CEDIA's New President Proves His Commitment

"Hey, he put his ass on a bike and road all the way from Maine to Denver to raise money for cancer," said Rich Green, president of integrator Rich Green Ink and director of CEDIA's new technology council. "If that doesn't show that Ken's committed, I don't know what does."

Green and others know Smith's commitments reach beyond the 22-day (with one day off) 2,212.4-mile (to be exact) bike ride he embarked on to raise money for the Lance Armstrong Foundation and the Harold Alfond Center for Cancer Care, which MaineGeneral Health is building in the Augusta area.

It was fitting that Smith, who is also president of Custom Electronics, based in Falmouth, Maine, ended his ride at the recent CEDIA Expo, where the real work of planning for the coming year began.

"If nothing else, I think (the ride) proves I'm tenacious and stubborn," Smith said. "I will do what it takes to get there. I saw the ride through and it will be the same with CEDIA. I won't quit ever."

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Smith most recently served as CEDIA vice president and now takes the presidential reigns from Andy Willcox.

"Kenny is very focused, which you have to be to ride your bike from Maine to Denver," Willcox said. "He makes sure he helps to move things along and get them finished."

A long-time CEDIA member, Smith has chaired EXPO Education, the Education Council and the Membership Council. Before opening Custom Electronics, he had worked for 11 years as a management development consultant for the old Digital Equipment Corp., which helps explains his interest, acceptance and understanding of new technologies for the home market.

At the top of Smith's to-do list is to continue marketing CEDIA members to the outside world and as the fourth trade (alongside builders, architects and interior designers), expand education programs, and influence government affairs and legislation on a state-by-state basis to protect members' interests.

Smith admits he's especially excited about helping to direct and shape CEDIA's new Technology Council, which will be directed by Rich Green. The council will act as a type of information clearinghouse to review and analyze new technologies. It will communicate those findings back to members and through the media as a way to educate the ranks about new opportunities and challenges.

"There are all sorts of new technologies happening in this industry all the time that can have a major effect on membership," Smith said. "The council will provide an early warning system that identifies the threats and opportunities created by emerging technologies so our members can start working with them, testing them, refining them and integrating them. It is also going to help weed out the technologies that don't make it."

Green said the council will also include a CEDIA Lab which, among other things, will be designed to leverage the intellectual property of the membership for possible product development or deployment.

"We'll get into research-and-development to investigate the new technologies that will help our members create business plans that make sense five years from now and also help the vendors better understand the consumers' lifestyle needs." Despite the focus on new technologies, Smith and others said CEDIA must continue to expand education and training on the basics and nuances of how to run a small business.

"Most of us started in this business as people with an interest and passion for technology, but a lot of us didn't necessarily have business backgrounds and, like it or not, we're running businesses," Smith said. "There are still a lot of company owners that are out there installing solutions when they should be focusing on the business aspects of their companies."

While most CEDIA members praise the efforts of past presidents, several said Smith will help make the organization more inclusive, allowing rank-and-file members to have more of a say in the group's direction. "Ken's very approachable, down to earth, compassionate, thoughtful and humble," said Helen Heneveld, president of Heneveld Dynamic Consulting and Bedrock Learning. "I think the CEDIA of the future will be open and considerate to more ideas. Each president contributes greatly and takes CEDIA to a new level. I think Kenny's leadership will be a turning point." Whatever direction or initiatives Smith chooses to focus on, a singular mission will drive his decisions.

"We are intending to market CEDIA members as absolutely the best in the world at what we do," he said. "Raising the bar of standards of membership will help us because members will be more qualified to set the benchmark of professionalism."