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This week's episode of Automation Unplugged features Brian Perreault, a returning guest to the show. He last appeared in December 2020 on episode 150. Brian is President and Owner of Barrett's Technology Solutions, a custom integration firm based in the Chicagoland area with a second location in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin.

Brian joined Barrett's in 1991, and over the past three and a half decades he's worked his way through every level of the company, from selling console TVs on the retail floor to leading Barrett's transformation into one of the region's premier residential technology firms. He became a partner years ago, and in July 2024 he stepped into ownership as President, continuing the legacy that Joe Barrett built over six decades. Brian has also served on the board of HTSA, including two years as board president.

In this episode, Brian and I discussed:

• Why Barrett's built a separate small projects team, and how those smaller jobs still fuel cash flow and client loyalty.
• Their approach to educational events, from an AI workshop to a new lighting lab built for specifiers.
• What's next for the industry, from video walls to energy storage to the wellness trend that never quite took off.

Whether you're figuring out how to serve both your legacy clients and your biggest projects, or you're looking for new ways to build relationships with the design community, you're going to get a lot out of this one. So settle in and enjoy my conversation with Brian. Let's get started!

SEE ALSO: #366: The AI Gold Rush Is Coming for Your Workforce

Transcript 

Ron:

Hello, hello there. Ron Callis here with another episode of Automation Unplugged. Today's show is brought to you by my day job over at One Firefly, and the team over at Amplify People, helping our industry with their hiring needs. Hope you all are well. This show's landing right here, middle to end of August, so many of you are probably wrapping up your summer activities, maybe getting any last summer vacation or R&R time in. Some of you might have kids that are already back to school or maybe on their way back to school imminently. So I just want to say thank you for tuning in to Automation Unplugged, whether you're listening or watching. And know that I have a good one for you today. I actually have a returning guest, and this is Brian Perreault. He's now the owner and president of Barrett's Technology Solutions I last had Brian on the show, and it feels like yesterday, but it was actually back on episode 150, in December of 2020. Think back to what our world looked like in the chaos of COVID and the uncertainty. By that time, we all knew COVID was going to be a demand driver, because our residential integrators were necessary service providers in the home, so they were allowed to continue working. And on top of that, a lot of people were staying in their homes and doing a lot of renovation work. If you're curious what that state of the world was, tune back into episode 150. But for many of you who maybe don't know Brian, you're really in for a treat. Brian is a leader in our industry. Barrett's has been a member of HTSA, one of the industry's really powerful buying groups, for many decades. Brian also served on their board of directors, including two years as board president. He's also involved with other organizations, including the Institute of Classical Architecture & Art and the NextHaus Alliance. So you have somebody who's been in the industry for a long time, joined at the ground level, and worked their way all the way up to leading and operating one of the leading companies in the Chicagoland market. So without further ado, let's bring in Brian. Brian, how are you, sir?

Brian:

Hey, Ron. Thanks for having me back.

Ron:

Likewise. It's hard to believe it's been that many years already.

Brian:

I know. I'd like to say we both don't look a day older.

Ron:

It's only six years ago. Can you believe COVID was six years ago?

Brian:

It's hard to believe. That whole period was such a whirlwind. It's good that it's in our rearview mirror, but it just went by so quickly, and there were so many lessons learned as well.

Ron:

Yeah, it was a strange, strange time for sure. It'll imprint on all of us for the rest of our lives, both the good and the bad that happened during that time. I know many of us lost loved ones during that period.

Ron:

Why don't we start, Brian, by making sure everyone tuned in knows who Barrett's is and the type of work you guys do. We have listeners around North America and around the world, so let's just start there.

Brian:

Sure. We are a custom home integrator. We operate in the Chicagoland area. We've got offices just outside of Chicago in a small town called Lombard, and we also have an office in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. That's a newer presence for us, about five years or so. We're involved in all things residential technology. It's mostly residential, a small amount of commercial, but we concentrate on the resi business. Like other integrators, we take on audio, video, lighting control, motorized shades, networks, smart home automation, and now lighting fixtures, video walls, and a couple of other new categories. This industry has evolved tremendously over the years. Looking back to when I started, it was a much different profile. We had retail stores, and the focus of our business was selling console TVs and rack systems. That's not what we're doing today, thank goodness.

