Commercial Integrators Who Empower Others to Share Their Experiences Will Add Strength to the Pro AV Industry

Commercial Integrator took center stage in the Pro AV industry recently with its recent highlight of top minds in the market, and one of MarketScale's own made the list.

Commercial Integrator's annual "40 Influencers Under 40" is a testament to the remarkable talent making waves in the sector. The 2023 list, celebrating its 10th year, showcases the brightest minds and emphasizes the strides made toward gender equality and the growing influence of the higher education sector. Ben Thomas, the Head of Pro AV and Integrated Technology Partnerships at MarketScale is among the distinguished individuals gracing this year's list. Sponsored by giants like TD SYNNEX, ADI, and Starin, this list is more than just names—it reflects the industry's future.

Thomas reflected on his inclusion in CI's 40 Under 40 and how commercial integrators like himself can share their insights, experiences, and stories to improve the Pro AV industry.

Ben's Thoughts

"When I found out I was on CI's 40 Under 40 list this year, I was incredibly humbled. It made me think back to when I was a kid and was a fan of film and the production happening at wrestling, concerts, events, and attractions. It made me think back to being that little kid and loving what I was a part of—and loved being an audience member and not knowing that career was a career that I could have. Looking at myself now, where I've been able to live out my dream in a lot of different circumstances, meet presidents, film so many different people, travel internationally, run organizations or production companies and things like that, and now a little bit more on the business side of the world. But it made me so grateful for that journey.

All of those different times of my life and different roles and experiences that I have have kind of uniquely put me in the position that I'm at. And I know that that's all true for all of the other nominees and winners this year on the list. One of the things moving forward, too, that is a goal of mine, I think, as we continue to expand as an industry, is to elevate folks and really help people find their own voices. Whether it's somebody on the product design or sales side, the engineering side, or even the end-user side of the world, empowering folks in different communities to tell their stories.”

Empowering the Voices of Tomorrow

“You look at the world of B2C and influencer culture and so many things like that and how that's translated into our community to where our greatest subject matter experts and content creators are the engineers, the software designers, and the developers. The more we can empower folks like that to continue to share their stories and expertise, the more it will not only help expand us as an industry but also help empower folks in some of the tangential industries we serve. Whether that's health care, hospitality, or higher education, there are so many different places that AV has grown into. And that's my goal is to help empower those folks and empower them to share their stories and, serve our end user community and teach folks.

I am so optimistic about the future of our industry and can’t wait to see where we end up."