Oct 08

Emerging Tech Leaders Gather for BizDev Meeting

Tommaso Deserti, of growing tech company Nest, led a discussion on Friday at the #NECA16 Business Development Meeting. Deserti talked about how he feels the world is becoming even more connected and noted the prevalence conversation related to the concept of the Internet of Things (IoT).

“Fast is the new normal,” he said.

Deserti noted how many products installed in the home can also be installed in an office space and that one in seven Nest customers actually have a “works with Nest” integration.

“They start with a product and then try to figure out what they can build around,” he said. “Nest is progressive and doing great things.”

Jason Potterf, with Cisco, and Jon Zelinsky, with Philips, continued the discussion citing figures estimating that 50 billion to 200 billion devices could be connected to the internet by 2020.

Lighting is one of those things, he added.

“It’s also a way for companies to transform their brand – using LED controls,” he said.

Among the things Potterf discussed was network-powered lighting and its key drivers, which include energy savings and building analytics, and the benefits of Power over Ethernet (PoE).

Bob May, Chairman of the Business Development Task Force, spoke at the beginning of the meeting, saying his work with the committee was a joy.

“The forward-looking ideas that came out were energizing,” he said.

May also talked about the Energy Study Mission, a new initiative that brings together NECA members interested in the energy sector. The first ESM took place in Colorado earlier this year.

“I encourage you to come out next year,” he said. He added that new awards have been established by NECA to recognize important projects around the country.

Finally, the meeting closed with a panel discussion of the Business Development Task Force members including: Dan Henrich of PDE Energy Solutions, who discussed practices for complying with NFPA 70E, and Lindsay Millls of John Mills Electric, who talked about the preparation of change orders and construction claims. Mike Doyle of Danard Electric and Anton Mikec of Lighthouse Electric Company spoke about the benefits of utilizing the NECA Store and the resources that are available there, such as the “Blueprint for Electrical Contracting Firm, Business Development.”

“You get connections through connections,” Mikec said. “A culture of business development is created in connections.”

 

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