Connected Design Podcast

This week covers CEDIA’s apprenticeship framework, tunable mirror lighting, intuitive hotel controls, audio at Liverpool Cathedral, and how integrators track earned revenue on open projects.

1. CEDIA’s technology integrator apprenticeship earns federal approval. 
https://connecteddesign.tech/cedia-secures-federal-approval-for-technology-integrator-apprenticeship/

2. Lutron and Séura bring tunable lighting into the mirror.
https://connecteddesign.tech/lutron-and-seura-bring-native-by-design-to-the-vanity/

3. Gensler and VDA Telkonet design for a guest’s first encounter with room controls.
https://connecteddesign.tech/bdny-puts-the-guest-experience-at-the-center-of-connected-hospitality/

4. Liverpool Cathedral puts speakers closer to listeners.
https://martin-audio.com/news/press-release/martin-audio-wavefront-precision-conquers-second-reverb-at-liverpool-cathedral-for-iconic-concerts

5. D-Tools helps integrators track what they’ve earned on open projects.
https://www.d-tools.com/resource-center/d-tools-cloud-builds-revenue-recognition-into-project-billing

Lawrence Walters, founder of southeast Michigan’s Imagined Home Technology, joins Rob Stott to talk about starting over after a business failed and what it took to finish the jobs clients had already paid deposits on. Walters explains how those experiences shape the way he handles tough calls, builds trust with clients, and talks to builders about what technology can do for the homes they design and build.

Five stories on how connected spaces come together, from the design conversations that shape a home to the controls coordinating a resort. We close with AVIXA’s CEO handoff and David Labuskes’s take on what residential and commercial integrators could gain from being neighbors at RESIDE, Lightapalooza, and InfoComm.

Stories and sources:

1. Technology Design Collective at Design Edge Midwest — https://connecteddesign.tech/technology-design-collective-puts-collaboration-at-the-center-of-connected-spaces/

2. Crestron's compact lighting modules — https://castercomm.com/client-newsroom/crestron-launches-two-next-generation-din-rail-lighting-modules-engineered-for-the-led-era

3. Custom drivers for Josh.ai — https://next.josh.ai/stories/joshai-expands-installer-flexibility-with-nimble-devsuite-update

4. Predictive cooling at Resorts World Sentosa — https://www.honeywell.com/us/en/news/press-releases/2026/11/resorts-world-sentosa-launches-ai-powered-sustainability-initiatives-in-partnership-with-honeywell-technologies

5. AVIXA names its next CEO — https://www.avixa.org/resources/press-releases/avixa-announces-marco-pardi-as-new-chief-executive-officer

As he prepares to retire at the end of 2026, AVIXA CEO David Labuskes joins Rob Stott for a candid conversation about knowing when to step aside, planning for succession, and building a team that can carry an organization forward. Labuskes reflects on AVIXA's global reach, its collaborative culture, and the role curiosity plays in leadership.

The conversation also explores RESIDE and Lightapalooza alongside InfoComm, why community is central to the effort, and how residential and commercial integrators could benefit from sharing a neighborhood. Along the way, Labuskes discusses his legacy, the work of serving distinct audiences, and the potential of unexpected connections.

A new, weekly series takes five stories that custom integrators need to know about and shares the details in five minutes or less.

This week's five-story recap covers adaptable commercial spaces, audio planned around a Denver home's architecture, practical AI opportunities in lighting controls, Mitch Klein and Michael Braithwaite taking on new roles, and CEDIA's upcoming Smart Home Day. Each story connects the news with decisions facing integrators, designers, builders, and their project partners.

Stories and sources:

1. Integrators See Increasing Demand for Adaptable Commercial Spaces — Connected Design
https://connecteddesign.tech/integrators-see-increasing-demand-for-adaptable-commercial-spaces/

2. Sound That Belongs — Connected Design
https://connecteddesign.tech/sound-that-belongs/

3. AI Could Rewrite the Rules of Lighting Control — Inside Lighting, October 29
https://inside.lighting/news/26-10/i-could-rewrite-rules-lighting-control

4. Mitchell Klein Joins BlueConnect Partners — Connected Design
https://connecteddesign.tech/mitchell-klein-joins-blueconnect-partners
Just Video Walls Names Michael Braithwaite CTO — Connected Design
https://connecteddesign.tech/just-video-walls-names-michael-braithwaite-cto

5. CEDIA Leads Global Smart Home Day Activations for Second Year Running — CEDIA
https://cedia.org/smart-home-professionals/news/cedia-leads-global-smart-home-day-activations-for-second-year-running

The Connected Design Podcast heads to L-Acoustics' Americas headquarters in Nashville for a conversation with Nick Fichte, global business development lead for hospitality, home, and yacht. Fresh from experiencing the company's HYRISS showroom, Rob Stott talks with Nick about the thinking behind the space, L-Acoustics' roots in live sound, and how its technology can help one room support everything from movies and music to karaoke, sports, and quiet conversation.

They also explore the importance of room acoustics, the parallels between designing with sound and designing with light, and what helps architects and interior designers understand the possibilities. Nick shares lessons from a London design installation, discusses how growing awareness of spatial audio creates opportunities for the industry, and explains why successful projects depend on close collaboration among the manufacturer, integrator, design team, and client.

On this episode of the Connected Design Podcast, Rob Stott talks with Dave Malekpour and John Songdahl, president and vice president of sales and marketing, respectively, of Pro Audio Design. They explore the thinking behind PAD's approach to equipment, acoustics, integration, and studio design, along with the evolution of Augspurger monitors from custom builds to systems used by some of music's best-known artists.

The conversation covers personalization, the relationship between a speaker and its room, and why an inspiring creative environment starts with understanding the person using it. Dave and John also explain how that experience translates to fitness studios, schools, churches, and other spaces, then discuss changing studio budgets, the growth of personal recording spaces, and their work on modular rooms.

On this episode of the Connected Design Podcast, Editor-in-Chief Rob Stott sits down with Shawn Hansson, founder and CEO of Logic Integration, to continue the conversation that started during a CEDIA Expo education session. Hansson shares the early story of launching Logic Integration, the customer moment that pushed him to build a company rooted in honesty, and the hard lessons that came from learning the business side of integration after starting as a technician.

The conversation also explores Logic's move into commercial work, the similarities and differences between residential and commercial AV, and why integrators should be thoughtful before dabbling in unfamiliar project types. Hansson also digs into culture, transparency, core values, and the importance of building a company where the team understands the goals, owns the work, and knows leadership will stand behind them.

We sit down with Jason Turner, VP and co-founder of PowerShades, to recap CEDIA Expo and discuss the company's first full year as part of Springs Window Fashions. Turner shares how the acquisition has strengthened PowerShades' supply chain, fabric development, manufacturing resources, and dealer support while opening the door to broader product categories.

The conversation also covers PowerShades' origin story, the company's early work with PoE motors, the challenges of launching a factory just before 2020, and why lighting and shading are natural partners in smart home design. Turner also explains how integrators can become more comfortable selling motorized window treatments by partnering with designers, getting involved earlier in projects, and treating shading as another layer of the connected home experience.

In this episode of the Connected Design Podcast, host Rob Stott speaks with Todd Katcher, Chief Product Officer for Zoney Digital Signage and Digital Dealership System, about how digital signage can do much more than put content on a screen. Todd explains how signage should be designed around the customer journey, from car dealership service lanes and lounges to restaurants, casinos, lobbies, and large-scale experiential installations.

The conversation explores the balance between attention and distraction, the importance of infrastructure planning, how content strategy changes by location, and why communication between owners, designers, architects, integrators, and technology partners is essential to a successful deployment.