EDGE Bandwidth

Welcome to EDGE Bandwidth, a show hosted by Patrick Whipkey, vice president of EDGE and Candice Aragon, vice president of marketing and education at the PSA Network, to share their expertise and have insightful conversations with professionals to explore and challenge what low voltage systems integrators are facing.

The AV sector produces a lot of e-waste, but it does not produce a lot of sustainable solutions, with the exception of recycling, which is occasionally useless because it actually transfers the problem to others; this is a critical situation that we can’t ignore anymore. In this episode, Debbie Williamson from Tempest Technologies LLC and Christina DeBono, president of ClearTech, talk about sustainability in AV and the organization SAVe, which strives to meet the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through a number of initiatives, one of the most significant of which is the SAVe certification, which aids in the development of an action plan and opportunities for the business to give back to the community so we may create a more sustainable future. 

Jump straight into:

(03:01) - The AV industry and sustainability - “In fact, our industry, to be honest with you, has fallen way behind and hasn't really done much in the area of developing sustainable initiatives and programs for our industry.” 

(07:33) - Scratching the surface of e-waste and e-recycling - “We discovered that what we thought was good and what we were being holding ourselves and our clients accountable to turned out to be not very good, because we were one of the companies that was shipping things off to these other nations to make it their problem.” 

(09:30) - SDG’s and SAVe certified program for a more sustainable future - “Educating ourselves isn't just enough, taking action isn’t enough for us; we wanted to spread it to our clients and everyone else. I think it’s an important opportunity for us to bring awareness at a level that I didn’t think about before.” 

(16:52) - More initiatives and actions to build a better future -  “This is gonna take everyone to work together to build a future that's more sustainable for all of us, whether it's our businesses, our industry, or our communities. "

Check SAVe’s website. 

Thanks for tuning in! EDGE Bandwidth is a show produced by StudioPod Media, for more information about their podcast production services, feel free to check out their website. Special thanks to our sponsors over at Shure.

Welcome to EDGE Bandwidth, a show hosted by Patrick Whipkey, vice president of EDGE and Candice Aragon, vice president of marketing and education at the PSA Network, to share their expertise and have insightful conversations with professionals to explore and challenge what low voltage systems integrators are facing.

Everyone is vulnerable to cyber attacks; it is not a matter of "if" but "when," with the past years having them rise to the top threat for companies of all sizes. In this episode, we discuss the importance of cyber insurance, what to look for in a policy, how to set a budget, and best practices, with Wayne Dean, Partner at Snellings Walters Insurance Company. It might be a little difficult to know where to begin, but we walk you through the process so you can minimize loss when it occurs. Join this conversation and learn about the future of cybersecurity insurance, 

Jump straight into:

(00:52) - The importance of cyber security policies - “When cyber was formed by Steve Haas, it was designed to protect us on an individual basis. To help protect us from credit card theft, identity theft, and that's changed and evolved over the last years. And so from a company perspective, I would say the number one threat to a business is a cyber attack.”

(04:12) - What should be looked for and best practices to get a cybersecurity policy - “You have to understand, first off, what coverages you're applying for. And second, asking yourself, are you able to get that amount of insurance for all of the carriers?”

(12:20) - Based on the type of company, how to calculate risk and create a budget for a cyber security policy - “​The more security measures and best practices you have in place, the better story we're gonna be able to give to the carrier and the better result we're gonna get from a premium perspective.”

(14:11) - Tips, tricks and first steps for integrators to fully secure their company. - “Form a team inside your operation, include your IT guy and management, and then you explore options.

If you don't have a cyber policy in place, you absolutely need to move in that direction.”

Thanks for tuning in! EDGE Bandwidth is a show produced by StudioPod Media, for more information about their podcast production services, feel free to check out their website. Special thanks to our sponsors over at Shure. 

Welcome to USAV Bandwidth,  a show hosted by Chris Salazar-Mangrum, Vice President of USAV and Patrick Whipkey, Director of USAV, to share their expertise and have insightful conversations with professionals from the AV industry.

When it comes to talent acquisition in this business, we gotta take a look at how the rising market cap is not only causing more integrators’ demand, but is also shaping a more competitive landscape. In this episode we are joined by Chris Nakiso, Founder & CEO of Chris Edward Consulting, which is helping companies identify and secure talent. Chris shares some meaningful insights on the importance of clear internal processes to attract better talent, as well as the most common challenges of adopting a hybrid environment. We also discuss skip talks and stay interviews. Join us in this amazing conversation focused on the candidate experience!

