Collaborating for the Client

Nov 20

Andrew Denny with Couture & Construction explores the importance of collaboration in the luxury design space with the team at SAV Digital Environments, Premiere Systems and Premiere SAV, leaders in home technology and smart solutions for luxury residences.

Listen as they discuss how vendors from different trades can collaborate to elevate the client experience in high-end residential projects, sharing their insights on overcoming challenges, fostering relationships, and evolving expectations in the industry, particularly with the influence of younger, tech-savvy builders.

This Podcast highlights the benefits of teamwork and shared knowledge in delivering cohesive and innovative design solutions.

Andrew: Welcome back to Couture and Construction. I'm your host, Andrew Denny, and today we’re exploring the power of collaboration in the luxury design space. Our guests today are Stephanie, Mike, and Robert. Together, they represent SAV Digital Environments, Premiere Systems, and their joint venture Premiere SAV. Together, they’re based in Montana, Chicago, Florida, and Jackson, WY, even spanning the Caribbean.
They specialize in cutting-edge technology for homes, creating seamless and integrated environments. However, today’s focus is broader—how vendors from diverse luxury trades can collaborate effectively to deliver a cohesive, elevated client experience in high-end residential markets. Let’s dive into how unrelated vendors, from home tech to flooring, can form partnerships that benefit both their businesses and their clients.
Andrew: Let’s start with introductions. We have two folks from Textures, including myself, and three from the SAV and Premiere teams. Mike, why don’t we start with you? Tell us a little about yourself.
Mike: I’m Mike Rossmiller, a partner and VP of Operations for SAV and Premiere SAV, the joint venture you mentioned. I’m a native Montanan, though I spent some time away in my younger years. I eventually moved to Bozeman and began this journey with Studio AV and into the tech world about 21 years ago. That evolved into a partnership with Cory Riestad and SAV.
Outside of work, I love fishing, sports, and my ongoing goal to visit every baseball stadium.
Andrew: Love that! Scott, you’re a returning guest and VP for Textures. Share a bit about yourself.
Scott: Thanks for having me back! I’ve been with Textures for a while now and am excited about our growth. One of our latest ventures involves expanding to Charleston, where we’re laying the groundwork for a second showroom in the Holy City.
Andrew: Stephanie, welcome! We go way back. Tell us about yourself.
Stephanie: I’ve lived in various places, but when we met, I was in Nashville for 30 years, working in the construction and design field—a career I loved. The mountains called, and five years ago, I moved to Bozeman. It’s all about relationships, which brought me here. One of my Nashville connections introduced me to Cory, SAV’s president, and that led me to join this incredible team.
I bring a background in design and construction but have developed a passion for technology, particularly lighting systems. Outside work, I enjoy anything outdoors—perfect for Bozeman—and spending time with family.
Andrew: Robert, up from Naples, tell us about yourself.
Robert: Robert Anderson, born and raised in Naples, Florida. I’m a partner and principal of Premiere Systems and Premiere SAV. My background is in electrical contracting, which I started at 17. Over the years, I became passionate about lighting design and eventually transitioned to focus on it, along with lighting controls.
In 2012, I met Premiere while working on a Naples project. We aligned on many fronts, and that partnership led to opening operations in Naples. Outside work, I enjoy fishing with my daughter, hunting, and motocross—though injuries have slowed me down a bit.
Andrew: Stephanie, you and I have a 20-year history. Earlier this year, you connected me with a design firm in Tennessee, leading to a new collaboration. That’s the power of relationships. How do we nurture these relationships to benefit our industries and clients?
Stephanie: Relationships have always been central to what I do, from clients to tradespeople and vendors. Passion, humility, and authenticity are key. Long-term relationships thrive when built on mutual respect and a shared commitment to excellence. At SAV, we embody this approach, knowing that collaboration is essential to achieving our goals.
Andrew: Mike and Robert, your joint venture began through the Guild Integrators Alliance. Can you share how that collaboration unfolded?
Robert: The Guild introduced us to many like-minded professionals. Early on, we gravitated toward Corey—his personality and shared values made it an easy connection. Over time, we aligned culturally and on core values. When the opportunity arose for a joint venture in Jackson, Wyoming, it was clear we wanted to partner with SAV.
