This week's home automation podcast features our host Ron Callis interviewing Ted Bremekamp. Recorded live on Tuesday, May 23rd, 2017 at 12:30 p.m. EST. 

About Ted Bremekamp

Ted Bremekamp is the Chief Technology Officer and General Manager at ETC, a nationally recognized leader in the residential electronics industry. With a degree in Electrical Engineering from Notre Dame and more than a decade of experience in AV and automation, Ted is a recognized industry expert.

Ted is also a member of ProSource’s board of directors and the President of the Bill Raskob Foundation, which provides interest-free education loans to deserving students throughout the U.S. In the interview, Ted discussed his role in running one of the largest custom integration firms (#15 on CEPro100 for 2017).

Interview Recap

The live interview covers a series of topics surrounding the AV and automation industry, such as:

• The primary benefits of a ProSource membership
• A day in the life of running a $14 million a year integration firm
• How a $5 million business grows to become a $15 million operation
• Ted's take on Crestron's source code

This week's home automation podcast features our host Ron Callis interviewing John Baskerville. Recorded live on Wednesday, May 3rd, 2017 at 12:30 p.m. EST. 

About John Baskerville

As Director of Product at One Firefly, John is principally tasked with the management and deployment of all web efforts, both internal and client-facing. John’s career in web spans nearly two decades. Since joining the One Firefly team in 2009, his knowledge and expertise have been tapped to help successfully build up the creative division of One Firefly.

Interview Recap

The live interview covers a series of topics surrounding the AV and automation industry, such as:

• The process of designing and launching new products
• Key takeaways from Social Media Marketing World
• Rookie mistakes when getting started with digital marketing
• Black hat vs. white hat SEO

This week's home automation podcast features our host Ron Callis interviewing Nathan Holmes. Recorded live on Wednesday, April 26th, 2017 at 12:30 p.m. EST. 

About Nathan Holmes

In his role as Technical Trainer, Nathan helps integrators succeed by guiding them in best practices and providing helpful resources. Nathan has nearly a decade of technical expertise within the custom integration industry.

Interview Recap

During the live interview, One Firefly CEO Ron Callis, Jr. asked Nathan a series of questions surrounding what Access Networks has to offer to dealers as well as his thoughts on the current state of the networking and home automation industry.

Watch the video to see Ron and Nathan discuss topics such as:

• Best practices and strategies for technical training
• The biggest networking mistakes integrators make most often
• The role of robotics and the automation industry in homes and businesses
• Astrophysics and what’s really in the center of a black hole

This week's home automation podcast features our host Ron Callis interviewing Paul Starkey. Recorded live on Wednesday, April 5th, 2017 at 12:30 p.m. EST. 

About Paul Starkey

Paul Starkey has been in the custom installation business for 24 years, and in that time, Paul has raised venture capital twice, acquired two companies, started two others and has in-depth knowledge of the CI business.

These acquisitions and mergers exceeded $280M in value. He has business operations, sales and marketing experience.  His keen insights, innovation, and creativity have been recognized by many in our industry. 

Interview Recap

The live interview covers a series of topics surrounding the AV and automation industry, such as: 

• Bi4Ci: what is it and why do CI dealers need it?
• Characteristics of successful business owners in this channel
• The three ratios integrators should definitely be watching
• Which manufacturers are starting to stand out and having staying power in this space