Celebrating the Women of Control Concepts and the AV Industry at Large During Women’s History Month

• March 31, 2022
• Control Concepts

As we celebrate International Women’s History Month in March of 2022, Control Concepts recognizes the impact of the women on our team, whose contributions critically impact our overall success. Pridefully and intentionally, the percentage of women and young professionals within the organization has risen consistently over the past three years. Currently, 1/3 of our 12 people team are women all under the age of 35. Both of these statistics lay outside the norm for service-based businesses in the AV industry.

In keeping with the International Women’s Day 2022 theme, we want to highlight the history and accomplishments of women on our team as they have been breaking the bias for years.  The #BreakTheBias campaign has been a driving force in sharing women’s stories, creating awareness, and striving for change.

“In my past, I’ve been labeled as the ‘quiet assistant’, which often lead to doing the work others were paid to do.  I’ve learned that I need to speak up and stand up for myself and others in the same position,” shared Brittany DiCesare, Account Manager, musician, and mother of two.

Brittany DiCesare, Account Manager

As part of the Control Concepts team, Brittany exudes confidence and enthusiasm in learning the lingo, relationships, value propositions, and the technical side of software development and API integration as she speaks with clients and our software development team to bring business opportunities to fruition.  Prior to Control Concepts, Brittany evolved her skills in business operations and team engagement at AVIXA, overseeing nine councils comprised of a cross-section of disciplines and interests including the highly successful global Women’s Council.

One of the Control Concepts’ values is care. We care about our team, our clients, and our industry. Caring transcends business and means treating everyone with respect and equality and it’s by no means different when it comes to the women in our team.

Software Developer, creator, and music enthusiast, Victoria Grupp shares “Regretfully, it is perceived as unusual for a woman to be at a job site, and even more so as the lead technician, engineer, programmer, or project manager. This phenomenon continued at events and tradeshows where people were shocked when I was a young woman who introduced myself as an engineer, programmer, or developer.”

Victoria Grupp, Software Developer

AVIXA AV Industry Inclusive Language Guide

As Grupp explained further, “The support of my Control Concepts teammates has helped me to overcome the perception that a young woman cannot be the technical expert who has the answers that they need. Being part of this team has allowed me to take ownership, confidence, and pride in myself in such a way that introduces my title ‘Hello! I am Victoria, a Software Developer for Control Concepts!’”

Since 2017, Victoria has established herself in the AV industry demonstrating programming expertise in many control and audio platforms while amassing corresponding certifications.  She has also earned a semi-finalist placement in the international Guthman Musical Instrument Competition hosted by Georgia Tech in 2017.

Learn more from Victoria’s journey: AVNATION Podcast – The Women of AV: Victoria Grupp

Emily Rocha, Marketing Specialist, bi-lingual business professional, and aspiring golfer, has fought her own barriers. While having a woman in a marketing role isn’t seen as uncommon, having a young woman, who is a recent immigrant, be the catalyst for marketing initiatives in a 25 year old business is less typical.  “I’ve learned to trust in my ideas, present my strategies with confidence, and not be afraid to use my persistent nature,” shared Rocha.

Emily Rocha, Marketing Specialist

Emily came to the US from Brazil in 2018 and achieved her goal of speaking English fluently shortly after she arrived in the states. Before Control Concepts, she has worked assisting sales and marketing teams with great success in several industries including IT, security, and financial.

Control Concepts Celebrates Our Young AV Professionals

As Rocha explained, “The lack of trust in my skills at my young age would make potential clients, specifically those who were older men, reconsider my proposals a couple of times before agreeing to proceed. I overcame the fear of standing up for myself and holding to my strategies by bringing results to the table.”

Even though progress has been made, the recent past has painfully indicated that inequality and sexism are still strongly prevalent in the workforce.

“I realized early on that being a friendly female, especially in male-dominated industries, was frequently misconstrued,” discussed Elizabeth Scozzari, Executive Assistant, creative writer, and author.  “The bias that I’ve been able to break is maintaining my happy, friendly disposition while making clear that I’m showing up at work to work, do the best at my job, and expect to be respected for my contributions.”

Elizabeth Scozzari, Executive Assistant

Elizabeth is instrumental in providing support wherever needed within our organization.  She wears many hats by nature and regularly contributes to the success of project coordination, marketing, sales, bookkeeping, and human resources to name a few.

These prevailing inequities are exactly why Women’s History Month is so important to be celebrated. The AV industry, like any other industry dominated by one gender, could use more women from varied backgrounds to reach new levels of growth, development, and consumer experiences.

“It is a special feeling to know that we have successfully invested in women to hold various roles throughout our organization and backed efforts to break the bias within and outside the AV industry,” remarked Steve Greenblatt, Control Concepts’ President & Founder.  “I believe that the women on our team are our secret weapon bringing unique and diverse perspectives to our business, differentiation within our industry, and offering a competitive advantage versus others in our space.  We look to continue to seek and attract more women as we grow and empower those within the organization to reach great heights!”

AVIXA Women’s Council

While we are breaking the bias and tearing down centuries’ worth of walls around us, Control Concepts honors all the women who are making an impact within the AV industry.  We celebrate, support, and admire you! It is through diversity, inclusion, and equality that we will achieve greater success in this world.