Commercial Integrator August 2022 - 3

EDITOR'S NOTE
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Amplifying
Lesser-Heard Voices
WHEN COMMERCIAL INTEGRATOR offi cially
began this year's 40 Infl uencers Under 40
nomination process on June 23, our announcement
attracted signifi cant fanfare. The 40 Under
40 is CI's most popular annual feature, growing
dramatically since debuting in September 2014.
In fact, even though we don't unveil the honorees
until this month (online) and in September
(print), I've been fi elding email inquiries about
how to nominate worthy contenders since
March! It's gratifying to see our
industry's luminaries - those who
have become recognized thought
leaders - so invested in sharing
the spotlight with young, hungry
up-and-comers just starting to
make their mark. It bespeaks a
certain selfl essness that prevails
among #avtweeps...a very
particular impulse to build up the
community rather than ourselves.
Speaking of that community,
it's delightfully heterogeneous,
enfolding a population with
sometimes wildly diverging
views on industry issues. When #AVintheAM
impresario Chris Neto tweeted a message encouraging
everyone to get their 40 Under 40
nominations in, it set off a multi-day dialogue
that showcased us in all of our passionate, fractious,
opinionated glory. Although many people
expressed enthusiasm, either volunteering
to nominate their under-40 peers or throwing
their hat in the ring as contenders, a subgroup
of the #avtweeps community expressed
reservations - sometimes criticism - relating
to the requirement that honorees be under 40.
Industry members I respect, including Mike
Brown-Cestero, Iff at Chaudhry, Derrick Kelly
and Tom Milner, argued that it's exclusionary
to focus solely on younger people. Unsung
heroes in the commercial AV industry exist in
every age bracket, they averred.
As someone who believes deeply in DEI, I
try to be sensitive to bias in any form, across
metrics of gender, race, religion, sexual
orientation, gender identity, age and more.
commercialintegrator.com
For years,
we've
collectively
bemoaned
the lack of a
talent pipeline
to replenish
our industry's
ranks.
Our industry is strongest when it looks like the
society within which we exist and the institutions
we serve. Although white males over a
certain age have long been overrepresented
within commercial AV, that does not mean our
industry oughtn't to celebrate the achievements
and contributions of those who happen
to fi t that profi le. What's more, there's no doubt
that there are " late bloomers " - I count myself
among them! - who only come into their own
when their faces are lined and
they stop counting candles on
their birthday cake.
But, taken in context, the 40
Under 40 still has considerable
value. For years, we've collectively
bemoaned the lack of a
talent pipeline to replenish our
industry's ranks. As NSCA's CEO,
Chuck Wilson, lamented in this
year's CI State of the Industry
study, " People still don't know
that we exist as a great career
choice. We still have so much
work to do with regard to awareness
of the profession that we're in. " Although
CI only plays a small part - trade associations
and integrators themselves do the bulk of the
work to attract young talent, creating education
curriculum and internship programs - one
thing that we can do is spotlight young folks
making a splash. The thought is to spark an
idea in a young person sitting in a college
classroom...to get them to think, " One day, that
could be me. " The more they see themselves
when they look at our honorees, the likelier
they'll see a path to being honored themselves.
The work does not end with the 40 Under
40. I readily accept the challenge of amplifying
all lesser-heard voices in commercial AV. If
technology journalists want to cover this industry
for the long haul, it's on us to help make our
industry better and more sustainable.
Dan Ferrisi, Editor-in-Chief
dan.ferrisi@emeraldx.com
@danferrisiedit
EDITORIAL
Editor-in-Chief Dan Ferrisi,
914-383-9030, dan.ferrisi@emeraldx.com
Chief Content Offi cer Jason Knott,
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Commercial Integrator August 2022

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