founder and CEO Jeff Murray and AudioControl VP of Sales and Marketing, Chris Kane, to discuss exciting business acquisition news for the residential and commercial AV integration industry. AVPro Global, the parent company of AVPro Edge, Murideo, and Bullet Train audio/video distribution products, recently acquired the Home Audio division of AudioControl from AAMP Holdings. Through the deal, AVPro Global will assume ownership of AudioControl’s Home Audio Division product line of amplifiers of various shapes and sizes, AV processors, AV receivers, and AV signal extenders. Murray and Kane join us from the AudioControl headquarters in Seattle, WA, where they were in the middle of buttoning up the blending of their two brands.

Episode 145: John Sciacca on Pickleball, Eras Tour, Summer Movies, Just Add Power Tour, and More

Fri, 28 Jul 2023 06:00:00 -0500

On this week’s podcast, John Sciacca joins us from Myrtle Beach, SC, where he co-owner of Custom Theater and Audio. When it comes to people that Jeremy has met through his job over the years, John is at the top of the list as one his favorites. So, following a short summer hiatus from podcast recording, Jeremy thought he should start with a fun one, inviting back one of his most entertaining guests. In a wide-ranging chat, they cover some residential tech topics, but also their favorite current movies, the latest on the Taylor Swift Eras Tour, and even John’s borderline obsession with pickleball.

Episode 144: Craig Spinner on Savant’s Smart Power Evolution

Tue, 20 Jun 2023 08:39:00 -0500

On this week’s podcast, Craig Spinner joins us from Osterville, MA, where is general manager for Savant Power within Savant Systems Inc.

Savant is a leader in both smart home and smart power solutions, as well as a provider of energy efficient smart LED fixtures and bulbs through its GE Lighting brand. Savant Power systems provide homeowners with visibility into their energy production and consumption, help them weather power outages, and offset peak utility rates when ON the grid or optimize energy usage when OFF the grid.

Last month, the company acquired POMCube Inc., which has been at the forefront of developing and deploying energy storage systems for the past 10 years. I’ve known today’s guest probably for as long as Savant Systems has been in business, but this is the first time having him on the podcast. With hot summer weather upon and hot news from his company in our email in-box, we thought it was a great time to have Craig on to discuss residential managed power and Savant’s growing slate of solutions.

Episode 143: James Garrett on His First CI Acquisition

Fri, 02 Jun 2023 06:00:00 -0500

On this week’s podcast, James Garrett joins us from Battle Ground, WA, where he is CEO of Garrett Integrated Systems. Our guest today recently acquired the 10-person Boise, Idaho-based custom integration firm, The Loop Technologies, from former RTT podcast guest Eric Crawford. The buyout was an exit strategy for Crawford, so he can focus on his component company IFP Connect, which is a single-gang transceiver solution for connecting fiber optic cable in the home. The acquisition marks the first step in James Garrett’s quest to build a regional custom installation company in the Pacific Northwest. Today’s guest discusses how it all came together and shares more about his path into the industry.

Episode 142: Innovating with Snap One CEO John Heyman

Fri, 26 May 2023 05:00:00 -0500

On this week’s podcast, John Heyman joins us from Atlanta, GA, where he is CEO of Snap One, a leading manufacturer and distributor of audio video, networking, surveillance, power, and wiring products. When our guest today last appeared on the podcast, back in December of 2020, his company was still called SnapAV, none of us had received our first Covid-19 vaccine, and the University of Georgia was still seeking their first football national championship since 1980. A lot has happened since then, including back-to-back National Championships from John’s and Jeremy’s shared alma mater, UGA. Throughout it all, the custom integration industry just keeps humming along with Snap One right in the middle of it all shipping products on time and helping its dealer to innovate and become more efficient partners to their clients.

Episode 141: Franklin Karp Shares Lessons from NYC AV Retail and CI

Tue, 16 May 2023 06:00:00 -0500

On this week’s podcast, Franklin Karp joins us from Long Beach, NY, where, for the past year, he has been the principal of Franklin Karp & Co., a comprehensive consulting firm for the residential tech integration business.

A 30-year veteran of AV retail and custom integration in New York City and New York suburbs, our guest today offers services in all phases of operations management, with a particular focus in the custom integration and retail sectors.

Jeremy’s industry friendship with Franklin goes all the way to the late ’90s when he attended manufacturer press conferences at the mid-town Manhattan-based Harvey Electronics, the legendary AV retailer for which Franklin served as CEO at the time.

Episode 140: Jason Knott on His New Data Solutions Role at D-Tools

Tue, 02 May 2023 17:22:00 -0500

On this week’s podcast, Jason Knott joins us from Sturbridge, Massachusetts, to discuss the surprising news last week that he will be leaving his long-time post as editor in chief of CE Pro magazine to join D-Tools, the provider of business management software for electronic systems integrators. In the newly created role of data solutions architect and evangelist, our guest today will work with a special team at D-Tools to define and deliver industry analytics and insights. Jason is a friend of Jeremy’s since they both got started in the residential tech industry back in 2000.

Episode 139: Dave Chace on Improving Sales & Training with Better Tools

Tue, 25 Apr 2023 09:55:00 -0500

On this week’s podcast, Dave Chace joins us from the Philadelphia area, where he is president of Cogent360. Founded in 2007, Cogent360 is a media design firm that creates interactive and immersive digital resources for the consumer electronics and home integration industries. Our guest today is a 35-year veteran of the CE and CI industries and a former director of product training for a nationwide specialty CE retailer. Dave started Cogent360 to change how organizations educate their sales channels and consumers. Over the years, the company has evolved into an industry-leading media design firm and now incorporates virtual environments and 3D modeling to help companies around the globe.

