Crestron Electronics, Inc.

 Crestron Celebrates Record-Setting Participation for 13th Masters Program for Professional Development

Company recognizes four Diamond-level partners for their ongoing commitment to design, programming and user experience

Rockleigh, NJ, April 6, 2016 – In today’s dynamic technology landscape, it’s more challenging than ever for technology professionals to stay at the forefront of the latest developments and advances. With this in mind, Crestron, a leading global technology company, has committed to providing the best training in the industry to its most valued integrators and partners to empower them to bring Crestron’s innovative technology solutions to life for millions of people around the globe.
 
Today, Crestron has announced record-setting participation for its thirteenth Crestron Masters program, bringing nearly 700 of its premier programmers together for three days of rigorous training, testing and professional development. Masters empowers its programmers with new knowledge and skills to continue providing best-in-class solutions to Crestron customers worldwide from a design, programming and user experience perspective. Crestron’s solutions enable enterprises and luxury homeowners to create exceptional environments with the push of a button—seamlessly controlling their AV, climate, lighting, shading, security needs and more.
 
This year, Master Programmers from around the world will converge on the Doral®Arrowwood® resort in Rye Brook, New York, April 12-14, 2016. Attendees will work with the brightest and most creative minds at Crestron, learn about new technologies, gain insight into the Crestron innovation process, and engage their peers in a fully interactive learning environment.
 
“Master Programmers are some of the most respected leaders in our industry and help us bring our technology to life,” said Richard Sasson, Crestron Global Director of Technical Services. “Crestron goes to incredible lengths to empower these integrators and partners with the best training possible, to ensure that they are operating at the highest level in the industry. At the same time, our Masters program professionals recognize the opportunity to be at the forefront of the latest technology and products. We are excited to continue to build a vibrant network of global programming professionals, and we applaud our Masters students for their dedication, commitment, and continued partnership.”
 
This year’s program will kickoff with a keynote presentation from Crestron CEO Randy Klein and CTO, Fred Bargetzi, followed by three full days of intensive classes on topics such as deploying and supporting DigitalMedia™ technology, implementing Crestron Fusion® enterprise management platform; using Crestron PinPoint™ proximity detection technology; understanding Crestron Studio™ software and how it simplifies classroom AV system design; and learning the powerful new Crestron Home Elements modules and implementing them with the Crestron Pyng® App, among numerous other classes.
 
Each year,Crestron recognizes select elite Master Programmerswith a Silver (3 years), Gold (6 years), Platinum (9 years) or Diamond-level (12 years) programming achievement award, depending on how many classes they have attended and exams they have passed. Crestron is celebrating four individuals that have achieved a Diamond-level Master Programmer status, which requires more than 300 hours of training, as well as completing and presenting complex programming projects. This year’s honorees include:

• Jim Pope, Technical Director, Applied Global Technologies
• Tom McLaughlin, Director of Technical Operations, Dobil Laboratories
• Jon Ottesen, Director Cloud Solutions, Crestron Electronics
• Steve Swartzentruber, Senior ATSG Engineer, Crestron Electronics

“Our Diamond level participants have been a part of Crestron Masters from day one and represent the best in the business,” said Sasson. “The rigorous hours and stringent requirements that they have completed are equivalent to a full-fledged master’s degree. We are incredibly proud to recognize Jon, Steve, Jim and Tom for their passion and continued dedication to challenging themselves and refining their skills.”
 
Crestron Masters was started in 2002 after the company recognized a need for programmers to be kept up-to-date on their newest hardware and software solutions beyond industry tradeshows and basic programming classes. Today, Crestron has built a vibrant network of global programming professionals and Masters represents the highest level of achievement for technology professionals in the industry. To learn more about this year’s Crestron Masters classes, please visit http://www.crestron.com/about/events-tradeshows/masters-2016.