Amplified Lifestyles’ smart home projects range from historic mansions in Pacific Heights to a tropical oasis in the British Virgin Islands. The results can appear magical because these systems integrate elegantly into the design. If you peek behind the curtain, a team of outstanding Amplified technicians installs and maintains the systems while providing technical support. One of the team members is Senior Production Field Specialist Jorge Flores Jr. Jorge learned his craft from his father, Jorge Sr., who also works for Amplified. With the recent birth of his son Jorgie III, there may be a third generation.

AL: What drew you into the world of home technology?

JF, Jr: I followed in my father’s footsteps right out of high school. During my summer breaks in high school, I would go to work with him, and I fell in love with the tech industry. My father is also a part of the Amplified Lifestyle family. He has helped develop a strong work ethic that I follow today, from pulling wires to installing TVs to building racks. He was/is my role model. 

AL: What’s your favorite aspect about being a part of the Amplified Lifestyles team?

JF, Jr: The effort and time that Amplified takes to ensure their employees feel welcomed, heard, and understood. I believe it plays a massive role in providing great results. It feels as if I have an extension of my family. It’s a pleasure to be a part of what makes this company so successful.

AL: Who is your ideal client?

JF, Jr: My ideal client is a person or family open to creativity,  knows what they want, and has a vision of the result. 

AL: Favorite app?

JF, Jr:  It’s hard to just choose one. I have two. Savant and Crestron are my two favorite apps. Savant is great because you can go from project to project, and the app layout and functionality will never change, which is something I love. But I like Crestron because it is fully customizable, from the layout of the main page to the button layout to the background color. It would be a one-of-a-kind build, which I also like.

AL: What have been some of your most challenging projects you have worked on? 

JF, Jr:  Some of the most challenging projects I have worked on have been projects that we tackle remotely, from projects in Malibu to projects in Lake Tahoe. Working in a remote environment away from the resources of a warehouse or the capacity to have extra help on the fly has been the most difficult. However, the jobs themselves have been some of Amplified’s biggest ones. 

AL: What’s something you’re proud of?

JF, Jr: I am proud of the family I have built. I have come very far in this industry. Being able to provide mentorship and being a person of contact for guidance is a gratifying part of my life in which I take pride.

AL: Who are the special people in your life?

JF, Jr:  My wife, Karina, and my baby boy, Jorgie III, my wife is my most significant support and greatest cheerleader. She’s my lifeline; my job is not easy, and she keeps me grounded. 

AL: When you are not installing systems, what do you enjoy doing? 

JF, Jr:  When I’m not working, I’m out on the lake fishing or in the duck blind doing what I love. 

AL: What is your favorite place in the world?

JF, Jr: Anywhere I get to be with my family. We love being outdoors. You will usually find us fishing in a lake or ocean.

AL: If you were not in home technology, what would you do?

JF, Jr:  My childhood dream was to become a Marine Biologist. I love nature, I love the water, and I like being outdoors.

Amplified Lifestyles Principal and General Manager, Jeremy McKenzie started his career in 1995. As with many of his colleagues, he approaches custom residential integration as a craft. Jeremy has engineered, installed, programmed, and directed a comprehensive selection of platforms through the years. He takes pride in the process, not just the outcome, and values client and team relationships. When not working, he explores the vast Western landscape on his motorcycle or enjoys live music venues with his family. 

AL: Do you have a favorite affirmation or quote?

JM: Satisfaction lies in the effort, not in the attainment. 

AL:  What motivated you to become a partner in Amplified Lifestyles?

JM: From the beginning, the group’s guiding principles and goals aligned with my own. With 20 years of experience in the industry at the time, I had a lot to offer to the team in my role, and I was ready to commit to having Amplified become a part of my personal identity and daily life. I wanted to bring my total effort and attention to help build a great environment to work in and a better option in the market. 

AL: What have been the challenges and opportunities that you have found as a partner at Amplified Lifestyles?  

JM: The greatest challenge has been growing the company while working to maintain what makes Amplified special: how we conduct ourselves and support each other and our project partners. The most significant opportunity this has afforded me is the ability to work day-to-day with such dedicated and incredible people. To see people learn and grow in this industry and enjoy what they do. It is a tremendous blessing.

AL: What would be your dream project?

JM: For Amplified, the ultimate reward comes in a job well done. Regardless of the size and scope of work, the dream job is any project we complete with a satisfied client, a happy build team, and ongoing relationships with both. Many of us got into this industry because of the awe you see on a person’s face when they experience their first great Home Theater; it all grows from there.

