October 27, 2020 · RoseWater Energy Power Management Podcast
RoseWater Energy Group, a provider of integrated energy management systems, has launched a new power management podcast called, “The Next Generation of Energy,” to help integrators better understand power management and how they can eliminate issues for their clients.
The power management podcast series kicked off with a discussion on how the pandemic has made consumers and businesses wake up to their power quality issues. It addresses what you can do to ensure you always have power thus allowing everyone to work and learn effectively. The second episode features guest Troy Morgan, CEO of PanTech Design, with Joe Piccirilli, CEO of RoseWater, to discuss why intelligent design is powering energy evolution.
“There are so many product issues blamed on integrators when power and its reliability are the culprits,” says Joe Piccirilli.
“The goal of our podcast is to help integrators understand why reliable power is the foundation for the home or business. Power quality and reliability need to be addressed at the planning stages of the installation – not as an afterthought. As the grid continues to degrade, power and energy management will be more important to an integrator than the network.”
Future episodes will include thought leaders in energy and power management including integrators and manufacturers.
To follow “The Next Generation of Energy“ podcast, integrators can subscribe via Spotify or iTunes. The podcasts are also available on the RoseWater website.
October 26, 2020 · Somfy and Igor to hold Nov. 5 Webinar
Smart-building technology firms Somfy and Igor have announced a partnership to make it easier for architects, designers and building owners to connect and control natural and manufactured lighting.
Igor‘s Nexos IoT platform, enables a variety of devices, such as Somfy smart shading, HVAC controls, low voltage lighting, occupancy sensors and more to talk to one another for optimal automation, cost savings and data analytics. The companies will host a webinar on Nov. 5, 2020, to describe in greater detail the use cases, technology requirements and owner-operator benefits of the collaboration.
“Somfy is proud to integrate with Igor to create smart, comfortable and energy-efficient buildings,” says Russell Horowitz, national specification manager.
“Smart shading is a key component to creating innovative spaces that promote wellness and sustainability through natural lighting.”
Automated shading allows buildings to rely on natural light, cutting back on cooling and lighting costs. For instance, shades on a particularly sunny part of a building can be scheduled to lower during the hottest part of the day, triggering lighting to brighten and decreasing the pressure put on HVAC systems.
Igor’s open API and real-time data also invites data analytics to become part of the smart building conversation. It’s now easy to detect which spaces and devices are calling for the most energy use and to make adjustments based on that analysis. The system can even be configured to make those adjustments in real-time. This allows smart buildings to be adaptive, not just to the natural environment, but also to the occupants inside.
“Somfy and Igor are working closely together to create better experiences for our customers,” adds Brittany Mier y Terán, partnerships and custom integration channel manager.
“We’re excited to further enhance the natural and artificial lighting experience in buildings.”
October 23, 2020 · Sherman, Bush, Mizrahi and Shapiro Elected to CEDIA Board of Directors
CEDIA has announced four new elected directors who will serve on the CEDIA Board of Directors for the 2021-2022 term.
Michael Sherman was elected to fill the open EMEA position and Shannon Bush, Albert Mizrahi, and Eddie Shapiro were elected to fill the open positions for the rest of the world.
CEDIA members also approved the Amended and Restated portions of the CEDIA Articles of Incorporation and the CEDIA Bylaws. The updated version of the Articles of Incorporation can be viewed here and the updated version of the Bylaws can be viewed here.
“The four elected directors bring to the table a wealth of knowledge, an infusion of new ideas, and a track record of dedication to the industry,” says Rob Sutherland, board of directors chairman, CEDIA.
“CEDIA membership, the industry, and the world continue to evolve and the CEDIA Board of Directors is rising to the challenges. We welcome Michael, Shannon, Albert, and Eddie to their two-year terms and look forward to getting to work with them on behalf of the members and the association.”
(Pictured: Michael Sherman, Shannon Bush, Albert Mizrahi, Eddie Shapiro)
Shannon Bush is regional sales manager for AVDG, which has locations throughout the United States. She has over a decade of experience in the audio/visual industry and carries more than 15 professional certifications and licenses.
She volunteers for CEDIA and serves on CEDIA’s Integrator Business Owner Working Group. Bush says she is known for building highly successful teams that have strong cohesion, culture, and fanatically think outside the box. Prior to her AV industry career, Bush worked in the private defense industry, running multi-million-dollar projects worldwide.
