Commercial Integrator November 2021 - 8

CI NEWS IN BRIEF RECENT STORIES PEOPLE AND PLACES WHAT'S NEW
Fred Bargetzi to
Receive Mackey
Barron Distinguished
Achievement Award
THE AUDIOVISUAL and Integrated
Experience Association
(AVIXA) has announced the
recipient of the 2021 Mackey
Barron Distinguished Achievement
Award is the late Fred Bargetzi,
former chief technology
officer for Crestron.
The Mackey Barron Distinguished
Achievement Award
is the highest honor bestowed
on an industry member by
AVIXA. The award's namesake
Mackey Barron, founder of
HB Communications, spent
more than six decades as a
pioneer and leader in the pro
AV industry.
The 2021 recipient Fred
Bargetzi, a 30-year Crestron
veteran, was instrumental in
guiding the evolution of the
pro AV industry into the world
of digital transformation and
IoT through his leadership and
technology invention. When he
started his career at Crestron in
1990, the company produced
hard-button panels and monochromatic
touch panels.
Under Bargetzi's leadership,
the control industry blossomed
to its current state of control
via many devices including
personal devices. Bargetzi's
name is on 22 patents that have
defined the pro AV industry's
transformation from analog
to digital, such as control via
ethernet (e-Control).
" I only experienced Fred
from afar. But even in that,
his brightness shown clearly
across the landscape of our
industry, " said David Labuskes,
CTS, CAE, RCDD, CEO of
Fred Bargetzi, former chief technology officer for Crestron.
AVIXA in a statement. " It was
easy to see his intellect and
innovative contributions to the
industry over the course of 30
years. But if you looked deeper,
you found the impact of
his passion and contributions
across an entire generation
of thousands of engineers,
inventors, and creators. For his
contributions in the past and
perhaps more importantly the
impact that he will have for
generations ahead, it is a true
honor to present the Mackey
Barron Distinguished Achievement
Award. I only wish we'd
had more time to hear his
laughter, experience his energy,
and reap the rewards of his
generosity. "
Fred Bargetzi's Mackey
Barron Distinguished Achievement
Award will be celebrated
at InfoComm 2021 in Orlando,
Fla., on Thurs., Oct. 28
at 4 p.m. on the Technology
Innovation Stage. During the
ceremony, all the winners of
AVIXA's 2021 AV Professional
Awards will be revealed. They
include the Adele De Berri
Pioneers of AV, CTS Holder
of the Year, Educator of the
Year, Women in AV, Young AV
Professional, Event Design of
the Year, and Harald Thiel Volunteer
of the Year awards.
Extron and Somfy Partner to Integrate AV and Environmental Controls
EXTRON HAS ANNOUNCED it will partner with Somfy, one of the
world's largest manufacturers of tubular motors for interior window
coverings, projection screens, and exterior solar protections.
Working together, Extron will combine its control capabilities with
Somfy powered products for today's smart-building projects.
Facility managers and AV professionals will appreciate the
simple installation, setup, automation, and control that is possible
when an Extron control system is integrated with Somfy powered
products. A press on the Extron touchscreen allows the user to
adjust motorized shades and projection screens, and interact with
other AV equipment in the room, enhancing the experience and
versatility of lecture halls, conference rooms, and meeting spaces.
" At Somfy we are committed to simplifying smart-building
control and elevating the room experience for the specifiers and
installers, as well as for the people in the space, " said Brittany Mier
y Terán, partnerships and custom integration channel manager,
Somfy North America, in a statement.
8
Commercial Integrator NOVEMBER 2021
" We are very excited to offer our customers all the advantages of
the Somfy motorized window covering controls using the simplicity
of our Extron control system products, " said Casey Hall, vice president
of worldwide sales and marketing for Extron, in a statement.
" By working with Somfy, we know that our customers are getting a
truly reliable, convenient and integrated experience. "
Through the integration of Somfy powered products and Extron
Control System Drivers and Device Modules, users can access
even more smart features. Somfy powered products can work in
concert with an occupancy sensor, providing touchfree automatic
control. This room automation can raise the shades and projection
screen when a room is no longer in use, or can lower the appropriate
shades in preparation for a presentation based upon lighting
level in the room.
Somfy powers products from leading motorized shade and
projector screen manufacturers such as Hunter Douglas, Stewart
Filmscreen, Draper, MechoShade, and more.
commercialintegrator.com
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Commercial Integrator November 2021

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