Ron:

Remind some of our younger listeners, what is a console TV?

Brian:

A console TV is a self-contained TV in a beautiful wood cabinet, and it plugs into an antenna as its only source. For many years, we built a living selling console TVs. Funny enough, this year we're celebrating our sixtieth anniversary, and we're putting together some materials to promote it. We're having a big event, a party, and we've got some old ads. There's one promoting color television to watch man land on the moon. It shows just how far we've come as a company. I obviously wasn't here at that time, but it's still very nostalgic to see those materials.

Ron:

That's amazing. We're here a little past mid-year 2026. What's 2026 been like for you guys? What's going on in the Chicago market?

Brian:

It's been good. We've had one of our best years in a handful of years, probably since the bump we saw post-COVID with people staying at home looking to upgrade their technology. It's been solid since then, and we're still seeing things trending upward. We're working on new projects, and we're still seeing new home starts. We have the benefit of having been in business for sixty years, so we have a legacy of clients that, even if the housing market is slow, keep coming back for repeat and referral business, in some cases even generations of clients. So our team's been keeping busy.

Ron:

Within that concept, I'm curious about your current state. You've been in business long enough to have a long registry of customers and know what they've purchased over time. Are there active steps you take to go back to those clients and remarket to them, or do you just wait for the phone to ring? What's true today about Barrett's in terms of marketing to your existing customers?

Brian:

We're still remaining active. Because this industry moves so rapidly, we think there's an opportunity about every five years with the systems we sell today, and most of our clients are just looking for reasons to update. So every month, we go through our list, and any projects that are five years old, we send them a home technology guide that was produced through HTSA. It's a great reference. It's high level, it's not promoting any brands or particular products, it's really just talking about concepts and ideas. I still think there's value in the old-school direct mail approach, it stands out. That's not the only thing we do, we're active in digital marketing too, and a lot of that is to acquire new clients. But the best way to get that phone to ring from existing clients is just by taking good care of them. We try to have events on a regular basis. Whether or not somebody shows up, there's an opportunity to make an impression that we're active in the community and that we're relevant. I think that's been instrumental. The other thing we did some years ago is create what we call a small projects team.

Ron:

From what you just said, Brian, I've got two areas I'd love to follow up on. Let's start with the small projects team. When did you construct that separate team, and how is it built out?

Brian:

It's probably been eight to ten years since we established the team. What we found is there was a blur between the older kind of projects we took on from our specialty retail history, and the much larger system integration projects we take on today. We were running everything through the same track, and it was challenging. There's typically a more immediate need on a smaller project, those clients have existing homes and want updates right away. At the same time, our larger projects have schedules and deadlines that are sometimes out of our control. We found we were constantly trying to accommodate the small projects at the expense of scheduling on the larger ones, and that didn't make a lot of sense. So the best approach was to separate the two tracks. Our large projects team is built around system design and engineering. Everything starts on paper, with complete drawing sets given to the project manager to execute. Some of those projects go on for months or even years. On the other hand, if a client wants a TV installed, they want it as soon as we can be available. We don't need a lot of design or project managers there, we just need capable technicians who can show up and execute the work without all the pre-racking and pre-programming that larger projects require. It's been good for our company because we're not bogging down large projects at the expense of small ones. And the small ones are great for cash flow, for taking care of our existing client base, and sometimes clients want to test us on something small before they take on something large. To answer the second part of your question, we manage that through our service department. We've got a service manager with a team of service technicians, which is another thing we broke off years ago for similar reasons, since service needs carry a degree of urgency. We schedule those the same way we schedule a service call, and it's worked very well for us.

Ron:

I'm curious, will you only take on smaller projects if there's a service component for an existing client, or are you willing to take on a lead for something like hanging a TV and adding a soundbar? A lot of our industry will say no to those kinds of projects.

