HTSA on 3D, Automation, Dealer Recruitment, Sandy Gross

Only 58 integration companies comprise the trade group Home Technology Specialists of America (HTSA). Even so, the group provides a decent barometer of business conditions for CE pros.

During the recent HTSA fall conference in St. Louis, executive director Richard Glikes told CE Pro, “I think people are feeling better” about the integration business, after a couple of sad years.

HTSA supports about 42 vendors associated with home audio, video and control, and the organization tracks the purchase of these brands by all of its member dealers.

According to Glikes, June and July were record-breaking months for the group.

“I think they [dealers] are getting people to spend money,” Glikes says. “Things are feeling better.”

During the fall event, outgoing HTSA president Leon Shaw of Audio Advice, Raleigh, N.C., passed the gavel to Bob Gullo of Electronic Design Group, Piscataway, N.J. The incoming vice president is Jon Robbins of HiFi House, Broomall, Pa.

Also during the affair, HTSA members enjoyed having their personalities boiled down to a single geometric (or squiggly) figure, courtesy of motivational speaker Connie Podesta.

Here are some other highlights from the St. Louis event.

HTSA Seeks More Dealers

HTSA is known for many things. One of them is that the group is fairly elite, comprising some of the most respected integrators in the business.

If they chose to participate, all of the 58 members would be in the CE Pro 100.

But the group is looking for some new blood. Traditionally, HTSA has kept its group to about 60 dealers, but now it aims to bring on 10 or 15 more.

During the HTSA conference, Glikes told members, “We’re going to get some smart young guys in here.”

To attract new folks, HTSA is cutting in half the usual $5 million revenue requirement for its members. In addition, smaller dealers will only pay half the usual HTSA membership dues.

Glikes says HTSA is underrepresented in the following states: Oregon, Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Iowa, Michigan, New Mexico, Mississippi and South Carolina.

Why join?

Sure, the group puts on good conferences, provides PR and other marketing services, and designs Web sites for its dealers, but members tend to cite the substantial dollar savings as the best benefit of HTSA. Participating vendors – top brands in virtually every product category – offer really good breaks.

Don’t expect HTSA to get too big, though. The perfect group size is one that can fill a mid-sized restaurant, Glikes says.

Television, 3D and TV Stands

Here’s something we haven’t heard from Glikes in many years: “Video business is very good.”

He attributes the modest gains in TV sales to the fact that “new products are coming on line.”

3D hasn’t enjoyed the wild success that everyone predicted about one year ago, Glikes explains. Earlier this year, predictions were that 4 million 3D sets would be sold this year, but the final number will be closer to 1.7 million.

Even so, HTSA dealers are selling a disproportionate number of 3D sets, primarily because “3D is in every manufacturer’s better TVs” and HTSA dealers tend sell those better displays, Glikes explains.

Plus, HTSA dealers benefit from the confusion around 3D, says Glikes: “It’s good that people don’t understand it. They go to a specialist to understand.”