Albert Mizrahi will complete his current appointed term on the board, which runs through the end of the year, and take on his elected term at the beginning of 2021. He serves as head of multiple businesses in Mexico, including Control4 Mexico, SmartLab, and DealerShop. He holds a degree in marketing and started his career in custom integrations as a director of distribution before becoming director of Control4 Mexico where he opened the first Control4 experience center in 2012, which has been replicated worldwide.
Eddie Shapiro is chief design officer for SmartTouchUSA, which has operations in Washington D.C., Maryland, and Virginia. He has worked in audio/visual and low voltage for more than 30 years in areas such as installation, system design, programming, marketing, sales, and executive leadership. Shapiro began his career on the security side where he installed systems for customers including PriceWaterHouse Coopers, IBM, Nordstrom, Nestle, and Verizon. He frequents CEDIA Expo and ISE for education and updates on tech.
A CEDIA volunteer for more than a decade, Shapiro says his focus today is on new technologies, developing industry standards, and increasing the industry’s reputation among architects, lighting designers, builders, and the design industry. Shapiro is part of the CEDIA Technology Council, which focuses on emerging trends and key industry topics.
Michael Sherman is chief executive officer of Henri, a third-generation family business in France. Sherman has been with the company for 11 years, previously serving in management, development, and operations roles, and as project manager and technical director. He has managed the team as it has grown from 15 to 45 employees, including several Sherman says he mentored from apprenticeships to management positions.
The 2019 CEDIA Young Professional of the Year, Sherman has volunteered for CEDIA for 10 years and was on the CEDIA EMEA board of directors from 2011-2013. He currently serves on Design and Build Resources Working Group, was part of the CEDIA Membership Advisory Council and received the French Chamber of Artisans’ Entrepreneur of the Year award in 2018. Sherman has been a panelist for the ISE Main Stage and CEDIA Expo Smart Stage.
The two-year terms of the newly-elected directors will begin January 1, 2021. Board members continuing their service in 2021 include:
Jamie Briesemeister Integration Controls St. Louis, Mo.
John Buchanan Meridian Audio Huntingdon, U.K.
Alex Capecelatro Josh.ai Denver, Colo.
Dave Humphries (Immediate Past Chairman, non-voting member) Atlantic Integrated Rockleigh, N.J.
Melanie Malcolm Bespoke Home Cinemas Leeds, Yorkshire, U.K.
Bill Skaer Bill Skaer and Associates, LLC Mesquite, Texas
Rob Sutherland Inspired Dwellings, Ltd. London, U.K.
David Weinstein Lutron Electronics Co. Inc. Coopersburg, Penn.
October 23, 2020 · Rep Rebrands as NuTech Group; adds Vijita U.G.
NuTech Group, Mid-Atlantic manufacturers’ representatives for AV manufacturers and CI integrators in residential and light commercial applications, has announced the addition of a dealer support and marketing coordinator to guide the marketing initiative to refresh the branding and improve the dealer support for the company.
NuTech Dealer Support and Marketing Coordinator
NuTech Group has appointed Vijita U.G. as dealer support and marketing coordinator. Vijita brings extensive sales and marketing experience based on over 14 years with Stewart Filmscreen and James Loudspeaker. She is well known for her loyalty, passion, and genuine interest in helping dealers and vendors succeed. Vijita is responsible for all customer support and marketing activities, including comprehensive dealer support, website and social media management, reporting, marketing communications, promotional activity, and event planning.
“We are excited to add Vijita’s industry experience, insights, and leadership to our expanding team as we continue to grow our company and the services we provide,” comments Brett Nneiderman, president of NuTech Group President.
This newly created position is part of a larger initiative to continually add resources and services for our dealers and vendors, solidifying our position as the most experienced and complete manufacturers’ representative firm in the Mid-Atlantic.
Company Rebrand Included the Following Initiatives
NuTech has invested in key assets and people to grow the company and its resources and services
The rep firm now has a new company logo
The company has created a new website for better communication regarding training, events, and industry news for vendors represented
Nutech has improved marketing communications with dealers and custom integrators via social media and email campaigns
Custom integration firms in the region and brands seeking representation are encouraged to email sales@nutechgroup.com.
October 21, 2020 · Catalyst AV Experiences Q4 Growth
The Catalyst AV network says that it has experienced double-digital growth year-to-year, despite the challenges of the pandemic.
