CE Pro May 2023 - 9

The educational sessions
over the four days of the
event covered a wide range
of topics. Keynote speaker
Galen Emanuele encouraged
integrators to have a " yes...
and " culture in which they
are open to ideas from their
staff. He emphasized that
point in a fun interactive
presentation that involved
the entire audience performing
improv. He said the
five keys to guide culture
are the same guidelines to
doing good improv:
1. Say " yes "
2. Listen and be present
3. Make others look good
4. Embrace change andfailure
5.
Be positive
Consultant and former integrator
Jim Bras outline the
Entrepreneurial Operating
System (EOS) for attendees
built around having a
vision for your company. He
challenged dealers to write
down their 10-year goals,
and he gave them a matrix
on how to effectively evaluate
employees.
Dave Chace, president
of Cogent360, and Jesse
Coyer, national account
manager for Harman Luxury
Audio, co-presented a session
entitled " How to Sell
Luxury. " Among the advice
from the duo was to not
ignore Millennials and Gen
Z clients. That generation
makes up 50% of luxury
spending in the U.S. and
is expected to account for
70% by 2025. Millennials
crave " authenticity and innovation
in the brands they
buy, " says Chace.
A panel discussion
aimed to tackle the broad
subject of " The Future of
the CI Channel. " During
the panel, Snap One CEO
John Heyman challenged
integrators to improve their
customer service. He cited
Net Promoter Scores for the
custom electronics industry
as among the worst of any
in-home trade.
Heyman, along with fellow
panelists Angie Larson,
senior vice president at
Savant; Paul Williams, chief
product officer at Nice
North America; and Shawn
Hansson, founder and CEO
of Logic Integration, differed
on whether or not integrators
should diversify their
product offerings or " stay in
their lane. "
Heyman believes dealers
should remain focused on
what they do best, while
Larson cited emerging
categories like EV charging
stations and intelligent
electrical panels as new
opportunities. Hansson
has already diversified his
custom installation company
to be 70% commercial.
Hand-in-hand with better
customer service, the group
had consensus on the importance
of developing RMR
via service agreements.
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TOM STARK, longtime
president and owner of
Arlington Industries, one
of the leading suppliers of
accessories for the custom
electronics industry,
has died at the age of 69.
Arlington was purchased
by his father
Eugene Stark Sr. in 1949.
Tom became president of
the company after graduating
from the University
of Florida in 1975.
Tom was born in South
Florida on November 9,
1953. He attended the
University of Florida
where he met his wife,
Betty (Elizabeth) and
earned his degree in Accounting.
He is survived by
Betty; their two daughters, Meredith (Camille) Oostwegel
and Allison (Aaren) Riley; and three grandsons, Spencer
and Winston Oostwegel, and Sawyer Riley; as well as
his brother, Gene (Jean) Stark, and sister, Patricia Stark.
Although Arlington is saddened by the loss of Tom
Tom Stark became
Arlington president in
1975, a quarter-century
after his father acquired
the company.
Stark the business operation will continue unchanged,
said the company in statement. Stark's commitment to
custom electronics channel will be missed.
Under his tutelage, Scranton, Pa.-based Arlington
Industries became a leading supplier of backboxes,
wallplates, cable management systems and more for the
residential and commercial integration markets.
Stark has numerous patents to his name, covering
devices used every day by integrators and electricians,
such as threaded snap-in connectors, watertight metal
conduit, outdoor electrical enclosures, covers for
ceiling-mounted electrical outlets, universal electrical
covers, quick-connect fittings for electrical junction
boxes and more.
May 2023 CE Pro | 9
Longtime Arlington
Industries Owner
Stark Passes Away
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CE Pro May 2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of CE Pro May 2023
