I enjoy team building and conquering challenges with unconventional, outside of the box approaches. I am the General Manager and co-owner of Automation Specialists, Inc. I re-joined the business in 2019 and look forward to leading and growing the business into the future! In this primary role, I lead the business by developing and implementing business plans, set business goals, and work on improving organization procedures. I currently manage 6 staff members, leading sales, operations, and service departments. Automation Specialists, Inc. was founded in 1995 and provides security, networking, home theater, whole home audio, and CCTV systems for both commercial and residential customers.

I have spent 30+ years involved with low voltage communications technology. My most recent positions, prior to returning to Automation Specialists, included Operations Manager & Market Director at Johnson Controls/Simplex Grinnell from 2014-2019. I was also the Service & Installation Manager at Red Hawk Fire & Security from 2008-2014. I have numerous technical certifications and have Project Management Professional (PMP) certification.

When not involved with the business, I enjoy spending time 4-wheeling and hanging out with my family. I also enjoy range shooting with my firearms, watching NFL football and building personal computers.

I am currently the Operations Manager and co-owner of Automation Specialists, Inc. I joined the company in 2003 as an installation technician and worked my way up to become the lead systems programmer and final installation technician. I began in the low voltage industry in 1999 as a prewire technician where I knew this was the career path for me. I have always been fascinated with technology in general and how it evolves at an exponential rate, always keeping this field fresh and exciting. I currently manage a team of 6 technicians for our operations department, assist with system designs and implementation, and provide support for materials procurement. I strive to continuously improve our system designs and deployment in order to provide our clients with a great experience and build long-term relationships with them.

I grew up in a small town in southeast Missouri where I began working with electronics in the car audio field. In 1999 I moved to Tucson, AZ and began work with a security company doing prewires. I then moved to an electronics retail store in 2000 where I performed installations, serviced rear projection TVs, and provided on-site service calls. Over the years, I have obtained multiple manufacturer certifications from Crestron, Lutron, and Araknis to name a few.

My free time mostly consists of riding my motorcycle, golfing, and spending time with my family and friends. I also enjoy home improvement projects and teaching my daughter during the process.

I was born and raised in the Chicagoland area. I graduated from Harper College in 2014 and got a degree in Forensic Investigations. Unfortunately, I never pursued anything in Forensics and started a remodeling company with my husband. We then decided that the cold weather was not for us, so we moved to Arizona in 2018. Automation Specialists has been the one and only job I have had since moving here. I started out as the scheduling coordinator and slowly started learning a little bit of everything. I got pregnant with my daughter in 2020 and when I came back to work, I started off doing some Marketing for the company. In early 2022, I officially became the Office Manager/Billing Manager.

In my free time, I enjoy spending time with my two-year-old Sadie and my husband. Sadie loves to come visit the office and “help out”. We love animals and have 2 huskies and a cat. I also enjoy watching sports like rugby, football and baseball.

Roland Armenta is the service manager for Automation Specialist Inc. Roland has been involved and passionate about the AV industry since a young age. Born and raised in Tucson Arizona, Roland was brought up in a tight niched family full of musicians. Being introduced to musical instruments and live performance equipment sparked Rolands's interest for the audio field. Roland had a short career as a vocalist allowing him to express his musical talent through song and music production. In 2005 - 2006 Roland along with a couple other musicians' debuted at 16 on the Billboard top 100 for single sales. Shortly after Roland was blessed with his first son giving him the motivation to further his knowledge into the audio and video world. In early 2007 he secured a career with one of the largest American multinational consumer electronics retailer and spent the next 14 years learning all the ins and outs about how this amazing company was ran. This Fortune 500 company would give Roland the building blocks to grow in this industry. Starting off as a sales representative and working his way through the ranks his first 7 years with the company taught Roland not only about the products, but also what it takes to be a great leader. The other 7 years were spent as one of the companies installation technician bringing customers smart home dreams to life. Being trained in all of the latest and greatest technology by most of the major audio/video manufacturers gave Roland the knowledge and confidence to become the technician he is today. Since early 2021 Roland has been employed with Automation Specialists Inc. starting off as a lead technician then moving up to the service manager position.

“Family First“ is one of Roland’s favorite mottos. Outside of work he is driven and motivated by his family. Roland and his beautiful wife are blessed with a 2 year old son together and are expecting a baby girl at the end of 2022. They also share 2 beautiful bonus special needs children ages 13 and 16. Family get togethers and holiday events are what warms Roland’s heart.

Motorcycles have always been one of Roland’s biggest hobbies. Weekend rides and fundraisers usually fill his weekends when he is not spending it with family. Fast cars and being outdoors are just a couple of his other hobbies.

I make conversation with everyone I meet and feel a great sense of accomplishment when I can make others smile. This feeling has helped me build my career while working in tech sales and customer relationship management for Best Buy, Geek Squad, Sony and AT&T. I have always felt that gadgets are a modern version of magic that brings light to a child’s eye, breathes comfort and connectivity into the later years of the elderly, and stands as the cornerstone for the rest of society. In my current position I get to represent a company that has fully mastered these traits with over 25 years in award winning custom integrations, delivered promises, and satisfied customers. We truly do have the ability to shape technology for any need.

Outside of work hours I spend some of my time as the youngest coach on a highly competitive high school football program here in Tucson. I feel as though my ability to communicate effectively to any age category, my meticulous attention to detail, and my ability to trust the process, make me as effective of a coach as they do in my job with Automation specialists. On the football field an athlete's ‘moment of glory’ could last only a few seconds, and as coaches it is our job to help the players understand that not only at ANY moment could it be their chance for greatness, but rather that EVERY moment is their chance to be great. The most memorable plays in history are possible simply because of the 10 guys who did not wind up in the endzone, and I bring the same culture and mentality into my role with Automation Specialists. With a fully dedicated support team, technicians with years in the business, and leaders who love what they do, let us work hard on every down so you don’t have to.

In my spare time I enjoy all things nerdy. From comics to video games, and on weekends I try hard to shoot par or catch an elusive birdie. I typically plan my vacations around musical experiences, although nothing beats family meals rolled up in loud but playful arguments over sports or current events.

I have lived in Tucson since the age of two and consider myself a Tucson native. After studying computer science at U of A, I really wanted to find a career working for a local company rather than a large corporation and I am very glad that I found Automation Specialists. In my first year with the company, I worked as an installation technician. I focused on absorbing as much as I could about the industry and learning what is needed to take a project from the start to finish. Next, I moved into a service technician position where I was tasked with maintaining smart home systems that had already been installed by the company. Now in a customer service role, I am able to work directly with clients designing the systems that make our clients’ wants and needs a reality.

During my time as a technician, I found myself particularly intrigued with projects incorporating whole home control and centralized lighting systems. I have been able to continue more training within lighting and whole home control systems while also training with motorized shades projects, considering these three areas my specialties. Given that technology is constantly evolving, I am always striving to continue learning, and at Automation Specialists we all work very hard to stay on the cutting edge of what is currently being offered in smart home technology!

Outside of work, I enjoy spending time with family whenever possible. We have a one-year-old daughter who keeps us on our toes! She is the most challenging job we have had, but without a doubt the most rewarding! I also love getting out on the golf course when I can or catching a U of A basketball game. Go Cats!