<![CDATA[Connected Design Podcast]]>From smart technology and creative process to business insights and emerging trends, the Connected Design Podcast explores the ideas, projects, and people pushing design forward—across residential, commercial, and everything in between.

]]>www.connecteddesign.techRiverside.fm (https://riverside.com)Tue, 19 May 2026 02:07:00 GMTFri, 23 Jan 2026 21:02:25 GMT60Connected Design<p>From smart technology and creative process to business insights and emerging trends, the Connected Design Podcast explores the ideas, projects, and people pushing design forward—across residential, commercial, and everything in between.</p>episodicConnected Designrstott@rlscreative.comno<![CDATA[Putting AI to Use in Floor Plan Generation with Drafted]]>Drafted, an AI-based platform that launched earlier this year, is a free-to-use tool that lets users dream up their ideal house plan with just a few simple prompts. Founder Nick Donahue sat down with us to talk about how the tool works, where he plans to expand its capabilities, and the role of AI in all areas of the homebuilding process.

]]>f945c6e1-d441-4183-8a46-c1e78a89ebebMon, 18 May 2026 11:00:00 GMT<p>Drafted, an AI-based platform that launched earlier this year, is a free-to-use tool that lets users dream up their ideal house plan with just a few simple prompts. Founder Nick Donahue sat down with us to talk about how the tool works, where he plans to expand its capabilities, and the role of AI in all areas of the homebuilding process.</p>no00:42:1114Putting AI to Use in Floor Plan Generation with Draftedfull<![CDATA[Keder Screens on the Obstacles and Opportunities in the Shading Business]]>Kim Parker is not only a known name in the custom integration business, he's also someone who's experienced success at just about every stop along his career journey. So, his decision to make the jump (personally and financially) to Keder Screens should speak volumes about his belief in their technology. Beyond learning about their patented system, we pick his brain on the challenges and opportunities integrators face getting into the outdoor shade business, and much more.

]]>af10502c-76af-4692-8313-4ec17be4594eMon, 11 May 2026 11:00:00 GMT<p>Kim Parker is not only a known name in the custom integration business, he's also someone who's experienced success at just about every stop along his career journey. So, his decision to make the jump (personally and financially) to Keder Screens should speak volumes about his belief in their technology. Beyond learning about their patented system, we pick his brain on the challenges and opportunities integrators face getting into the outdoor shade business, and much more.</p>no00:29:5013Keder Screens on the Obstacles and Opportunities in the Shading Businessfull<![CDATA[What's Next for Lightapalooza? HTSA and AVIXA Tell Us.]]>On the heels of the major news that AVIXA—the producers of InfoComm and a number of other AV industry show—had acquired Lightapalooza from HTSA, we sat down with Jenn Heinold, SVP of Expositions in the Americas, and HTSA's Tom Doherty. The two dove into the growth of the event and what's to come now that it'll co-locate with InfoComm starting next year.

]]>cfdaff7e-760e-4dd8-aceb-6907ffbe92adMon, 04 May 2026 11:00:00 GMT<p>On the heels of the major news that AVIXA—the producers of InfoComm and a number of other AV industry show—had acquired Lightapalooza from HTSA, we sat down with Jenn Heinold, SVP of Expositions in the Americas, and HTSA's Tom Doherty. The two dove into the growth of the event and what's to come now that it'll co-locate with InfoComm starting next year.</p>no00:27:2412What's Next for Lightapalooza? HTSA and AVIXA Tell Us.full<![CDATA[Communication and Culture Drive Growth for Liaison Technology Group]]>Steve Weber's career arc is an incredibly interesting one, but, much like the growth plan at Liaison Technology Group, it's all been very intentional and well thought out. After visiting their new showroom in Fort Myers, we sat down with Steve to talk shop, learn more about him, and get him to share some of the secrets to his success.

]]>45370acf-cf36-4f3a-9eed-e74f0141ca59Mon, 27 Apr 2026 11:00:00 GMT<p>Steve Weber's career arc is an incredibly interesting one, but, much like the growth plan at Liaison Technology Group, it's all been very intentional and well thought out. After visiting their new showroom in Fort Myers, we sat down with Steve to talk shop, learn more about him, and get him to share some of the secrets to his success.</p>no00:35:0911Communication and Culture Drive Growth for Liaison Technology Groupfull<![CDATA[Simplifying the Story Around Shading with Somfy]]>Karthick Kanagalingam, the Architectural Specifications Manager at Somfy, has always been fascinated by the world of motorized shading, dating back to his first job as a post-grad, which sent him into a commercial building that just happened to have a series of motorized shades. Today, he leverages that passion to help tell the story of the category and help it make sense to the brand's partners and installers.