Mike: I agree. The Guild fosters collaboration by setting egos aside, focusing on elevating the industry. Our shared values with Premiere made the partnership seamless. Through this joint venture, we’ve tackled challenges together, staying humble and continually learning from each other.
Andrew: Scott, after visiting SAV in Bozeman and Big Sky, you returned to Nashville inspired. Tell us about that experience.
Scott: It was eye-opening. Andrew and I often talk about relationships, and meeting the SAV team reinforced the importance of collaboration. The connections you’ve built over years—and the seamless teamwork within your group—were inspiring. It’s something we strive to integrate into our business as well.
Andrew: That’s the takeaway for today—building meaningful, long-term relationships. Collaboration in the luxury market isn’t just beneficial; it’s essential. Thank you all for sharing your insights!
Andrew: So, Mike and Robert, there are industry groups where you can work with peers, right?! And you guys met through the Guild, which is a professional organization that led to a joint venture. Walk us through what that collaboration looked like. I know you’re in a related field, but I think that’s really fascinating because it’s a great example of the right people coming together for a common purpose within this industry.
Robert: Yeah, the Guild was how we met. I’ve met so many people through the Guild throughout the country. Even vendors outside of the companies that are part of it. I think Premiere, early on—Cory’s not here, but he’s a big personality, like just a great guy, easy to talk to. From our standpoint, we kind of gravitated to him. We did a couple of externships with them, where we sent people to their facility. They did a sales summit with us where we got to know them. From a culture standpoint and core values, they were almost in line with us 100%. So it was really simple when the opportunity came up to do a joint venture down in Jackson, Wyoming. There was nobody else that really wanted to do it with us. We didn’t want to do it alone. We didn’t want to do it with just anybody. It’s been great.
Mike: Yeah, I’d have to agree with Robert on that. Within the Guild, the biggest thing that happens is people leave their ego at the door, and you try to raise the tide and elevate the industry little bits at a time. And we hope that we do that and be humble doing it. So when you leave the ego at the door, on the joint venture, coming together, it was—we didn’t want to do it alone either. We very much share the same optics and wouldn’t want to do it with anybody else since we’ve met. And everything, even through the Guild, it’s just wildly weird that all of the core values, the more that we meet and work together, the more aligned we’ve become. Eventually, we all thought there would be a roadblock somewhere, but so far it’s been pretty smooth sailing. The relationships there within the Guild, along with everything else we do, is how we’ve succeeded and remained humble in our approach. You also realize that no matter what you do, someone else has probably done it or done it better. And then you know that you’re not alone when you share problems.
Andrew: Scott, I want to kick it to you. You visited this team up in Bozeman and Big Sky. When you came back to Nashville, you had so many cool things to share, like, “Hey, I saw this really high-functioning group.” You were excited. How do we integrate some of that into our business? You were inspired by what you saw.
Scott: Yeah, because as you and I have spent a lot of time talking, I want to touch on something you said earlier about relationships. When we first met, I found that in the interiors market, with what we all do, Andrew and I were basically in the same field with my previous company and his. We had never crossed paths, even though we were doing business in the same city for 10 or 15 years. It’s a small world, but we just never connected. Once we got together, we saw the value of the connections I had and the connections he had. All those pieces started going together. Meeting with you guys, it was that same thing. It was a connection Andrew had from years ago, and he was able to come out and meet with you all. You were very gracious with your time. What was inspiring for me was how everyone interacted. It was a very positive environment with all the different people I met. I think I met probably 40 people that day, but I only remember four names! For us, as we’re striving to do something really cool and grow it, it was super inspiring to see the amount of coordination required in your field, especially with all the technology involved. You really have to have a lot of coordination. From a business perspective and as an entrepreneur, seeing all the moving parts and how all the positions and groups work together to formulate one finished task—it was super impressive for me to see.
Andrew: With relationships, there may be multiple reasons why you would pursue a relationship in business. I think, foundationally, it’s to learn something or to be in a network. We’re in unrelated industries, but seeing how having some visibility and understanding what it takes to pull off your job has made us smarter and helped us approach our clients better. Like, understanding even the cost of what you do, the timing of when that happens, how it starts at the design phase, and when you come in to pull wire—it broadens your perspective. You become a much more educated vendor.
