Realcomm | Ibcon 2023 was last month, celebrating its 25th Anniversary of their annual 3-day commercial real estate and smart building technology conference. Caesars Palace in Las Vegas played host to this year's event, as Jim Young and the Realcomm team put on another fantastic conference, where Cochrane Supply had its presence felt throughout.

Cochrane Supply Brings its Expertise in Smart Building Technology to the Commercial Real Estate Industry

As a leading distributor in the building controls industry, Cochrane Supply takes pride in bridging the gaps between manufacturers and end-users. Participating in Realcomm IBcon 2023 offered us an unmatched opportunity to get in front of the leaders of the commercial real estate industry.

I was honored to help host the preconference Smart Building Integrator Summit, and our Business Development Manager, Greg Fitzpatrick was invited to host the CRE Cybersecurity Forum, as well as a variety of educational sessions over the course of the conference.

Scott Cochrane speaking at Realcomm IBcon 2023 Smart Building Integrator Summit
Greg Fitzpatrick speaking at Realcomm IBcon 2023 Commercial Real Estate Cybersecurity Forum

Watch: Highlights from Greg Fitzpatrick's CRE Cybersecurity Forum

The Cochrane Supply booth attracted its fair share of attention, as our tech team demonstrated augmented reality solutions for BAS. We joined some of our most trusted vendors including Tridium, Distech Controls, Johnson Controls, and Functional Devices, as they presented some of the latest cutting-edge technologies, and shared their visions of the future for the BAS industry in commercial real estate.

cochrane supply CTO mike mitchell demonstrates augmented reality technology for BAS as realcomm IBcon 2023
lauren scott with distech controls and aquity brands hosting booth at realcomm IBcon 2023
tridium tradeshow booth at realcomm IBcon 2023
johson controls tradeshow booth at realcomm IBcon 2023
functional devices tradeshow booth at realcomm IBcon 2023

Smart Building Integrator Summit

What a year it was for the Smart Building Integrator Summit, each seat was virtually filled with an audience made up of Systems Integrators, and all sessions were met with big interest and great participation. 

I joined Donny Walker of Newcomb & Boyd, and Craig Stevenson of Auros Group in coordinating this year's Summit. We presented a series of panels covering topics related to Master Systems Integrators, OT Network Design, Smart to Smarter Building, Cyber Security, and ESG. With so many diverse topics to cover, we were only able to scratch the surface, leaving the audience thirsty for more. 

I had the pleasure of hosting the introductory panel on Master System Integrators, along with Brain Oswald of CBRE|ESI, Frank Durso of Stanford University, and Roxette Mancero of Tridium. One of the main take-aways from this panel was our 4 reasons as to "Why hire a Master Systems Integrator".

  1. Consulting with the building owner on strategy, design, selection, and implementation of technology used in building control.   
  2. Managing building owners' complex network requirements within facilities– supporting the collaboration of goals between IT, Construction, and the Facilities Department.    
  3. Implementing consistency in delivering software solutions to a portfolio of buildings. 
  4. Mitigating cybersecurity risks with a deeper knowledge of the growing variety of ways nefarious organizations can threaten a building's functionality and the safety of its tenants.

A special thanks to Leroy Walden of Hirose Consultants and Sarah Monteleone of CGNA for their participation as well.

As many contractors continue to transition from Temperature Controls Contractors to Systems Integrators, and into Master Systems Integrators, Realcomm’s Smart Building Integrator Summit will remain a valuable forum to share and learn within our larger Smart Building community.     

Realcomm Digie Awards: Lifetime Achievement Award

Wow! What an honor to be chosen for this award.  It’s hard to imagine myself sitting with all the other great industry people who have been chosen for this award.  It was a shock to win, I thought it was for people about to retire. As a matter of fact I wasn’t in the room when they announced it!!!!!   I stepped out of the room thinking this is the last award I would win, a good time to sneak away and call my wife.  I walk in after my call and CONGRADULATIONS!!! 

Thank you, Jim, Howard, Lisa and the entire Realcomm Team for the award and everything you do to keep us all engaged together in this industry. I promise to continue my drive with you in bringing our industry together so we can all continue to move the needle on Intelligent Buildings.