Rob Stott:
All right, we are back on the Connected Design Podcast and excited—I like being able to meet someone in person before I actually sit down and do a podcast with you. I had the opportunity to do that out in Orlando not too long ago. Ms. Rachel Rich from Legrand, Senior Product Manager, appreciate you taking the time. We had a great enough, good enough meeting, I guess, that you agreed to do a podcast. I didn’t scare you away.
Racheal Rich:
Yeah, you didn’t scare me and I didn’t scare you, which is a bad thing if you ask me.
Rob Stott:
No, that’s awesome. Means we’re in for a good one. I appreciate you taking the time and having that interest and wanting to do a podcast. A little personal fact for both of us—we’re both coming off vacations as we record this. So don’t mind our sunburn. And if we seem a little tired, it’s just because we’re catching up on the jet lag. You went somewhere way more fun than I did, but we both got sun, so I should say thank you for that.
Racheal Rich:
At least we both went somewhere sunny, so that’s great.
Rob Stott:
For sure. Awesome. No better way to get over a vacation hangover than to jump on a podcast. So here we go. I like to start all of these by getting to know who I’m talking to a little bit. We had a chance to do a little of that out in Orlando at the Builder Show. But for those watching and listening, tell us a little bit about who Rachel Rich is, your background, and what you do at LeGrand.
Racheal Rich:
Yeah, well, as everyone heard, my name is Rachel Rich. I’m a senior product manager with Legrand. I lead the residential Pass and Seymour product line. I’m based out of Charlotte, North Carolina. I’m one of their few remote product managers, so it’s great to be in the heart of all the residential boom. I’ve spent over a decade in the electrical industry. Time flies when you’re having fun.
A lot of that has been in field sales, marketing analytics, and recently product management. I’ve been in this role a little over four years now. That cross-functional experience has really shaped how I approach my role today. I’m constantly balancing business strategy with real-world application. Something I like to say has defined me in the role I’m in today is my time in field sales.
I used to work side by side with electricians, engineers, and distributor partners, and firsthand I saw the gap that can exist between how products are designed and how they actually perform on job sites. That experience stuck with me and drove me to become a product manager, because I wanted to be the person making those decisions and designing something.
I like to say if it doesn’t work on the job site, it doesn’t work—period—when I work on product design. Today, my role is to bring together the perspectives of electricians, builders, designers, engineers, and integrators to create solutions that work for all of them. If I had to summarize it in an elevator pitch, I solve real-world problems through residential electrical products designed to perform,
Rob Stott:
Yeah.
Racheal Rich:
install easily, and enhance the design of a space. The belief that guides me is that customers shouldn’t have to choose between install, aesthetics, and experience. You should be able to get all of that. My job is to bring all three to our customers.
Rob Stott:
That’s awesome to hear. It’s kind of perfect because it explains why I think it’s really interesting to talk to you. As your role explains, you sit at the intersection of all these different industries and skill sets. Thank you for sharing that. One thing I have to ask— as a remote product manager, is your house full of boxes of products you’ve gotten to design?
Racheal Rich:
It gets out of control. To the left of me, you can’t see how many boxes I have to open for samples. My husband can’t tell if I’m ordering too much on Amazon or if it’s another product sample I have to review, so it gives me some cover.
Rob Stott:
Yeah.
Rob Stott:
That’s awesome. Do you have a favorite product you’ve worked on?
Racheal Rich:
Yes, I do. The kitchen countertop outlet, hands down, is my favorite because it was so relatable. It’s a code-driven problem and it interacted with more trades than we’ve ever impacted at Legrand before. For me, that was my favorite problem to solve so far.
Rob Stott:
Yeah.
And that’s a cool segue into our time together at the Builder Show. That was one of the first things we saw, along with the USB‑C outlet that I now have in hand to review—a little sneak peek of some future Legrand coverage on Connected Design. Looking forward to that. It’s one of those products that, to your point about your role, brings all these different trades together.
Racheal Rich:
Yeah.
Rob Stott:
Having all these different trades come together, whether it’s your role or that product in particular, really shows what I thought was cool about the Builder Show—seeing a brand like Legrand engaging with those trades in a different way than you typically would when talking to an integrator. I want to give you a chance to talk about that experience and what it was like for you being there.
Racheal Rich:
Yeah.