Episode 138: Mitchell Klein on the Latest Z-Wave Developments

Tue, 18 Apr 2023 07:00:00 -0500

On this week’s podcast, Mitchell Klein joins us from Boston, where he is executive director of the Z-Wave Alliance, the standards development organization dedicated to advancing the smart home and Z-Wave technology. Deployed in more than 100 million products sold worldwide, the Z-Wave protocol is an interoperable, wireless, RF-based communications technology designed specifically for control, monitoring, and status reading applications in residential and light commercial environments. Our guest today, who holds the record for the most appearances on this podcast, is a former CEDIA president and a CEDIA Lifetime Award recipient. Mitchell Klein joins us to talk about the latest Z-Wave developments and smart home tech trends.

Episode 137: David Thomas on the Evolving Role of CI Reps

Tue, 11 Apr 2023 15:59:00 -0500

On this week’s podcast, David Thomas joins us joins us from Austin, TX, where he was on the road participating in the Rio Grande Dealer Event. Dave is a principal at Rio Grande, as well as executive director of its sister company, the Momentum Group, both based in Denver, CO. As if that were not enough titles for one man, he is also a partner at the PureTech Alliance, the national alliance of manufacturer's representatives dedicated to bringing the best-in-class health, wellness, and quality-of-life products to the CEDIA and AVIXA channels. Momentum Group, a nationally recognized rep firm covering the Rocky Mountain market, represents multiple consumer electronics brands in the residential and commercial channels. Rio Grande Reps specializes in the residential CI markets in Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, and Arkansas.

Episode 136: How Joe Borress Balances Electrical and Low-Voltage Contracting

Tue, 04 Apr 2023 06:00:00 -0500

On this week’s podcast, Joe Borress joins us from Malibu, CA, where he is founder and president of Tri-Star Electric & Automation. Our guest today grew up immersed in high-end New York City construction projects, as a third-generation electrical contractor. He spent the early decades of his career navigating and troubleshooting complex job sites, working with clients and renowned architects in the ultra-luxury residential markets of New York City, the Hamptons, and Greenwich, CT. Then, in 2013, drawn to California’s sunshine and quality of life, Joe and his family moved from the east coast to Malibu, where he established his company as a sought-after designer and consultant in the most exclusive areas of Southern California, combining his qualifications as an electrical contractor, lighting designer, and low-voltage integrator.

Episode 135: Josh Christian on Elevating Top Integrators Through HTA Certification

Tue, 28 Mar 2023 11:32:00 -0500

On this week’s podcast, Josh Christian joins us from Calabasas, CA, where he is CEO of the Home Technology Association. Back in 2017, the HTA created the first and only standard of excellence for home technology integration firms, giving the best-qualified technology integrators a prestigious certification and endorsement developed to differentiate exceptional firms. Since then, the HTA has fulfilled its purpose to provide a badge of quality for integrators and to help homeowners receive consistently first-rate technology experiences. Prior to his six years with the HTA, our guest today held roles in some of the most well-respected custom integration companies in the Los Angeles area. Today we will explore his career path and find out what all he’s been able to achieve with the HTA in a relatively short amount number of years.

Episode 134: Lighting Fixture Installation with Derk and Libman

Tue, 21 Mar 2023 17:03:00 -0500

On this week’s podcast, we welcome two guests to discuss lighting fixtures specification and installation opportunities for the custom integration channel. Joining us from Bethlehem, PA, is Charlie Derk, vice president of strategy for building control systems at Legrand. And joining us from San Diego, CA, is Mike Libman, the national sales director at DMF Lighting. Both of today’s guests are fully immersed in the lighting fixtures and lighting control categories as they specifically relate to the CI channel. Today, we will talk more about this developing opportunity for integrators and dig in a little deeper into differences in lighting fixture styles, color temperatures, and control options.

Episode 133: CEDIA’s Mandy Beckner on Tech Training Best Practices

Tue, 14 Mar 2023 06:30:00 -0500

On this week’s podcast, Mandy Beckner joins us from Fairfax, VA, where she is vice president of education and training at CEDIA. Last week, in honor of International Women’s Day, CEDIA partnered with the Women in Consumer Technology group to provide educational opportunities to women throughout the smart home industry. In the partnership announcement, Mandy who in addition to her role at CEDIA is also a board member for the Women in Consumer Technology group, said that the goal of the partnership was to inspire everyone in the industry to level up their careers through CEDIA education and certification and to provide opportunities to level the playing field within the industry. Our guest began her tenure with CEDIA almost a year and half ago after serving 20 years in educational leadership roles with AVIXA, the association that runs the InfoComm trade show. On the podcast, we learn more about Mandy’s career path and what initiatives she’s helping bring to CEDIA training and education.

Episode 132: Eric Joy Recalls the Worst AV Showroom He Ever Saw

Tue, 07 Mar 2023 15:31:00 -0500

On this week’s podcast, Eric Joy joins us from Marietta, GA, where he is chief experience officer of the GHT Group. GHT (formerly known as Georgia Home Theater) is a full-service custom electronics design and integration company, serving homeowners and businesses in Buckhead, Alpharetta, Midtown, the greater Atlanta area, and the Florida Panhandle. The company features a diverse team of world-class technology installation experts, which allows them to be a go-to source for home theater systems, smart home services, commercial automation, home and business security, audio video distribution, and lighting fixtures. GHT also operates a 20,000-square-foot showroom in Marietta allowing clients and business partners to experience the wonders of custom technology first-hand. Our guest today is a veteran custom integrator, but he also took almost 8 years away from that career path to take on a sales role for a legendary loudspeaker manufacturer. Last month, he and Jeremy shared a stage together, discussing lighting technology sales strategies at the second-annual Lightapalooza conference in Glendale, AZ.