This week's home automation podcast features our host Ron Callis interviewing Bryan Naquin. Recorded live on Friday May 15th at 12:30 p.m. EST.

About Bryan Naquin

Bryan got started in the audio-video industry back in 1995 and has since amassed 25 years of industry experience. In 2005, he founded  Baton Rouge-based technology integration company, Acadian Home Theater.

Acadian has been awarded the Top 100 Integrator Nationwide by CE Pro for 8 years in a row, making them the only Louisiana company holding that consecutive record.

Acadian is also recognized as the only Diamond Control4 Pinnacle Dealer within the state of Louisiana.

Interview Recap

• Steps Bryan is taking to keep his team safe during COVID-19 such as turning down jobs in high-risk areas 
• The importance of building relationships with industry peers and your community
• Bryan’s thoughts on whether CEDIA will return this year and the possibility of a virtual venue
• How Acadian approaches paid service plans during their sales cycle and the benefits they’ve experienced with Parasol for 24/7 remote servicing and support

This week's show features our host Ron Callis interviewing Chris Subbiondo, CEO for WSC Home Audio Video from his office in Chesapeake, VA. Chris joined the Navy when he was 18 and started in the CI business as a DirectTV Technician in 2003. Chris started WSC in 2011 and is currently a platinum level Control4 dealer and is the 13th person in the United States to obtain PCNA certification. Recorded Live on March 14th, 2018 at 12:30pm EDT.

About Chris Subbiondo

Chris is 38 Years old and lives in Chesapeake, Virginia. He’s originally from New Jersey, but joined the Navy when he was 18. After serving four years, he started doing installations as a DirecTV technician. Eventually that evolved into TV mounts, then home theaters, then smart home automation of today. Chris was the 13th person in the United States to obtain the newest PCNA certification and WSC Home Audio Video has achieved platinum dealer status with control4. WSC has been voted best of Angie's list and home advisor every year for 5 years in a row now.

Interview Recap

Here are some of the topics Ron had the opportunity to discuss with Chris:

• Chris' background in the industry
• The importance of choosing a PCNA certified professional for a home networking project
• Why choosing a professional to help you with today's technology is worth it
• The future of home networking
• And more!

This week, we had the privilege of interviewing Nathan Holmes, Technical Trainer at Access Networks. The California-based company provides tailored enterprise-grade networking solutions for professional integrators throughout the United States.

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:

• How Nathan got started in the AV Industry and his current role at Access Networks
• The reason behind Access Network’s recent success
• 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
• The coolest new technologies to get excited about
• Astrophysics and what’s really in the center of a black hole