Latest / CE Pro Podcast / CE Pro Podcast #182: Inside Nerve's Pinnacle 2 Project, a 2026 CE Pro Home of the Year Award Winner

Transcript

CE Pro Podcast #182: Inside Nerve's Pinnacle 2 Project, a 2026 CE Pro Home of the Year Award Winner · CE Pro Podcast

• 0:08
  SPEAKER_01: Alright, hey everyone.
• 0:10
  SPEAKER_01: My name is Zach Recomo, Executive Editor of CE Pro.
• 0:13
  SPEAKER_01: And today I have a special guest with me.
• 0:15
  SPEAKER_01: I have Todd Astel, the founder and CEO of Nerve.
• 0:19
  SPEAKER_01: Todd, how are you?
• 0:21
  SPEAKER_00: Doing well.
• 0:22
  SPEAKER_00: How are you, Zach?
• 0:23
  SPEAKER_01: I'm great.
• 0:24
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, so Todd, we are um chatting about um the project that you guys submitted for 2026 CE Pro Home of the Year.
• 0:34
  SPEAKER_01: Um uh The Pinnacle.
• 0:36
  SPEAKER_01: Um, but first let's uh just learn a little bit about uh yourself and and Nerve.
• 0:41
  SPEAKER_01: Um so you know introduce yourself and and talk a little bit about Nerve's history.
• 0:46
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I appreciate that, Zach.
• 0:48
  SPEAKER_00: So um we actually just hit our 25-year anniversary at NERV here um this year, which is pretty exciting.
• 0:57
  SPEAKER_00: Um started out like a lot of guys in the industry as an enthusiast and just passionate about technology.
• 1:02
  SPEAKER_00: It was a very what my wife would describe as a time-consuming and expensive hobby.
• 1:08
  SPEAKER_00: And so I had other businesses at the time, I had a mortgage brokerage and a photography and video production studio.
• 1:16
  SPEAKER_00: And she recognized that uh I was a little more passionate about this than the other ventures at the time.
• 1:24
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so started to transition in 2001 from those as my primary business to uh the automation world, you know, custom integration.
• 1:34
  SPEAKER_00: I was fascinated with every aspect of the tech.
• 1:37
  SPEAKER_00: And so as I got deeper into it, I realized, you know, there's a lot of meat on these bones and they're the technology is always changing.
• 1:44
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I'd been a serial entrepreneur.
• 1:46
  SPEAKER_00: That's just kind of my nature, always looking for the next and the next.
• 1:50
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but realized this industry um and the business has so much depth to it that you know it's something that I could do long term.
• 1:58
  SPEAKER_00: Right.
• 1:58
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, as an entrepreneur, what what attracted you to you know this industry?
• 2:03
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, it's exactly that.
• 2:05
  SPEAKER_00: The ever-changing technology, um, the lifestyle aspect of it was huge for me.
• 2:12
  SPEAKER_00: You know, the idea that I could enhance people's lifestyles um through technology.
• 2:17
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and one of the fringe benefits I just really didn't understand until I got more into the business was the opportunity to interface with some incredible people.
• 2:26
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, fortunately, in our industry and in the markets that we're in here in Park City and other parts of Utah, um, these are affluent people that have been very successful in other aspects of their life.
• 2:37
  SPEAKER_00: And so they have a lot of stories to tell, a lot of wisdom to share.
• 2:41
  SPEAKER_00: Many of them, you know, over the years have become my mentors.
• 2:44
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so the relationships that have developed from being involved in, you know, whatever their project is, it could be their corporate headquarters, it could be their home, their second home.
• 2:55
  SPEAKER_00: Um, that opportunity interface with people like that has just been uh, I think the most uh meaningful part of the business for me.
• 3:04
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, what what is what is nerves and niche?
• 3:06
  SPEAKER_01: Um, you know, what separates you guys from the others?
• 3:09
  SPEAKER_00: It's a great question.
• 3:10
  SPEAKER_00: Um my guys, my crew would say we do really custom stuff, stuff that other integrators would not do, um, that maybe, in their opinion, and and sometimes this is the case, we shouldn't do because it's just, you know, it's very complex.
• 3:27
  SPEAKER_00: It's a challenge.
• 3:28
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but that's actually what gets me excited, you know, about the business and reignites my passion for technology is having a solution that isn't maybe has never uh existed before, you know, solving a problem that a client has that we've never seen in a project before.
• 3:44
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so our niche is that.
• 3:46
  SPEAKER_00: Um, we we we kind of uh call ourselves technology concierge service because we get we've gone so far as to you know manage uh our clients' personal devices, their technology devices, help them with the configurations and how to use it.
• 4:02
  SPEAKER_00: We've built podcast studios for clients, including acoustics and uh lighting.
• 4:09
  SPEAKER_00: And uh so our niche, I would say, is um just solving problems for the client that they really couldn't find anybody else that could solve.
• 4:19
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but uh from a business standpoint, what we've really uh where we've really differentiated ourselves in the industry in particular is custom golf simulators.
• 4:28
  SPEAKER_00: Um so we've developed uh custom golf sims at a very high level, meaning that these are no longer just utilitarian spaces where you're practicing golf and a training facility.
• 4:40
  SPEAKER_00: Um these are entertainment spaces, these are what we call golf lounges.
• 4:44
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, these are chic, they're high-tech, they're very comfortable, they're finished with the highest end materials and design.
• 4:52
  SPEAKER_00: And then we have pioneered um what I would call a combination golf uh cinema space, um, where you can watch uh a movie with the full um cinematic experience and then with the press of a button transform that space into a golf and multi-sport lounge.
• 5:12
  SPEAKER_01: Awesome.
• 5:13
  SPEAKER_01: Um yeah, I'm sure there's there's plenty of golf enthusiasts out there in Utah.
• 5:18
  SPEAKER_01: Um there's gotta be some beautiful courses out that way, I would imagine.
• 5:22
  SPEAKER_00: There are, and you know, one of the amazing aspects of Park City is that we have those beautiful courses, incredible alpine um views and everything that goes with it.
• 5:32
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, but you know, the trade-off is we have a short season.
• 5:36
  SPEAKER_00: So many of our clients that are full-time residents, they really have that itch to play golf um in the offseason.
• 5:43
  SPEAKER_00: They might be going to, you know, a uh you know, a guy's golf trip and the ability to play uh you know St.
• 5:51
  SPEAKER_00: Andrews before you actually travel out there to play it or spyglass or whatever.
• 5:57
  SPEAKER_00: It actually gives you a leg up with your buddies.
• 6:00
  SPEAKER_00: That's that's a huge aspect.
• 6:01
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, but also it's like the best Opera ski experience.
• 6:04
  SPEAKER_00: So yeah, we can only golf maybe four or five months out of the year in a lot of these courses.
• 6:09
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but it's the coolest thing to do to go ski the slopes and uh come back and hang out with your buddies and play a little golf, maybe even a little baseball, soccer, you know, the other multi-sport stuff.
• 6:21
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, awesome.
• 6:23
  SPEAKER_01: Um, so let's talk about why are we here.
• 6:26
  SPEAKER_01: Um Pinnacle 2, um, which which you guys submitted um and won three awards, uh, gold for best master suite, silver for best uh whole home project over a million dollars, and silver for best lighting um and shading control.
• 6:41
  SPEAKER_01: Um, so congratulations first.
• 6:43
  SPEAKER_01: Um, I know you guys came up, you know, uh three times to shake our hands and get your award at uh at CD Expos.
• 6:49
  SPEAKER_01: That was great.
• 6:50
  SPEAKER_01: Um yeah, tell us about the project and you know, I guess early stages, you know, what did the homeowners um ask you guys for?
• 6:59
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I appreciate that.