Have any of you worked with other vendors who’ve helped you have a different perspective on how the flow of a project goes or what challenges they face? For example, I know a challenge you all go up against is if you’re not brought in at the front end of a design and are brought in halfway through during MEP. It’s a much different and more challenging ordeal. Have you learned a lesson like that from other trades in the building process?
Robert: I’ve learned a lot from a pretty good friend who’s an architect. Being in early, like you said, is huge for what we do as a business. We touch so many different aspects of the home, and we’re in the home for such a long period of time. He’s taught me that it’s not always the priority from a construction standpoint to bring someone like us in. The lighting side is a little different. Lighting is always pretty important upfront because it touches so many textures of the home, like the architecture. TVs and phones and whatnot have less importance. He’s always reminding me that it’s not always the top priority, and sometimes we’re kind of forgotten about. A lot of my DSA contracts end up being last-minute decisions. Lighting design is always number one. We have such an important role in the home for a homeowner, but we’re often overlooked until the last minute.
Andrew: I actually love what you’re sharing right now because I think we can all relate. I think ego is part of all of us. For me, the most important part of the home is the floors. But that’s a great example of understanding perspective. Instead of getting frustrated with that very thing, we can serve our clients better because we have a slightly different perspective. So that’s really powerful. Mike or Stephanie, anything you’ve learned?
Stephanie: I think I learn all the time. I think that’s something that, at every opportunity, whether it’s an interaction with a builder, a trade, another subcontractor, or a designer, I’ve learned to speak the different languages. I could speak to the client, the builder, and the trade. I would help translate and make sure that information is shared, just like what Robert’s saying. If it’s not important to the people, it’s not because it’s not important, it’s because they don’t understand what it is.
Andrew: Or something else is more important.
Stephanie: Exactly. They don’t have the bandwidth or someone who’s helping them translate it or bring it to the table in a way that is easy to understand. It’s about understanding where you can serve the other players to help the overall process. That’s how you stand out and build loyalty within your teams and with your partners. Builders want to work with mechanical, plumbing, and electrical trades because those are the hardest ones to manage—they’re in and out quickly. But our trade is different. We are relationship-driven and stay with the homeowner throughout their experience, including renovations. Sometimes, we’re just not urgent or prioritized. But understanding that others are more urgent helps us better serve the project.
Andrew: Urgency is the key. It’s why we get distracted.
Stephanie: Yes, exactly. And that’s why our job is to glean information, help solve problems for others, and make sure we’re contributing to the overall success of the project.
Scott: As time has gone along, I’ve seen that across many of the different people we collaborate with. When you strive to provide a higher level of product or service, you start meeting businesses in different markets that are trying to do the same thing. Mike was saying earlier that “a rising tide raises all ships.” What I’ve really picked up on is that, at the end of the day, we’re all in a service industry. And Andrew, you talk about this a lot: we’re meeting expectations and trying to set those expectations and meet them. When you’re all part of a whole, you have to work together to create a higher level of service. It’s about having a willingness to serve. That’s what we’re doing.
Andrew: I want to talk about more of an opinion-based topic because one of the issues, and one of the reasons we formed Couture and Construction, is about community. But in our industry, construction as a whole feels like a lot of firms, I mentioned earlier, are all small businesses and can feel very insular. You may view everybody as competition. It's insular. Why do you think that is? Do you have any opinions, Robert? I'll start with you.
Robert: This is a hard one for me because I’ve never been that person. Even before the Guild, I would always help out other companies if they needed something. During COVID, there was a problem with getting supplies, and sometimes we had extras, so I would sell stuff to competitors so they could complete a job for one of our trade partners that we just didn’t get the job for. So that’s a struggle for me. I’ve always been very open and wanting to help. The better the competition around me, the better for me. We strive to be the best— that's our number one goal. You’re never going to achieve it, but you always want to be the best. And to get there, you have to have the best around you to keep pushing you. I think everybody’s, you know, stealing from the cookie jar. Everyone thinks the pie is finite.
Andrew: Yeah, and it's not.