Rob Stott:
At the Builder Show—and I’ll probably have plenty of follow‑up questions—but straight out, what was that experience like for you?
Racheal Rich:
I’d love to. I like to jokingly call that show my Super Bowl because it’s the best show in the United States, hands down, and one of the most valuable opportunities I have to connect with the broader residential trades. What really stood out to me this year was the level of cross‑trade engagement we had in our booth. We had builders, electricians, integrators, designers all interacting with the same products, but through different lenses.
Rob Stott:
Yeah.
Racheal Rich:
We had a moment where a builder was focused on install speed, a designer was focused on finish and form and how it fit the space, and an integrator was focused on functionality. They all landed on the same solution but from very different perspectives, which is unique. That reinforces where the industry is heading.
We’re no longer designing for one user—we’re designing for an entire ecosystem. That’s where the integrator community really shines. We also saw a clear shift in priorities this year compared to last. Attendees are looking for solutions that deliver more value without taking up more space. Minimalism and multifunctionality are driving decisions. We didn’t really see that at this scale last year.
From an integrator perspective—and I know that’s what you focus on with this podcast—I think this is a huge opportunity. Unlike Cedia, which is more focused on high‑end customization, the Builder Show is about scale, efficiency, and repeatability. Builders are thinking about timelines, margins, and risk. The show is where they piece it together.
The integrators who stand out are the ones simplifying and bringing clear, scalable solutions. We’re still building homes one way and retrofitting them another way based on how people actually live. We need help piecing that together. That’s the gap we’re trying to help solve at Legrand and in our booth.
Rob Stott:
Yeah. That example of different trades being in the booth at the same time—do you approach those conversations differently depending on whether you’re talking to a designer or a builder, or do you try to have a similar conversation so they understand the same direction you’re coming from?
Racheal Rich:
That’s a great question. We’ve designed our products to solve problems for every stakeholder. You can have different conversations with the same product depending on who you’re talking to. With designers, I lead with finishes and color selections and how they work together aesthetically. With contractors, I focus on install and how we’ve fine‑tuned that. With integrators, it’s a blend—the install is great, the finish is right, it’s scalable, and it’s built for living in a home, not just occupying it.
Rob Stott:
Yeah. I wonder if you had conversations with integrators there. The biggest difference between CEDIA and the Builder Show—for me, personally—was that there weren’t enough integrators at the Builder Show. I feel like they missed a big opportunity by not being there in fuller force. What are the differences between the shows, and how would you pitch why they should be there?
Racheal Rich:
Great question. Cedia is more about customization and experience tied closely with design. IBS is more about repeatability and scale on the builder side. There is still customization and integration opportunity at IBS. The big difference is collaboration earlier—working with builders before jobs are already designed instead of coming in afterward and replacing brand‑new electrical devices. That’s inefficient.
At IBS, you can network with decision‑makers early and collaborate with brands you might never see at Cedia, and vice versa.
Rob Stott:
Yeah. I’m not saying one show is better than the other—they serve their markets well. But do you feel integrator visibility at IBS is becoming more important? Have you seen growth in awareness or attendance?
Racheal Rich:
Homeowners are demanding it, but I can’t meaningfully say I’ve seen more integrators over the years, to be fair.
Rob Stott:
Yeah. That speaks to the opportunity to show up in force. The calendar in this industry is packed. Legrand is at a lot of shows. But the opportunity to collaborate with these trades—it feels like there’s no better place than the Builder Show.
Racheal Rich:
All the right decision‑makers are there. Anyone that’s anyone on the builder side is at that show.
Rob Stott:
One cool thing was all the product intros. I spent a lot of time in the booth with you, learning about the Adorne collection, expanded color options, outlets, countertop receptacles. The Adorne finishes really speak to design trends—wood finishes, different metals. As a product expert, how do you stay on top of those trends?
Racheal Rich:
Yeah, that’s where the magic happens. We stay on top of design trends by combining structured research with constant real‑world feedback. Trade shows are where the rubber hits the road. We work closely with our in‑house industrial design teams, conduct color and finish studies, and spend time with designers, distributors, and contractors.
That’s how I picked up on the rise of natural materials and real wood tones. You often see those bubble up first in fashion and plumbing, then echo throughout the home. We respond with solutions like customizable wall plates you can stain to match wood finishes. At the same time, we track functional trends. It’s not just design—we’re blending 65‑watt power with finishes you actually want to see. We’re moving from power access to power experience.
