Last year marked the second annual Commercial Integrator 40 Under 40 list. I was honored to be a part of the inaugural list in 2014 as it marked my 40th birth year. Let’s just say 1974 was a great year for AV as a number of us share that birth year including Chris Neto, Harry Meade, and Tom LeBlanc.
This year we were all a bit too old to be “under 40” so a new swath of honorees graced the cover of Commercial Integrator. These were AV professionals from all facets of the industry. There were marketing professionals, installers, consultants and programmers. It was a great list that included a number of friends and colleagues.
Lists like these are important for our industry. They allow us to step back and take inventory of those working around us that are making a significant contribution to the industry at large. Some people you may never have heard of, some you may. That’s the beauty of the list. It shines a light on unsung heroes of the industry and introduces the next generation.
That this the other reason I love these lists. It gives those who are approaching retirement hope for the future of the industry and their companies. These lists also point to those individuals who should connect with the old guard. Whether it’s 40 Under 40 or InfoComm’s Young AV Professionals or another list, these are the AV pros who should be mentored by those advancing in experience.
40 CI Influencers Under 40: Class of 2015
This could be someone in their 40s, 50s or beyond. Just because you are not retiring next year doesn’t mean you don’t have something to offer. There are those of us in this industry in our 40s who have been in the industry for twenty years or more. We have seen the evolution from three-gun projectors to single LCD displays. The shift that has happened on our watch has been amazing and we still have a long way to go. We can help with the digital transition, explain why plasmas fizzled out, and RF is still a black art.
Regardless of where you fall in this spectrum, a young AV professional or experienced one, find someone to learn from and pour into. Write a blog, take someone to lunch, invite someone to attend a conference with you. These are all important activities to help keep AV a thriving, exciting profession and industry. Without it, we will quickly die out and become the forgotten technologists of yesteryear.
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