NSCA has announced the recognition of several industry honorees at the 2026 Business and Leadership Conference.

The John Greene Mentorship Award was given to John Mitten, the CTO and vice president of AV at Red Thread. NSCA said Mitton is committed to mentoring the next generation of technology integration professionals, leading to this award.

“John Greene opened up doors. He explained to me how to better manage my sales team and close projects faster. He helped my sales forecasts. He took time and energy out of his day to meet with me,” says Mitton. “We’ve now grown to about $50 million in sales, and a lot of that success goes back to John and the other companies that helped me understand the business and grow. I know it’s my responsibility to pay it forward.”

Chet Neal, the founder and president of RelianceAV, was awarded the Volunteer of the Year Award. NSCA said the award is granted to someone who unselfishly and consistently donates their time, effort and talents to NSCA and its Education Foundation.

Neal serves on the board of advisors for two schools, where he attends their spring job fairs. In addition to this, he is an Ignite Ambassador.

“After everything I gained from being an NSCA member, it has been a privilege to give back in some small way to support an organization that does so much to support our industry. I started RelianceAV six years ago, and NSCA’s resources were such a benefit in launching my company,” Neal said. “If my first passion is the AV industry, then my second passion is the education and awareness of our industry for generations to come.”

The Per Haugen Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to Ray Bailey, the founder and CEO of Lone Star Communications. He has held several leadership positions on the NSCA board of directors, including president during the last three decades.

“I am humbled and honored to be among the previous recipients of this award,” says Bailey. “These are the people who have helped make this industry what it has become, as well as the businesses within it. To be among that group is quite an honor, and I am proud to have served on the board.”

NSCA is also recognizing one of its Member Advisory Council members and one of its Business Accelerators.

Rise Performance Group was recognized as the Member Advisory Council Partner of the Year. NSCA said RISE Performance Group helps integrators scale, grow and strengthen their businesses.

“Mark Fenner and the RISE team continue to provide tremendous value to NSCA members by helping them scale and grow their businesses,” says Mike Abernathy, director of business resources at NSCA. “Mark excels at aligning leadership teams around shared goals, and he consistently delivers additional content and resources that help integrators become more profitable.”

Insperity was named the Business Accelerator Partner of the Year. NSCA said the company supports members with workforce and people-related resources, and the company regularly shares blogs and webinars designed to help integrators strengthen hiring, retention and team development.

“Insperity supports integrators with everything related to people and workforce development. Throughout 2025, their team worked closely with us to find new ways to better serve integrators and equip them with the tools they need to grow and support their team members,” said Abernathy. “They also continue to contribute valuable blogs and webinars that strengthen workforce strategies across the industry.”

The Randy Vaughan Founder Award was given to 25 first-time BLC attendees. Read the full list here.