AVIXA has named Mike Weems, CTS, MCP, a retired consultant liaison with Harman, the winner of the 2018 Mackey Barron Distinguished Achievement Award. And rAVe Founder Gary Kayye just recorded a podcast with Mike talking about his career here.

As the professional AV industry began to take its current form, Weems, whose career included positions at Sony, InFocus, NetStreams, Sanyo and Harman, understood that without training, certification and standardization, the industry couldn’t grow and reach its potential. Starting almost from scratch, Weems and a team of industry volunteers created the framework that still exists today and helped advance the careers of thousands of AV professionals.

This award’s overall purpose is to call out an individual recognized by association members and the industry as worthy of a lifetime achievement award. Two major criteria are applied — the career accomplishments and the individual’s contribution to the AV industry through AVIXA. The Mackey Barron Distinguished Achievement Award is the highest honor bestowed on an industry member by the association.

Weems and the other winners will be celebrated on InfoComm 2018’s Center Stage at the Las Vegas Convention Center, Wednesday, June 6, at 4 p.m.