• 7:00
  SPEAKER_00: And this is a perfect example of that opportunity to interface with some amazing people.
• 7:06
  SPEAKER_00: Uh our clients were actually clients from a previous home.
• 7:11
  SPEAKER_00: So they had purchased a spec home uh wherein we had done a pretty elaborate audio visual system, a dedicated cinema, uh, a golf simulator in what they call the garage mahal.
• 7:22
  SPEAKER_00: So it was a bit nice, beautiful garage with a golf simulator kind of between some of the car bays.
• 7:27
  SPEAKER_00: Um and they bought that home and loved it.
• 7:30
  SPEAKER_00: And when they contemplated, even though it was beautiful, um, there was a new phase within uh the community with better views and you know, just kind of a larger footprint where they could build a home custom for them, they jumped on that.
• 7:46
  SPEAKER_00: And uh, at the very early, early phases, they they chose to include us in that process.
• 7:51
  SPEAKER_00: And we had built such a wonderful relationship with them on the personal side and the business side that that was an easy transition.
• 7:58
  SPEAKER_00: So we began to collaborate with them uh designing their system for their new home.
• 8:03
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but beyond that, because I've got a background in construction, um, we spent, I spent a lot of time consulting on it with the architectural team uh on the design of the home and you know, not just the integration of the technology.
• 8:16
  SPEAKER_00: That's a big aspect of it, but just the kind of the flow and the and you know how they would use the home, how they would live in it.
• 8:22
  SPEAKER_01: Right, right.
• 8:24
  SPEAKER_01: Um, yeah, so so this project has uh over 770 connected devices, is that right?
• 8:30
  SPEAKER_01: Over a a uh sprawling 18,000 square feet.
• 8:36
  SPEAKER_01: Can't imagine, can't even imagine uh home of this size.
• 8:38
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, yeah.
• 8:39
  SPEAKER_01: Um, you know, it how so how do you make a project like that with so many different things going on, and there's just a gigantic home like that.
• 8:47
  SPEAKER_01: How do you make that easy to use?
• 8:50
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, that is the challenge.
• 8:52
  SPEAKER_00: Um, the interesting aspect here is that the clients were used to uh one control system in the first home they purchased as a spec, and then we recommended Crestron for this new home.
• 9:02
  SPEAKER_00: They were not familiar with it.
• 9:04
  SPEAKER_00: So um we talked about the the you know uh the benefits and the drawbacks to the different systems that were available.
• 9:12
  SPEAKER_00: Um one of the determining factors was the lighting control with um tunable white, circadian rhythm, um, and shading.
• 9:20
  SPEAKER_00: And uh a lot of those, I think 163 of those devices are actually shades.
• 9:26
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, that is the largest shade project that we've ever done, largest shade project I've heard of or seen.
• 9:31
  SPEAKER_00: Um, they have multiple bridges in this home, you know, one of them being curved.
• 9:36
  SPEAKER_00: And so, you know, each panel of glass had to have an individual shade on it.
• 9:40
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and then you can imagine the complexities of building a balance to hide those shades so that everything is nice and and clean on the bridge when the shades are up.
• 9:49
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so yeah, that was exactly the challenge is to figure out what technology um did they appreciate in the home they were currently in, and they definitely wanted to implement in the new home.
• 9:59
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, and then how do we implement that?
• 10:01
  SPEAKER_00: How do how do we integrate it into the home so that it it adds to the aesthetic of the house?
• 10:07
  SPEAKER_00: And then ultimately, what is the interface they're going to be using um to control all that?
• 10:12
  SPEAKER_00: And I mean, the answer is always as much as we can automate, um, we want to do.
• 10:18
  SPEAKER_00: So, you know, we have uh photo cells uh throughout the house to uh measure incoming light or natural light and automatically operate shades.
• 10:28
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, we have exterior sensors to measure the color temperature uh of the natural light and match that inside the home during the daytime.
• 10:36
  SPEAKER_00: We went um very far down the road of integrating HVAC so that the crestron system would give them a very clean interface to control radiant forced air um heating and forced air cooling without them having to understand how those um systems interface.
• 10:54
  SPEAKER_00: Um, we got very involved with the different providers in that world and in the techmark programming and the backnet so that everything would just be seamless and and function as the client expected.
• 11:06
  SPEAKER_01: So you mentioned uh you have over 160 uniquely shaped windows, you know, you have curved trapezoidal uh um all different shapes and sizes.
• 11:17
  SPEAKER_01: How do you conceal each of those each of those um you know motors?
• 11:22
  SPEAKER_01: Um when do you even like start to have those conversations?
• 11:26
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, that's that's one of the biggest challenges is to do that properly, you actually have to be involved in the structural design of the home.
• 11:34
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so we interfaced with the architect in the very early conceptual design phase of the home.
• 11:41
  SPEAKER_00: And as they were developing the framing and structural plans, uh, they would share their Revit file with us.
• 11:48
  SPEAKER_00: And then we hired a third-party um MEP coordination company that uh essentially integrated the shade components, lighting components, and other elements in the home, including the theater room with speakers, subwoofers, all of those things into the Revit model.
• 12:07
  SPEAKER_00: And that was shared back with the architect.
• 12:10
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I mean, Revit's a great tool in that uh it's called Billing Information Management System.
• 12:15
  SPEAKER_00: And so multiple trades like us, um, HVAC and all the others can have their layers.
• 12:21
  SPEAKER_00: And so we had our layers with shades, um, lighting and theater elements in the Revit model.
• 12:27
  SPEAKER_00: So when they were doing changes to framing or when they were engineering uh structural members, it was accounting for the spaces that we needed to fully conceal um shade pockets and uh to integrate things like recessed lighting so that we didn't have clashes with uh other elements that would be in the ceiling.
• 12:46
  SPEAKER_01: Right.
• 12:47
  SPEAKER_01: Um yeah, so talk about the, you know, and just to kind of piggyback off that, talk about the collaboration with architect, uh designer, you know, um builder, all those all these different trades that you guys work with.
• 13:00
  SPEAKER_01: Um was it is it, you know, was it easier this project since you already had a relationship with this client?
• 13:06
  SPEAKER_01: Um and they already kind of like, you know, knew what they wanted.
• 13:13
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, it was easier from a client standpoint because they trusted us.
• 13:16
  SPEAKER_00: Um and it allowed us the freedom to design the system the the way it should be, right?
• 13:21
  SPEAKER_00: So that everything in the shading system was was done to the highest level, and everything in the lighting system, the lighting control um was done um, you know, really according to industry standards, but at the even a higher level than that.
• 13:36
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so that because this early on, we had the flexibility to do it.
• 13:41
  SPEAKER_00: Um, the challenge was that we came in um through the client and we didn't have a previous relationship with the builder.
• 13:47
  SPEAKER_00: We did have a really good previous relationship with the architect because they had actually designed the home that that this client owned previously.
• 13:54
  SPEAKER_00: And we spent a lot of time uh with them in that project.
• 13:58
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but it's it's it's not as common in this in our market here um for integrators to be involved um in those early, early stages and actually being a part, you know, at the table, being a partner in that process and and having a say when things are when decisions are being made, right?
• 14:17
  SPEAKER_00: And but that quickly turned from, okay, what is this relationship about, you know, with some of the other trades to, oh, we see that NERV and their team are adding a lot of value here.
• 14:26
  SPEAKER_00: They're just basically making it easier for us to do our job.
• 14:29
  SPEAKER_00: We're avoiding conflicts that might, you know, uh pop up as we get into the construction, because you know, the mentality of a lot of trades is let's get everything framed up and then we'll figure out how to route cabling, we'll figure out how to route plumbing, we'll figure out how to route HVAC runs.
• 14:43
  SPEAKER_00: And that just doesn't work in a home this complex.