Robert: There’s plenty of work for everyone, and having good relationships in your market—even with competition—is a great thing. It’s what everybody needs.
Andrew: Yeah, I think you hit the nail on the head. We have a high-end hardwood provider across the hall from us, Francois and Company. Beautiful product, beautiful showroom. I love that they’re across the hall. That helps our consumer have options and see different styles, and it helps normalize what we do and brings awareness to the market. The more homes with beautiful hardwood, the better the industry.
Stephanie: No, I agree. There’s a couple of things here. Understanding that competition is healthy. Without it, we might not be as motivated to grow all the time. I think you learn from your competition. That’s why they make chocolate, strawberry, and vanilla—sometimes you're just not the right flavor, which is okay. Sometimes it’s about the approach. We want to elevate the whole industry. The Guild Alliance is about bringing awareness and elevating our industry across the country. We might have overlaps, but we don’t need to compete on everything. It’s better to grow and educate what our industry does. And like Mike was saying, we want the other people on our jobs to be successful. They might not be our competition, but they’re competing for scheduling or priorities. We need to make sure our partners understand that our intention is to grow the pie, not take smaller slices. That’s on us to educate our teams, to understand the value of relationships.
Scott:
Well said, Stephanie. I think some of that comes from maturation. One of Andrew and I’s fun pastimes is looking back and saying, “Man, I remember when a $12,000 deposit check felt like it was coming for three weeks.” When you get to the point where you can afford to say no to a job, that’s a big deal. It takes a lot of work to get there. As you grow your business, you have to get to a point where you realize some jobs just aren’t the right fit for you, and you can walk away from them. It’s a natural part of business growth.
Scott: As business matures, so does the market. I think one thing we’ve definitely noticed is that the general contractors we’re seeing on projects are getting younger and younger. They’re having success because they’re changing their model. They’re bringing something different to the market. That’s encouraging to me when we see that across trades. These young builders are bringing a fresh viewpoint. We can look at that and learn what’s helping them gain traction, and then figure out how we can utilize that to move forward. Complacency isn’t an option for us. We need to stay conscious of what’s going on around us.
Andrew: Yeah.
Mike: I agree with everything you said. Elevating the industry is key. In every field, whether it’s electrical, technology, or flooring, we need to be open and share. If everyone thinks something doesn’t work, that’s harmful to the industry as a whole. It’s about finding ways to help each other succeed. Whether it’s technology or flooring, we need to help elevate the industry so we can all succeed together. That’s how we build trust and avoid negativity.
Robert: I think clear and transparent communication across all teams is key to success. It’s important not to be a closed book on anything. Even though we’re a fairly large company in the AV industry, we still struggle with communication issues. We’re constantly working on improving this, and being aware of it is the first step. Allowing teams to experience roles outside their daily tasks and involving them in decision-making is crucial for growth. It helps them learn faster and become more well-rounded. We’re working on that all the time.
Andrew: Yeah, communication is key.
Stephanie: Exactly. Teaching your team to collaborate, redirect complaints into problem-solving, and model the right behavior is essential. If your teams see you working together with others, it sets the tone for everyone to do the same. We need to make sure that collaboration becomes part of the culture, not just a catchphrase.
Andrew: Well, I love what you all have done too. So your relationship basically started in the restaurant or food industry, which served as a stage where you sent your teams to work with another team across the country in a different market. What was it like? What did you hear as a result of that collaboration when your teams returned? Mike, what did you hear?
Mike: It was pretty amazing. Because you hear great things that other teams are doing, like, "Hey, they kind of have this solved," or, "Hey, this is what they did. This is their approach." The biggest validation, I think, goes both ways—whether you're sending someone or they're coming to you—is that you're not alone. It’s not only how powerful… yeah, we don’t just do externships where we send people, we do a project management summit every so often, every few years, where we bring everybody together, and you go through it. The biggest takeaway was like, “Oh, our problems are their problems too.” And how do we solve those? And they're figuring out how to do that. So the biggest thing was probably just figuring out that you’re not alone, and then creating those relationships.
It’s not figuring out how they put the back box in, in 15 minutes less than the other person. It’s actually like, “I’ve got a guy to call because we're going to run into something.”