Jump straight into:

(01:13) - Talent acquisition: Why has it become such a competitive landscape and what are they asking for - “What's your onboarding process like? That is the biggest discussion right now with companies with regards to retention.”

(09:09) - The culture shift: Best practices for remote onboarding processes - “Those skip talks are designed to get folks to really be in a comfortable situation, to explain what could be improved. Let them tell you” 

(18:17) - New areas for complex roles: Culture alignment and the interesting industries where new talent is coming from - “ I think there has to be some type of almost like a D league or for basketball. There's got to be a development thing on the technical side to get more technical people.”

Connect with Chris on LinkedIn

[email protected]

Thanks for tuning in! USAV Bandwidth is a show produced by StudioPod Media, for more information about their podcast production services, feel free to check out their website. Special thanks to our sponsors over at Shure.

Welcome to USAV Bandwidth,  a show hosted by Chris Salazar-Mangrum, Vice President of USAV and Patrick Whipkey, Director of USAV, to share their expertise and have insightful conversations with professionals from the AV industry.

Bill Bozeman’s career took off when he understood that outstanding companies have to be runned like they’re ready to be sold. Bill is the former CEO of PSA and has broad experience leading integrator companies for a variety of industries. In this episode, he shares his views on the importance of recurring revenue within valuations and the smartest way to sell and cash out. Plus, Bill recommends learning assets, information sources and other references like the PSA and MNA sessions for new learners!

Jump straight into:

(00:49) - “You should run your company like you are ready to sell it”: An excellent piece of advice that pivoted Bill’s career - “You should really begin to think progress four or five years ahead of time and get very serious about having a business model that is attractive.”

(8:36) - “Numbers really speak for themselves: Valuation of recurring revenue done right - “When you get to 30 million or 40 million, you know what, you really should have a cracker Jack well-paid finance team.”

(17:04) - Cash out completely or consider a third back in? And why having a strong management team is so important - “They want you managing the base, the softball team and managing the softball team because you cash the check.”

(21:20) - Advice for entrepreneurs that are no longer running a company after selling it - “Peel back that onion as many layers as you possibly can: What's my future? What do you want from me? What can I do to help?”

(23:34) - Recommended learning resources, information sources and references. 

Thanks for tuning in! USAV Bandwidth is a show produced by StudioPod Media, for more information about their podcast production services, feel free to check out their website. Special thanks to our sponsors over at Shure.

Welcome to USAV Bandwidth, a show hosted by Chris Salazar-Mangrum, Vice President of USAV, and Patrick Whipkey, Director of USAV, to share their expertise and have insightful conversations with professionals from the AV industry.

Directly from Dublin, Ireland, our friend Tomás Mac Eoin from Hereworks joins the show to talk about the company’s efforts to develop an interface that helps to gather data from all systems inside a building and make the information tangible. We also go deep into what the role of a master system integrator should be like in network-based environments, as well as the future of integrator systems, systems security as a top priority, the importance of friendly and accessible UX, and the positive impact it has on compliance. Listen to this episode and discover the difference between smart buildings and intelligent buildings!

Jump straight into:

(00:50) - Introducing Hereworks: When did they start operating as an AV solution provider?  - “We started looking towards airports and how they work. They have loads of different disparate systems, but they have to speak to one another.”

(06:34) - Getting things named right: Why is it a good thing to bring all systems together through a MSI? - “We will start to learn how the building breathes, how people are moving in the building, what areas of the building are used more than others, so we can redesign.”

(10:14) - Beyond connections and firewalls: How is the company focusing on security issues? - “Actually part of our role will actually be to do security testing on any piece of hardware that goes into the building.”

(14:38) - Hereworks’ Happy™ Buildings: An introduction to the product focused on comfort and wellbeing: “The point is that you have a single source of truth for whatever software that you want to layer on top of the data. You go to the data and everything is there.”

(16:21) - The human side of data: How Hereworks began to sell and what is their customer's profile and values - “What was different about us was we always focused on the human. We always sold the end goal of what we were trying to do with this data.”

Thanks for tuning in! USAV Bandwidth is a show produced by StudioPod Media, for more information about their podcast production services, feel free to check out their website. Special thanks to our sponsors over at Shure.

Welcome to USAV Bandwidth, a show hosted by Chris Salazar-Mangrum, Vice President of USAV, and Patrick Whipkey, Director of USAV, to share their expertise and have insightful conversations with professionals from the AV industry.