• 14:46
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, 18,000 square feet does not do it justice.
• 14:48
  SPEAKER_00: This is a extremely complex structure, as you can imagine, um, with massive, massive structural elements and huge, huge walls of glass.
• 14:58
  SPEAKER_00: And I mean, that just limits your opportunity to do anything as far as running cabling and and you know, integrating shades and all those kind of things.
• 15:07
  SPEAKER_00: So that process um turned out to be amazing um in the sense that we learned a ton.
• 15:14
  SPEAKER_00: Our team learned how to interface with architects, builders, and other trades at this high level.
• 15:20
  SPEAKER_00: And uh, I like to think that our team um shared a lot of insights and and experience with the other trades and with the other partners in this process so that the next process for them, whether we're involved or not, is is much better.
• 15:34
  SPEAKER_00: And they have the incentive and they they realize the value in including an integration team, you know, early in the process because the outcome is you know speaks for itself.
• 15:43
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 15:43
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, you you said that that that super early, you know, day one collaboration with with those trades um is is rare for your market.
• 15:52
  SPEAKER_01: Could you elaborate on that a little bit?
• 15:54
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I I don't, yeah, I I love the state of Utah is amazing and and Park City market is incredible.
• 16:01
  SPEAKER_00: Um, we have a lot of people that have been in their industries for a very long time, uh, local providers and contractors that don't build beautiful homes.
• 16:11
  SPEAKER_00: Um, it's it's more common in uh what I would call larger markets.
• 16:15
  SPEAKER_00: And I guess you could say the markets that have attracted kind of more um sophisticated buyers and more money, um, like your Jackson Hole, like Aspen and Vail.
• 16:25
  SPEAKER_00: So those homes are that market and the and the providers in those markets are used to um, you know, much higher budgets and much more complex designs and builds.
• 16:37
  SPEAKER_00: And we're adapting to it because Park City, you know, has been discovered over the last few years in the sense that we have new projects like Wasatch Peaks Ranch.
• 16:46
  SPEAKER_00: We have projects like Marcella Club.
• 16:49
  SPEAKER_00: And this is attracting um homeowners, uh, buyers from all over the world that are now planning on and willing to spend much more money than has ever been spent on, you know, per square foot and total on a home.
• 17:05
  SPEAKER_00: And so as an industry, all of us, including and especially our industry, we have to elevate our process.
• 17:12
  SPEAKER_00: Um, you know, we have to educate ourselves and we have to be really, really good at uh dealing with the complexities uh of a higher end project, you know, and just to just the the expectation of the homeowner, the the process of the architect, the process of the builder, all these things are very different than what we've dealt with over the you know uh last two and a half decades.
• 17:33
  SPEAKER_00: It's a beautiful thing because I I love that aspect of it.
• 17:35
  SPEAKER_00: I love that we're um refining everything that we do and that we're able to step up to that level and meet the expectations and exceed the expectations of these homeowners, these, you know, these clients and the partners that we're working with.
• 17:52
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, well, one of the things that that made this project stand out to us was the the the wellness uh features um throughout the home, you know, the the circuiting the circuiting lighting, um, the the daylight responsive shading, which you mentioned.
• 18:05
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and that's one of the reasons that you guys you know got gold from for the Master Suite award.
• 18:10
  SPEAKER_01: Um is this something clients are actively asking for?
• 18:16
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, it's a great question.
• 18:17
  SPEAKER_00: Um, there are clients that are familiar with these technologies um that will ask for them, but more often we're again, we're we're technology concierge service for our clients, we're advising them on what's possible.
• 18:31
  SPEAKER_00: And our clients are coming to us as the subject matter experts of what can be done in a home um with technology to enhance our lifestyle.
• 18:41
  SPEAKER_00: And the answer is obvious.
• 18:42
  SPEAKER_00: What we implemented in this home, you know, are those elements, are those uh technologies that are available.
• 18:49
  SPEAKER_00: And as we move more into more sophisticated AI and more sophisticated voice control and things like that, it's our job um to kind of, you know, hold our clients' hand and help them um to transition into the technology being more a part of their life, but less intrusive and more natural.
• 19:10
  SPEAKER_00: And so that's the beauty of it is um the tools are there.
• 19:14
  SPEAKER_00: And and the truth is in our industry, the tools have been there for quite a long time.
• 19:18
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I think sometimes we miss the opportunity to let our clients know that that the things that are possible and things that they would have loved to have in their home, but you know, maybe we're reticent to ask them to spend more money, or maybe we're not spending enough time with them in discovery of what is it that you, you know, that you value, what's important to you, who do you invite into your home, and how do you like to spend time with them and entertain?
• 19:43
  SPEAKER_00: And so we spend a lot of time in that, you know, building that relationship and understanding their lifestyle so that the response or you know, our reply to that is technology that is relevant to them and that enhances their lifestyle and meets their expectation.
• 19:58
  SPEAKER_00: And then very, very often, almost always, it exceeds their expectation because they didn't know this integration or that um technology or you know, this comfort element, like you said, like the light adaptive um shades or the tunable white uh was even available.
• 20:16
  SPEAKER_00: And so the wellness aspect comes from just implementing the tech technology that is available, um, but first educating the client and then the partners, because we had to get the designer on board with um tunable white fixtures.
• 20:31
  SPEAKER_00: And, you know, they wanted to select fixtures based on certain parameters.
• 20:36
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe it's the trim that they really like and the, you know, maybe the finishes or, you know, what they're looking for.
• 20:43
  SPEAKER_00: But they have to be beautiful and functional, you know.
• 20:46
  SPEAKER_00: So when it comes to those elements, there's a there's a lot of crossover and it's a it's a challenge for our industry to actually have enough input in things like lighting, lighting fixtures.
• 20:57
  SPEAKER_00: Um, we do a lot of lighting design in-house because, again, we want to give the client the experience.
• 21:03
  SPEAKER_00: We want them to have the benefit of the technology.
• 21:05
  SPEAKER_00: We want it to be beautiful, we want it to give them the wellness benefit of, you know, enhancing their sleep wake cycle uh and giving them a beautiful, beautiful uh aesthetic in their home that's warmer in the evening and kind of more inviting and cooler in the daytime, matching the you know, the natural light coming in, streaming in through the windows.
• 21:26
  SPEAKER_00: Those are all little nuances that seem like, you know, they might be a niche thing, but everyone, everyone would benefit and does benefit from that kind of tech.
• 21:36
  SPEAKER_01: Right.
• 21:36
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, absolutely.
• 21:38
  SPEAKER_01: So what's their reaction been now that they've been living in it?
• 21:41
  SPEAKER_01: And how long have they been living in it?
• 21:43
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, they've been in the home for almost a year now.
• 21:47
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and as we've kind of customized the system for them um a little bit over the last year, they have just really appreciated the the decisions they made.
• 22:00
  SPEAKER_00: You know, some of the things they honestly expressed, hey, this is a little expensive.
• 22:04
  SPEAKER_00: Do you think it'll be worth it?
• 22:05
  SPEAKER_00: And, you know, I put my reputation on the line and said, Yeah, I I can I can promise you that you're going to be happy that you did this.
• 22:11
  SPEAKER_00: And the feedback is that they don't regret anything that they spent, any of the time that they um that they dedicated to this.
• 22:19
  SPEAKER_00: And um, you know, the the way it was integrated, like I said, it's it's just so seamless in the home.
• 22:24
  SPEAKER_00: It's now a part of the home and it makes the home what it is.
• 22:27
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and the I I really credit my team.
• 22:31
  SPEAKER_00: Um, they've done some incredible work in the process of working with the client and understanding how they would use the home.
• 22:39
  SPEAKER_00: So there's been very little uh need for adjustment to programming or changes to how they use it.