So it all builds again on relationships, and there are friendships that have been born. What we ideally wanted to do was not only take our relationships but be able to saturate that down so they can feel that relationship because, like you guys said, we’re not getting younger. I’m hoping that by not the wounds we learned long ago, they’re skipping those. And what their new wounds or new ways of learning might be, might be a little bit less bloody.
Robert: Something that we’ve done is, we have a group Slack. Both companies have Slack—Premier and Premier SAV. A lot of people are in both of those Slack groups. We also have a Guild Slack. For my team, it’s great for like… you can reach out for tech support, you can reach out about what’s happening. We have 14 companies now throughout the U.S. that can communicate, and the most junior technician has the ability to reach out to a much higher position or somebody with a lot more knowledge to ask for advice.
Andrew: Wow, that is so cool. Man, y’all have a very progressive industry, or maybe we do too, and I’m just out of the loop.
Scott: Even if you just look at us as textures, I think all of this is symptomatic of just, especially in your guys' industry. It’s just the speed at which innovation is coming, and product is coming. You know, dating myself, I’m from the last analog generation. These guys that grew up as GCs, I still remember three channels, you click it, and VHS. That’s so far past where the speed of technology and growth has come. So when you see these younger guys coming up, they’re just reacting to their environment where it has been more concise and clear.
Communication is through… I mean, think about 15 years ago, I guarantee you there wasn’t a flooring company that had three different proprietary software platforms interacting with and transferring information. That’s just a result of technology getting more embraced. It's being not only integrated into homes more, but it’s also changing how people communicate and their expectations of how information flows. Look at things like Builder’s Trend. That was groundbreaking—it’s like, “Oh, I actually have something where I can document and see the progress of my build.” It used to be, hop in the car, you show up and you’re like, “Where is everybody?” “Oh, we had a ladder bust,” you know.
Very quickly, people adapt, and they get used to that. Even with my own kids, as you have certain levels of technology that become normalized, people adapt to it very quickly. So I think what we’re seeing with this younger generation coming up is that, in order for them to service their client, they have to show that adaptation.
It's like, "I understand how you want to communicate." This opens up a whole other market, too. There are all sorts of different apps and platforms specifically for the construction industry for status updates and communication directly with the client. Now you have almost private Slack channel-type setups between different vendors and clients all trying to organize a project. Again, 15, 20 years ago, it was a pickup truck and a cell phone. I think what these younger guys are doing is they’re reacting to a client that is much more educated. The market that we’re serving is only getting bigger, and more people are being fond of the things we provide.
Andrew: Very cool.
Robert: I would say the gentleman we met today reminds me of a good friend who’s a builder in my market. He’s reacting at a different speed. The younger generation is used to reacting immediately because they have technology at their fingertips. The older builders, good or bad, are maybe set in their ways because they’ve done things a certain way for so long. The younger generation is much more open to new ideas and seeing what's out there. They have to be much more educated on what’s out there and the possibilities. I’ve noticed that tremendously in my core market.
Andrew: It’s interesting because the expectation for communication in younger adults is they’re used to it hitting them from five, six, ten different angles—whether it’s Instagram, TikTok, probably not email, text, you know, certainly not phone calls—but they’re used to it. They’re reacting at a different speed, and that inherently creates a different expectation.
Mike: I’d agree with that. I had an “A-ha!” moment about a year and a half ago when a guy told me, we were talking about a project that was starting to get off track, and I was going through some stuff with him. He said, “Hey, just to be honest with you, project management’s changed a lot since you did it.” And I first thought, “What the hell?” That was on a Friday afternoon. I stood on that for like three days, thinking, “What’s he talking about?” Then on Monday, I said, “Hey, I’ve had a long time to think about this.” He was right. I said, “Okay, get it back on track and show me how you’re going to get it done.” I let go a little bit, and the guy just ran with it. It was kind of a, “Yeah, things have changed.”
Then when you open that up a little bit… because I’m still a paper guy. I still like the printouts, and I come to meetings and the papers rustle, while the guy next to me has his phone with everything on it. I’m like, “What are you doing?”
So it’s exciting and a little scary, because of what that means for expectations and stuff, but it’s also opening up opportunities. We can place lighting fixtures and help avoid big hurdles by looking at reflective ceiling plans in real time. It’s exciting, but I’m glad I’m not doing a lot of it.
