PHOENIX — When you enter Resideo’s universe — as I did this past week at the Connect 2019 dealer partner conference — it is plain to see the company has set a strategic course to go whole hog for the smart home.
Held here Oct. 24-27 at the JW Marriott Desert Ridge Resort & Spa, the annual conference attracted more than 400 security dealers who were joined by a smattering of HVAC, electrical and plumbing contractors. HVAC, electrical and plumbing contractors? Yes. While installing security professionals remain an obvious cornerstone to Resideo’s growth and success, moving forward the company is fundamentally working to expand its partnership with these other trades.
It is all part of the company’s vision of whole home management. This was demonstrated inside a ballroom at the Marriot where Resideo hosted an evening welcome reception and innovation showcase. The expansive space was organized into areas that featured products and technologies around a quartet of categories: Air, Security, Water and Energy.
Where Resideo is heading with acquisitions consummated in the past several months — Buoy Labs, LifeWhere and Whisker Labs — comes into clear view in the context of these four core initiatives.
Throughout general sessions and breakout sessions the company drove home its message that professional contractors from these various trades are supremely situated to service the connected home, comprehensively.
Mike Nefkens, president and CEO of Resideo, stated thusly: “There’s no one better positioned to simplify the connected home than these professionals. Every day they are sitting across the table from homeowners who are frustrated with systems that don’t work well together and whose critical appliances — furnaces, water heaters, plumbing — are vulnerable and unprotected. We believe there is a better way.”
In a breakout session on monetizing the smart home, Resideo VP/GM Scott Harkins further illustrated the possibilities with Resideo’s portfolio of sensors, management tools and controls across the four core initiatives. Think of the home as having a pulse, he said. A pulse that these sensors and technologies can monitor and help homeowners avoid catastrophic failures before they happen.
With a single app, Harkins explained, Resideo wants to connect and monitor critical systems that operate throughout the home, thereby creating more recurring revenue and subscription services for contractors. These encompass: security/intrusion; fire, smoke and carbon monoxide (CO) detection; HVAC/indoor air quality; appliance performance; water-leak detection; energy efficiency; wireless devices that distribute data.
In all, attendees to the 30th annual dealer conference took part in 40 interactive and educational sessions, among other networking activities, plus an awards gala celebration. Following are 2019 winners for just some of the top categories:
- Security Marketing Excellence – Holmes Security Systems, Fayetteville, N.C.
- Residential Security Installation of the Year – Custom Alarm, Rochester, Minn.
- Commercial Security Installation of the Year – Roger’s Security, Ontario, Canada
- Security Salesperson of the Year – Christopher Murray, Security ONE Alarm Systems, Ontario, Canada
- Security Dealer Rookie of the Year – Preventia, Columbia, Tenn.
- Connected Home Security Dealer of the Year – ADS Security, Nashville, Tenn.
- Premier Security Dealer of the Year – Vyanet, Bend, Ore.
- Medal of Honor Company – Holmes Security Systems, Fayettville, N.C.
