Commercial Integrator April 2022 - 3

EDITOR'S NOTE
Emerald X, LLC.
100 Broadway, 14th
The Truly
Transformative
Power of BLC
FOLLOWING TWO YEARS OF COVID-19, the
commercial AV community craves a return to
in-person gatherings. Certainly, there have been
some over the past six months. For example, I
attended InfoComm '21 last October and the
Almo E4 Experience last November. But it's still
relatively rare for #avtweeps to get together
in large numbers and participate in shared,
in-person experiences. With NSCA's Business &
Leadership Conference (BLC) 2022, well over
300 integration business leaders converged on
Irving, Texas, gathering for a few days of inspirational
keynotes, intimate breakout
sessions and casual networking.
Those of us who attended
certainly got all that, but we also
got much more. BLC was an
injection of energy and inspiration
that could revivify even the most
sclerotic of businesses.
I can testify personally to BLC's
transformative power. In my role
as editor-in-chief of Commercial
Integrator, I was scheduled to
present the Excellence in Product
Innovation (EPI) awards on February
23, but I missed the entire awards dinner
because Delta canceled my fl ight. I managed to
thread the needle and fi ght my way to Dallas,
but my luggage wasn't so lucky. Separated
from my suitcase, I walked - bone tired - into
the Four Seasons in my grungy street clothes
and with a proverbial storm cloud fl oating
above my head.
But then Control Concepts' Steve Greenblatt
greeted me with a warm smile and handshake.
And I also saw Kelly Perkins and AVIXA's
Samantha Powell, both of whom outstretched
their arms for a hug. CTI's Tim Albright passed
by and kindly welcomed me, saying he'd been
following my travel travails on Twitter. I saw
NSCA's executive director, Tom LeBlanc, who
said he was so happy that I'd arrived and not
to worry about the awards presentation. I even
received an introduction to PCD's Bill Graham,
whom I'd collaborated with when I worked at
Sound & Communications but whom I'd never
commercialintegrator.com
met. The storm cloud didn't stand a chance. I
was among friends - we all were.
By February 25, even though I still didn't have
The storm
cloud didn't
stand a
chance.
I was among
friends - we
all were.
my suitcase, my mood was jubilant. During the
morning session, Dr. Calvin Mackie earned the
fi rst standing ovation, delivering a poignant message
of hope and perseverance. His program,
STEM NOLA, started in the family garage; it has
come to help about 100,000 young people develop
the necessary skills for success. Dr. Mackie
also spoke personally about being a young,
aspiring ball player who suff ered a traumatic
shoulder separation and saw his
dreams shatter. The adults in his
life didn't dab his tears, he said;
instead, they pushed him to outhustle
everyone else and make a
success of himself. He fought past
mediocre SAT scores and a chorus
of doubters to pursue becoming
an engineer...and succeeded beyond
his wildest dreams. His story,
Dr. Mackie said, underscores why
children must be given pathways
to lead them forward: Because
everyone can be great.
Later that morning, advisor and coach Peter
Bregman off ered a master class on eff ective
leadership, urging integration business owners
to be confi dent without being arrogant, to
forge strong connections with others and to
exhibit a commitment to collective purpose. He
urged us not to avoid hard-to-talk-about issues.
Bregman observed that taking risks is precisely
how we open the door to new possibilities. " If
you are willing to feel everything, " he averred,
" then you can do anything. "
Most of us leſt BLC 2022 feeling like we could
do anything. Even being without my luggage
for two-plus days, I simply couldn't be weighed
down. I believe that integration business owners
who invested in NSCA's BLC 2022 will enjoy just
the same weightlessness in the months ahead.
Dan Ferrisi, Editor-in-Chief
dan.ferrisi@emeraldx.com
@danferrisiedit
Floor
New York, New York 10005
800-440-2139
commercialintegrator.com | @commintegrator
EDITORIAL
Editor-in-Chief
Dan Ferrisi, 914-383-9030,
dan.ferrisi@emeraldx.com
Chief Content Offi cer
Jason Knott, 774-505-8042,
jason.knott@emeraldx.com
Associate Editor
Zachary Comeau, 774-505-8006,
zachary.comeau@emeraldx.com
Associate Editor
Amala Reddie, 774-505-8039,
amala.reddie@emeraldx.com
Technology Editor
Robert Archer, 774-505-8049,
robert.archer@emeraldx.com
Web Editor
Alyssa Borelli, 774-505-8057,
alyssa.borelli@emeraldx.com
Design Lead
Katie Stockham, 774-505-8051,
katie.stockham@emeraldx.com
Designer
Taylor DeForrest,
taylor.deforrest@emeraldx.com
ADVERTISING SALES
Group Publisher, Connected Brands
Ray Lyons, 774-505-8017,
ray.lyons@emeraldx.com
Sales Director
Shawn Tobin, 774-505-8014,
shawn.tobin@emeraldx.com
Account Executive
Chelsea Cafi ero, 774-505-8020,
chelsea.cafi ero@emeraldx.com
Sr. Director, Marketing
Marsha Marsh, 774-505-8023,
marsha.marsh@emeraldx.com
EMERALD CORPORATE
Executive Vice President
Brian Pagel, 770-291-5438,
brian.pagel@emeraldx.com
President and CEO Hervé Sedky
Chief Operating Offi cer Brian Field
Chief Financial Offi cer David Doſt
Chief Information Offi cer Bill Charles
Senior Vice President, Finance Melanie Pereria
Senior Vice President, General Counsel and
Secretary Stacey Sayetta
Senior Vice President, Marketing Services
Joanne Wheatley
Executive Vice President, Customer Solutions
Amy Sklar
Executive Vice President, People & Culture
Ren Akinci
PRODUCTION
Creative Services Director
Manuela Rosengard, 774-505-8052,
manuela.rosengard@emeraldx.com
Director of Client Experience
Jeff rey Miller, 774-505-8055,
jeff .miller@emeraldx.com
Reprints & Eprints The YGS Group,
800-290-5460, reprints@theygsgroup.com
Subscription Inquiries 847-559-7533,
CI@OMEDA.COM
PROUD MEMBER OF
SUPPORTING THE MEMBERS OF
APRIL 2022 Commercial Integrator
3
http://www.commercialintegrator.com http://www.commercialintegrator.com
Commercial Integrator April 2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Commercial Integrator April 2022