• 22:46
  SPEAKER_00: Uh they they really kind of hit the the nail on the head with I would say 97, 98% of the programming and lighting scenes and um, you know, all the other functions of the system are just doing what the client wants.
• 23:01
  SPEAKER_00: And they have little tweaks they're doing here or there.
• 23:04
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe it's seasonal or maybe it's, you know, um we want to change the scene a little bit.
• 23:09
  SPEAKER_00: But I mean, that's the incredible part is that they haven't had to spend a lot of time with it, um, with the tech in in adjusting or customizing it.
• 23:17
  SPEAKER_00: And we haven't spent a whole lot of time in in making changes.
• 23:22
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so that just allows us to um, you know, kind of support them and support that installation um much easier than something that let's say they have to we have to make all these adjustments after the install.
• 23:35
  SPEAKER_01: Right.
• 23:36
  SPEAKER_01: What is what are some of your favorite parts of this project?
• 23:41
  SPEAKER_00: That's a great question.
• 23:42
  SPEAKER_00: It's really hard to nail it down.
• 23:44
  SPEAKER_00: Like one of the most challenging things we did was they wanted their blackout and their master to be blackout.
• 23:48
  SPEAKER_00: And so we put um side channels in the blackout shades, integrated into one wall that was stone and one wall that was plaster.
• 23:57
  SPEAKER_00: You know, it's very complicated.
• 23:58
  SPEAKER_00: We had to we had to coordinate with uh the trades on that.
• 24:02
  SPEAKER_00: My favorite aspect of the home is is definitely the private cinema.
• 24:06
  SPEAKER_00: It is next level, it's a beautiful, sophisticated room um with some really rich materials.
• 24:12
  SPEAKER_00: I love what the designer selected.
• 24:14
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I love that our partners had these uh this beautiful wool, acoustically transparent fabric available.
• 24:21
  SPEAKER_00: And you know, brass accents, we did custom leather out of uh Germany, and I mean it it all came together beautifully, so that the aesthetic and the performance in that room um, you know, is something that we're definitely proud of.
• 24:36
  SPEAKER_01: Absolutely.
• 24:38
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, as homes like you know, again well let me back up on a project of this scale where there's you know 700 plus connected devices, 160 plus windows and and you know, um shades for those windows.
• 25:00
  SPEAKER_01: Um I can't imagine how many switches and keypads.
• 25:06
  SPEAKER_01: What what where the where the what are the pitfalls?
• 25:09
  SPEAKER_01: What what could break first if you're not careful?
• 25:12
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, that's a great question.
• 25:13
  SPEAKER_00: Um the the biggest challenge um you know with let's say having an issue with with a control system is lighting always, right?
• 25:24
  SPEAKER_00: Um so we've we've taken you know precautions and worked with uh crestron engineers to make sure that we have backup everything.
• 25:32
  SPEAKER_00: You know, we've separated the automation and navy controls from the lighting controls.
• 25:36
  SPEAKER_00: We have a dedicated processor for lighting.
• 25:38
  SPEAKER_00: Uh I mean, honestly, it's been flawless.
• 25:40
  SPEAKER_00: Um, coolest part of the project in lighting is that you know, crestron keypads, they have glass, they have metal.
• 25:47
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so we ended up doing some beautiful brass, some beautiful black glass, white glass.
• 25:52
  SPEAKER_00: And the client got real creative with uh the keypad engraving.
• 25:56
  SPEAKER_00: So you have words like chow and um chill, and you know, so as you go throughout the house, you just kind of see a lot of the personality.
• 26:05
  SPEAKER_00: Um I think it's just cool that they got playful with it.
• 26:08
  SPEAKER_00: Um, some of the um decorative lighting fixtures are spectacular, you know, and the fact that we can incorporate those into lighting scenes and dim them to the pro appropriate levels is just like it's just super cool.
• 26:23
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 26:25
  SPEAKER_01: Upon a project like this, how do you structure project management?
• 26:28
  SPEAKER_01: Like who who owns what?
• 26:30
  SPEAKER_01: How do you document everything?
• 26:32
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and just walk us through that that kind of like administrative stuff.
• 26:37
  SPEAKER_00: Okay.
• 26:38
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 26:39
  SPEAKER_00: Um documentation started in the early conceptual design phase, like we talked about.
• 26:44
  SPEAKER_00: So Rabbit model was key to documentation for the shades and lighting.
• 26:49
  SPEAKER_00: Um, when it came to documentation of the video distribution, audio distribution, racks, and so forth.
• 26:56
  SPEAKER_00: Um, you know, we we built that out very early and then adapted it as new uh products became available.
• 27:03
  SPEAKER_00: This project was almost four years from conception through completion.
• 27:07
  SPEAKER_00: And so we had elements that, you know, you got a new model come out.
• 27:11
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, in fact, this was the private cinema was um the first uh Trinov Altitude CI that was deployed in the field for a client installation.
• 27:21
  SPEAKER_00: And, you know, really tight collaboration, coordination with Trinov on that, and it worked out amazing and gave us some incredible uh functionality wouldn't have, wouldn't have, wouldn't have had otherwise.
• 27:31
  SPEAKER_00: And the client actually upgraded their projector from Christie Digital and they updated, upgraded their um Atmos system from Ashendo in the process of the build because they they heard my uh demo room that that we upgraded, you know, in this process.
• 27:47
  SPEAKER_00: And so we adapted to that and made those adjustments.
• 27:50
  SPEAKER_00: Um as we made those changes, we'd go back to our acoustical engineer, Jerry at Quest, and say, okay, we've got now we've got to incorporate infersonics into this room.
• 28:00
  SPEAKER_00: And so it was a it was a living, these were living documents, you know, this was a process.
• 28:04
  SPEAKER_00: Um, as we worked with the electricians, for example, we had our lighting, uh, crescent lighting control panels, you know, uh located in in um different mechanical rooms.
• 28:15
  SPEAKER_00: And then it was determined with in in partnership with the builder and the electricians, it'd be better to centralize these all into one mechanical space, uh, which we did.
• 28:23
  SPEAKER_00: And, you know, a lot of elements like that um with the HVAC providers, um, the HVAC engineers or mechanical engineers had designed a system that was all going to be techmar.
• 28:36
  SPEAKER_00: And then when it came time to implement that, they had some BACnet components.
• 28:40
  SPEAKER_00: So my team, um, I have uh what I would call a ninja on on our crew, Justin, that spent a lot of time um kind of learning BACnet uh because the HVAC provider wasn't as, you know, uh kind of up to date or didn't understand exactly how that would interface with the Techmars system.
• 28:59
  SPEAKER_00: And he was able to, you know, really help them get everything into a cohesive functional system and then integrate it into Crestron.
• 29:07
  SPEAKER_00: And so from a project management standpoint, uh, because of the complexity and scale of the project, um, we ended up breaking out uh different scopes of work to different project managers.
• 29:18
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so Justin overall was the project manager and had a great relationship with the client, the builder, the architect.
• 29:24
  SPEAKER_00: And then we had individual project managers for the theater room.
• 29:28
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, we had a project manager for the A-B components and a project manager manager for shades and lighting.
• 29:35
  SPEAKER_00: And um, that worked out extremely well because they were able to focus on those kind of really complex elements of just that um aspect and then coordinate with the uh necessary trades and and other providers uh and build that relationship and then give it you know enough attention, uh as much attention as was needed.
• 29:55
  SPEAKER_01: How how how did the uh the the project manager in charge of uh lighting and trading they were they like how were they towards the end?
• 30:03
  SPEAKER_01: Because that seems like like a lot of work for one person.
• 30:07
  SPEAKER_00: Um it was a lot, yeah.
