Friends of Build Magazine

Powering Life Beyond (and the dark side) of Tomorrow’s Home Automation Innovations with Michael Short of Crestron| Friends of Build Magazine #90

Episode Summary

Ted speaks with Michael Short, Sr. Director of Residential & Hospitality Marketing with Crestron Electronics. Crestron is the leading technology solutions provider in the residential and commercial space. A family run company, Michael talks about their customer base and what pushes them to innovate again and again.

Episode Notes

Ted speaks with Michael Short, Sr. Director of Residential & Hospitality Marketing with Crestron Electronics. They explore Crestron's background and reputation as a leading automation company and  discuss the challenges of scheduling and dealing with technology issues in smart homes.. The conversation touches on the importance of educating design build professionals and staying on the cutting edge of technology. Michael shares his thoughts on Crestron's growth and expansion globally, as well as the future of smart homes - addressing the potential dark side of technology and the need for security. Listen in to hear how Crestron is thriving in a fast-paced technology industry. 

LINKS

Crestron at 50: 

https://www.crestron.com/News/Blog/September-2022/Crestron-at-50

Crestron Article

https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidewalt/2011/11/16/crestron-electronics-george-feldstein-manufacturing/

Behind the Scenes Video:

https://youtu.be/b7lTq0sbtTQ?si=9C2CdJ-S2FHFAG3I

TOPICS DISCUSSED

• 01:04 Introduction and technology in homes
• 05:22 Crestron's Background and Reputation
• 09:18 Educating Design Build Professionals
• 13:23 Staying on the Cutting Edge of Technology
• 16:30 Crestron's History and Growth
• 22:30 The Future of Crestron and Smart Homes
• 26:04 Addressing the Dark Side of Technology
• 40:05 Crestron's Growth and Innovation Mindset
• 30:20 Expanding Globally and Future Challenges
• 34:22 Thriving in a Fast-Paced Technology Industry
• 37:25 Meeting the Expectations of Influential Clients
• 39:30 The Fear of Failure
• 42:32 Differences Between American and British Customers
• 45:27 Staying Focused on the Vision and Mission

CONNECT WITH GUEST

Michael Short

• Website
• LinkedIn

KEY QUOTES FROM EPISODE

• And the good news is we've been doing this for 50 years. Crestron is a 50 year old company, so we have a huge amount of legacy and experience in innovating incredible control technology.
• You know, the owners of the biggest companies in the world, the innovators in, in this industry and outside this industry, the most famous people they have Crestron in their homes on their super yachts. These people don't sit still. These people expect the best experience. They expect the next thing. They expect everything to get better and improve.
• Of course, we have all that structure and strategic integration set up, but they don't close off and we don't close off to ideas, to conversations, to people wanting to push the boundaries and that open infrastructure, that open language, that open culture is something that he installs in us to do because us pushing the boundaries and pushing the conversations, that's how you grow and innovate in a company