SVG Sit-Down: KMH Integration's Kevin Henneman on the Company's 20th Anniversary, Evolving Customer Approach as the Industry Evolves

SVG Sit-Down: KMH Integration's Kevin Henneman on the Company's 20th Anniversary, Evolving Customer Approach as the Industry Evolves The systems integrator has grown from NYC-based projects to projects in all markets across the country By Kristian Hern ndez, Senior Editor

Wednesday, May 28, 2025 - 11:14 am

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In-venue control room design is an unpredictable aspect of the sports-video-production industry. Frequent changes in technologies and production philosophies, keeping up with fans' interests inside of the stadium, and meeting the expectations of upper management are only three of the many concerns on the mind of gameday crews. Systems integrators are critical to the process, and one of the most trusted in the business, KMH Audio-Video Integration, continues to provide customizable solutions to their widening client based. KMH President Kevin Henneman sat down with SVG to discuss the company's progress over the last two decades, the challenges facing the industry from a staffing standpoint, how a team built on experienced professionals and youthful exuberance is an element to their success, and more.

Kevin Henneman, KMH Integration

How has the company evolved over the last 20 years?

I used to work for a fairly large and popular systems integrator, but decided to go out on my own and start KMH. When we started, we had six employees and I was able to walk to the buildings of our customers. We specialized in the execution and buildout of these projects, including cable installation and putting in racks. Now, we're up to around 34 full-time employees and can go upwards to an additional 50 subcontractors for projects taking place across the country. We've become a company that can help with creative services including set and lighting design, and we've continued to grow over the years to offer our customers more of a turnkey solution.

What is a current challenge that you see disrupting the next generation of the industry?

It's an unfortunate reality of life as we get older, but how are we feeding the industry so that it can continue to grow? We've been actively working with some of the local universities to find new talent. In fact, two of our top employees came out of Stony Brook University. Coming out of college, they didn't know much about systems integration, but they're both very smart and care about the services that we provide. Once they came here, they realized that there are interesting aspects to this business and they get to learn from people who have done the same thing. As time went on, they've filled in bigger positions with us, and now they're teaching the newcomers the lessons that they've learned.

We have a really good team of people, and we've found a nice mix of entry level staffers and seasoned industry veterans, including Don Sperling. We've embraced the model of everyone knowing a little bit of everything. As a company, we're trying to create an environment where everybody can have a career that can grow and that they enjoy what it is that they're doing.

How do you maintain the success you've had over the past two decades?

The very tricky part about this business is to not take on too much, too fast because then you don't deliver the same [high-quality product]. The reason we've got to where we are is because we've paid attention to quality control and made sure the customer gets everything that you promised them. My job, along with my team, is to make sure that we're not growing so fast that we start dropping the ball with our customers.

How does KMH continue to adapt to new technologies?

One thing I've learned is that the industry never goes away and it's constantly changing. Over the next 20 years, we will dive heavily into a lot more software driven solutions. We have ongoing training for our existing staff to understand how these new IP-based and cloud-based products work with the more baseband and traditional way of doing things that have been done. Technologies will cater towards supporting more content and access that allow end-users to take their respective organizations to the next level. That includes hitting bigger audiences through digital-focused platforms as well as linear distribution.

Logistically, systems integrators need to look at the way that these projects get done a little differently. Customers need to share with us what they're trying to do and trust that we're going to recommend how to achieve this in the best way possible. If a client wants us to get this project done in a two-year window, we can work backwards from there to figure out what is the right point in time to pull the trigger on buying the equipment and locking it all down. If you pull the trigger too early, you're probably going to miss out on the next big upgrade or change in a product. There are still very successful projects that approach this in a more traditional way, but I think moving forward, you'll need more software developers or engineers on your team to understand these impending changes in technology. You need to commit as a company to learning these new things and becoming very good at it.

This interview was edited for length and clarity.

LINK:	https://www.sportsvideo.org/2025/05/28/svg-sit-down-kmh-integrations-k...
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