When it comes to deep improvement in a company that is trying to scale exponentially, understanding the present conditions becomes essential. And to understand we first have to listen and create the correct tools that can help us evaluate the processes and results of our strategy. In this episode, we invite Tom LeBlanc, executive director from NFCA, and Candice Aragon from PSA, Vice President of Marketing & Events to discuss a very useful piece of information that they’ve built with keys to understand what makes a successful MSP in this new age. Join this conversation now and discover the main conclusions of this complete research here on USAV Bandwidth

Jump straight into:

(00:33) - Anatomy of a Successful MSP research process overview and first conclusions - “We learned there was no one right way, but there were a few key pieces that were part of the formula to success.”

(09:15) - How alongside integrators can help a company grow confidence in their product - “ Company leaders need to recognize not that there's a revenue opportunity, but that there's a value they can deliver to their customers in a more effective way through this recurring engagement with their integrator partner”

(13:46) - Integrators role in assuring recurring revenue and adapting to trending business models - “It’s really important for them to recognize that trend and make sure that their business model fits as the industry and the world has evolved”.

(16:45) - Strategic planning matters: Insights about integration planning improvements and effects - “Everyone expects everything to happen almost instantaneously now. And when it doesn't and they don't see the return on the investment right away, then that's when they get discouraged.”

(22:05) On companies’ service approach and complementary highlights from the research - “Letting the model evolve with feedback from your customers is an important trend to note. I think that that speaks highly of not only the integrator but also, the end-user customer”. 

Thanks for tuning in! USAV Bandwidth is a show produced by StudioPod Media, for more information about their podcast production services, feel free to check out their website. Special thanks to our sponsors over at Shure. 

Welcome to USAV Bandwidth,  a show hosted by Chris Salazar-Mangrum, Vice President of USAV and Patrick Whipkey, Director of USAV, to share their expertise and have insightful conversations with professionals from the AV industry.

What does it take to partner internationally? While some small and mid-sized firms don't necessarily have the resources to go and serve their clients locally in another country, there are ways to manage new markets that are driven by platforms willing to simplify their integration.

To understand the value of networking, our guests Andy Tan from TSI APAC and Max Jaramillo from ConsorcioTec talk about the advantages of connecting with new hubs that provide solutions and quality support beyond the boundaries set by the pandemic, as well the keys to establish a complete partnering program. This kind of collaboration is meant for sharing best practices and trying new things when working with one another.

Jump straight into:

(01:03) - Enabling projects based in Latin America and APAC - “We are offering this opportunity by building a group of independent contractors and integrators in this region, expanding the opportunities in terms of business referral.”

(5:38) - International partnering network development process - “One of the advantages of working with one of our members is that as you mentioned, they already are tied into the vendor community as well”.

(9:34) - How the pandemic changed the partnering strategy worldwide - “Now we have international guys partnering together because they can't cross country borders.”

(13:41) - What does it mean to build a strong network - “It's not just doing the project. It's maintenance, it’s backup services. It’s first responders.”

 Connect with Andy through LinkedIn 

Connect with Max through LinkedIn

Thanks for tuning in! USAV Bandwidth is a show produced by StudioPod Media, for more information about their podcast production services, feel free to check out their website. Special thanks to our sponsors over at Shure. 

Welcome to USAV Bandwidth,  a show hosted by Chris Salazar-Mangrum, Vice President of USAV, and Patrick Whipkey, Director of USAV, to share their expertise and have insightful conversations with professionals from the AV industry.

During COVID the AV industry had to adapt to the new circumstances of the market to stay afloat. Today we can say that far from only surviving, the industry has begun to reinvent itself and innovation is coming back stronger. In this episode, we talk to Cheryl Walton, the new Director of Business Development at USAV Group. Cheryl shares with us a little bit about her career, the new trends of the industry, and we discuss how USAV will be raising the tide for all its integrators in the next five years. Join in and learn how this new team will be leading the AV industry into a new era of technological development. 

Jump straight into:

(00:11) - Who is Cheryl Walton?: Her career in the AV industry - “I started at Kramer and I really wanted to be an outside salesperson. I was there for about 10 years in all various roles.”

(03:08) - Let’s have a bit of fun: Two truths and one lie + Cheryl’s life motivation - “An old manager of mine always said, have fun or it's not worth it.” 

