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Hal Truax: AV Living Legends #57

Published: July 30, 2024
Courtesy / Hal Truax

This week, Hal Truax, former president of WyreStorm, joins the ranks of #AVLivingLegends in recognition of his remarkable contributions. Truax has enjoyed a multi-decade career of success in our industry, and he’s fueled by passion for what he does.

In the conversation that follows, Truax offers insights into what brought him into the technology world, and how he became hooked right away. He also reflects on starting his own integration company, along with his transition to the manufacturing side. On both sides of the fence, he’s found stimulating challenges and tremendous personal fulfillment.

Later in the conversation, he takes us inside one of the most interesting job interviews you’re ever likely to have. Plus, he shares the very good reason why he chose to decline that particular offer.

A Conversation with Hal Truax

Read on for Commercial Integrator’s enlightening conversation with #AVLivingLegends honoree Hal Truax. It’s a great opportunity to relive his numerous career triumphs, as well as glean some of the life lessons he learned along the way.

And if you’d like to read even more coverage relating to our #AVLivingLegends, like Hal Truax, check out our hub page. It includes direct links to every living legend!

Commercial Integrator: What motivated you to join the commercial AV industry?

Hal Truax: I had a friend who was doing large C-Band satellite installations, and the company that hired him were friends of mine. I was in between the PBA Tour and Western PBA Regionals and needed a job. I went to speak to the ownership and, the next thing I knew, I was installing satellites. There was no one to learn from, as the FCC had recently made TVRO (Television Receive Only) satellite dishes legal to own in the U.S. I really liked the technology and learned as much as I could about electronics. I was hooked instantly!

Commercial Integrator: What has kept you motivated and engaged in the decades that followed?

Hal Truax: I find technology so fascinating. It’s the fact that I had gotten such an early start into what is now the CI business, and that we had to engineer solutions — as no plug-and-play scenarios existed for home or commercial integrations. In fact, we had to devise a very complex and truly custom mixing panel or boards to allow different brands and technologies to work together. Those challenges are what kept me engaged.

I ended up starting my own integration company and was performing installations for the emerging dealer market that was developing in the San Diego area. I eventually migrated from integration to working for manufacturers, both on the CI side and the pro AV side. This has really been an accidental career path that has been very fulfilling, challenging and interesting. I love the industry and all the friends that I have made doing what I love.

Commercial Integrator: Reflect on your role as both a mentee early in your career and as a mentor later in your career. Who helped shape the trajectory of your professional life? How have you tried to help shape others’ careers?

Hal Truax: I am so eager to share that I was extremely fortunate. Early on in my career, we were building a CI business inside of The Good Guys, a retail chain with 73 stores in four states. I ended up working very closely with Bill Graham, a retail expert who previously helped Best Buy grow in the western U.S. market. Bill’s leadership and mentoring helped me to be who I am today in terms of becoming a leader and a mentor.

Bill taught me how to effectively manage time, how to complete or delegate tasks as required — all with a “one touch” philosophy. That means simply dealing with it as it comes across your inbox, VM or otherwise, rather than filing it away only to create a multiple-touch, inefficient way to address the workload. There are so many valuable lessons that Bill Graham taught me. His mentorship changed the course of my professional life.

I am fortunate to say that I really am driven by being an effective leader and mentor. Watching one of your associates grow, both professionally and personally, in part due to the way one leads, coaches or mentors, is beyond satisfying. I am lucky enough to have created a following — a loyalty, you might say — with many of the associates whom I have worked with, or who worked under my leadership.

I still actively coach and mentor many to this day. When I change career paths, most jump in to say, “I’m here, and I’m ready to follow you in your next endeavor.”

Commercial Integrator: What’s the most memorable story/anecdote of your career in commercial AV?

Hal Truax: There are many stories to reflect upon. Most had something to do with being part of a bleeding-edge solution that was created among my peers and myself. But the one story that was fascinating to me, and that has stayed with me always, is the time that I applied for a job with a government agency to conduct electronic surveillance of foreign powers in what turned out to be hostile environments. I applied, took a battery of tests and apparently scored in the upper 99th percentile in every measurable category. I had several interviews, with the last one being in Langley, Va. I was offered a job at the end of it all. I requested a domestic position, but I was told that all positions were to be performed abroad, in areas such as Beirut. At the time, this didn’t appeal to me. I declined the offer and later learned that this type of position had a very short life expectancy.

Commercial Integrator: What has been your greatest professional accomplishment to date?

Hal Truax: I have had successful roles in a few manufacturing companies, where revenue reached new heights through a best practices approach, marketing became more effective, and the teams grew increasingly stronger. These instances all make me feel proud. But my greatest accomplishment to date has been what I have been allowed to give back to this industry that I love. I have been part of so many people’s success, helping them to grow and being able to watch them blossom into seasoned professionals who are now making their mark in this business. It’s an ongoing gift and labor of love, extremely rewarding and humbling at the same time.

Commercial Integrator: What has been your biggest professional regret to date?

Hal Truax: My biggest regret would have to be a failure on my part to listen to my gut a little more. I have experienced situations that I should have avoided. My instincts…my gut…told me this, and I failed to pay attention. I am learning to be much better in this area.

Commercial Integrator: What’s the best advice or pearl of wisdom you either received during your career or came to realize on your own?

Hal Truax: There are a lot of trite sayings in business, and commercial AV is no different. In fact, I use many today, as they are truths: For instance, people buy from people. Here is the nugget or pearl that is true and that is overlooked by many leaders and managers: Culture trumps strategy. That is it.

Many people, when building a team or a business, focus on strategy and the accompanying tactics. Only when leaders really understand culture — how to effectively create a healthy company culture where employees feel safe at work, where they feel valued, where belittlement and bullying are not tolerated, where collaboration and teamwork are promoted — does it make sense to move on to strategy. A toxic or caustic culture will not foster success in business.


Would you like to nominate a peer or colleague — or perhaps yourself! — to be featured in this #AVLivingLegends series, just like Hal Truax was? If so, just email Dan Ferrisi, group editor, commercial and security, Emerald, at [email protected].

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