Integrators from across the globe gathered in Atlanta for the inaugural D-Tools User Conference (DTUC), a three-day event focused on helping integration businesses improve operations, share best practices, and gain deeper insight into the tools that power their workflows.
Held February 23–25 at the Renaissance Atlanta Midtown, the conference brought together nearly 150 business leaders, project managers, sales professionals, and operations specialists from across the systems integration industry. Under the theme “Share What Works. Build What’s Next.”, the event combined industry insights, peer collaboration, and best practices for both D-Tools System Integrator (SI) and D-Tools Cloud platforms.
Attendees left with practical strategies for improving profitability, streamlining workflows, and preparing their businesses for the next phase of industry growth.
Leadership Sets the Vision
The conference opened with a keynote and town hall session led by D-Tools outgoing CEO Randy Stearns and newly appointed CEO G. Paul Hess, who addressed key industry trends including economic outlook, artificial intelligence, and the future roadmap for the D-Tools platform.
Stearns expressed optimism about the industry’s outlook. Stearns noted that in general the economy in 2026 looks solid, with inflation down, corporate earnings up, and the turmoil of tariffs and supply chain mostly resolved.
“Labor is a bit soft, but that actually creates opportunities for efficient, well-run integration businesses,” said Stearns. “I’m optimistic about 2026—and, frankly, about the next few years—for both our industry and your businesses.”
D-Tools CEO G. Paul Hess said D-Tools is committed to being an essential element of the industry for both integrators and suppliers.
Hess echoed those thoughts, touting the unique role that D-Tools plays within the integration community to help improve workflow and deliver industry-level insights.
“Many dealers today are juggling a stack of tools—CRM, ERP, project management, accounting, service tickets, and more,” Hess said. “When those systems don’t talk to each other, workflows become fragmented. Our mission at D-Tools is to create a unified platform that helps integrators build profitable proposals, gain better visibility into their business, and execute consistently.”.
Industry Experts Share Business Strategies
The D-Tools User Conference brought together more than 150 business leaders, project managers, sales teams, and operations professionals from across the systems integration industry. Participants were treated to an array of business-focused presentations from leading authorities in the industry.
Matt Bernath, president of industry consulting firm VITAL, stepped attendees through an important exercise to determine their labor profitability, and then identified key ways they can boost that their labor profit.
Ron Callis, CEO of One Firefly, gave a thought-provoking presentation on how AI is transforming online search. He noted that for the first time ever, Google search volume fell in 2025, while AI search increased by 400%. Callis outlined specifically what integrators need to do to capture AI search volume.
Joseph Kolchinsky, founder and CEO of OneVision Resources, discussed how the integration industry is following the same path that the IT industry took 30 years ago and is migrating to be a service-based business. He explained how integrators can adopt a service mentality and capture willing customers who are willing to pay.
Jason Sayen, founder of I AM SAYEN, revealed that on average companies lose $12,506 per year per employee due to miscommunication. He stressed the importance of establishing workflows and conducting handoff meetings between each phase of a project. All that, he noted, needs to be in place to effectively adopt and utilize business management software such as D-Tools.
Finally, Chris Smith, principal of TheCoTeam, gave valuable hiring advice to attendees who are generally starving for quality labor. His suggestions included using Indeed paid ads (not free) to advertise your job openings, making sure you include the salary range, make the offer letter compelling to the candidates and not an HR-driven job description, and to consider hiring “human first” and “technical second.”
One attendee summed up the sentiment shared by many participants: “Every session felt keynote-worthy.”
Product Discussion and Peer Collaboration
In addition to general sessions, the conference featured breakout tracks dedicated to D-Tools SI, D-Tools Cloud, and I3 partner analytics, allowing attendees to dive deeper into the tools and workflows that drive their businesses.
During these sessions, the D-Tools team shared product updates, previewed upcoming features, and gathered feedback directly from users. Roundtable discussions encouraged peer-to-peer collaboration around real-world operational challenges, including project workflows, vehicle policies, invoicing processes, and managing change orders.
At the event, attendees participated in multiple roundtable discussions to share best practices on various operational topics.
“We came to the D-Tools User Conference to network with other AV integrators, to hear how they are running their business, as well as to get deeper insights into the D-Tools platform and where it’s going,” said John Cappuccio, Operations Manager at Techifi in Lake Oswego, OR. “It’s been great.”
“If you’re not attending the D-Tools User Conference, you are missing out,” says Earl Naegle, Head of CI, Retail & Ecommerce at Neptune / Peerless-AV. “This has been two extraordinary days filled with valuable content, interaction and networking. I can testify… you should be here.”
“One of the key things I am taking away from this conference is that many people at D-Tools come from the integration industry,” said Joe Stadler, CFO at Third Coast Tech in Waterford, MI. “That perspective really shows in how the platform evolves.”
Community and Industry Collaboration
Throughout the event, attendees had the opportunity to interact directly with D-Tools product development, support teams, and company leadership.
Sponsors participating in the conference included AV Pro, Somfy, Sonos, Sony, Future Ready Solutions, Neptune / Peerless-AV, SurgeX / Ametek, and Wesco Distribution, creating additional opportunities for networking and industry collaboration.