Residential Tech Talks

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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. 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.

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. 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.

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. 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.

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.

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. 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.

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. 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.

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. 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.

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. 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.

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. 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.

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. 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.

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. 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.

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. 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.