Designing Deliberately: A Closer Look at ProSource’s Colorado Training Center

When ProSource made the decision to build a brand-new training center from the ground up in Golden, Colorado, they approached the project with an entirely new mindset. Embarking on building out a training facility was not a new endeavor for the ProSource Team, for years their Dallas Lighting Training center was a hub dedicated to training for all things lighting. When the team opened their new space in 2021 they unveiled new certification programs designed to help dealers address lighting needs on their projects.

Relocating to Colorado presented the leadership team with a rare opportunity for a fresh start—one informed by everything they had learned from their Dallas Lighting Training center. Armed with data and firsthand experience, they were able to reimagine the purpose and design of their training space from scratch.

“So many training programs in the industry focus on the selling product, and there is value in those trainings but for our team we wanted to shift the mindset of dealers from strictly selling to successfully integrating solutions that provide a holistic experience for customers, that is where our dealers really stand out,” said Jim Kozicki, VP Business Development for ProSource.

With a clean slate and the benefit of hindsight, the ProSource team made a deliberate choice: to create a dynamic, multi-functional environment that mirrors the flow of a real home. Instead of scoped product-focused training rooms, they built out a living room, dining area, and kitchen – spaces where technology could be seamlessly integrated and experienced as it naturally enhances everyday life. The goal was clear: shift the mindset from simply selling products to demonstrating how integrated solutions elevate the customer experience.

Unlike trade show booths or virtual demos that often struggle to convey real-world impact, the ProSource 1010 Experience Center brings technology to life in an immersive, hands-on setting. By replicating the flow and function of a modern home, the space allows visitors to truly experience how lighting, automation, and smart shading solutions enhance everyday living – something that no exhibit hall, tradeshow floor, or screen-based demo can fully replicate.

Lighting still remains a core part of the training agenda for ProSource. The new facility includes a Lighting Training Center (LTC), where visitors can walk through a mock home

environment that has been purposely designed to illustrate how advanced lighting and shading solutions fit seamlessly into residential spaces. Amongst all the standout elements of the place, Hunter Douglas Aura Illuminated Shades were selected for display not just for their function, but due to their ability to help reshape the way integrators think about shading.

Why Aura?

While ProSource works with many different shading manufacturers, the Hunter Douglas Aura Shades were specified for the LTC by the lighting designer leading the project. The decision came down to two important factors: aesthetics and innovation.

“Aura was the only choice that aligned with the look and functionality they wanted to showcase,” said Jim Kozicki, VP of Business Development for ProSource. “The lighting designer was adamant – ‘we really need to put these in here.’”

Aura Shades go beyond the standard motorized shading options typically found in the Custom Integration (CI) market. In a space where many manufacturers offer only basic fabric choices, Hunter Douglas provides a design-first approach, offering a range of textiles that fit seamlessly into luxury spaces. Going one step beyond, Aura integrates smart lighting directly into the shade solution, an approach that perfectly aligns with ProSource’s focus on demonstrating wellness benefits in the home such as circadian lighting.

Although the original plans for the LTC called for assigning different brands to each of the three large windows found within the center, the lead lighting designer was insistent about using Aura throughout. This decision went beyond simply demonstrating a shading solution – it was about illustrating the seamless integration of lighting and shading in a way that integrators could instantly understand and translate into their own projects.

A Demonstration That Shifts Perception

Visitors to the ProSource 1010 Experience Center often arrive thinking of shading as an afterthought – something secondary to lighting, AV, or automation. That perception quickly changes once they witness the Aura Shades in action.

During live demos, the shades black out the room, and then, as the integrated lighting kicks on, the space transforms. It’s a visceral experience, one that goes beyond specs and product sheets. Even integrators who had seen Aura at CEDIA Expo in a controlled trade show environment, walk away with a completely different understanding once they have been exposed to the shades in a real home-like space.

“Aura was designed to challenge the notion that shading is purely functional – it is equal parts a lighting solution and a design statement. Seeing it in a lifestyle setting like the ProSource 1010 Experience Center brings that duality to life in a way other demonstrations cannot. Dealers who’ve brought Aura into their own showrooms tell us the response from clients is immediate – once they experience it, they get it.”

The training center has already hosted more than 100 ProSource members, and nearly all of them have seen the Aura demo firsthand. Many have walked away rethinking how they present shading to clients, considering adding Aura to their own showrooms or specifying it in future projects.

Closing the Gap Between Interest and Execution

If there’s one reason shading adoption hasn’t reached its full potential in the CI channel, it’s hesitation. Dealers know there’s money to be made, but the risks – mismeasurement, installation challenges, and unfamiliarity with design-oriented selling – have created a barrier to entry. ProSource refers to this as “new category paralysis”—a familiar cycle where integrators leave trainings feeling energized, only to stall once back in their showrooms.

“They get charged up about it,” said Jim Kozicki, VP of Business Development at ProSource. “Then they sit down and go, ‘Okay, now how am I going to do this?’ And the paralysis sets in.”

Hunter Douglas is helping integrators break through that barrier with its HDIS (Hunter Douglas Installation Services) program, which offers professional measuring and installation support at a competitive rate. For dealers, this removes a major point of friction and builds confidence that they can deliver premium shading solutions without fear of costly mistakes or missteps.

A Model for the Future

The partnership between Hunter Douglas and ProSource reflects a shared vision: showing integrators what’s possible when shading is treated as a central element of the smart home experience. Rather than focusing on features in isolation, the ProSource 1010 Experience Center brings everything together into real-world context, demonstrating how design, lighting, and automation can work together in harmony within an installation.

For both ProSource and Hunter Douglas, this is just the beginning. As the response from ProSource members and Hunter Douglas partners continues to grow, it’s clear there is an opportunity to scale this model even further. Based off the feedback received so far, one thing is certain: when integrators experience the power of shading in the right setting, it ceases to feel like a tough sell, and more like an obvious upgrade.