Episodes

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 C...

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 ...

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 chatte...

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 i...

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, b...

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 discussi...

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. S...

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, t...

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 o...

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 ...

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 e...

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 ...

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,...

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 Frankl...

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 ...

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 chann...

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 ...

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-...

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, ...

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 consist...

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 th...

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 partnershi...

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, ...

On this week’s podcast, Christopher Sterle joins us from Las Vegas, Nevada, where he is founder and CEO of Acoustic Design Systems. This month marks 20 years in business for ADS, as an integrator of commercial and residential home automation and security solutions. ADS has spent the past two decades perfecting a recipe for success, which includes evolving technology trends, developing home builder community partnerships, and taking advantage of economic and market opportunities. Our guest today ...