Strategy in TECH...
Well-known industry personality Robert Heiblim died early Friday morning, January 7, 2022, after a brief battle with cancer at the age of 69. Heiblim enjoyed a long and prominent career in technology, first in corporate management and later launching his own successful consulting business. Most know him for his time at Denon, where he ultimately rose to become the President of U.S. operations. But his career, and his industry influence, ultimately grew to represent so much more than that.
Speaking at a press conference in Malaysia today, Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger said that the global chip shortage will last until 2023. Gelsinger pointed to the fact that demand keeps expanding, even as the industry struggles to bring more production online to fill the demand.
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 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.
Atlantic Integrated, a leading specialty manufacturer sales representative firm in the New York Metro market, announced last week that they have expanded their organization in order to help maintain their superior level of service as their business continues to grow. To help them address this expansion, they have appointed the newly-added Justin Zuber as Sales Manager.
Residential Tech Today Editor Jeremy Glowacki interviewed Ted Green – yeah, that’s me – for their podcast which is available in both audio-only or audio/video formats. What a weird experience it was for me! I’m used to being the questioner…not the questioned. Especially when you consider the fact that Jeremy and I are friends and talk frequently about everything from the business to family and friends – it was strange when he invited me to be on the podcast and shifted into professional editor mode.
And, he asked real questions – such as why Strata-gee can sometimes be controversial and how I came to this role.
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.
In a rare show of bipartisanship, a group of U.S. Senators has sent a strongly worded letter to a leading consumer electronics industry remote control maker Universal Electronics, Inc. (UEI) launching a probe into the company’s hiring practices in China. Unique to UEI is that they own their own factories in China (most contract with existing China OEM factories) and a recent damning investigation by Reuters alleges the company is working with the Chinese government to utilize a widely persecuted Uyghur minority in a forced labor arrangement, a human rights violation. UEI has denied the accusation but so far has not provided data to back up their denial.
CI coaching business Vital announced this week that well-known industry veteran Lawrence Davis has joined the company as its new VP of Business Development. The company says that this move is “the first step in their growth plan.”
