Stay ConnectedAs new people come into our industry and older ones leave, it’s important for young professionals to gain insights from those who have gone before them.
Legacy Voices is a podcast series that gives them the opportunity to learn from experienced HVAC and Smart Building Controls veterans who are sharing their hard-won wisdom and invaluable knowledge with the next generation.
Copyright: ℗ & © 2020 ControlTrends People: Stories of The People That Make Smart Buildings Smart
Welcome to Episode 4 of the Legacy Voices podcast, where we delve into the fascinating career and valuable wisdom of industry veteran Rick LeBlanc. Rick's resume speaks for itself - from being a seasoned C-level executive and business advisor to a co-inventor of a patented wireless building management system. His expertise spans building controls, cleantech, renewable energy, biofuels, and so much more.
In today's conversation, we take a deep dive into Rick's diverse and enriching journey. He shares everything - from childhood lessons that set the foundation for his career, to his groundbreaking work at Powers pioneering DDC Controls. We explore his successful entrepreneurial ventures, his business acumen in the realm of mergers and acquisitions, and his current impactful role at Huron Capital.
But that's not all! Rick lets us into the strategic thinking behind the acquisition of successful systems integrators for Alberio Energy, a journey he guided and experienced firsthand. He also reveals time-tested principles that he and his team employ to take good companies to new heights of greatness.
Ever wondered what top-notch executives learn from Rick's mentorship program? We've got that covered too! Rick shares the kernels of wisdom he imparts to his mentees, leaving us with invaluable lessons that can be applied both in and outside the boardroom.
This episode is a goldmine of knowledge and insights from one of the industry's finest. Whether you're an industry newbie or a seasoned veteran, Rick's journey will inspire you and give you food for thought. So sit back, grab a coffee, and let's dive into the world of Rick LeBlanc.
Make sure to like, share, subscribe, and leave a comment below about your favorite part of the conversation. Enjoy the episode!
Welcome to Legacy Voices, where we feature stories from industry leaders who have been in the game for years. Our guest today is Ken Sinclair, a true pioneer in building automation and controls. Ken has been working in this field for over 60 years, since his time with Johnson Controls. Hear him tell us about how far building automation has come, why he started automatedbuildings.com, and what he believes the future of smart buildings looks like. So get ready to hear an inspiring story from one of the greats in building automation controls!
SUMMARY
John Sublett, the former CTO at Tridium, is being interviewed on the Legacy Voices podcast. John is a veteran of the HVAC and smart building controls industry and is being asked to share his insight with the next generation. He was born in Washington, DC but grew up in Lynchburg, Virginia. He has an older brother and two younger sisters. Growing up, he attended public school and eventually graduated with a degree in computer science. During the podcast, he shares his experience and knowledge of the industry in hopes of inspiring young professionals.
John's first experience with a computer was in fourth grade when their teacher brought one to the class for them to write programs with. It was a TRS 80 and the programs needed to be written down on paper and inputted into the computer. Later on, John got a Kaliko Atom, which was a hybrid between a video game system and a computer, and they tried to write games on it. They also became a gamer, playing StarCraft with their kids. The speaker also mentioned that they and their kids have been playing StarCraft to blow off steam at home.
TIMESTAMPS
0:02:26 Interview with Computer Programmer: Reflections on Early Experiences with Technology
0:04:07 Conversation with John McDonough: Reflections on Early Career Inspirations
0:06:58 Conversation Between Two Friends on Life Advice and College Experiences
0:08:26 Conversation Between Mary and Merlin: Love at First Sight?
0:09:57 Conversation Summary: Founding of Tritium and Early Married Life
0:14:18 Conversation Summary: Jerry's Vision for Tritium's Automation Platform
0:16:06 Conversation Recap: The Origin Story of Tritium and Disruptive Technology
0:17:17 Conversation on Tritium's Early Adopters and Channel to Market Success
0:19:29 Conversation with John O'Farrell: Reflections on the Early Days of Capital One
0:22:29 "Unleashing the Hounds: The Pivotal Moment for Adoption of Ax Technology"
0:25:25 Interview with John Petze, Vice President of Software Engineering at Tridium
0:30:15 Conversation with [Name], Software Engineer and Sports Enthusiast
0:34:06 Conversation with [Name], Father of Three, on Music and Enjoying Fatherhood
0:35:52 Interview with John Petze: Exploring the Benefits of Collaboration in the Automation Industry
HIGHLIGHTS
And some of N4 was bringing focus to the user interface and the user experience. Refreshing that it's one of those things the industry had moved on from us. Right. So we had a lot of Java in the UI and the technology has moved past that. And so we had to do something about that for ourselves and the rest of the people building on top of Niagara. And then there's the cool new stuff too. Right. So like that next generation of functionality, you said it earlier when we were talking, the data acquisition is a solved problem.
