ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
It’s not written on any subsequent page, but here’s what I know about today’s AV designers: They’re wicked smart. AV designers often have the broadest expertise on a project because they need to anticipate the requirements of the entire team, including those of the client, installer, electrical engineer, architect, network administrator, and others. I’ve met many AV designers over the years, and many more have volunteered their time and expertise not only to the book you’re holding, which reflects their collective knowledge and valuable contributions to InfoComm International, but also to the Certified Technology Specialist-Design (CTS-D) certification.
People don’t always realize that the volunteers who develop InfoComm’s AV design education and the volunteers who administer the CTS-D certification represent—by necessity—two different camps. That is to say, there are twice as many people to acknowledge on this page than you might think. I want to thank all the professionals who’ve ever taught a design-related class, taken a class, added to InfoComm’s curriculum, written a CTS-D exam question, and much more. The AV industry is better and stronger for your efforts. I want to thank members of the InfoComm Certification Steering Committee—past and present—for their volunteer role in developing and maintaining the most respected professional credentials in the audiovisual industry.
More specifically, thanks to InfoComm’s Michelle Streffon, Amanda Beckner, Michael Hewitt, Mel Girardin, Alla Orlova, Joseph Valerio, Marcus Yarborough, and former InfoComm editor Nermina Miller for corralling all this knowledge and working with subject-matter experts to present the most complete picture of a certified AV designer. InfoComm’s staff instructors hone this information every day and take it directly to industry professionals, and for that we’re all grateful. Thanks to everyone at McGraw-Hill Education, including Tim Green, Amy Stonebraker, Jody McKenzie, and Kim Wimpsett, as well as their behind-the-scenes team, for turning this all into a useful resource.
And thanks very, very much to my wonderful family.
To all you wicked smart AV designers, good luck on your CTS-D exam. You’ve got a lot to work with in this guide. I hope it will serve as the springboard for a rewarding career. Thank you for making this an amazing time to be an AV professional.
—Brad Grimes, 2016
2016 InfoComm Board of Directors
Matt Emerson, CTS, CEAVCO Audio Visual Co. Inc., Leadership Search Committee Chair
Craig Janssen, LEED AP, Idibri, President
Gary Hall, CVE, CTS-D, CTS-I, Cisco, President-Elect
Julian Phillips, Whitlock, Secretary-Treasurer
Zane Au, CTS-D, LEED AP, BD+C, Shen Milsom & Wilke
Deb Britton, CTS, K2 Audio
Frank Culotta, CTS, Symco Inc.
Jeff Day, Bluewater Technologies
Maru Gaitán, GrupoNiza
Ratnesh Javeri, CTS-D, Innovative Systems and Solutions Pvt. Ltd.
Kevin Kelly, Stampede
Joe Pham, Ph.D., QSC Audio Products, LLC
InfoComm Staff
David Labuskes, CTS, RCDD, Executive Director and CEO
Alex Damico, Chief Operating Officer
Amanda Beckner, CTS, Vice President of Learning
Brad Grimes, Director of Communications
Alla Orlova, Director of Curriculum Development
Rachel Bradshaw, M. Ed., Director of Exposition Content
Mel Girardin, CTS, Director of Training
Nicole Verardi, Director of Marketing, Membership & Education
Michelle Streffon, CTS, Standards Manager
Tom Kehr, CTS-D, CTS-I, Senior Staff Instructor
Rod Brown, CTS-D, CTS-I, Staff Instructor
Chuck Espinoza, CTS-D, CTS-I, Staff Instructor
Andre LeJeune, CTS, Staff Instructor
Marcus Yarborough, CTS-I, Staff Instructor
Joseph Valerio, Training Developer
Michael Hewitt, Learning Systems Content Manager
Scott Wills, CTS-D, CTS-I, Senior Director of International Member Services
Bill Thomas, CTS-I, Director of International Education