Lone Tree, Colo.-based integrator Logic Integration recently collected not one but two industry honors – CTA Smart Home Division Mark of Excellence Integrator of the Year as well as being named Integrator of the Year by CE Pro sister publication Commercial Integrator.
So how does a company become so proficient on both the residential and commercial/resimercial integration sides? Shawn Hansson, CEO and founder of Logic Integration, joined the CE Pro Podcast to share insights.
In the candid half-hour-plus conversation, Hansson shares how he started the company out of his garage, earned his keep in the residential smart home sector, successfully pivoted toward commercial amid the Great Recession a dozen years ago – to the point where Logic Integration’s business now skews more heavily commercial than resi – and managed to ride the up-and-down wave during the recent pandemic impact.
Logic Integration, which came in at No. 39 in the most recent CE Pro 100 rankings, launched in 2004 by Hansson as he took over his home’s garage and mini-van with gear and now has nearly 30 on its staff with roughly $7 million in annual revenues.
He notes the business breaks down to about 60% commercial and 40% residential, with separate divisions within the integration firm to be able to effectively address both sides. While many residential integrators crack into more of a resimercial or “light commercial” model for translating skill sets, Logic Integration has taken things a step further in its capabilities.
“Our commercial scope of work is not light commercial, it’s actually very heavy commercial,” says Hansson, who was also honored by CTA Smart Home Division two years ago as the recipient of its Leadership Award.
“We do a lot of executive boardrooms, video walls, network operations centers, lots of meeting spaces, huddle rooms – or ‘cuddle rooms’ as we call them. On the residential side we do custom homes and custom integration, and a bit of work with production builders as well.”
Indeed, a glimpse of some commercial clientele noted on Logic Integration’s website shows vertical markets ranging from banks and museums to industrial and transportation companies and municipal organizations, among others.
How Logic Integration Rides Residential & Commercial Waves
“In 2008, we hit commercial really heavily, kind of saw the writing on the wall with the housing market crash and luckily switched over early,” Hansson says of the decision to tackle commercial. Speaking frankly, he adds that it involved the tough decision to let go his top residential salesperson, “One of the most difficult things I’ve ever done.”
Hansson notes that the split has been pretty even over the years between residential and commercial with ebbs and flows, and that certainly helped enable Logic Integration to maintain solid ground amid the pandemic.
“Over the past 2-3 years, our residential business has grown substantially,” he says. Like others, the home network and home entertainment demand spurred growth in residential, while commercial work slowed until companies started prepping offices to address the new hybrid influence.
“The trick has been having training and certifications for both sides,” he adds. “We really do keep our staffs separate – so we have separate project managers, separate technicians for both markets.”
Of course, finding and keeping such talented personnel is something every integrator wrestles with, and Hansson relates how the company has been able to do that, as well as how Logic Integration keeps its customers satisfied too via standout service, during the CE Pro Podcast conversation. Download, listen to or watch the full episode above to hear more specifics from Shawn Hansson on how the award-winning company has evolved and excelled.
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