Brian:

Everything is cyclical, so we look at it as different revenue streams too. What keeps us alive and thriving today isn't small projects, it's the larger ones, no doubt. But there are times when there may be lulls between projects or deadlines that push, and having that backlog of smaller opportunities has been great for us. So we will take on new opportunities, but it's situational, it depends a lot on our existing workload. Of course, with existing clients we'll do everything we can to accommodate them. We found ourselves in a similar quandary as a company transitioning from specialty retail to system integration, some project types came in that really weren't for us, and we had a tough time saying no. With bigger projects, we've created definitive standards so that we have a predictable result at the end. That applies to everything we take on, it's got to be done to our standard, our way. We're not going to have a client come in with a laundry list of products and dictate how we approach the project. We have to own the network, make sure firmware is up to date, and follow our process on things like pre-wires. We've spent the last decade or so creating standards so we can look our clients in the eye and give them a clear idea of what to expect. In some cases that comes at a cost, but most of the clients we work with value that. They understand that predictable, high-quality results are worth doing business with somebody like Barrett's versus a big box company. Again, that's not the bread and butter, but it's great for servicing existing clients and for referrals. We just got a referral the other day from a gentleman in a cigar club, you never know where they're going to come from.

Ron:

The second thread I wanted to pull is around events, whether for existing clients, prospective clients, or the design community: architects, interior designers, and others. You mentioned Barrett's has been focused on events this past year. How do you get people to attend?

Brian:

It takes a lot of work. A good percentage of our business is in the city of Chicago, and we're in the suburbs, so even a one- or two-hour event is close to a half-day commitment for someone to come out to our space. Sometimes we go to them instead. I'll give you an example. We're a member of an organization called CRAN, the Custom Residential Architects Network. Every year they hold a symposium with a full day of guest speakers followed by a cocktail party, with presenters covering everything from architecture to AI. Last year we sponsored that event and had a table in the back where attendees could visit with sponsors between sessions. During the event, I watched a presentation from an architecture firm owner on AI, and the audience was completely engaged. During the Q&A, the moderator had to step in and say we were out of time. That lit a light bulb for me. What if we hosted our own AI event? We're not in the business of selling or promoting AI, but it's topical, and people are starved for knowledge. So last October we partnered with one of the merchants at the Merchandise Mart, who let us use their space, and we hosted a two- to three-hour AI workshop with a luncheon before and a networking function after. It was a great draw, and even though we weren't selling anything, it was great for exposure. Our name was tied to the event, and it gave us a chance to address an audience that didn't necessarily know who we are and what we do. It was a way of giving back to the community on a topic they wanted to know about. Another example: we're having an event at our showroom in a couple of weeks with four vendor partners. Instead of an open-house format, we created reserved time slots throughout the day. Each partner gets a one-on-one audience with a firm. This is targeted at the specifier community, architects, designers, and custom home builders, and it's a chance for them to learn about the latest trends in residential technology and see our showroom, including our lighting lab. It's not about filling the showroom with people, it's about creating meaningful relationships. We're actually running the event over two days, once at our headquarters in Lombard and once at our design center in Lake Geneva.

Ron:

What's the offer to the specifier? What are they accepting when they schedule a time?

Brian:

It's education, that's at the heart of any event we do. Since our retail days we've had our fair share of selling events, but over the last decade or more that hasn't been the purpose. It's all about exposing our clients and trade partners to the latest trends in residential technology. Lighting is a newer category we've been involved with for six or seven years, and it's a big draw whenever we host these events.

Ron:

You mentioned a lighting lab. Tell me more, what is it and how do you use it?

