Podcast
4
min read
James Dice

🎧 #031: Why technology in buildings is decades behind

December 17, 2020
“You built a building 25 years ago, and the stuff you put in there, it’s still there.”
-Keith Berkoben of Google

"For consumer facing technology, you know, people talk about the market working in all kinds of mysterious ways, but if you don't have a feedback path, the market doesn't work.”
- Andrew Rodgers of ACE IoT

“So you have this fundamental difference of perspective, where the people who ran the companies saw technology is a risk and a cost. And then you had the markets saying, well, I'm not going to go into that market and develop anything technological, because I can't get enough uptake. And between that and the .com bust…”
- Joe Gaspardone of Montgomery Technologies

“So you need this IT/OT hybrid skillset that really a lot of organizations just don’t have today.”
-Kyle Tooke of ThoughtWire

Welcome to Nexus, a newsletter and podcast for smart people applying smart building technology—hosted by James Dice. If you’re new to Nexus, you might want to start here.

The Nexus podcast (Apple | Spotify | YouTube | Other apps) is our chance to explore and learn with the brightest in our industry—together. The project is directly funded by listeners like you who have joined the Nexus Pro membership community.

You can join Nexus Pro to get a weekly-ish deep dive, access to the Nexus Vendor Landscape, and invites to exclusive events with a community of smart buildings nerds.

Episode 31 is a special end of year episode. Today, we're not doing an interview, but a mashup of several interviews from this past year.

Summary

Specifically, this episode is every answer to my favorite podcast question—all mashed together. I'm hoping this episode will serve as an introduction to all the newcomers to our space that have the same question I've had:

Why the hell is the technology in buildings so far behind?

  1. Episode 5 with Troy Harvey of PassiveLogic (1:30)
  2. Episode 29 with Trevor Sodorff and Keith Berkoben of Google (10:45)
  3. Episode 19 with Tyson Soutter of Siemens (12:31)
  4. Episode 18 with Logan Soya of Aquicore (15:14)
  5. Episode 24 with Mike Brooman of Vanti (18:31)
  6. Episode 20 with Andrew Rodgers of ACE IoT (24:25)
  7. Episode 26 with Emmanuel Daniel of Microsoft (26:26)
  8. Episode 22 with Kyle Tooke of ThoughtWire (29:47; 34:40)
  9. Episode 27 with Joe Gaspardone of Montgomery Technologies (30:37)
  10. Episode 30 with Matthew Vogel of Microsoft (35:42)
  11. Episode 15 with Deb Noller of Switch Automation (38:00)

Nexus Pro members can find deep dives into all of these interviews, as well as details on the interviewees in our searchable Nexus archive.

Enjoy!

Thoughts, comments, reactions? Let us know in the comments.

Leave a comment

Music credit: The Garden State by Audiobinger

Sign Up for Access or Log In to Continue Viewing

Sign Up for Access or Log In to Continue Viewing

“You built a building 25 years ago, and the stuff you put in there, it’s still there.”
-Keith Berkoben of Google

"For consumer facing technology, you know, people talk about the market working in all kinds of mysterious ways, but if you don't have a feedback path, the market doesn't work.”
- Andrew Rodgers of ACE IoT

“So you have this fundamental difference of perspective, where the people who ran the companies saw technology is a risk and a cost. And then you had the markets saying, well, I'm not going to go into that market and develop anything technological, because I can't get enough uptake. And between that and the .com bust…”
- Joe Gaspardone of Montgomery Technologies

“So you need this IT/OT hybrid skillset that really a lot of organizations just don’t have today.”
-Kyle Tooke of ThoughtWire

Welcome to Nexus, a newsletter and podcast for smart people applying smart building technology—hosted by James Dice. If you’re new to Nexus, you might want to start here.

The Nexus podcast (Apple | Spotify | YouTube | Other apps) is our chance to explore and learn with the brightest in our industry—together. The project is directly funded by listeners like you who have joined the Nexus Pro membership community.

You can join Nexus Pro to get a weekly-ish deep dive, access to the Nexus Vendor Landscape, and invites to exclusive events with a community of smart buildings nerds.

Episode 31 is a special end of year episode. Today, we're not doing an interview, but a mashup of several interviews from this past year.

Summary

Specifically, this episode is every answer to my favorite podcast question—all mashed together. I'm hoping this episode will serve as an introduction to all the newcomers to our space that have the same question I've had:

Why the hell is the technology in buildings so far behind?

  1. Episode 5 with Troy Harvey of PassiveLogic (1:30)
  2. Episode 29 with Trevor Sodorff and Keith Berkoben of Google (10:45)
  3. Episode 19 with Tyson Soutter of Siemens (12:31)
  4. Episode 18 with Logan Soya of Aquicore (15:14)
  5. Episode 24 with Mike Brooman of Vanti (18:31)
  6. Episode 20 with Andrew Rodgers of ACE IoT (24:25)
  7. Episode 26 with Emmanuel Daniel of Microsoft (26:26)
  8. Episode 22 with Kyle Tooke of ThoughtWire (29:47; 34:40)
  9. Episode 27 with Joe Gaspardone of Montgomery Technologies (30:37)
  10. Episode 30 with Matthew Vogel of Microsoft (35:42)
  11. Episode 15 with Deb Noller of Switch Automation (38:00)

Nexus Pro members can find deep dives into all of these interviews, as well as details on the interviewees in our searchable Nexus archive.

Enjoy!

Thoughts, comments, reactions? Let us know in the comments.

Leave a comment

Music credit: The Garden State by Audiobinger

⭐️ Pro Article

Sign Up for Access or Log In to View

⭐️ Pro Article

Sign Up for Access or Log In to View

Are you interested in joining us at NexusCon 2025? Register now so you don’t miss out!

Join Today

Are you a Nexus Pro member yet? Join now to get access to our community of 600+ members.

Join Today

Have you taken our Smart Building Strategist Course yet? Sign up to get access to our courses platform.

Enroll Now

Get the renowned Nexus Newsletter

Access the Nexus Community

Head over to Nexus Connect and see what’s new in the community. Don’t forget to check out the latest member-only events.

Go to Nexus Connect

Upgrade to Nexus Pro

Join Nexus Pro and get full access including invite-only member gatherings, access to the community chatroom Nexus Connect, networking opportunities, and deep dive essays.

Sign Up