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Crestron – The Next Generation: My Interview with New CEO Dan Feldstein

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Dan Feldstein, new CEO of Crestron at Crestron Next Road Trip in Boston

How He Came to be CEO and Where He’ll Pursue Growth

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.

See my interview with Dan Feldstein, Crestron CEO…

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What Amenities Do Million Dollar Home Buyers Desire? ‘Wellness’ Tops the List

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Beautiful luxury villa with pool by the sea

‘Wellness’ is Most Requested Amenity by Luxury Buyers

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.

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Snap One: What May Be Its Greatest Invention Yet

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Snap One meeting with Ted Green of Strata-gee

A Strata-gee Exclusive Report

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.

See all the details on this impressive education initiative from Snap One…

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Hundreds of Integrators Descend on Boston for the Crestron Next Road Trip

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Crestron Next Road Trip Day 1 crowd

Attendees Got a Full Show, Training & a Preview of Future Technology

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.

Learn more about the successful Crestron Next Road Trip

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Top Factors to Consider As You Ponder Your 2022 Plans

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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?

Here are some factors you should consider

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Crestron Launches Line of Battery-Powered Shades

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Crestron line of Battery-Powered Shades

Crestron Electronics, one of the industry’s most powerful home automation brands, announced today that it has launched a new line of battery-powered custom shades. While Crestron has been in the shading business for quite some time now, this new line of battery-powered shades – to my mind at least – seems perfectly suited as a complement to their burgeoning Crestron Home residential automation ecosystem.

See more on the all new line of Crestron battery-powered shades

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CEDIA Appoints New Head of Education & Training

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Photo of CEDIA HQ
CEDIA’s new headquarters building in Fishers, Indiana

Custom Electronic Design & Installation Association (CEDIA) announced today that it has appointed Amanda Beckner as its new Vice President of Education and Training. Beckner replaces the recently departed Samantha Ventura and is said to bring two decades of experience to the role. Most notably, Beckner was VP of Learning for AVIXA, the commercial integrator trade group.

Learn more about Amanda Beckner at CEDIA

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First-Ever ‘Inside Sound United’ Virtual Event is Next Week; Register Today

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Inside Sound United graphic

Major industry player Sound United is on the cusp of launching its first-ever virtual event called, appropriately enough, “Inside Sound United” (ISU). Coming November 9-12, 2021 to a computer near you, this highly immersive 4-day virtual event will be chock full of useful content and allow integrators to experience a side of the company not usually seen.

See more on ‘Inside Sound United’ virtual 4-day event

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CEDIA 2019 IRS Filing Reveals a $3.7M Deficit; Org Dubs It a Transitional Year

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A past CEDIA Expo
A past CEDIA Expo, now owned by Emerald Expositions

CEDIA recently filed their Form 990 with the IRS – a required filing by non-profits disclosing key financial data – and for the first time in a while, I found some interesting and somewhat confusing things in there. Yes, I obtain the organization’s 990 filings every year just to get a sense of how things are going. Like all of us, the organization is filing for, at best, the previous year and often they request and receive an extension. Hence, we are just now getting a glimpse of their 2019 results…and it was an eye-opener.

See what the CEDIA interim co-CEOs told me about 2019

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New Vanco Introduction Powers Up Your Assortment, Client Satisfaction & Profits

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I recently became aware of the fact that Vanco, the Chicago-based manufacturer of a broad range of mostly accessory products had decided to become a master distributor for a product category that we all need, we all use, and yet to which we pay little attention. It is in this reality, Vanco’s President Mark Corbin tells me, that there lies a tremendous opportunity to better serve our customers and to add meaningful profit to our financials.

See this Vanco solution…

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