AL: If you were not in home technology design, what would you do?

JM: I would have ended up somewhere in mechanical engineering, likely in the automotive or motorcycle industry. I am fascinated by complex mechanical devices, emphasizing internal combustion engines (which appear to be on their way out!). I often relax on the sofa with a technical manual.

AL: Song you can listen to on repeat?

JM: Right Where It Belongs by Nine Inch Nails. Moving but not too heavy.

AL: If you made a documentary, what would it be about? 

JM: Something so compelling to me is the nature of how we as people express and feel love for each other. It is incredible how some people can be so giving and selfless, putting their needs, wants, and interests aside to care for someone they love in the face of great tragedy or perhaps due to sickness or injury of the other. A parent who dedicates their life to caring for their special-needs child, or a spouse who does the same for their partner, it is incredible to see people flourish in the face of such tremendous adversity, and at the core of it is the power of love.

AL: What are three things you can’t live without?

JM: My wife Jennifer, a motorcycle, and extra toasty Cheez-its!

AL: How do you recharge?

JM: Riding motorcycles is a spiritual experience for me. It is a part of who I am, and I will ride until I physically cannot. It offers a wide variety of soothing and intense experiences, from cruising along a deserted highway in the vastness of the Nevada desert to scraping the ground at the apex of a corner, pushing the physical limits of man and machine.

AL: Best advice you’d give your teenage self?

JM: Don’t worry so much about school and whether you leave it with a direction. Hard work, dedication, and moral character will take you wherever you need to go; doors will open when you are ready for the opportunity.

For Amplified Lifestyles’ principal Casey Webster his eighteen-year career in the home electronics industry has made him committed to the client experience. It is a philosophy that Casey shares with the other managing partners. While Amplified is always searching for the latest integrated system technologies and solutions, the team and their dedication to customer service make the company unique.

AL: What drew you into the world of home technology?

CW: I wouldn’t say I was drawn to the world of home technology. Honestly, I fell into the industry without any knowledge or expectations, just a need to put myself through college. My roommate worked at Starbucks next to an electronics store, and one day while waiting for her to get off, I filled out an application to pass the time. The funny thing is when they called to offer me a job; I initially turned it down. It was summertime, and I was too busy being a “College Student” enjoying the San Diego weather. Later in the year, I got another call requesting I reconsider their employment offer, and this time the timing was right.

AL: Since you have experience in many facets of the industry, which do you enjoy most and why? Systems design, installation, or operations management?

CW: Customer service. I enjoy working with our customers and building partners to establish lasting relationships, solve problems, and create unique experiences.

AL: Can you elaborate on your mantra, “Flash and flare are fun, but at the end of the day, all that matters is if it works?“

CW: Many A/V companies get caught up wanting to say “Yes, we can do that” to win their clients. They jeopardize the reliability of aspects of home technology used 99% of the time for the one-off use case. Often less is more. 

AL: What have been the challenges and opportunities that you have found as a partner at Amplified Lifestyles?  

CW: The biggest challenge is also our greatest opportunity. Before starting Amplified, I founded another home technology company still operating in Southern California today. That experience opened my eyes to the biggest problem in our industry, and I was one of them, “The AV Guy”.

My second time around, I wanted to ensure I built a Team for our clients to outlast any individual. Everyone experiences life changes; your home technology’s serviceability shouldn’t hinge on whether your “AV Guy” decides to move out of state or retire.

Intending to build a Team, I was fortunate to meet incredibly talented people early on with Jeremy McKenzie, Kevin Cook, and Tim Johnson. It was clear that restructuring Amplified with this Team as equal partners was the best way to put an end to “The AV Guy,”

AL: Who is your ideal client?

CW: My ideal client is someone who values our time and expertise. As the industry has evolved, the products we provide become more commonplace, and our true offering is our people.

AL: How would you define your work in three words?

CW: Creative, Controlled, Chaos

AL: How do you maintain a work/life balance?

CW: I think most people would say my work-life balance is out of balance, but I genuinely enjoy working. It’s not the work that is always enjoyable but seeing the results of your hard work is the reward. That being said, my family is my pastime, and having a flexible schedule to be a part of my children’s lives and experiences makes it all worth it.

AL: A skill you’re working on mastering?

CW: Parenting.

AL: What are three things you can’t live without?

CW: Friends, Family, and Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups.

AL: Who would it be if you could switch lives with someone for a day?

CW: I don’t have a particular person I would switch lives with, but I would love to experience the world in a different period in time. Time travel would be my superpower if I could have one; switching lives with someone from the distant past would be awesome.