Mystery integrators dislike production builders
By Martha Entwistle
Updated Tue December 11, 2007
Very close to a good story by Jason Knott in CE Pro today. As the new-build market has fallen apart and lies in shambles, a number of integrators and alarm guys who depended on that market for new business are struggling. Knott does a nice enterprise story by wondering if that isn't a good thing in the long run, citing integrators who've had bad experiences with program builders and other who don't like the margins in the new build market.
That's actually confirmation of what I found in looking into the financial markets for a special report that will land in January. Gail Scannell at U.S. Bank told me that with "that whole builder segment, it's always been tough for them to do that profitably. That's always something that we have kept an eye on: what percent of new revenues is associated with builder programs."
However, I'm disappointed that Knott didn't get a single integrator on the record with a single gripe. I can understand not wanting to attribute the phrase, "They're all scum bags," but couldn't he get a single integrator to talk on the record about why he or she prefers the retrofit market?
And this paragraph is troubling:
As one integrator described it: “Whenever I get frustrated dealing with large builders, I remember that most of the guys I deal with at these companies don’t even have high school educations. So, you can’t present them with logical solutions and expect them to understand.â€Â
That's mudslinging, and not the sort of situation I would use to protect a source. If somone wants to disparage an entire industry, he should have the balls to attach his name to it.
I think Jason is a good reporter and I like that Jason offers the caveat wondering if that's "sour grapes," but I think not finding a quotable source for this story was a bad decision.
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