At the Helm
So how does one organization stay “Ahead of the Curve” for such a long time? For starters, this group of professionals includes some of the most top-notch home automation engineers in the world. Also, HTSA is the only member-owned and led buying group, with its Board of Directors composed of these very professionals, who are democratically elected by the consortium itself. The association prides itself on providing talented individuals the platform to display and market their next-generation home automation concepts.
“Our team, led by Jon Robbins, HTSA Executive Director, is the finest in the industry. Jon’s leadership is second to none, and our group’s success and direction can all be traced back to his leadership. We hired an industry legend in Tom Doherty, who holds Director of Technology Initiatives. Through Tom’s efforts, we successfully brought a new product category into the market/industry. Through his success, other groups followed suit. Following him, HTSA hired Keith Esterly, Chief Learning Architect. Keith understands the importance of relationships and selling, and talent development. For our members only, he created an immersive relationship science curriculum. This innovative curriculum is desired and sought after by the entire industry,” shares Jordan.
As for Jordan himself, he was offered a position as a marketing specialist with HTSA straight out of college. Fast forward eight years, and the home technology industry has still not ceased to amaze him. He carries the same passion for his career as he did on that very first day stating, “each passing year, I have gained more and more valuable insight into our business model and inner dynamics and have now become the organization’s business administrator.”
Extending the Outreach
After decades in existence, HTSA recently evolved into a virtual business environment. With the rapid evolution in innovation and technology, HTSA has continued to remain on the leading edge due to its progressive inventiveness. Jordan says, “We can all agree excellent social media content and engagement is a catalyst for success.” To this effect, HTSA has partnered with industry allies, like CATalyzing Communications, Netsertive and One Firefly, who specifically engage in SEO and SEM and increase the Social Media presence for HTSA and its member partners.
Even during the Covid-19 outbreak, HTSA stayed ahead of the curve, quickly creating an online learning site and a unique outbound marketing strategy for their members to implement immediately. Due to the pandemic, the consortium could not have the in-person meetings it is famous for, but stayed in close touch with each other via online training and interactive sessions which propelled the members towards scalable growth, even amidst the pandemic.
With most of the world spending more time than usual in their homes nowadays, the demand for home improvement projects, including control systems, home theatre, robust network, lighting & shades, audio/video, outdoor entertainment, and others is on the rise. “Our industry channel seemed to be immune to the pandemic, and as a group, we’re up close to 20% in annual revenue,” shares Jordan.