Helge Fischer, executive director of Catalyst AV, notes the members have overcome the obstacles presented by COVID-19 during the early stages of the virus to solidly rebound.
“The Catalyst A/V group has not been immune to the issues effecting the planet in 2020. We have seen huge differences in activity and huge geographical differences, as the pandemic was behaving very differently from NY to Vermont to North Dakota,” he comments.
“After the initial shock in March/April, business started to return, and a number of our members had record months in August and September. Overall, as a group we are way ahead of last year same time, which is incredible.”
Fischer continues by pointing out the industry is now dealing with supply-chain issues, but even those problems are getting better.
“The industry still has supplier issues, especially in the A/V receiver space and with some of the networking products. But every week we receive more goods and turn these shipments around immediately to help finalize jobs in the field,” says Fischer.
“As an industry we are so lucky as we cater to the stay/work at home space, both on work related issues and pure entertainment. During challenging times we all want to be together with good friends and family and enjoy entertainment. The A/V industry truly is the sweet spot. Our fall/holiday season is shaping up tremendously and our members are ready to service the needs of our thousands of installers and A/V retailers. We have upgraded all of our systems, order processing, pick up, shipping procedures, everything is safe and sanitized ready for a great end of year.”
The SDVoE Alliance, has announced that CommScope has joined its organization. The SDVoE Alliance is a dedicated group of pro AV manufacturers, system designers, integrators and technology managers working together to accelerate the replacement of point-to-point connectivity and the matrix switch with Ethernet-based AV distribution.
SDVoE technology is a standardized interface between endpoints and software that enables new players to create AV applications for broad adoption. SDVoE is the only off-the-shelf technology that offers a full-stack solution. Specifically, SDVoE addresses the full 7-layer OSI stack and offers solutions at every layer. Put simply, SDVoE does not require proprietary protocols and is a much easier option to support.
“Our adoption of SDVoE is driven by our commitment to the AV market,” says Siva Valliappan, vice president, wired product management, CommScope.
“It allows us to bring our award-winning 10G and 100G platforms together with our high-performance Cat6E cabling products to deliver a complete solution for partners looking for a single networking vendor.”
“We welcome CommScope to the SDVoE Alliance and look forward to the value-added networking solutions their 10 Gbps ICX switch lineup provides to users of SDVoE technology,” adds Justin Kennington, president of the SDVoE Alliance.
“CommScope’s networking and switching expertise will provide AV professionals with much-needed guidance as they transition from traditional matrix switches to more flexible, scalable and cost-effective Ethernet-based AV deployments.”
A Look at CommScope RUCKUS ICX Switches
CommScope’s RUCKUS ICX switch portfolio simplifies network set-up and management, enhances security, and maximizes network performance. The ICX switches highlighted below are particularly well suited for SDVoE use cases due to their high port density, high performance and low latency capabilities, as well as software optimization to facilitate SDVoE deployment.
RUCKUS ICX 7550: The new ICX 7550 offers up to 24x 10GbE ports with copper or fiber options with additional 40/100 Gbps uplink ports
RUCKUS ICX 7650: The ICX 7650 features greater 10 Gbps fiber port density with copper or fiber options and 40/100 Gbps uplink speed
RUCKUS ICX 7850: The ICX 7850 delivers ultimate performance and port density with up to 128x 10GbE ports and up to 32x 40/100GbE ports
The virtual trade event will provide live online education and expert insight on topics resellers and integrators need to evolve and prosper. Almo Pro Audio says its E4 Experience platform features first-run content that is led by experienced industry educators. Additionally, all sessions are worth both AVIXA CTS-I and CTS-D Renewal Units (RUs).
During “The Future of Events: Hybrid, In-Person, VR & More,” attendees will learn how the new world of hybrid events must be engineered and how the AV industry is equipped to do this through technology, UCC and AV systems. Tom Kehr, Donald Guzauckas Jr., vice president and general manager of HB Live will provide insight into what our post-COVID world will look like.
Additionally, E4v features three live NSCA roundtables covering the topics of Digital Signage Technology, Next-Generation Workspaces, and Direct-View LED Systems. For each day of E4v, Almo is providing the NSCA education foundation with a $1,000 donation to help further education opportunities for future systems integrators.
Industry veteran and President of Steamroller Digital Joel Rollins is set to emcee the live fall E4v.
Anyone interested in attending the E4 Evolution event can click here.
