In January 2021, Hall Research announced it was rebranding to Hall Technologies. During the following months, the company has made several key hires. Hall Technologies CEO Jason Schwartz discusses the evolution that is taking place.
Q: Can you tell us more about Hall’s recent evolution?
A: In 2020, Hall’s board of directors decided to rebrand and reposition the company. We hired AV veteran Hal Truax as vice president of sales and marketing in late 2020 and began the process of reinvigorating the company. The purpose of rebranding was to put a greater focus on the human-centric products and global solutions Hall is developing. For more than three decades Hall had been focused on creating singular products, but in today’s current climate, the demand for end-to-end solutions has become more apparent. A lot of this realization stemmed from our customers’ feedback, and that helped us tailor a new ecosystem of products aimed at relieving these pain points.
Q: What kind of pain points?
A: Well, for example the higher education market has been rapidly evolving during the pandemic to accommodate hybrid learning solutions. Teachers have had to take on managing the classroom AV/IT along with their current lesson plans, and then take all that online. Our R&D team set out to develop products that create solutions for these challenges and address the various ecosystems of learning: in-person, distanced, and hybrid. They considered things like legacy equipment converging with new technologies, and how teachers could truly engage students easily and effectively with a simple user interface that controls their presentations. That’s just a small example of what R&D has been tasked with in terms of designing more customer-centric solutions. We’re dedicated to creating innovative solutions that will change the way people learn, work, and live their daily lives.
Q: Beyond the product evolution, there have been several strategic new hires at Hall. What’s Hall’s strategy for growth?
A: Our go-to-market approach has shifted from an ecommerce-based offering to a customer-facing model. A key hire for Hall is Ken Eagle. He was brought on as vice president of technology and has a real understanding of how we want to enhance Hall’s product portfolio with transformative solutions. Ken’s also heading up our team of engineers. We keenly understand that one size or type does not fit all. Hall’s engineers have modified specific products based on unique scenarios to create customized solutions. We have also stacked the deck with several more regional sales managers: Brian Schumacher, Roy Leggett, and Nelson Solares have recently joined the team. These guys are our grassroots sales team in charge of managing Hall’s global territories. We are looking to add to our sales force for further outreach alongside our manufacturer reps. It was important for our customers to have a trusted partner, and for Hall to not just be considered “another vendor.” As a partner, we know who you are, and we are committed to your continuing success.
Q: What goes into creating more customer-centric products.
A: Hall’s focus is on truly understanding what customers need. You are not just another number in our system. Hall is big enough to meet your needs but small enough to be on a first-name basis with our customers. Another key differentiator for Hall is quality control. Unlike many manufacturers, Hall Technologies designs, engineers, R&D’s, and manufactures components in house. We take quality very seriously. Our customers can be assured that typical points of failure won’t be the case when it’s a Hall product and will be met with exceptional customer service.
Q: What’s next for Hall?
A: We’re looking forward to exhibiting at InfoComm and other regional shows to showcase Hall’s growing product portfolio. We’re also looking for strategic partners to help grow our brand and customer base. There’s a lot more on Hall’s horizon, but trust that it’s a direction full of growth, opportunity, and innovations.
You can find this article featured in AV Technology Magazine on 8/24/21