Brian:

We built this space when we moved into our current showroom. Our goal at first was just to be operational, and one of the first things we did was build a lighting lab, with some help from Tom Doherty at HTSA, who had worked with other HTSA members on lighting labs. The whole purpose is to educate our clients and partners on everything related to architectural lighting fixtures: color temperature, beam spreads, adjustable versus non-adjustable, and the concept of layered light. We can demonstrate all of it. There's about a twenty-minute presentation that starts with old incandescent cans in a ceiling and walks through the story of LED, warm dimming, and tunable LEDs. Our goal in that space isn't to sell fixtures, we don't really talk about brands, we talk about concepts. Our real goal is to sell the idea that lighting design matters. If a client or partner walks out of that presentation understanding that the lighting plan on their architectural print, which was probably just there to get a stamp, isn't sufficient, then we've done our job. It's also been a great gateway to conversations with the trade community. We've kind of run our course on the audio/video side, designers know AV is out there and know where to get it, but they're thirsty for knowledge on lighting. It's a great tool to get people here to our showroom, and once they're here, we can expose them to everything else we do, and how we do it, not just what we do.

Ron:

A couple of years ago, in 2024, you became owner and president of Barrett's, a business that's been around for sixty years, and you've been there since 1991. Take us through your journey.

Brian:

It's been a long road, only taken me thirty-five years, Ron. When I joined this company, like many others in this industry, I had no idea I'd end up staying. I joined as kind of a stopgap, a summer job to make some money before moving on to the next thing. I found I really enjoyed it. I was hired as a salesperson on a busy retail sales floor selling console TVs. I made my way through the ranks as management opportunities became available, and I was fortunate to be given those opportunities. Along the way I had a great mentor in Joe Barrett, who I've learned a tremendous amount from over the years. I've worn multiple hats in my time at Barrett's. I became a partner with the firm about six years ago, and Joe and I had been talking about a succession plan as he was winding down his career. I'd already been running the company day-to-day for about the last ten years as COO, so the timing was just right. Two years ago, Joe was ready to move on. I still keep in touch with him regularly, he's had a great influence on my professional career and my life in general. I was very fortunate to step into ownership of a company with the deep heritage that Barrett's has.

Ron:

What's been the biggest surprise since you became owner?

Brian:

I can't say there were any surprises. Even running the company for the past ten years, I always ran it like it was my own. That said, the weight of ownership is different when you're responsible for people's livelihoods, and I take that very seriously. It hit me differently than I expected. But I was ready for the transition, having been involved in all aspects of the company. Joe brought me into all the different facets that prepared me for this role. Unlike a lot of ownership transitions where new owners come in wanting to make their mark or flip the company upside down, that wasn't the case for me. My goal was to continue what we'd been doing and maintain the excellent team we had in place. There wasn't a huge seismic shift needed, it was a continuation of what we'd all been building together for years. That's still how I operate today. Of course, this is a changing industry, and one thing we've always prided ourselves on is embracing change. We wouldn't be here today if we hadn't, going all the way back to our retail days.

Ron:

You mentioned change a few times. What are some of the big characteristics of change you're seeing in the industry right now?

Brian:

There's a lot of change on the product side and the categories we're now responsible for, going from audio/video to audio/video, lighting control, motorized shades, networks, smart home automation, outdoor landscape lighting, architectural lighting, power management, and the list keeps growing. Our industry has been fortunate to become a bit of a home for things others either aren't interested in offering or don't have the capability for, and we've found a nice niche embracing those things. It's been great for growing our business with existing clients. It's also been one of the biggest challenges. In some cases we have a very limited amount of time to establish a scope of work, and we have to flush out conversations about audio, video, lighting, motorized shades, networks, and lighting fixtures all in a compressed timeframe. That's a lot of discovery to do quickly. Changing our sales approach is something we've looked at over the years. Our goal has always been to get the client to buy into the relationship first, that's the most important decision they'll make, who they choose to do business with. Once that's established, we can slow down and take the time to have the right conversations on each of those things to make sure we're providing the best solutions, rather than racing to turn around a proposal just to get to a yes.

Ron:

Tell me more about your approach to video walls. Are you demoing that in your showroom, and where are you finding applications in your projects?

Brian:

I'll be able to tell you more in a few months, we're in the process of installing one in our showroom now.

Ron:

Do you want to mention the brand?

