Automation Unplugged Podcast

This is Automation Unplugged, and I’m Ron Callis. Our guest today is Kris Coleman, Executive Director of Fox Bravo Overland and CEO of Red5 Security. Before founding Red5, Kris served as a Special Agent with the FBI and an Intelligence Officer with the CIA. Today, he leads a firm that provides high-level security solutions to families, executives, and corporations, helping them manage everything from physical threats to digital vulnerabilities. He’s also the driving force behind Fox Bravo Overland, a nonprofit using overlanding expeditions to support veterans and first responders as they reconnect with purpose, community, and themselves.

This is Automation Unplugged, and I’m Ron Callis. My guest today is Kayla Steinberg, Certified Showroom Dealer (CSD) Program Lead at ADI | Snap One. Kayla brings more than twelve years of experience across franchising, sales, marketing, and operations — and she now leads the global CSD program, helping dealers showcase their showrooms, strengthen partnerships, and grow their businesses through strategic marketing and education initiatives. Before joining the AV industry, Kayla built a career in both education and franchise marketing, where she developed a deep passion for relationship-driven leadership and empowering others to succeed. At ADI | Snap One, she’s channeling that same passion into creating impactful programs and meaningful connections that elevate dealers around the world.

This is Automation Unplugged and I’m Ron Callis. Our guest today on this Marketing Experts episode is Taylor Whipple, Chief Financial Officer here at One Firefly. Taylor has spent more than twelve years helping guide One Firefly’s growth through strategic, data-driven decision-making. In this episode, he combines financial insight with operational strategy to help integrators turn their marketing budgets into powerful tools for stability and growth.

This is Automation Unplugged, and I’m Ron Callis. Our guest today is Ari Supran, CEO of Sonance, the parent company of Sonance, James Loudspeaker, IPORT, and TRUFIG. With over 30 years in the custom integration industry, Ari has been at the forefront of merging technology with interior design and architecture. Before joining Sonance in 2006, he spent a decade at Lutron Electronics in sales and marketing, and today he leads a privately held, global company with more than 300 employees.

This is Automation Unplugged, I’m Ron Callis. Today we’re bringing you Part II of our panel series “Navigating Uncertainty: An Open Forum for Dealers on the State of the Industry.” recorded in August of 2025. In May of 2025, we convened a group of industry leaders for Part I of this discussion — sharing real-world advice on tariffs, pricing strategies, growth opportunities, and operational resilience. The response was overwhelming, and you asked us to go deeper. That’s what we set out to do in Part II. In this follow-up session, the panel explored late-2025 dealer priorities, from hiring and retaining new talent to winning in the lighting category, leveraging HTA certification and storytelling for luxury differentiation, and addressing operations, exit planning, and AI adoption.