• 30:08
  SPEAKER_00: And actually they they shared the load um in that Justin, the overall project manager, worked with um the lighting designer, and there was a lighting designer involved in this one early on, right?
• 30:19
  SPEAKER_01: Right.
• 30:20
  SPEAKER_00: Um to work out all the details of um, you know, how these lighting scenes would be configured, for example, uh the engraving.
• 30:28
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, there were you can imagine just countless Zoom meetings to kind of nail down what each of these keypads is gonna say and then the function behind it.
• 30:37
  SPEAKER_00: And so they actually shared the load in the sense that Justin would do that that collaboration with the lighting designer.
• 30:44
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and the PM that was over lighting and shades was focused on the physical install and making sure that those you know got installed seamlessly.
• 30:54
  SPEAKER_01: Got it, yeah.
• 30:55
  SPEAKER_01: All right, that makes perfect sense.
• 30:57
  SPEAKER_01: Um so when everything is, you know, in the walls, in the ceilings, how do you what's the next step is you know, programming, commissioning, testing, how do you handle that on a project of this size?
• 31:09
  SPEAKER_01: So you go room by room, system by system, you know, how do you do that?
• 31:13
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, the builder had a process of which I really appreciated, closing out um the house room by room.
• 31:20
  SPEAKER_00: So we followed in suit, you know, you would get to a stage of completion where we could install the shades final, um, we could uh unwrap the shades because a lot of shades went in pretty early, and we we literally kept them uh protected, um, you know, wrapped in there so that the ceiling finishes.
• 31:38
  SPEAKER_00: So, for example, like a T and G ceiling could finish up to it, or a custom plaster ceiling and those kind of things with the shade in place.
• 31:46
  SPEAKER_00: And then um, you know, once that was to a point where the room is clean enough, remove the protection, uh, run the shade, set the limits, you know, make any adjustments that are necessary, leveling and so forth.
• 31:58
  SPEAKER_00: And so we actually did that room by room.
• 32:00
  SPEAKER_00: And that was the case with lighting, that was the case with audiovisual, meaning TVs and um, you know, speakers and touch screens on the wall and all those things.
• 32:10
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so it was actually a great process because you just break it down into small bytes, right?
• 32:16
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, and as we did that, um, you know, the guys at times you can imagine are a little overwhelmed with okay, we've got this much to do and we've got this much time to do it.
• 32:25
  SPEAKER_00: How are we going to get all that done?
• 32:27
  SPEAKER_00: Well, you guys look at the big picture and have that inform how you approach it, but break it down into the little pieces.
• 32:34
  SPEAKER_00: And as we started to do that, they're like, oh, okay, we're closing out rooms at a pretty good pace.
• 32:39
  SPEAKER_00: Um, we'll do some of the complex stuff early so that you know we can solve problems as it comes up.
• 32:45
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but yeah, it ended up being uh a beautiful process, kind of a uh a dance, you know, with all the other trades and the contractor and the readiness of the home.
• 32:56
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 32:57
  SPEAKER_00: And they did the same, you know, as the as the contractor did this, it just allowed it to have uh, you know, enough time between each phase that we were working on to get it done.
• 33:09
  SPEAKER_01: It's funny.
• 33:09
  SPEAKER_01: It's I'm glad you it honestly made me feel good that you said take this um, you know, room by room in bite-sized little pieces, because I just bought a house that I'm renovating.
• 33:22
  SPEAKER_01: Um I was hoping to have it like mainly done by the time we moved in.
• 33:26
  SPEAKER_01: We've moved in, and um my my kitchen cabinets are currently in my driveway, wrapped up in boxes.
• 33:33
  SPEAKER_01: So so um yeah, every time I walk through the kitchen, which is you know, nothing there.
• 33:40
  SPEAKER_01: Um I get anxiety, but uh yeah, they're going in.
• 33:43
  SPEAKER_01: Um maybe maybe later today.
• 33:46
  SPEAKER_01: We'll see.
• 33:46
  SPEAKER_01: Let's see how much time I have left in the day.
• 33:49
  SPEAKER_01: Um yeah, it's uh I gotta I gotta keep reminding myself that um because there's yeah, there's a lot of stuff to do.
• 33:55
  SPEAKER_01: Um so how do you bring um you know nice little personal touches on a project that's just crazy big like this one?
• 34:08
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, we fortunately had a lot of opportunity to do that.
• 34:11
  SPEAKER_00: So coordinating with and collaborating with the homeowner and the designer on some of these elements, like the lighting, uh, was really fun.
• 34:21
  SPEAKER_00: Um, acoustic elements, like I mean, that's a huge part of any home, uh, especially of this scale.
• 34:27
  SPEAKER_00: Um, you know, we had opportunity to design some pretty unique stuff.
• 34:32
  SPEAKER_00: And then the private cinema, the golf simulator, both of those areas we had some flexibility to do uh to incorporate some really beautiful finishes and then some really cool features.
• 34:44
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so in the golf simulator, the architect had worked with uh kind of a finished material that they liked.
• 34:51
  SPEAKER_00: And um we had an area of the golf simulator where when you're playing it, you you know would want to capture the ball, but when it was not being used as a simulator, you wanted it more open.
• 35:00
  SPEAKER_00: So we actually integrated a uh a curtain uh along one side that then would pocket into the wall when it was not in use.
• 35:10
  SPEAKER_00: And that curtain, you know, we had to we had to flush that that drapery track up into the drywall so it looked really clean.
• 35:17
  SPEAKER_00: And, you know, what fabric can we use on that so that it can actually um, you know, recess into the wall, those kind of things.
• 35:25
  SPEAKER_00: Um, personal touches, I think I I again I give my team a ton of credit in that they they understood the assignment when we were talking about how to program the lighting, what do the buttons do when you press them, other functions like A V, like the the beautiful part of um a home of this scale is that it's very big and it's has a lot of spaces, but the homeowner has their kind of personal uses that they incorporated into it.
• 35:52
  SPEAKER_00: So this master suite, as you mentioned, um, you know, we're we really appreciated being recognized for that because it's actually a master bedroom, master bath closet, and below it is their um exercise space, their sauna, and their steam shower.
• 36:07
  SPEAKER_00: And so they can literally walk down a flight of stairs to that.
• 36:10
  SPEAKER_00: And so we incorporated wake-up scenes that would involve those areas, which I think is super cool.
• 36:16
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, absolutely.
• 36:17
  SPEAKER_00: We saw the opportunity to just, you know, make that a single function for them.
• 36:23
  SPEAKER_00: And when the alarm goes off, it does multiple, multiple things for them.
• 36:26
  SPEAKER_00: And again, knowing the client, having having worked for them before on their previous home, we just we just thought, hey, this would be really cool to do this.
• 36:34
  SPEAKER_00: And and our team uh did a great job of of getting that dial in.
• 36:38
  SPEAKER_00: And then as they leave the master suite, they're coming across this dramatic bridge with a water feature.
• 36:43
  SPEAKER_00: So we make sure that the water feature is running.
• 36:45
  SPEAKER_00: And as you come across the bridge, if it's morning, but you know, late enough in the morning that the sun is not an issue, the shades will roll up as they come across.
• 36:53
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, it's just beautiful things like that.
• 36:55
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 36:55
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so there are key elements that I think the little touches that just make you feel like, wow, my home is live.
• 37:02
  SPEAKER_00: That's what we can do with technology if if we take the time to understand our clients' needs and lifestyle and you know, use the technology and uh with all of its capabilities.
• 37:13
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, is that personalization easier on a big project?
• 37:16
  SPEAKER_01: There are so many opportunities to do so, so many touch points, or is it easier on a smaller project where it's not as um you know crazy?
• 37:25
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I think it can be done really well um in a project of any scale.
• 37:30
  SPEAKER_00: It really comes down to did we implement all of the available solutions?