Brian:

I'll mention it, it's Just Video Walls. They're an HTSA partner and they've approached the market a bit differently by embracing the residential space, which felt like a good fit for us. We've kept our eye on the category for years and sold some products from other vendors commercially, but we think there's an opportunity in the residential space. I saw one at a conference, a hundred fifty-one inches with a twenty-four-by-nine aspect ratio, and it was incredible. That's what inspired me to install one in our showroom, it has that wow factor. We're not moving away from dedicated home theaters, that's still part of our business, but there are more opportunities for video walls because they don't need to be in light-controlled rooms. They work in basements, media rooms, and family rooms where people want something more spectacular than a large-screen TV. And a display like that calls for spectacular audio too, so it elevates what we're doing on the AV side. We're selling them actively now, with a number in proposals. Having the demo in our showroom is going to accelerate that. We're around this technology every day, and it's easy to become a little jaded, but this is one of those things that still has the wow factor, even for our own team. If it's wowing us, it's absolutely going to wow the clients we bring in.

Ron:

I'm located in Tamarac, Florida, a suburb of Fort Lauderdale, and the Just Video Walls brand is located right here too. I'm going to get a tour of their facility. Have you been to it?

Brian:

Yeah, it's a really impressive showroom, you'll enjoy it. They show video walls in different applications too, as art installations, digital signage, larger walls, and different resolutions. It's a well-done space, and even for clients interested in higher-end products, it's worth a short trip out there. It's about inspiring ideas and possibilities for what you can do with video walls.

Ron:

Looking five years into the future, what impact do you think the video wall category will have on your business and the industry?

Brian:

I think it's going to become more accessible, prices will come down like everything else, and we'll see more people thinking about larger-format screens in their homes. What appealed to me most wasn't just the size, though a video wall can rival a two-piece projection system in a format that works in a room that isn't light-controlled. The different aspect ratios open up unique opportunities too, like sports themes with multiple games on, or kids playing a video game on one screen while someone else watches a movie.

Ron:

Does it necessitate a control system?

Brian:

You'd want one, not just because of the different images and content, but because unlike a TV, there's no built-in audio, so you need an external audio system too. In our case it doesn't need to be a full whole-house control system. We're seeing a trend where people want to simplify, with simple hard-button remotes and a few presets. The logic behind that is still handled through a control system, so the short answer is yes, but it can be really simplified.

Ron:

Rapid fire, a couple of categories I didn't prep with you in advance. Where are we at with energy storage, integrators selling battery backup, whether from the grid, a generator, or solar? Does that fit your business model today, and where do you see it going?

Brian:

It does, but there's a significant learning curve. We probably imagined it would be easier to implement than it is, there's a lot of coordination required. In the Midwest we generally have pretty decent power, so some of this is regional. I've talked to counterparts in other parts of the country having great success, and some that aren't. We're having moderate success, but it takes a lot of repetition, and we're probably not doing enough of it yet to become real experts. There are really two segments: power monitors with battery backup that track consumption, and simply making sure we have good, clean power to the rack, with IP-enabled power managers that can cycle power. Power management is included on every project we do, but battery storage has been a tougher sell. Ironically, the two projects we've taken on most recently have both been out of market, in areas where power is more suspect. I think those in the game now are ahead of the curve, and there's a tremendous opportunity moving forward. As energy costs increase and people want to be more conscious of what they're consuming, I think it'll have a bigger place in our business over time.

Ron:

Next topic, wellness. Going back about ten years, this was written about a lot in CE Pro, Julie Jacobson was a big advocate of that conversation. Is this a demand category today in 2026, where you're marketing it or clients are inquiring through the lens of wellness?

Brian:

It's not, and that's a bit of a surprise. When wellness first became a bigger topic, maybe eight years ago, I remember being at HTSA conferences with vendors in that space, and I even sat on a panel about it. We were super bullish at the time, thinking people would really care about clean air, clean water, and comfortable environments. It just didn't take off the way we anticipated. Looking back, one of the challenges was that there was very little for us to actually monetize. We had to bring in other trades, and the bigger pieces, HVAC systems and water filtration, were better served by other trades. An HVAC contractor is going to be much more proficient installing wellness-oriented HVAC systems, and we don't have plumbers on staff for water filtration. So it wasn't something we could really monetize. We still keep an eye on it, and it sounds like there's more traction in the commercial and hospitality space, but at least in our market I haven't seen that crossover to residential yet.