Yeah, N4 was a big one, and that was when you look across Niagara is a hard thing to put your finger on. I feel bad sometimes for people trying to sell it to somebody that's never heard of it before because try to describe what it is. And so you look at the breadth of it, and this is still a pretty small team here, relatively speaking. You focus on areas that need focus at the time, and you try to bring everything else forward. But we had some areas of Niagara Ax that had not gotten that focus in a while.
So AX which is the version that's out there in ubiquitous really was a complete rewrite from R2. We brought almost no code forward. And think about that. You've got a business that's starting to do okay, but we're hit at this inflection point and we go say we want to do it over, but we did. And that decision point and the commitment by the business to let us let the technology guys go do that with the idea that we were going to unleash the hounds, right? We were going to say, this is the core technology, but anybody can build on it.
As new people come into our industry and older ones leave, it’s important for young professionals to gain insights from those who have gone before them.
Legacy Voices is a podcast series that gives them the opportunity to learn from experienced HVAC and Smart Building Controls veterans who are sharing their hard-won wisdom and invaluable knowledge with the next generation.
I cannot think of a better person than my friend, Pat Marsala, to kick off the first episode of Legacy Voices.
I have known Pat for over thirty years. Like many in our industry, I consider him a friend and trusted advisor.
I know Pat for his integrity and wisdom. He is also a heck of a lot of fun to hang out with! Never miss the opportunity to play golf with Pat. Don’t gamble with him. On the golf course, you will lose your money, but have a great time doing so.
Pat started his HVAC and Smart Buildings controls career at Honeywell. In 1987, he started his own controls distributor M&M controls. M&M Controls is one of the leading controls distributors that serves the Mid Atlantic part of the country.
Pat shares the lessons he learned and the knowledge he learned along the way. We’ll also hear about his views on the future of HVAC and Smart Building Controls.
I hope that Pat’s story will inspire you to create and share your own legacy.
Get all the HVAC and Smart Building "Control News You Can Use" at ControlTrends.
ControlTrends People catch up with the former CTO of Tridium, John Sublett. John shares stories from his life including the early days at Tridium.
The post CTP Episode 008 : John Sublett on the Early Days at Tridium appeared first on ControlTrends Podcasting Network.
In this episode of ControlTrends People, we catch up with Jeff Houpt. Jeff is the founder of Automated Integrated, one of the Smart Buildings Controls best systems integrators.
The post CTP Episode 7: Automated Integrated’s Jeff Houpt appeared first on ControlTrends Podcasting Network.
In this episode of ControlTrends People, we explore the life of Lim Hoon Chiat. Lim is now recognized as one of the most successful and prolific minds in our industry. In Episode 6, we follow Lim’s rise from the humblest of origins in Singapore, where as a child, he tinkered with discarded parts to make...
The post CTP Episode 6: EasyIO’s Lim Hoon Chiat appeared first on ControlTrends Podcasting Network.
On episode 5 of ControlTrends People we take a deep dive into the life and times of one of the greats in our industry, Ed Merwin. Ed, the Director, Vykon Automation Energy Security at Tridium is credited by many, including us, as being one of the reasons Tridum and open platforms exist today. Ed ,...
The post CPT 005 ControlTrends People Explores the Life of Ed Merwin appeared first on ControlTrends Podcasting Network.
On this episode of ControlTrends People, the life stories of the great people in the building automation controls industry,that make smart buildings smart, we learn about Automation Integrated’s Chris Favre. Chris is the Executive Vice President at Automation Integrated. Automated Integrated is based in Oklahoma City, but as a true master systems integrator and co-winner...
The post CPT 004 ControlTrends People Chris Favre Automation Integrated appeared first on ControlTrends Podcasting Network.
ControlTrends People is a new PodCast series that focuses on the life stories of the people in our industry that make it great. As we strive as an industry to reach full recognition and parity, we deeply believe that if we capture and share the persona of the great leaders and visionaries of our industry,...
The post CPT 003 ControlTrends People Easy IO’s Mike Marston appeared first on ControlTrends Podcasting Network.
Our second ControlTrends People PodCast features Marc Petock, VP of Marketing for Lynxspring and Connexx Energy. Marc is a highly accomplished Global Technology Marketing Executive known for positively impacting the growth and performance of the organizations he has managed during his 30+year career. Recognized as a strategic thinker and proven leader developing and implementing...
The post CTP 002 ControlTrends People Lynxspring’s Marc Petock Featured appeared first on ControlTrends Podcasting Network.
ControlTrends People is a new PodCast series that focuses on the life stories of the people in our industry that make it great. As we strive as an industry to reach full recognition and parity, we deeply believe that if we capture and share the persona of the great leaders and visionaries of our industry,...
The post CTP 001 ControlTrends People Nino DiCosmo appeared first on ControlTrends Podcasting Network.
Our TOPPODCAST Picks 