• 37:37
  SPEAKER_00: Did the client allow us to do that?
• 37:39
  SPEAKER_00: Did we uh advise them well in the early stages so that they included the things that would you know be worthwhile?
• 37:46
  SPEAKER_00: Um so large or small, um, you can definitely make that uh, you know, do that kind of personalization and give them that experience, no matter, you know, how large or small the house is and how um simple or complex the automation system is.
• 38:02
  SPEAKER_00: Um so we've done things like uh, you know, uh we've turned we've controlled a sauna for a client because he wanted it to be to full temp before he went downstairs um and give him a simple keypad, you know, button next to his bed so you can hit do that first thing in the morning.
• 38:19
  SPEAKER_00: Those kind of things, it's not really that uh expensive to do that.
• 38:23
  SPEAKER_00: It's a simple relay, and then you know, we spend some time figure out the interface with um, you know, with the sauna, but uh those kind of things, it's just takes thinking outside the box.
• 38:33
  SPEAKER_00: And again, we're not selling um boxes, we're not selling widgets.
• 38:40
  SPEAKER_00: Um, we don't even consider or think a lot about the product that we're selling or the components, it's more about what what experience can we deliver for our clients.
• 38:48
  SPEAKER_01: Right.
• 38:49
  SPEAKER_00: And I think if you can if you start there, that's that just leads to a really personalized and customized system that meets their needs.
• 38:57
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, no, absolutely.
• 38:59
  SPEAKER_01: Um so service and support after folks move into a project uh like this, you know, how do you keep things up and running?
• 39:09
  SPEAKER_01: How do you try to you know reduce uh service calls?
• 39:14
  SPEAKER_01: You know, um have you you know trained them on how to troubleshoot and maybe you know fix things that that need to be fixed?
• 39:21
  SPEAKER_01: How's how's that all work?
• 39:23
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, it's a really important aspect of it.
• 39:26
  SPEAKER_00: Um obviously the rubber meets the road, you know, when the client's using the system and uh all the features are extremely important, but uh of you know utmost importance is the reliability, consistency.
• 39:42
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so this home has some robust power management incorporated into the system.
• 39:46
  SPEAKER_00: We we advise the client and you know, uh they agree that it was a worthwhile expense.
• 39:53
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so we have insights, we have metrics into the power coming from the grid.
• 39:59
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, we get notifications if there are any kind of fluctuation um or events.
• 40:04
  SPEAKER_00: Um power management goes all the way down to the per outlet you know level, meaning that every component is tied to an outlet that can be uh rebooted and the component rebooted.
• 40:17
  SPEAKER_00: Um we obviously have uh robust network infrastructure because of all these connected devices.
• 40:24
  SPEAKER_00: Um that's obviously got remote management tools that give us insights into every aspect of the health of a given device and all the devices as a whole.
• 40:33
  SPEAKER_00: So essentially we're aware of power or internet network issues before the client is in this in this system.
• 40:42
  SPEAKER_01: What are you seeing in the in the you know luxury um you know residential market right now?
• 40:46
  SPEAKER_01: In how are how are demands shifting from where they were um say five, 10 years ago?
• 40:55
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, luxury market in so there's there's a dynamic across the country as technology matures, as uh you know more solutions become available.
• 41:06
  SPEAKER_00: And then there we have this little microcosm that we discussed that Park City is um seeing an influx of more sophisticated, uh technology technologically savvy um clients that are willing to invest more in their homes and more in the technology in the home.
• 41:22
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so the trends that we're seeing is that they want more tech with less um awareness of the technology.
• 41:29
  SPEAKER_00: They want it more seamlessly uh and and elegantly integrated into their home.
• 41:36
  SPEAKER_00: And so that requires more collaboration with the partners and early, early collaboration and coordination.
• 41:43
  SPEAKER_00: And so that that trend, um, our industry, I think, recognizes and you know, training within CEDIA and the manufacturers and their support and the tools that we've been given, like I said, for power management and uh remote management tools for networking and those kinds of things, that's all available to us.
• 42:02
  SPEAKER_00: Um, it's just a matter of uh prioritizing that.
• 42:06
  SPEAKER_00: You know, again, we can't, it's really important in our industry to not bid um to the lowest dollar amount, but to bid appropriate for the project.
• 42:16
  SPEAKER_00: So as the homes get more luxury, yeah, the budgets are gonna grow.
• 42:20
  SPEAKER_00: Um, we don't want them to grow just because they bought a nicer projector.
• 42:24
  SPEAKER_00: We don't want it to grow just because we upsold um, you know, on the the model, the speakers in the ceiling.
• 42:30
  SPEAKER_00: I want it to grow as a natural um outcome uh and uh byproduct of more capable equipment, more uh purposeful design, um, more pre-planning and more uh tight coordination with the other partners because the same equipment can be installed, implemented in two different homes, two different systems, and they're gonna have one, you know, different levels of performance and two different levels of reliability.
• 43:04
  SPEAKER_00: And so our focus is that um the client is more happy with the end product after they've used the home than the excitement they had in the beginning about all the widgets and the toys and the you know bells and whistles that it was gonna bring to them.
• 43:18
  SPEAKER_00: Right.
• 43:19
  SPEAKER_01: Um, yeah, you mentioned an invisible technology, obviously, lighting and shading design on this project, um, wellness.
• 43:27
  SPEAKER_01: Um all of these kind of came up in a in a lot of um this year's um home of the year awards winners.
• 43:31
  SPEAKER_01: Um and you know, why do you think that is?
• 43:35
  SPEAKER_01: You think these are trends that that will kind of define our industry for the foreseeable future?
• 43:42
  SPEAKER_01: Or um, you know, do you are some of these, you know, hype?
• 43:47
  SPEAKER_01: Um Yeah, I'll get your answer that and get your take on that.
• 43:53
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 43:54
  SPEAKER_00: Um there's a demand, um excuse me, with Within the kind of homeowner community, the people that that build these high-end homes, they expect to have luxury in every aspect of their life.
• 44:12
  SPEAKER_00: And to me, and what our clients are recognizing as well to them, luxury is often more about comfort than it is uh comfort and convenience than it is about performance.
• 44:24
  SPEAKER_00: Of course, we want all of their toys, you know, because these are these are toys, right?
• 44:29
  SPEAKER_00: A lot of these things, um, to perform at the highest level.
• 44:33
  SPEAKER_00: We want their sound to be amazing, you know, when they turn on their audio system.
• 44:36
  SPEAKER_00: And we want their their visuals to be breathtaking when they turn on their displays, be it a TV or video wall projection system.
• 44:44
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but what they appreciate um day to day is those little comforts.
• 44:50
  SPEAKER_00: And so wellness is a story that is literally, I think we're just at the tip of the iceberg.
• 44:56
  SPEAKER_00: We're just tapping into that opportunity as an integration community.
• 45:00
  SPEAKER_00: Um, wellness is very much tied to the control of light, right?
• 45:06
  SPEAKER_00: Umable white is a huge aspect of that, but controlling natural light um with shading solutions, um, integrating elements like oxygen enrichment systems, which are, you know, pretty common in high alpine areas like ours, um, even the elements of the spa and the sauna and the cold plunge and pools and things like that.
• 45:28
  SPEAKER_00: And so the opportunity in our industry is that we can become the experts in that.
• 45:32
  SPEAKER_00: And who else is going to advise them on that?
• 45:35
  SPEAKER_00: You know, you might have a lighting designer and they may or may not understand what um tunable white can do.
• 45:42
  SPEAKER_00: They might may or may not implement that correctly.
• 45:44
  SPEAKER_00: And so we need to be capable of and ready to advise our clients on those elements.