]]>7452944d-9e32-4c8a-9ad1-b990e96101b0Mon, 20 Apr 2026 11:00:00 GMT<p>Karthick Kanagalingam, the Architectural Specifications Manager at Somfy, has always been fascinated by the world of motorized shading, dating back to his first job as a post-grad, which sent him into a commercial building that just happened to have a series of motorized shades. Today, he leverages that passion to help tell the story of the category and help it make sense to the brand's partners and installers.</p>no00:40:0610Simplifying the Story Around Shading with Somfyfull<![CDATA[Legrand Discusses Builders' Show Positioning and the Opportunity for Integrators]]>Following our visit to the Legrand booth at the 2026 Builders' Show in Orlando, we sat down with Sr. Product Manager Racheal Rich to dive deeper into the brand's positioning, how they balance conversations with integrators and builders, and how their portfolio perfectly blends the world of tech and design.

]]>1d1c49ed-1c46-4bf2-836b-b92496fef1f8Mon, 13 Apr 2026 11:00:00 GMT<p>Following our visit to the Legrand booth at the 2026 Builders' Show in Orlando, we sat down with Sr. Product Manager Racheal Rich to dive deeper into the brand's positioning, how they balance conversations with integrators and builders, and how their portfolio perfectly blends the world of tech and design.</p>no00:29:189Legrand Discusses Builders' Show Positioning and the Opportunity for Integratorsfull<![CDATA[Caster's New Owners Talk Future Plans, AI's Impact, and More]]>Following up on our conversation with Caster Communications' Founder Kimberly Lancaster, Connected Design sits down with the company's new owners, Alexandra Crabb and Peter Girard. The duo share a bit about the legacy of the company, their plans for the future, and how AI is impacting every aspect of the business.

]]>9c0dd978-ee5a-4e8c-902d-16191876a752Mon, 30 Mar 2026 11:00:00 GMT<p>Following up on our conversation with Caster Communications' Founder Kimberly Lancaster, Connected Design sits down with the company's new owners, Alexandra Crabb and Peter Girard. The duo share a bit about the legacy of the company, their plans for the future, and how AI is impacting every aspect of the business.</p>no00:51:568Caster's New Owners Talk Future Plans, AI's Impact, and Morefull<![CDATA[Succession Planning Ain't Easy. Caster Comm Founder Walks Us Through Hers.]]>Taking on a seemingly insurmountable challenge is nothing new to Kimberly Lancaster. Every step of her career journey has been marked by defying the odds. Now, the PR firm founder and decades-long leader of Caster Communications is taking on a new kind of challenge—her exit from the business she spent years building. The calculated, honest approach to transitioning into this next phase is a great lesson for any business owner.

]]>dd36dd68-ef9c-4500-97da-275c7cdc242fMon, 23 Mar 2026 11:00:00 GMT<p>Taking on a seemingly insurmountable challenge is nothing new to Kimberly Lancaster. Every step of her career journey has been marked by defying the odds. Now, the PR firm founder and decades-long leader of Caster Communications is taking on a new kind of challenge—her exit from the business she spent years building. The calculated, honest approach to transitioning into this next phase is a great lesson for any business owner.</p>no00:43:517Succession Planning Ain't Easy. Caster Comm Founder Walks Us Through Hers.full<![CDATA[Picking the Brain of Power Proponent Joe Piccirilli]]>A veteran of the consumer electronics industry, Joe Piccirilli has seen it all. Today, as a major proponent of precision power performance, he's set out to ensure integrators, builders, and consumers alike understand the importance of power in the context of the luxury smart home. When implemented properly, the right system can serve as the perfect power-driven painkiller for everyone involved.

]]>df328728-c93f-45ab-ad6f-3a6334a430cdMon, 16 Mar 2026 11:00:00 GMT<p>A veteran of the consumer electronics industry, Joe Piccirilli has seen it all. Today, as a major proponent of precision power performance, he's set out to ensure integrators, builders, and consumers alike understand the importance of power in the context of the luxury smart home. When implemented properly, the right system can serve as the perfect power-driven painkiller for everyone involved.</p>no00:42:196Picking the Brain of Power Proponent Joe Piccirillifull<![CDATA[LK & Associates Designed an Experience Center for Themselves]]>To be clear, the experience center that's owned by LK & Associates in Southeast Florida may be theirs on paper. But, as Seth Kaplan told us, this space is intended to be a playground for the industry. Shortly after the official grand opening, we sat down with Seth to explore how they got to this point, plans for the space moving forward, and much more.