Andrew: Do you have anything to share?
Stephanie: Yeah, I mean, I think all that’s really true. I also feel like it’s… with the expectation of the new up-and-coming GCs, it’s often a handing-off of the baton from one generation to the next, sometimes even within families. The younger generation is exposed to this very fast-paced information, which means they have a lot of expectations of being experts in a lot of things. The reality is, you can’t be an expert in everything. We all know that the only way you’re an expert is by putting in the time.
It’s an opportunity for us to assist. Beyond just training our teams, it allows us the reason to say, “Hey, GC person, let’s talk about what we do. Let’s talk about how we can help you look your best. You be an expert in a subject that you don’t have to go become an expert in.” We’re the experts. So how do we work together and develop those relationships?
It removes friction and aligns our efforts. The result is a successful GC, a happy client, and ultimately, success for everyone.
Andrew: Yeah, very cool. I think that’s spot on. Great, great feedback.
Andrew: As we near the end, let’s go through a quick round robin—share a piece of advice from your past that might help break barriers. Robert?
Robert: I’d say, break barriers in making friends: open up.
Stephanie: Don’t make assumptions.
Andrew: Hmm. Another good one.
Scott: The good old never burn a bridge. You never know when you’ll see somebody down the road. Alright.
Mike: Yep. Be present.
Andrew: Oh, that’s a great one. That’s a great one. Yeah. And I would say be authentic. Be you. Okay. Well, that was a fantastic conversation. Thank you all. Really, really appreciate that. And I think our audience will love it.
Andrew: Let’s jump into a quick rapid-fire Q&A. Mike, I’ll start with you, and then we’ll go around. Spring or fall?
Mike: Spring.
Scott: Spring.
Robert: Fall.
Stephanie: Fall.
Andrew: Okay, Robert, I’ll start with you for the next question. If you could collaborate with any artist or anyone in the industry, who would it be?
Robert: That’s tough. Anybody? Hmm. I’d love to do a project with a country music star.
Andrew: Oh, cool. Wow. Hey, at dinner, I’ll brag to you—we’ve got lots and lots of those connections.
Andrew: Stephanie, if you could collaborate with any artist or anyone in the industry, who would it be?
Stephanie: By "artist," do you mean an architect or any artist in general? I’m trying to think—I don’t have a specific architect crush. I’d say I’d like to collaborate with any really creative, driven team that recognizes the value of collaboration upfront. That’s not something you always get when you bring a lot of artists together.
But my dream team would be one that recognizes everyone’s strengths, allows people to contribute, and helps build things better—not stepping on toes or taking away credit.
Andrew: Love it. Scott?
Scott: I’d invent a time machine and collaborate with Frank Lloyd Wright.
Andrew: Oh, that’s a good one!
Stephanie: Yeah.
Andrew: Mike?
Mike: Johnny Cash.
Andrew: Oh, there you go. Look at that!
Andrew: Next question—Mike, back to you. What’s your morning routine must-have?
Mike: Twenty minutes of quiet time.
Scott: Mine is rocking chairs on the front porch with my wife and a cup of coffee.
Andrew: Nice. Stephanie?
Stephanie: Coffee and quiet time.
Andrew: Robert?
Robert: Coffee and silence.
Andrew: There you go! Well, y’all have been fantastic. I’ve really enjoyed this. Stephanie, Mike, Scott, and Robert, thank you so much for joining us today and sharing your insights on the importance of vendor collaboration and luxury design.
It’s clear that working together across trades not only benefits the client but also elevates the entire project to new heights.
Listeners, we hope you found today’s episode helpful, especially if you’re involved in or interested in the luxury design industry. Be sure to check out the show notes for more information about SAV Digital Environments based out of Bozeman, MT, Premiere SAV based out of Jackson, WY and South Florida, and Premiere Systems, based out of Chicago and Naples.
Couture & Construction is proudly presented by Textures Nashville, where creativity and craftsmanship converge. Produced by Knuckle Dragger Studios and Chelsea Ran, this episode was recorded in Charleston, South Carolina.
Until next time, keep cultivating creativity!