• 45:50
  SPEAKER_00: Um, we've uh recently uh opened an electrical division in our company so that we could deliver an end-to-end experience when it comes to the electrical infrastructure, power management, um, solutions like solar and battery backups, generators, um, and uh, of course, the lighting control and lighting.
• 46:12
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so as a part of our process, um, we start with proper infrastructure and then we go directly into lighting design.
• 46:23
  SPEAKER_00: So not only do we talk about tunable white, but we talk about accent lighting, we talk about indirect lighting, we talk about art lighting.
• 46:30
  SPEAKER_00: If they're if they have a big collection and they want something to be super prominent and and really pop in the room, that takes a specialty fixture that you know even the lighting designer may not know about.
• 46:41
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and so we're taking kind of a more cohesive approach to what are all the elements um that Nerve as a team can design and install, program, and provide for that client that is going to enhance their use of the home.
• 46:59
  SPEAKER_00: And so I think wellness is kind of a story that can be told um in a hundred different languages.
• 47:06
  SPEAKER_00: And one of the most powerful languages is the lighting, but ultimately it comes down to how convenient, how comfortable, um, and how intuitive is the interface and how intuitive is the use of the system.
• 47:20
  SPEAKER_00: Because the client's first reaction to tunable wide is like, well, that sounds complex.
• 47:26
  SPEAKER_00: Well, actually, it can be simple.
• 47:29
  SPEAKER_00: In fact, it's it's always for our um clients and the way we implement it, it's always simple.
• 47:34
  SPEAKER_00: You set your sleep time, you set your wake time, and the system's automatically going to do um what it needs to do to enhance that sleep wake cycle.
• 47:45
  SPEAKER_00: It's very simple.
• 47:46
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and in fact, it gives us the opportunity to automate more and to get more involved in um, you know, integrating other systems of the home.
• 47:55
  SPEAKER_00: Same, same thing when it comes to comfort.
• 47:57
  SPEAKER_00: You know, we we collaborated with the HVAC provider on this home so that not just in the theater room, but in all areas of the home, they had a way to circulate air, but at a lower fan speed so that it wasn't disturbing their use of the space.
• 48:11
  SPEAKER_00: It was more comfortable and it was quiet.
• 48:13
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so instead of having the HVAC kick on and you got full speed, blow some cool air in and then pull back, it's modulated and you know, the tech is there to give you a really sorry, a really sophisticated system, uh, HVAC system, um, that you don't have to interface with ever.
• 48:34
  SPEAKER_00: You you set the temperature in your room and everything works in the background.
• 48:40
  SPEAKER_01: Right.
• 48:40
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I'm I'm uh just back up a little bit.
• 48:42
  SPEAKER_01: I'm glad you said that that most of the stuff we're talking about are toys.
• 48:47
  SPEAKER_01: Um I've been making this point for a while that that this industry is really about you know making people comfortable and entertained in their home.
• 48:55
  SPEAKER_01: Um and uh yeah, I mean I mean that's that's what makes this a fun industry to me.
• 49:02
  SPEAKER_01: Um, I moved over to to Resi from covering commercial from our sister magazine.
• 49:08
  SPEAKER_01: I'm like, you know, oh cool, I can I can review a uh conference room system, you know, you know.
• 49:16
  SPEAKER_01: And now I'm like, you know, I get to sit on my couch and and play with some of this stuff.
• 49:21
  SPEAKER_01: Um and it's really just fun.
• 49:24
  SPEAKER_01: This industry is fun, it's all about fun and being comfortable.
• 49:28
  SPEAKER_01: Um that's why it's a it's a fun market to cover.
• 49:32
  SPEAKER_01: Um so moving on.
• 49:33
  SPEAKER_01: Uh yeah, how how does AI show up um in your projects?
• 49:38
  SPEAKER_01: Um, you know, uh voice control automation.
• 49:42
  SPEAKER_01: Um I'm I'm imagine like everyone else um that's seen R Supron talk, you're using it in uh your own operations.
• 49:49
  SPEAKER_01: Um but uh what about you know um homeowner facing stuff?
• 49:54
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, AI is absolutely going to change the way our clients interface with their system.
• 50:00
  SPEAKER_00: Um, you know, one of the elements that is a great opportunity is for them to make real-time adjustments to whatever it is that they're interfacing with.
• 50:09
  SPEAKER_00: That could be a lighting scene, uh, it could be the audio level, uh, it could even be, you know, as complex as going through their equalizer settings and their amplifier.
• 50:19
  SPEAKER_00: Hey, give me a little more bass, a little less bass.
• 50:21
  SPEAKER_00: All those tools are are there.
• 50:23
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but no client was ever going to remember the specific command.
• 50:28
  SPEAKER_00: You know, this is what we experienced as we've done voice controls over the years in our industry.
• 50:34
  SPEAKER_00: Voice controls, speech, whatever, whatever you want to call it, it it isn't a you know reasonable thing for our clients to memorize a list of commands that they would say to get the system to do what they want.
• 50:46
  SPEAKER_00: So AI presents this opportunity for them to speak naturally to their system and have it respond in a way that you know is very much human-like in the sense that it's like having a custom programmer there for you.
• 50:58
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 50:59
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so we see that opportunity in every aspect of it.
• 51:02
  SPEAKER_00: That can be in the shades, it can be in the lighting, it can be, like I said, in the audio levels.
• 51:06
  SPEAKER_00: Um, it can be in their wake-up scene, you know, portions of it, for example, music plays um when the client wakes up and maybe they don't want the music at all, or maybe they want the volume level lower.
• 51:17
  SPEAKER_00: That's typically going to be a text or an email to us, you know, hey, can you adjust this scene for me?
• 51:22
  SPEAKER_00: And now we're gonna be able to focus our attention on other aspects of the system and the build or the next project, you know, versus spending time uh on this uh programming and customization for clients post uh completion.
• 51:39
  SPEAKER_01: Are those capabilities here?
• 51:43
  SPEAKER_01: Um I think I can probably answer that.
• 51:45
  SPEAKER_01: And depends on the control manufacturer.
• 51:49
  SPEAKER_01: Um it depends on um, you know, what that that voice control or you know automation platform is.
• 51:56
  SPEAKER_01: Um some are some are diving deep into it, some are some are kind of taking a step back.
• 52:02
  SPEAKER_01: Um I'm sure all of them are going to at some point.
• 52:06
  SPEAKER_01: Um they they kind of feel like they've probably they probably have to.
• 52:11
  SPEAKER_00: Um yeah.
• 52:13
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, there's a lot of different uh obviously we have um partners in our industry that have done AI, right?
• 52:21
  SPEAKER_00: They they've done their version of AI, and I think it it's it's they've learned, we've learned a great lesson from that as it's evolved and as the capabilities have evolved, and then we've also gotten feedback from the clients on what works and what doesn't work and what has value and what does not.
• 52:36
  SPEAKER_00: Um of the client-facing this is a really surprising um implementation of AI.
• 52:42
  SPEAKER_00: And again, I give credit to my team.
• 52:44
  SPEAKER_00: Uh um, and again, the ninja and our staff, Justin came up with this, but we have very complex elements that we incorporate into our systems and into our clients' homes.
• 52:54
  SPEAKER_00: Behind me is a video wall from Eleusis.
• 52:57
  SPEAKER_00: They have a great system um interface wherein you can just basically create any preset that you want and you know, add widgets and different video sources and background backgrounds and things like that.
• 53:12
  SPEAKER_00: Um, they had a really good, you know, kind of interface for one control system, but no interface for the other.
• 53:19
  SPEAKER_00: And he actually built using AI, built a driver that's like fully capable of all the functions so that um it can be viewed in in the crest run interface and the control for interface.
• 53:31
  SPEAKER_00: Um, we installed one for a client that has control four.
