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Navigating Uncertainty:
An Open Forum for Dealers on the State of the Industry

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  Ron Callis Jr is the CEO and founder of One Firefly, LLC, an award-winning and 5-time Inc. 5000 recognized marketing agency. With over 20 years of experience in the field, he has built a reputation for helping custom electronics businesses grow and succeed through innovative marketing strategies and top-notch website design. Ron is a well-known speaker and educator at industry events, a regular contributor to industry publications, and host of the AV and integration-focused podcast, Automation Unplugged.
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  Paul Starkey is a relentless force in the custom installation industry, known for over 30 years of visionary leadership, innovation, and commitment to helping others succeed. With deep experience in startups, acquisitions, and capital ventures totaling over $280M, he has led multiple companies, raised venture capital twice, and built a respected reputation across the smart home industry. As CEO of VITAL MGMT and former Executive Director of the BRAVAS Group, Paul brings unmatched insight into business growth, profitability, and strategic execution. Now guiding PrepTECH, he leverages his industry knowledge, strong relationships, and passion for people to deliver impactful solutions that meet and exceed the industry's evolving needs.
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  Matt Bernath, a dynamic and sought-after speaker in the luxury home-services industry, ignites change wherever he speaks. His career, marked by growth and a passion for impact, showcases his financial expertise, strategic vision, and knack for asking bold questions. His sessions do more than inform; they captivate and challenge audiences to rethink and evolve. With a diverse background as an executive and entrepreneur, and current President of VITAL, Matt’s talks radiate with authenticity and a positive spirit. He drives audiences to go further, sharpen their goals, and seize every chance for progress and teamwork. Matt leaves a lasting impression, sparking action and community betterment.
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  Josh Christian has built a nearly 30-year career in the custom integration industry, beginning in 1995 and rising to co-found the Home Technology Association (HTA) in 2017, where he now serves as CEO. With a background as both integrator and consultant, Josh is passionate about improving project outcomes through early collaboration between integrators and design/build professionals. Under his leadership, HTA has become the industry’s gold standard for certifying integration companies based on technical expertise and customer service. A dedicated educator and speaker at CEDIA Expo and NAHB events, Josh’s mission is to help homeowners and professionals achieve seamless technology outcomes by connecting them with trusted HTA Certified firms early in the process.
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  Joseph Kolchinsky is the founder and CEO of OneVision, a company that provides all the software, tools, and services a smart-home integrator needs to run their service department. After 15 years of managing technology for families, he identified the growing need for quality smart-home support and recognized that integrators are uniquely positioned to offer the continuous support modern smart-homes require. This insight led to the creation of OneVision, enabling integrators to deliver 24/7 support under their own brand, generate recurring revenue, and scale operations all while maintaining the bespoke relationship they've built with their clients.
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  David Warfel is an overly sensitive, marginally materialistic, pseudo-tree-hugging Midwestern farm boy turned lighting designer, educator, author, and entrepreneur. He’s been either lucky or talented enough to land design opportunities in residential, hospitality, museum, commercial, and even the super-niche escape-rooms-on-giant-cruise-ships industry. When he isn’t boring someone to tears talking about lighting, David leads his groundbreaking design business, Light Can Help You, into new frontiers that promise better lighting for more people.
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  Mark is a lighting geek from way back. He got his start in the industry through the Navy Nuclear Power program as an electrician. He has been blessed with the gifts of good spatial perception and a mechanical tilted mind. As an Electrical Contractor he experienced his first framing projector fixture, and as they say, “That’s all she wrote”! Mark has been in the lighting industry for 30+ years with experience in sales & product development at the manufacturing level for 20+ years and the distribution level for 10+ years. Mark loves that light is the only dynamic element in most spaces and how light can impact both a person’s mood and health. It’s a huge responsibility that draws Mark in to helping clients get what they need and desire in their environment.
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  Jason Sayen is a Lean Six Sigma Blackbelt and Process Architect that helps companies redefine "HOW" they operate by changing the status quo and eliminating the Process Void. He spent over 30 years in Luxury Consumer Electronics working with Specialty Trade Contractors and often saw them struggle with maintaining the levels of profitability that they needed in order to scale their business due to the Process Void that was costing them tens of thousands of dollars a year. Through I Am Sayen, Jason works with business owners on business process documentation, efficiency evaluation and implementation. Additionally, he’s a CEDIA Expo course instructor and teaches courses on Process Development, Process Mapping and SWOT Analysis at CI industry events.

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