Integrators from across the globe gathered in Atlanta this past month for the inaugural D-Tools User Conference (DTUC), a three-day event centered around the D-Tools software suite aimed at helping custom integration (CI) businesses improve operations, share best practices and better understand the tools they work with daily.
The event ran from February 23 – 25 at the Renaissance Atlanta Midtown, and brought together nearly 150 business leaders, project managers, sales professionals and operations specialists under the theme “Share What Works. Build What’s Next.”
Highlights from the first D-Tools User Conference
Incoming D-Tools CEO G Paul Hess talks on the opening day of the conference.
The conference opened with a keynote and town hall session led by D-Tools outgoing CEO Randy Stearns and newly appointed CEO G. Paul Hess, who touched upon the current economic outlook for the industry and AI’s growing influence in the channel, as well as the future roadmap for D-Tools’s platform.
Stearns expressed optimism about the industry’s outlook citing a “solid”-looking economy in 2026, with Hess echoing those thoughts.
“Labor is a bit soft, but that actually creates opportunities for efficient, well-run integration businesses,” said Stearns. “I’m optimistic about 2026—and, frankly, about the next few years—for both our industry and your businesses.”
Industry Experts Share Business Strategies
The show was filled with plenty of discussions from industry experts as well, with prominent members of the industry like Matt Bernath, Jason Sayen and Ron Callis giving their insights into running businesses as well as the disruptive forces shaping the way CI presents itself.
- Callis noted that for the first time ever, Google search volume fell in 2025, while AI search increased by 400%, highlighting the value in leveraging AEO to capture that volume for business.
- Joseph Kolchinsky, founder and CEO of OneVision Resources, in his session discussed how the integration industry is following the same path that the IT industry took 30 years ago and is migrating to be a service-based business.
Solving the Labor Shortage
Closing out the conference, Chris Smith, principal of TheCo Team offered hiring advice to attendees who are generally starving for quality labor. His suggestions included using Indeed paid ads (not free) to advertise your job openings, making sure you include the salary range, make the offer letter compelling to the candidates and not an HR-driven job description, and to consider hiring “human first” and “technical second.”
Product Discussions and Peer Collaborations
In addition to general sessions, the conference featured breakout tracks dedicated to D-Tools SI, D-Tools Cloud, and I3 partner analytics, allowing attendees to dive deeper into the tools and workflows that drive their businesses.
During these sessions, the D-Tools team shared product updates, previewed upcoming features, and gathered feedback directly from users. Roundtable discussions encouraged peer-to-peer collaboration around real-world operational challenges, including project workflows, vehicle policies, invoicing processes, and managing change orders.
What Attendees Were Saying After the Show
“We came to the D-Tools User Conference to network with other AV integrators, to hear how they are running their business, as well as to get deeper insights into the D-Tools platform and where it’s going,” said John Cappuccio, Operations Manager at Techifi in Lake Oswego, OR. “It’s been great.”