(06:32) - How can we be the rising tide? Elevating the whole industry - “Something that the USAV Group can start doing is having the big manufacturers support the smaller manufacturers.”

(09:52) - Getting into the competition: USAV’s 5-year-plan - “It's going to be a living, working document that things are going to change. We're going to have to edit this plan, but you ultimately need something to work towards.”

(13:10) - New entertainment in these exciting times - “Entertainment took a big hit, we see that that's coming back to some degree, but it's the creativity now that I think is going to start evolving.”

 Connect with Cheryl through LinkedIn

Thanks for tuning in! USAV Bandwidth is a show produced by StudioPod Media, for more information about their podcast production services, feel free to check out their website. Special thanks to our sponsors over at Shure. 

Welcome to USAV Bandwidth, a show hosted by Chris Salazar-Mangrum, Vice President of USAV, and Patrick Whipkey, Director of USAV, to share their expertise and have insightful conversations with professionals from the AV industry.

As the pandemic continues and companies try to get back in business, there are new circumstances arising by the second. In today’s episode, Patrick is joined as always by Chris Salazar Mangrum and two industry experts, Mike Boettcher, Chief Executive Officer of New Era Technology and John Mitton Vice President of the Audio Visual Group at Red Thread, to talk about the latest news in the business including vaccination policies for technicians, the outlook for Q4 and what will events be about with COVID-19 restrictions. This isn’t over, but business is definitely adapting with the times. 

Jump straight into:

(00:10) - A popular topic nowadays: Requiring the COVID vaccination for onsite technicians - “It's a more complex question than whether you are vaccinated or not. People have strong feelings about it.”

(07:15) - The impact of the vaccination supply chain in Q4 for businesses - “The outlook's good, it's been steady. It's just a matter of what can you get done and in what timeframe”.

(13:28) - On live events and getting back to the office - “It just goes back to people's confidence levels, if you're confident that you can go to events and your kids can go to school.” 

(18:04) - Having more focused and meaningful conversations at events - “It's about getting connected with those groups and building the relationships. You can do that in different areas.”

Episode resources:

Connect with Mike through ZoomIn

Connect with John through LinkedIn

Thanks for tuning in! USAV Bandwidth is a show produced by StudioPod Media, for more information about their podcast production services, feel free to check out their website. Special thanks to our sponsors over at Shure.

Welcome to USAV Bandwidth,  a show hosted by Chris Salazar-Mangrum, Vice President of USAV, and Patrick Whipkey, Director of USAV, to share their expertise and have insightful conversations with professionals from the AV industry.

Attending virtual events became a norm during the pandemic, but are live-person events gone for good? In this episode, we sit with David Labuskes, Chief Executive Officer at AVIXA, to talk about live events. In this second half of the year, this industry will be coming back but there are still many questions to be answered. What will the sanitary restrictions be? Will the events have virtual components? Are people comfortable enough to attend? Join this conversation and listen to David talk about all the aspects he had to think about when preparing AVIXA’s InfoComm event in October. It’ll be a great start to the second half of the year!

Jump straight into:

(00:10) - Are we getting back to live events? - “Ultimately what we're doing is trying to be as prudent as possible within the guideline recommendations.”

(05:59) - Connecting at the first live events - “Unstructured, unscheduled interaction is where innovation, partnership and growth comes from in many cases. So it was awesome to be standing, holding a glass of wine, talking to somebody.”

(08:45) - What can be expected in attendance for InfoComm 2021? - “There are companies that typically send 10, 15, 20 individuals that may send 5, 10, 15 individuals. They are making choices about their comfort level of attendance.”

(14:53) - Doing business in-person vs. virtual trade shows - “I think there's a place for it, and I think we'll crack it. But it’s not slapping a couple of cameras up on a trade show floor and letting everybody watch everybody walk.”

(20:23) - Are you already planning for future InfoComms? - “We have contracts for both of those spaces beyond the end of this decade, and rights of first refusal through well past where I'm going to be working on it.”

(25:23) - Getting people back together and learning from crisis - “If we aren't better at how we work together, if we aren't better at how we engage with audiences, what a terrible opportunity that will have been wasted.”

Episode resources

Connect with Davis through LinkedIn

AVIXA

InfoComm 2021 Registration

Welcome to Legrand

Shure

Thanks for tuning in! USAV Bandwidth is a show produced by StudioPod Media, for more information about their podcast production services, feel free to check out their website. Special thanks to our sponsors over at Shure.