AutomatedBuildings.com Interview

•    Serial entrepreneur with a background in economy and a strong understanding of technology markets.
•    Co-founded SCL Elements (CAN2GO®) in 2009.
•    Previously co-founded and headed SCL Medtech from 2004 to 2009, a manufacturer of specialized equipment for medical and industrial research.
•    Began his career in 2000 as an entrepreneur and investor with Manolson & Leblond, a real estate investment and management company that he co-founded.
•    Holds B.Sc and M.Sc. degrees in Economics from the University of Montreal. Has complementary training in Biology from UQAM, Accounting from HEC-Montreal and in Technology Entrepreneurship from the MIT.

Sinclair: Viconics Technologies has recently joined forces with SCL Elements, can you tell us a little about this?

Leblond: Viconics is very excited about its new partnership with SCL elements. Together we are working diligently to bring our innovative building management system to the next level. This partnership opens new horizons and establishes Viconics as a center of excellence for building solutions and wireless technology. The expertise we have gained in the industry over the years is being melded together to create a very unique solution. This new “Small Building System,” will provide power and flexibility which goes beyond what currently can be achieved with other systems on the market and will allow integrators to offer customers a more complete control solution.

Sinclair: What changes can your customers expect to see as a result of this partnership?

Leblond: Our customers can expect to see more great innovative solutions being added to our existing product line in the coming year. We will continue to focus on control systems which integrate both wired and wireless solutions into small building systems. This offers greater flexibility and lower installed cost to the end user. We can now greatly extend how many wireless devices can be controlled with our new system, allowing us to offer a complete ecosystem of peripheral devices which we can control. This includes Thermostats, Valve Actuators, Carbon Dioxide sensors, switches, key cards and much more!

Leblond: Providing energy savings and occupant comfort is still at the forefront of our objectives for our customers but now we can compliment this and go beyond simply controlling HVAC systems. We can now provide improved methods of monitoring your building remotely via a web browser. We can also tap into new areas such as lighting, metering, usage trending and other areas of control management which were not readily accessible to us in the past. Together we are able to offer a complete wireless ecosystem providing the flexibility to achieve most any control applications. This can all be done with a lower deployment cost so both facility managers and building owners will benefit from a much quicker return on investment.

Sinclair: I attended the Haystack Connect event in Chattanooga and I noticed that Can2Go was a sponsor at this event, but the booth at the event was Viconics. Can you explain the evolving relationship?

Leblond: For the remainder of the year the Viconics and Can2Go brand will be appearing at various trade show events together. We want our customers to clearly understand that the Can2Go solutions are being integrated into the Viconics product line and will continue to be available and evolve through the Viconics channels. Having experts for both solutions at such events allows us to answer any questions quickly and accurately. The Haystack Connect event was a very good example of this. We received many interesting questions regarding both solutions and traffic to our booth was very active with visitors throughout the event!

Sinclair: Also when we click on Can2Go link it still takes us to their web site? Will they still operate as a separate identity or will they become part of Viconics?

Leblond: This is an excellent question. Currently Can2Go will continue to operate as usual but the products will eventually be integrated into the Viconics web site where they will be presented alongside the Viconics products and solutions. This will be a seamless process which will not cause any issues with any existing customers. Products will continue to be supported and information and training will always be available to our customers.

[an error occurred while processing this directive]Sinclair: When you click on (How and Where to buy) it states "We will put you in contact with the sales rep for your region." Will the Can2Go dealers be maintained? Or will this switch to the Viconics network?

Leblond: Yes the sales and support for the Can2Go products and solutions will be maintained but will eventually be integrated into Viconics where they will be increased. Existing customers can contact their usual sales representatives for any questions they may have. These channels of support will continue to be available under the Viconics brand moving forward. There will be no disruption of pre or post sales support as the integration process is completed and with our sales teams joining forces we will be able to offer even more sales presence to our customers moving forward.

Sinclair: This sounds very exciting, when will we be able to see some of these new solutions?

Leblond: We are certain that both our new and existing customers and partners will be extremely pleased with our new offerings which will be available this summer and ramped up during the rest of the year. They will be showcased at the 2014 AHR Expo which will be the 22 consecutive year Viconics will be exhibiting at the show.

The future is brighter than ever for the new technology which is being developed at Viconics with the added expertise of SCL Elements. We are taking definite steps in the right direction in facilitating how energy management systems can be more effectively deployed in order to achieve greater energy savings optimal reliability and easy installation required to make your next project a success!

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