Strategy in TECH...
Joe Whitaker, a former partner in Thoughtful Integrations out of St. Louis, MO/Dallas, TX, is leaving his integration life behind to join Origin Acoustics as its Vice President of Business Development. Whitaker has been an active promoter of Origin products in his former life as an integrator and has already been consulting with the company on products for years.
Kaleidescape announced on Wednesday that they have appointed Craig Sholder as chief revenue officer (CRO). The appointment is effective immediately.
The Custom Electronic Design & Installation Association (CEDIA) announced today that its Cabling & Infrastructure Technician (CIT) Certification has received third-party accreditation which means that it conforms with the global ISO/IEC 17024:2012, General Requirements for Bodies Operating Certification of Persons standards. This is according to the ANSI National Accreditation Board (ANAB), a subsidiary of the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), which oversaw the process that determined the CIT Certification program fully conforms with ISO/IEC 17024 global standards.
Specialty audio maker AURALiC, Inc. announced today that it has partnered with Amazon to offer Amazon Music Unlimited on all streaming products. A dramatic announcement that brings literally millions of songs to AURALiC end users.
Last week I wrote about my opportunity to attend the inaugural Creston Next Road Trip in Boston in November. One of the most interesting parts of that experience was having the opportunity to interview new Crestron CEO Dan Feldstein. Crestron, one of the biggest players in the custom integration game, was founded by Dan’s father, George Feldstein (who passed away in 2014) and I was interested in learning more about how the new CEO saw the world and his top priorities and opportunities for the company.
In this Part 2 of that interview, we learn how the company is dealing with the industry-bedeviling supply chain issues, why it will never go public, how Dan views the CEO’s role, and how the company seeks to be a better business partner.
Last month I had the opportunity to attend the first-ever Crestron Next Road Trip event held in Boston, MA. The company is using the Road Trip as a replacement for the lost CEDIA Expo 2021 where they and around 150-200 other companies pulled out in the face of rising COVID infections. It is designed to offer integrators an opportunity to view its many new recently introduced products, take a variety of training courses, and get a preview of some future technology.
But most importantly for me, I was granted an opportunity for an unrestricted interview with Crestron’s new CEO, Dan Feldstein. The interview was originally scheduled for 30-minutes but actually ended up lasting more than an hour and a half, as our vigorous conversation covered a lot of ground – including big topics, such as how Feldstein came to be the company’s new CEO, and what market areas he believes offer the greatest growth opportunity for the company.
In a recent interview in a business newsletter, James Harris of the reality TV show Million Dollar Listing chatted about the latest trends in the luxury home market. The interview offered some interesting insights on the most desired amenities by today’s luxury home buyer, aka the primary target client for most custom integrators. Of the long list of available options, wellness is said to top the list as today’s most desired amenity.
In a special presentation to Strata-gee, Snap One educators Rus Rassmussen and Shayne Larsen shared with me the company’s latest revamped educational initiative designed to better educate integrators by improving comprehension and retention. This program, created and designed by the company’s education team, is now beginning to roll out and is impressive in scope, style, and design – it just may be Snap One’s greatest invention yet.
Last week, Crestron Electronics, a leading provider of control and automation solutions, wrapped up their two-day regional show, the Crestron Next Road Trip, at the Westin Copley Place Hotel in Boston. The well-attended two-day event saw hundreds of integrators descend on Boston to participate in an event that included whole sections of their displays from the CEDIA Expo and InfoComm trade show booths and offered full-day educational courses for both their residential and commercial dealers.
By now many of us are deep in our planning for 2022. What factors should you consider as you think about the business conditions you face next year? Will 2022 be more of the same as 2021? Or will trends be more negative…or more positive?
