From smart technology and creative process to business insights and emerging trends, the Connected Design Podcast explores the ideas, projects, and people pushing design forward—across residential, commercial, and everything in between.
Latest Episode
Forge CEO Talks Future of CEDIA Expo and More
Forge – the new name for the combined Emerald Expo-Questex venture – is barely a few weeks old, but CEO Paul Miller is already doing the rounds to check out portions of the new and much-expanded portfolio. That included a stop at CEDIA Expo in Denver, where we had the
Latest Episode
Forge CEO Talks Future of CEDIA Expo and More
Forge – the new name for the combined Emerald Expo-Questex venture – is barely a few weeks old, but CEO Paul Miller is already doing the rounds to check out portions of the new and much-expanded portfolio. That included a stop at CEDIA Expo in Denver, where we had the chance to sit down with Miller.
More Episodes
What’s Next for Lightapalooza? HTSA and AVIXA Tell Us.
On the heels of the major news that AVIXA—the producers of InfoComm and a number of other AV industry show—had acquired Lightapalooza from HTSA, we sat down with Jenn Heinold, SVP of Expositions in the Americas, and HTSA’s Tom Doherty. The two dove into the growth of the event and what’s to come now that it’ll co-locate with InfoComm starting next year.
Communication and Culture Drive Growth for Liaison Technology Group
Steve Weber’s career arc is an incredibly interesting one, but, much like the growth plan at Liaison Technology Group, it’s all been very intentional and well thought out. After visiting their new showroom in Fort Myers, we sat down with Steve to talk shop, learn more about him, and get him to share some of the secrets to his success.
Simplifying the Story Around Shading with Somfy
Karthick Kanagalingam, the Architectural Specifications Manager at Somfy, has always been fascinated by the world of motorized shading, dating back to his first job as a post-grad, which sent him into a commercial building that just happened to have a series of motorized shades. Today, he leverages that passion to help tell the story of the category and help it make sense to the brand’s partners and installers.
Legrand Discusses Builders’ Show Positioning and the Opportunity for Integrators
Following our visit to the Legrand booth at the 2026 Builders’ Show in Orlando, we sat down with Sr. Product Manager Racheal Rich to dive deeper into the brand’s positioning, how they balance conversations with integrators and builders, and how their portfolio perfectly blends the world of tech and design.
Caster’s New Owners Talk Future Plans, AI’s Impact, and More
Following up on our conversation with Caster Communications’ Founder Kimberly Lancaster, Connected Design sits down with the company’s new owners, Alexandra Crabb and Peter Girard. The duo share a bit about the legacy of the company, their plans for the future, and how AI is impacting every aspect of the business.
Succession Planning Ain’t Easy. Caster Comm Founder Walks Us Through Hers.
Taking on a seemingly insurmountable challenge is nothing new to Kimberly Lancaster. Every step of her career journey has been marked by defying the odds. Now, the PR firm founder and decades-long leader of Caster Communications is taking on a new kind of challenge—her exit from the business she spent years building. The calculated, honest approach to transitioning into this next phase is a great lesson for any business owner.
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More Episodes
Forge CEO Talks Future of CEDIA Expo and More
Forge – the new name for the combined Emerald Expo-Questex venture – is barely a few weeks old, but CEO Paul Miller is already doing the rounds to check out portions of the new and much-expanded portfolio. That included a stop at CEDIA Expo in Denver, where we had the chance to sit down with Miller.
Kinetics Noise Control on Making Rooms Sound as Good as They Look
Jason Ehrlich, business development manager of room acoustics in the home market at Kinetics Noise Control, sits down with us for a conversation about why acoustics deserve a much earlier place in the design process.
Phoenix Marketing Group is Bringing Technology Further Upstream in Design Discussions
Bret Jacob at Phoenix Marketing Group discusses how the company is helping bridge the gap between integrators and the design-build community. The conversation explores why integrators need to be brought into projects earlier, how builders and designers can better understand technology’s role in luxury homes, and the tools Phoenix is building to support those relationships.
Why Builder-Integrator Relationships Matter in the Modern Custom Home
Jason Bourg, owner of Bourg Builders + Design in North Central Arkansas, sits down to discuss how technology has become a natural part of his custom homebuilding process.
Bourg shares his path from medicine to construction, how his lifelong interest in building shaped his company, and why home automation has become central to the way he thinks about custom homes. The conversation also explores his relationship with Brad’s Home Entertainment, the value of bringing an integrator into the process early, and how builders can use technology to improve security, convenience, aesthetics, and the overall client experience.
Bourg’s perspective offers a practical look at what collaboration can make possible when technology is treated as part of the home from the beginning.
Mitch Klein Looks Back on CEDIA, Design-Build Progress and the Channel’s Next Chapter
Mitch Klein joins the Connected Design Podcast to reflect on more than three decades in the custom integration industry and his long-running work with CEDIA.
The Death of the Touch Panel is Highly Overstated
The touchscreen has taken a few shots lately, as design and technology conversations swing back toward buttons, switches, and voice control. But for Crestron’s Giles Sutton and Michael Short, the question is not whether one interface wins. The real story is how the right mix of touch, tactile control, voice, sensing, and automation makes a connected home easier to live in.
On this episode of the Connected Design Podcast, Sutton and Short join Editor in Chief Rob Stott to discuss why the touchscreen remains an important part of the professional smart home, where tactile controls are the better answer, and why design-build conversations should focus less on screen count and more on the user experience each interface is meant to support.