Rob Stott:
I imagine walking the show floor is just as important as being in the booth.
Racheal Rich:
It is. It’s a hard balance because I love interacting with people at the booth, but it’s my job to walk the show and be a sponge—seeing what leaders in plumbing and appliances are finding. The trades are disjointed, so you have to do your own legwork to blend it together.
Rob Stott:
What’s your pipe dream in terms of collaboration?
Racheal Rich:
I’m still workshopping this. At IBS, I worked with plumbing product management on matching metal finishes across trades. The biggest design issue is how many swatches say the same thing but look different. My pipe dream is a clear set of finish swatches that match across trades. You see that with our countertop outlet lids matching Delta plumbing finishes—champagne bronze means the same thing across brands.
Rob Stott:
That really resonates. My wife and I redid our kitchen, and matching finishes was incredibly hard. We had Café appliances, and trying to match faucet finishes to appliance hardware was almost impossible as a consumer.
Racheal Rich:
Yeah.
Yeah.
Mm‑hmm. It’s funny how many different takes on bronze there are.
Rob Stott:
That was the biggest one. Copper bronze, gold bronze, brushed bronze—what is bronze? I’ve never questioned a word more.
Racheal Rich:
You start to wonder what the word even means after enough swatches.
Racheal Rich:
That’s how we approach trends—we’re not just following them, we’re solving the problems behind them.
Rob Stott:
Thank you for sharing that. For integrators in the builder channel, being present is one thing, but what else can they do? What’s Legrand doing to help bring trades together?
Racheal Rich:
I’m passionate about this. The biggest opportunity is getting aligned earlier. Integrators are too often brought in after the home is built, which leads to rework and waste. A simple shift is speaking the builder’s language.
Rob Stott:
Do it.
Racheal Rich:
Focus on speed, cost, and predictability. Builders are sensitive to anything that introduces risk. One builder told me cost wasn’t their biggest concern—it was schedule disruption. Builders don’t just buy products, they buy predictability. The integrators who succeed bring structured, scalable solutions tied to ROI.
At Legrand, we design products that reduce friction between trades—co‑compliant, easy to install, flexible for future upgrades, and aligned with home design. The best products don’t just solve problems, they prevent them.
Rob Stott:
Right?
Yeah. What stood out was the shift from cost to efficiency and experience.
Racheal Rich:
Exactly. From a homeowner perspective, there’s nothing worse than getting keys to a new home and immediately having projects to do. It’s about how people live, not just having a roof.
Rob Stott:
That aligns with speaking the builder’s language—improving outcomes instead of just talking dollars.
Racheal Rich:
Exactly. Let’s all play nice in the sandbox. We’re all working with the same customer.
Rob Stott:
Yeah.
I want to close by giving you a chance to talk about the most important thing you’re working on at Legrand right now—no trade secrets.
Racheal Rich:
I have things I want to scream out, but publicly, it’s code‑driven innovation—especially around the 2023 National Electrical Code.
Rob Stott:
Good.
Racheal Rich:
The kitchen countertop outlet is a great example. We treated new code requirements as an opportunity to rethink the category. It’s code‑compliant, easy to install, designed for real‑world use, and fits the home visually. We’re also focused on electrification, labor shortages, and increasing home complexity. If we’re not designing for how homes evolve, we’re designing for the past.
Rob Stott:
We’ll have great coverage of that on Connected Design. The presentation was impressive—the finishes, the shallow under‑counter design. You don’t usually think of countertop receptacles as innovative, but you nailed it.
Racheal Rich:
Thank you. We passed a half‑gallon spill test with an upward‑facing receptacle. Outlets are the most‑used products in the home—they should be thoughtfully designed.
Rob Stott:
Yeah. Right.
Racheal Rich:
I’m trying to let you have it all, even if you’re not thinking about it yet.
Rob Stott:
Rachel, this was a lot of fun. The collaboration between trades through a manufacturer partner like Legrand was on full display. You did a great job fostering those conversations. I hope to have you back on.
Racheal Rich:
Thank you so much. I appreciate you noticing that collaboration, and I’d love to come back for another topic.
Rob Stott:
Yeah, right? Cool. Well, thank you very much. Appreciate it.
