EMAIL INTERVIEW – Ken Smyers and Ken Sinclair

Ken Smyers, with DMS Controls Group, LLC, in Pittsburgh, has over 30 years of experience in the HVAC, Building Automation, and Controls Industry and is Co-Founder of the ControlTrends Awards, which was established to recognize the superstars and heroes of the HVAC and Building Automation Industries.  Ken is also very much involved with Eric Stromquist and ControlTrends.org, a leading internet source for HVAC and Controls information.

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Sinclair:  Now that the 2015 ControlTrends Awards nomination phase has ended, and the finalists have been posted on ControlTrends, what happens next?

Smyers:  The nomination period ended November 15th, 2015 and the final voting will begin the first week in December. Everyone that registered for the nominations will automatically receive an email ballot.  Those that didn’t participate in the nomination process can visit the controltrends.org website and register to vote via the ControlTrends Award voting icon on the top right hand side of the web page. Voting will continue till January 17th, 2016 -- and the winners be announced January 24th, 2016, at the 2015 ControlTrends Awards, being held at Orlando’s Hard Rock Live, from 6:30PM to 9:30PM.

Sinclair:  The ControlTrends Awards are all about recognition and honoring our industry’s stalwarts. You and Eric mentioned that ControlTrends will be giving a special Industry Achievement Award this year. Tell us about that.

Smyers:  We are delighted to present the AHR Expo with a ControlTrends Industry Service Award to recognize their 86 years of service that has organized and shaped the growth of the HVAC industry. The annual AHR Expo rejuvenates the entire HVAC industry, top-to-bottom, showcasing the newest technologies and innovation, as well as hosting vital collaboration, networking, and education programs.

Sinclair:  The ControlTrends Hall of Fame Award is always a highpoint. What can we expect this year?

Smyers:  The ControlTrends Hall of Fame Award is a unique opportunity to recognize the true pioneers of our HVAC Industry. Our previous inductees include Werner Buck, Jerry Frank, George Thomas, and Michael Newman.  This year, logistics dictated that we have no element of surprise for one of the deserving inductees, Hans R. Kranz, of Frankfurt, Germany, who is one of the founders of BACnet.  Hans Kranz is a remarkable man whose relentless and collaborative efforts led to the global adoption of BACnet.

It’s going to be a big night for BACnet, and if his scheduling allows, Andy McMillian will be on-stage to present a BACnet Award to a deserving recipient.

Sinclair:  Cybersecurity has made its way into the 2015 ControlTrends Awards -- as a dominant theme with major implications within our industry. What’s the basis for the award?

Smyers:  The importance of Cybersecurity cannot be overstated. To elevate awareness of Cybersecurity, we have asked SmartCore’s Fred Gordy, one of the most recognized and knowledgeable experts in the field, to select and present the ControlTrends Cybersecurity Award, which will recognize a person or solution that has had the greatest impact in advancing Cybersecurity awareness in our HVAC industry.

Sinclair:  In addition to the 22 categories and the awards we’ve mentioned already mentioned -- what else can we expect?

Smyers:  It’s going to be an exciting and spectacular night! We also have the Young Guns Awards, for which, we are still receiving nominations at controltrends@gmail.com, and some deserving individual(s) will join John Petze, Tom Schircliff, and Rob Murchison, as this year’s recipient of the Petock Award.