Glenn Mertens and his team at Smart Solutions Inc. install the kind of technology we once thought would come out of a Jetsons cartoon. It's now the kind of technology we see every day.
With Smart Solutions' systems, homeowners can control lighting, HVAC, plumbing and security systems with the sound of their voice or with the touch of a button on an iPhone or laptop while miles away.
This kind of technology is more than a luxury for some - it's essential. Mertens and his Jefferson City team partnered with other home-integration companies, manufacturers and suppliers in 2006 to outfit the home of a North Carolina man who had been diagnosed with Lou Gehrig's disease. They created a system that would allow the man to operate appliances and electronics with his eyes - he could change a channel by looking at an "up" or "down" button on a screen.
This project attracted the attention of Simply Home, a North Carolina company that installs wireless technology to help elderly and disabled people live independently. Smart Solutions now partners with Simply Home on projects all over the country. It was that partnership that got Mertens and Smart Solutions invited to Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, the popular ABC home makeover show.