If you read Commercial Integrator, you know that a successful integration business requires far more than just technical expertise. Top-tier integrators have strategic vision, develop strong industry relationships and commit themselves to understanding emerging technologies. Shawn Hansson, CEO and founder of Logic Integration, based in Lone Tree, Colo., is cut from this cloth, and he has a mantelpiece full of Integration Awards to prove it!
Founded nearly 24 years ago, Logic Integration in recent years has emerged as a powerhouse firm that truly bridges the gap between residential and commercial AV integration. And if you ask Hansson how he’s managed to grow his business and broaden his team’s core competencies, he’ll point to in-person industry events like CEDIA Expo/CIX as catalysts.
Logic Integration: Tracing its Evolution
Logic Integration began working strictly in the high-end custom residential market. However, Hansson had the foresight to recognize market shifts and shepherded his business toward a more expansive scope.
In 2006 and 2007, right before the economic downturn, Hansson pivoted to take on commercial work. This strategic move provided stability and helped to foster rapid growth. Then, when the pandemic hit in 2020 and homeowners who were stuck in their residences started investing in home theaters and automation systems, that part of Logic Integration’s business blew up in turn.
Ultimately, the shifting winds of the market have brought Logic Integration to a perfect equilibrium, balancing a 50/50 split between residential and commercial projects. The firm installs audio, video, lighting, shading systems and more. On the commercial side, Logic Integration specializes in high-end corporate environments, hospitality spaces and multi-dwelling units (MDUs). The company completes approximately 150 to 170 projects annually. These include flagship installations and large-scale systems such as executive experience centers and other high-performance spaces infused with DVLED and more. To achieve this, Hansson manages a team of nearly 40 professionals.
According to Hansson, what truly sets Logic Integration apart from its competitors is its philosophy. “The differentiator with our company among our competitors, big and small, is we really are a service-first company,” he declares. “We show up to the first appointment and the first phone call talking about support and service.” Indeed, a dedicated team of five focuses solely on service. Unsurprisingly, the company, which is exclusively design-build, relies heavily on repeat business and referrals.
A Catalyst for Exponential Growth
Hansson credits much of his company’s ability to scale to his nearly two decades attending CEDIA Expo/CIX. His journey with the show mirrors the growth of his own award-winning business.
During our conversation, Hansson harks back to CEDIA Expo in Denver in 2006. He recalls, “That was my very first CEDIA Expo. We didn’t know anybody.” Hansson continues, “We heard there were all kinds of parties and events, and we always wondered how all these people got invited to the Sony party and the Crestron party.” Very quickly, Hansson and team fully integrated into the community that gathers for the show.
Since those early days, attending CEDIA Expo/CIX has become a non-negotiable for Logic Integration. Hansson says the event provides critical exposure to emerging technologies that allows his team and him to anticipate market trends and deliver innovative client solutions.
“The training that they offer, the vendor relationships, emerging technologies and seeing where things are shifting and going — those are the reasons I go to the show,” Hansson says. He rattles off a list of key growth categories, including lighting, battery-powered shades, AV-over-IP and more and underlines the imperative to get hands-on with these solutions. “Like, you can’t look at that online,” he stresses. “Attending the show is what really gives you access to what’s next in our industry.”
Building Trust Through Face-to-Face Connections
As an industry, we rely on seamless integration of hardware components and software systems. Accordingly, for integrators like Logic Integration, building strong vendor relationships is paramount. For Hansson, in-person industry events are irreplaceable for establishing trust and resolving operational bottlenecks.
As Hansson puts it, “You can’t really figure all that out without going to a show and exposing the team to that technology. [It’s also about] knowing whom to call when they need help, training or tech support, or why an RMA didn’t get approved.” He also underlines the value of simply being face to face with those with whom you’re doing business. “The basis of a relationship is trust,” Hansson declares. “In order to have the trust, I feel like you have to do a lot of this stuff in person.”
Beyond vendor relationships, in-person events like CEDIA Expo/CIX serve as a collaborative hub for solving complex technical challenges. “One year, my team was on a wicked manhunt to figure out how to get USB-C in longer distances,” he recalls. “I mean, that has been a very big problem.”
Hansson continues, “We have all these great technologies that are coming out from big companies like Apple. And then, they get released into the marketplace, and everybody’s supposed to figure out how to distribute this technology or run it farther than 10 feet. I think in order to figure some of that stuff out, you just naturally have to ask other people, and that happens at a show.”
Logic Integration on the Power of Resimercial Synergy
The union of CEDIA Expo/CIX in recent years has created a comprehensive approach that mirrors Logic Integration’s highly diversified business model. Bringing the residential and commercial AV worlds under one roof unlocks new synergies — and, for integrators, can be a path to greater profitability.
“There’s a lot of benefit to having that together, for sure,” Hansson observes. “There’s just so much value because the resimercial thing is real.” He continues, “[It’s nice] not having to go to two different shows. And a lot of these manufacturers are doing both already, so [it’s great to] get both teams with resources there.”
How Logic Integration Fosters Talent and Generates Opportunities
Ultimately, the power of live events extends beyond the hardware and software on display. Equally important is the educational platform, which empowers the entire Logic Integration workforce — from leadership, to technicians, to back-office staff.
“I would say it comes down to talent development,” Hansson explains. “Going to a show like this [allows] my purchasing person or my finance person go see the products we install and how it works.” Some of those associates don’t ever get to any jobsites. “I think that creates momentum in educating them and meeting the reps and the people they write checks to. I think growing vendor relationships is a no-brainer, but there’s also cross-pollination of ideas.”
Although direct sales leads are certainly not the primary objective when attending, the relationships built on the show floor at events like CEDIA Expo/CIX frequently translate into tangible business growth.
Hansson shares an apropos anecdote, recounting, “I did have one of our manufacturers who’s new [and whom] we met at the show reach out earlier this week and say, ‘Hey, we have this opportunity. And after talking with you quickly at the show, looking at your website [and] looking at some of your case studies, this might be a good fit.’”
“And it was because of that relationship and that introduction at the show,” Hansson concludes. “I think that’s pretty powerful. [It] makes you want to go back.”
For more information about CEDIA Expo/CIX, visit the event’s website.