Ron:

Right when this show publishes, we've got CEDIA right around the corner. What's your take on CEDIA this year? Are you attending or sending people?

Brian:

I'm sending people. Aside from COVID, this is the first CEDIA I'm not attending myself in as long as I can remember, decades. I have a trip planned in the fall and didn't want to be away from the office for extended periods. That said, I've been starting to think about the value CEDIA has for our channel, and I'm struggling with it a little. It used to be great when vendors would release their products there for the big unveiling, but in recent years that's not what it is, you usually know about the new products before the show. It's still good for networking, seeing vendor partners and peers, but we also have our conferences for that, which offer a more intimate setting for better conversations. So we'll probably keep some presence at CEDIA, but it doesn't carry the same weight for our business that it did in years past.

Ron:

I'm mindful of time, one last question before we wrap up. You're running a team of about thirty people and you've been in a leadership role for ten-plus years. What's one or two nuggets around leadership or culture at Barrett's that you think really contribute to your growth and success?

Brian:

It's hard to boil down to just two things, but I'll start with embracing change. This industry throws a lot of curveballs, and being able to move with it has been critical to our success. Second, empower your people. That's been one of the most rewarding parts of taking on ownership, we had the opportunity to elevate a number of people in our company as part of that transition, and it's been eye-opening to see people who've been with us for years step into new roles and take them to the next level. I think that's one of the drivers of our success and growth, we've had a tenured team with a lot of knowledge, and putting people in a position to use that knowledge and empowering them to do so has been extremely rewarding for me, and great for our employees' growth paths. And I'll add a third: creating standards. We talk a lot about predictable results, and that comes from having clear standards and documented SOPs. That's been a big push for us over the last twelve to twenty-four months, getting all our SOPs documented and available to everyone, along with a clear process for executing projects that provides a roadmap. When you can envision success at the end and have a clear roadmap that's followed by everyone, it makes the job so much easier.

Ron:

Well said. Let's wrap it there, Brian. Thank you for coming on Automation Unplugged. Where can people get in touch with you?

Brian:

Any of the social media channels are great, and I'm happy to give my email address.

Ron:

Let's do that. Let's read it out for listeners who can't see the screen.

Brian:

It's This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. That's B for Brian, then my last name, P-E-R-R-E-A-U-L-T, at Barrett's, two R's, two T's, dot tech. I welcome that. Being part of the industry as long as I have, and part of HTSA and other trade groups, I think one of the best things about this industry is the willingness to share, not just to receive, but to give. There's probably not a week that goes by where I'm not on the phone with counterparts across the country, sharing knowledge and talking about best practices. I love that this industry is so open to that.

Ron:

Amen. I'll drive people to your website too, barretts.tech, and on Facebook, facebook.com/barrettstechnologysolutions. On Instagram, it's @barrettstech. And is this a number here for your main office?

Brian:

That's our main office. Happy to give my direct line too: 630-281-5310.

Ron:

Beautiful. Brian, thank you again, sir. It's been a pleasure catching up. Thanks for sharing so openly and transparently.

Brian:

Same, Ron. Thanks for having me back. It was fun, I can't believe it's been over five years already, but it was great to be back. I appreciate it.

Ron:

My commitment is I won't by default wait another five years. How's that?

Brian:

All right, fair enough. I'm going to hold you to it.

Ron Callis is the CEO of One Firefly, LLC, a digital marketing agency based out of South Florida and creator of Automation Unplugged. Founded in 2007, One Firefly has quickly became the leading marketing firm specializing in the integrated technology and security space. The One Firefly team work hard to create innovative solutions to help Integrators boost their online presence, such as the elite website solution, Mercury Pro.

Resources and links from the interview:

Show Notes:

Links:

https://www.barretts.tech

https://www.facebook.com/Barretts.Technology.Solutions

https://www.instagram.com/barrettstech/

https://www.linkedin.com/company/221859