]]>7f61daff-5062-4cf5-b57b-6221d48b95c6Mon, 02 Mar 2026 12:00:00 GMT<p>To be clear, the experience center that's owned by LK &amp; Associates in Southeast Florida may be theirs on paper. But, as Seth Kaplan told us, this space is intended to be a playground for the industry. Shortly after the official grand opening, we sat down with Seth to explore how they got to this point, plans for the space moving forward, and much more.</p>no00:32:455LK & Associates Designed an Experience Center for Themselvesfull<![CDATA[A Couple of Content Creators Chat About the State of Media and More]]>Though from different generations, our Editor in Chief Rob Stott and Strata-gee Founder and Chief Content Creator Ted Green have a lot more in common than you’d expect. Both discovered partway through their careers their entrepreneurial spirit, and both share a passion for improving the state of the trade media landscape. Here, the two journos commiserate on the current conditions impacting media and the custom integration channel, how their stories have intertwined, and much more.

Check out Ted's industry coverage at www.strata-gee.com.

]]>827c47b2-294c-44f3-97bb-c62f5b770bcfMon, 23 Feb 2026 12:00:00 GMT<p>Though from different generations, our Editor in Chief Rob Stott and Strata-gee Founder and Chief Content Creator Ted Green have a lot more in common than you’d expect. Both discovered partway through their careers their entrepreneurial spirit, and both share a passion for improving the state of the trade media landscape. Here, the two journos commiserate on the current conditions impacting media and the custom integration channel, how their stories have intertwined, and much more.</p><p></p><p>Check out Ted's industry coverage at <a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.strata-gee.com/" target="_blank">www.strata-gee.com</a>.</p>no00:49:364A Couple of Content Creators Chat About the State of Media and Morefull<![CDATA[Kyle Steele On the Importance of Adaptability as an Integrator]]>Global Wave Integration Founder and CEO Kyle Steele has had quite the professional journey. From an aspiring rock star to a standout in the custom integration industry, he's learned how to remain adaptable in life, let alone his profession. Here, we dive into the many challenges facing CIs today, including new technologies, AI, business operations, and more.

]]>6f0bf33c-f9a4-47bc-bd30-6f4977557635Mon, 09 Feb 2026 13:00:00 GMT<p>Global Wave Integration Founder and CEO Kyle Steele has had quite the professional journey. From an aspiring rock star to a standout in the custom integration industry, he's learned how to remain adaptable in life, let alone his profession. Here, we dive into the many challenges facing CIs today, including new technologies, AI, business operations, and more.</p>no00:35:123Kyle Steele On the Importance of Adaptability as an Integratorfull<![CDATA[From Industry Newbie to CEDIA Board Chair]]>Amanda Wildman's career arc is one she would've never predicted. Custom integration wasn't even a term she was familiar with before leaving the jewelry business and getting into the channel with her husband over two decades ago. Now, she's getting set to serve as the first-ever female Chair of CEDIA's Global Board of Directors.

]]>8ed5cca8-60a9-4e17-b81e-072fb88a39b6Mon, 02 Feb 2026 12:00:00 GMT<p>Amanda Wildman's career arc is one she would've never predicted. Custom integration wasn't even a term she was familiar with before leaving the jewelry business and getting into the channel with her husband over two decades ago. Now, she's getting set to serve as the first-ever female Chair of CEDIA's Global Board of Directors.</p>no00:45:202From Industry Newbie to CEDIA Board Chairfull<![CDATA[The Story Behind this New Chapter for Connected Design]]>It's officially official: Connected Design is back! What will this new version of the renowned platform look like? How has the mission and motivation changed? What kinds of content can you come to expect? Co-re-founders Maryellen Oswald and Rob Stott break all of that down and more in this premiere episode of the Connected Design Podcast.

]]>5b480597-7d34-4edc-af95-10dd741be3ddFri, 23 Jan 2026 21:24:37 GMT<p>It's officially official: <i>Connected Design</i> is back! What will this new version of the renowned platform look like? How has the mission and motivation changed? What kinds of content can you come to expect? Co-re-founders Maryellen Oswald and Rob Stott break all of that down and more in this premiere episode of the Connected Design Podcast.</p>no00:42:261The Story Behind this New Chapter for Connected Designfull