October 19, 2020 · QSC Hires Paul Lee as APAC Business Development Manager
QSC has announced that Paul Lee has joined the company as its new APAC Business Development Manager – Systems.
In his new role, Lee will be responsible for growing the Systems business in Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia and Vietnam. In addition, QSC states that he will work to improve service levels with end users throughout APAC and will work closely to ensure smooth and consistent deployment of QSC solutions with their chosen integration partners.
Paul Lee brings 16 years of sales operation and technical service experience in the AV market. Prior to QSC, Lee served as director technical services, APAC for Harman where he oversaw a team that provided technical services and training. He also worked for AMX where he served as sales operations manager where he executed growth sales strategies and enabled technical training and customer relationship management for customers in the MEAAP region.
“With Paul’s vast experience on both the technical and business operations side, he will be an invaluable asset as he works to educate the end user community on the value of a software-based approach with the Q-SYS Ecosystem, as well as be their support as they work closely with the channel,” says Andy Pearce, senior director of sales, Asia Pacific, QSC.
“I have always observed the large impact QSC has had on the market over the past several years,” adds Lee.
“I am very excited to join this innovative team and look forward to working with the systems partners and end users as we continue to proliferate the Q-SYS Ecosystem throughout the APAC region.”
October 19, 2020 · HTSA to Hold Online Virtual Fall Conference
The HTSA board of directors would like to personally invite industry members to attend the upcoming HTSA 2020 Virtual Fall Conference online event from Tuesday, Oct. 27 to Thursday, Oct. 29.
In addition to this event being a virtual or online event, HTSA is taking a different approach to the agenda of this conference to help its members focus on critical content. With that being the case, there are no one-on-ones scheduled during this period. For the members, these are being scheduled later over a multi-week period which will better enable them fit these meetings into their schedules.
Here are some highlights of the upcoming Virtual Fall Conference event:
Jon Robbin’s HTSA State of the Union Address: On Monday, October 26, all registered attendees will get a link to a video of Jon Robbins’ official HTSA State of the Union address.
Keynote Presentation: Let Go of the Vine! By Keith Esterly: This session takes place on Tuesday at 3:00 p.m.
Re-Imagining the Project Process – Case Studies: Member Results on Standardization: This session is scheduled for Wednesday at 3:00 p.m., and it will be led by Richard Millson of Millson Technologies.
The Vault 2.0: Taking place onThursday at 2:00 p.m., HTSA says the seminar focuses on its the Vault program, which curates key educational, training, & presentation materials from HTSA’s headquarters, as well as an extensive list of participating vendors.
Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS): Scheduled for Wednesday at 11 a.m., the Entrepreneurial Operating System is a business operating model that many HTSA members have found instrumental in improving their efficiency and profit.
October 19, 2020 · Audio Visual Design Group Appoints Eric Miga
Audio Visual Design Group (AVDG), has announced the appointment of Eric Miga to the position of director of engineering.
According to AVDG, Miga’s appointment underscores the company’s ongoing expansion in the commercial and residential market sectors throughout North America, and comes on the heels of AVDG’s appointment of Mohit Parasher as president of business solutions and Jay Jones, CTS, as national procurement manager.
In his new position, Miga will lead a national engineering team of 20 design, field, and project engineers, supporting the needs of the various AVDG offices and AV projects. In addition to leading technical efforts, Miga will also be a key member of AVDG’s leadership team, providing input on long-term organizational strategy and execution.
Miga brings more than 20 years of audio-video experience to the position, having led numerous commercial and residential projects throughout the Northeast. In his previous role, he served as regional engineering manager for AVI-SPL, managing a team of 20 engineers and programmers and developing an industry reputation for his technical expertise and innovative customer-focused solutions.
As director of engineering for AVDG, Miga will leverage and lead the organization’s Clarity Standards, which are a foundational framework of operational guidelines designed to ensure consistency for AVDG’s processes. As AVDG continues its expansion throughout North America, these standards and best practices guide the Engineering team’s strategy and techniques for all commercial and residential projects.
“We are thrilled to welcome Eric Miga as the new leader of our talented Engineering team,” says Doug Carnell, vice president of business solutions at Guitar Center, AVDG’s parent company.
“Eric’s vast technical knowledge and leadership experience will be an invaluable asset for AVDG, elevating both our engineering processes and the quality of service that we provide to our customers.”
