The NSCA Education Foundation raised a remarkable $44,850 earlier this week at the Foundation’s Charity Golf Outing in Glen Ridge, N.J. The event, which attracted dozens of commercial AV’s most prominent figures, took place at the Glen Ridge Country Club. Sponsors included Barco (breakfast), Crestron (beverage cart) and Sony (lunch). Participants not only enjoyed a fun round of golf — albeit a round delayed by passing thunderstorms — but also celebrated a true industry legend: Steve Emspak, partner emeritus at Shen Milsom & Wilke. Emspak, a member of the Drunk Unkles industry band and a longtime Foundation leader, became one of only four people in the history of the Foundation to be given the Lifetime Board Member distinction. Emspak’s wife of 46 years, Meryl, joined the industry luminaries in attendance to celebrate her husband’s remarkable accomplishments.
The NSCA Education Foundation
Steve Emspak, partner emeritus at Shen Milsom & Wilke and the guest of honor at the Charity Golf Outing.
Almost everyone is familiar with NSCA, the not-for-profit association representing the commercial integration industry, but some might not be aware of the Foundation’s essential work. Tom LeBlanc, executive director of NSCA, discussed just a sampling of the Foundation’s initiatives. “The Foundation is dedicated to raising money to tackle the integration industry’s signature challenge: workforce development,” he explained. LeBlanc specifically cited the Ignite program, whose goal is to inform, educate and foster recruitment possibilities for careers in our industry. “The Ignite program works to overcome [unawareness of our field] by going outside the bubble and allowing us to educate people about the great career opportunities in this industry,” he declared. The Foundation has made real strides, too, having touchpoints with about 4,000 students coming out of technical schools and getting a start in their careers.
LeBlanc emphasized that the Foundation’s efforts are only just beginning. He evinced particular excitement about the Foundation’s role in starting the Next Generation Academy. “It’s going to be a big deal,” LeBlanc promised. “It’s going to help member integration companies identify future leaders of their organizations and put them in a training program that’s specific to our industry.” That curriculum will help today’s young professionals become our industry’s future leaders. And that, of course, is something that deeply resonates with the Foundation’s mission and efforts. As just one example, think about the countless Randy Vaughan Scholarships bestowed each year. “[These get] young, enthusiastic people in our industry exposed to the Business & Leadership Conference,” LeBlanc says, underlining the common goal — namely, seeding the next generation of exceptional industry leadership.
An Exceptional Industry Leader
The words “exceptional industry leadership” almost immediately call Emspak to mind. The inscription on the award he received during the Charity Golf Outing says it all: “To Steve: Your extraordinary efforts establish a benchmark of leadership for others.” LeBlanc mentioned just a few of Emspak’s accomplishments, including the astounding fact that the Drunk Unkles collectively raised more than a million dollars for the Foundation over the band’s 14-year run. Praising Emspak’s career, which has been dedicated to helping others, LeBlanc said, “He has given tireless hours to the Foundation and to the industry. We’re so appreciative of everything that he’s put in over the years.” Another industry legend, Marla Suttenberg, who founded Sapphire Marketing and whose imprint on our industry as a leader is indelible, offered her own words of praise. “You really deserve this honor,” she said with a smile, “and you’re well loved by everyone here in this room.”
When Emspak rose to speak, he balanced humility with gratitude for a career well spent. He called NSCA a hub of our industry, and he said the association and the Foundation exist to create opportunity. Emspak particularly praised the Partner Alliance for Safer Schools (PASS), which the Foundation provided seed money for and which NSCA was a co-founder of. PASS exists to bring together education, public-safety and industry stakeholders to enable safer and more secure K-12 environments. Chuck Wilson, CEO of NSCA, has said he feels that working with the PASS program might be the most important thing he’s done in his career. And, clearly, Emspak agrees. During his remarks, he implored, “Please, support this and continue to support this. Take PASS to a level that it’s never known.” After all, Emspak added, “There’s nothing more important than our children and our grandchildren.”
Golfing Fun
Of course, participants didn’t attend the Charity Golf Outing only to support the Foundation and to honor Emspak but also to hit the links! Weather delays notwithstanding, the teams of four had a blast at the Glen Ridge Country Club. The winning team, whose final score was 13 under par, was Gina Sansivero of AtlasIED; Frank Pisano of Bluefin International; Bob Ratcliffe, also of Bluefin; and Commercial Integrator’s own Shawn Tobin. Of course, all golf honorees immediately gave all winnings and prizes right back to the Foundation.
Sansivero, who sits on the Foundation’s Board of Directors, spoke for everyone in the room as she praised the Foundation and explained why it’s essential that we, as an industry community, support its work. “The NSCA Education Foundation [raises funds] for a great number of initiatives within this industry,” she declared. “We have great initiatives to be able to bring new talent into this industry; to create different educational programs for them; and to do internship programs.” And those investments pay off many, many times over.
If you’d like to support the Foundation, go to its website and become involved.