• 53:34
  SPEAKER_00: And it he, you know, he went from having, I'm gonna use this as a TV mostly, to most of the time he uses it as a digital canvas to put up things that are like interesting to him, you know, as F1 race and then some artwork, or he's got some blackdove uh content that, you know, gives you that kind of vibe in the space, listening to music.
• 53:55
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, it's just it's just dramatically changed how we interface with things.
• 53:59
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so yeah, AI made that possible, whereas, you know, previously it would have taken a custom um driver builder, um, maybe months, or maybe they couldn't have gotten to this level.
• 54:11
  SPEAKER_00: But you know, it was literally a matter of days and and he had a full, you know, feature-rich driver for a control system for a complex um system like a video wall.
• 54:23
  SPEAKER_01: Right.
• 54:25
  SPEAKER_01: Um, so talking about all this all this future-facing stuff, um, do what what what's the what's the up for you guys in the next in the next handful of years?
• 54:33
  SPEAKER_01: Um, you know, any any new markets, services.
• 54:37
  SPEAKER_01: Um, I imagine you want to keep getting these kinds of projects um since they're um pretty fun and and I imagine pretty lucrative.
• 54:46
  SPEAKER_01: Um yeah, yeah.
• 54:48
  SPEAKER_01: Well, you know, what do you guys think is uh is down the road?
• 54:52
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I mean the future for Nerv is really, really expanding opportunities, constantly expanding opportunities um to deliver more um, you know, kind of unique solutions, more capable solutions.
• 55:08
  SPEAKER_00: Uh I think the manufacturers in our industry have been incredibly innovative uh in bringing you know better tech, uh, better performance, but also more feature-rich and more capable systems and and components.
• 55:22
  SPEAKER_00: Um so uh a huge growth opportunity in our industry is obviously video walls.
• 55:27
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but it comes down to how that's implemented.
• 55:30
  SPEAKER_00: It's it's just like anything else in the luxury world.
• 55:32
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, you can build a you know, a very fast sports car, you can build a very comfortable touring car, but can you make a very fast, you know, sports car be amazing on a track and comfortable for a road trip?
• 55:47
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, that's the challenge that we face, right?
• 55:49
  SPEAKER_00: So and is the is the system accessible enough, intuitive enough that that the homeowner can actually enjoy it?
• 55:57
  SPEAKER_00: Again, that's that's where we're focusing is that concierge experience.
• 56:01
  SPEAKER_00: So um growth opportunities for us are in video walls in all different areas of of homes, some of them for video viewing and others for digital canvas.
• 56:10
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I mean, literally these things are a window into another world.
• 56:13
  SPEAKER_00: And when people experience them in person, they realize oh, that can enhance my lifestyle.
• 56:19
  SPEAKER_00: I can have family photos or, you know, photos from my last trip to Europe um playing in the background.
• 56:24
  SPEAKER_00: I can see a ski camera from the ski lodge and a snow report when I wake up in the morning before I head out, you know, to take a couple of runs.
• 56:34
  SPEAKER_00: Right.
• 56:35
  SPEAKER_00: And so we're expanding that.
• 56:36
  SPEAKER_00: Um with the addition of our electrical division and our amazing electrical team, um, we have the opportunity to be involved, like I said, from the electrical infrastructure all the way through completion.
• 56:49
  SPEAKER_00: So power management and solar and battery and and generator systems gives our client the peace of mind that you know they're always going to have the uh comfort, convenience, and security in their home, no matter what the conditions are.
• 57:03
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and then lighting, because uh we're an electrical company, um, that gives us an entree into projects that maybe we wouldn't be involved in the lighting portion.
• 57:15
  SPEAKER_00: And so we can now design the lighting system um and the lighting control system from the ground up so that it integrates seamlessly into the rest of the technology in the house and it performs at the level of everything else, all the other tech in the home.
• 57:29
  unknown: Right.
• 57:31
  SPEAKER_01: Um so yeah, one of the most interesting things that that people talk a lot about in this industry are how to win these these you know um million-dollar plus projects.
• 57:43
  SPEAKER_01: Um you know, everyone wants to.
• 57:46
  SPEAKER_01: Um I think most integrators want to anyway.
• 57:49
  SPEAKER_01: Um if they if they have the the you know staff to support them.
• 57:53
  SPEAKER_01: Um so how do you do it?
• 57:54
  SPEAKER_01: Um just I imagine part of it is making connections with uh designers, builders, architects, but um, you know, how how do you guys do it?
• 58:05
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, it's a multifaceted approach for us.
• 58:08
  SPEAKER_00: And uh the short answer to that, Zach, is that we we focus on education first.
• 58:14
  SPEAKER_00: So with our partners, you mentioned the architects, designers, builders, we try, we we essentially become a resource to them, right?
• 58:24
  SPEAKER_00: So we do regular events here at our showroom and uh in my private home where we have all this technology, um, really well implemented and easily demonstratable, kind of hands-on experience.
• 58:36
  SPEAKER_00: And we do what we call lunch and learns.
• 58:38
  SPEAKER_00: So, you know, we we don't have any expectation that you're gonna, you know, refer us to a client, you're gonna bring us into a project tomorrow, but we take the time um to share what we know about these technologies and how they can be implemented and then advocate for early involvement.
• 58:55
  SPEAKER_00: And as we become a resource, as we become a partner to these industry partners, um, they start to reach out to us and hey, what is an appropriate size and shape for a golf simulator space?
• 59:06
  SPEAKER_00: Hey, uh, what does this tunable white, you know, do in areas outside of, say, the master suite?
• 59:12
  SPEAKER_00: What do you recommend?
• 59:13
  SPEAKER_00: Or, you know, uh, what kind of shading solutions do you have for this trapezoidal uh, you know, window shape, or this is a really challenging uh wall that's too large for any shade solution.
• 59:24
  SPEAKER_00: You know, what can you do there?
• 59:26
  SPEAKER_00: And so first and foremost, we invest a lot in that industry education and the industry uh collaboration and building partnerships.
• 59:35
  SPEAKER_00: It is the long game.
• 59:37
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, literally, Zach, we've been talking to builders, designers, and architects for years that we've not necessarily done a project with, but they see the value in what we do.
• 59:47
  SPEAKER_00: And even if they hire somebody else or they bring in another integrator or the client brings in another integrator, they have uh, you know, kind of a better understanding of the value that integration, the integration firms and we as an industry bring to a project.
• 1:00:01
  SPEAKER_00: And ultimately that's a win for everybody.
• 1:00:03
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so we just we love the idea that we can be a partner at the table that's on an equal, you know, level with the other um the other partners and the and the other industry members uh that are part of a project.
• 1:00:19
  SPEAKER_00: And we can uh collaborate with them, we can add value in those early phases.
• 1:00:25
  SPEAKER_00: So yeah, we just we just invest a lot of time in that.
• 1:00:28
  SPEAKER_01: Todd, thanks very much.
• 1:00:30
  SPEAKER_01: Uh thanks so much for your time um for talking about this incredible project.
• 1:00:34
  SPEAKER_01: Congratulations again on bringing home some hardware from uh from CD Expo this year.
• 1:00:39
  SPEAKER_01: Um yeah, I don't know.
• 1:00:40
  SPEAKER_01: Any last words?
• 1:00:41
  SPEAKER_01: Any any advice for putting cabinets in my kitchen?
• 1:00:43
  SPEAKER_01: That'd be great.
• 1:00:45
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, get a good level.
• 1:00:47
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 1:00:48
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, measure twice and cut once, right?
• 1:00:51
  SPEAKER_00: That's that's the rule.
• 1:00:53
  SPEAKER_01: All right, appreciate it.
• 1:00:55
  SPEAKER_01: All right, Todd, uh thanks very much, man.
• 1:00:56
  SPEAKER_01: Have a good week.