Session Overview
Everyone in the industry eventually faces the question: what’s next? Whether you’re planning to sell, pass the business on, or grow to the next level, knowing what buyers and successors truly value is critical. This session breaks down consolidation, the risks and rewards of each path, and offers practical insights to strengthen your company’s future. Walk away with strategies you can start applying today to position your business for success.
SPEAKERS
Kerri Lee Sinclair, AutomatedBuildings.com
Kerri Sinclair is the Editorial Board Chair of AutomatedBuildings. Her background in technology, software and engineering spans 30 years across early internet and search technologies, the digitation of music, the first telematics devices in cars, the rollout of fibre and DSLAMs, private cloud & collaboration solutions in construction and building operations. An active private markets investor in climate, agtech, life sciences and additive manufacturing companies, she also often joins their Boards. You can contact her at kerri@automatedbuildings.com.
Brian Turner, CEO, OTI
I’m the CEO of OTI, a next-generation MSI focused on transforming the built environment through integrated technologies. With over 30 years in building automation and leadership at Controlco and BuildingsIOT, I’ve worked with major property owners to advance system integration, building data strategies, and demand response. OTI brings together OT systems—like HVAC, lighting, and power metering—with IT tools such as asset management platforms, Outlook, and cloud-based AI to create unified, intelligent building solutions. Our goal is to make buildings smarter, more efficient, and easier to manage, while driving improvements in well-being, energy use, security, and sustainability.
Scott Cochrane, President & CEO, Cochrane Supply
Scott Cochrane is President and CEO of Cochrane Supply & Engineering, a leading Smart Building Controls Supplier with locations throughout Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, and Texas, as well as an affiliate in Ontario called Canada Controls. Scott earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Business with minors in Marketing and Finance from Eastern Michigan University and holds an additional minor in HVAC Technologies from Macomb Community College. In 2000, he took over the business from his father, Donald Cochrane, Sr., who founded the company in 1967. Scott is an IBcon Digital Impact Award Winner for going above and beyond to positively impact the smart building industry, as well as a winner of the ControlTrends Impact Person of the Year Award and Distributor Executive of the Year Award for his contributions to the industry.
Josh Reding, President, Sunbelt Controls
Josh Reding is a proven leader with over 30 years of comprehensive experience in HVAC and Control Systems Integration, specializing in Building Automation Systems (BAS) Controls Management. Josh’s journey began as the Owner and Operator of Enterprise Integration. His deep entrepreneurial expertise in DDC systems integration and vital industry relationships proved essential when his company was acquired by Sunbelt Controls in 2010. He immediately brought innovative building controls solutions and valuable product channel agreements—integral to navigating the ever-evolving world of the Internet of Things (IoT)—to the Sunbelt organization
