EDGE Fall Integrator Meeting 2022 Recap
RECHARGE, RETHINK, RESET
EDGE members meet every fall to catch up and discuss what is going on in their business and the industry. The EDGE Fall Integrators Meeting was held in conjunction with the PSA Annual Convention at the beautiful Omni Resort in Hilton Head, South Carolina, on Oct. 11 through Oct. 13. We joined the PSA Security members for working groups on supply chain challenges, retaining employees and cybersecurity threats to integrators. Also, we heard from industry experts on the key topics of the project management process, emotional intelligence in talent retention, financial responsibility and innovative technologies.
It's always great to catch up with familiar faces and meet new ones, especially in an excellent location. We kicked off the event Tuesday morning with a round of golf (who says you can’t work and play) to RECHARGE our batteries. Following golf, we attended the welcome reception, which combined PSA Security and EDGE members, where networking and new relationships developed.
Wednesday morning, we started with a keynote by Bill Benjamin, an Emotional Intelligence, Performance and Leadership Expert. Bill combined real world knowledge and science to help people understand emotional intelligence. I loved how he started off by saying, “There are no tissues on the tables because this is not one of those discussions.” He helped everyone understand the science of the brain and how it ties into emotional intelligence.
Next, we had breakout sessions with working groups to address supply chain challenges, retaining employees and cybersecurity threats to integrators. These topics were popular to security and AV members. I noticed a consistent theme that continued throughout the combined working groups we are not alone. Everyone is working on creative ways to combat similar challenges. Participants even requested we continue the sessions because they made progress and were learning from each other. The breakouts gave everyone a sense of satisfaction and new ideas to bring back to their individual organizations.
After lunch, EDGE jumped into the Fall Integrators Meeting, which started with project management. Times have changed, and how we manage projects must also change; we need to RETHINK the project management process. Now more than ever, project managers are managing an enormous project schedule.
How many projects should a project manager have on their plate at a given time? Is it a dollar figure?
What does the role of a project manager do versus a project coordinator?
Who is doing the project management? Is it a dedicated project manager or a field engineer? Site leads? Bonus plans?
These critical questions and more were brought to the surface during this session. The bottom line is there is no fixed rule on how to manage a project, but there were a lot of great ideas and different ways to help aid the process. Next, Brad Malone, vice president of Professional Services at Solutions360 and vice president of Consulting at Navigate Management Consulting, led the panel discussion with a few of our integrators along with Chris Bianchet, general manager of Herman IS. Each panel member brought their own industry expertise and perspective, illustrating our network’s diverse ways of thinking. They addressed burden and utilization rates, time tracking and variable labor costing. There was a focus on schedule forecasting, change orders and heroism. We always say our most significant asset is the knowledge in the room, and this panel discussion was a shining example.
We wrapped up the first full day of the meeting with roundtable discussions with key partners, including ADI Global, Exertis ALMO, Legrand AV, Liberty AV, Shure and Sony. This was a terrific way to understand how each preferred manufacturer partner was handling supply chain issues, along with some insight to help the EDGE integrators keep projects and cash flowing.
Day two started with April Simpkins, a Human Resources consultant, and Chief Human Resources Officer at Total Human Resources. She delivered a fantastic keynote on “The Impact of Leadership on Culture, Engagement, Recruiting and Retention.” In today’s world, your employees are your biggest asset and keeping them in the long run is becoming increasingly difficult. Her session was informative and thought provoking, which ended in some great ideas to keep employees happy and engaged.
Leading the next session, Tom LeBlanc executive director of NSCA discussed the effects of the business environment on cash and how integrators today need to RESET the way they manage cash flow. Supply chain has caused project timelines to slip and keeping a close eye on cash flow is key to business success. To support integrators, NSCA has a library of online and useable resources immediately available to us.
Speaking of supply chain, our final session covered newer technologies that are in stock and ready to ship. We had three of our integrators discuss options they have been testing in their labs to help mitigate the supply chain issues. It was all on the table, from custom in- house control systems to new products that have been vetted. It was a fantastic way for everyone to contribute to what they have found testing these products on their own.
Overall, the Fall Integrators Meeting was filled with successful networking, information sharing and lessons learned. The power of the networking is stronger than ever, and we are happy to have had the time to RECHARGE, RETHINK & RESET.
