Chamberlain Group (CG) has been a leading provider of garage door openers and access solutions for residential and commercial properties for over 50 years. While CG has established itself through its reputable access hardware, its sights are now set on transforming into a tech leader of the future.
“We have an amazing heritage and a solid business model,” said Jeff Meredith, who has been CEO of CG since 2021. “It’s one thing to have a startup company that’s fighting for investment capital continuously, versus being in a company that has the foundation that we can actually innovate off of.”
Jeff Meredith has over 20 years of experience working in tech-focused companies. He started his career as an engineer, obtaining undergraduate and graduate business degrees along the way. Meredith held various roles at Lexmark, 3M, and most recently Lenovo, leading its consumer PC business. A former colleague reached out to Meredith in 2018 about the open President role at CG. Although Meredith wasn’t immediately convinced about joining a company known for garage door openers, he realized the potential for technology transformation upon learning how integral CG is to people’s everyday lives, with 51 million households using its hardware. This created a unique opportunity to overlay software and services to evolve CG into an intelligent access solutions provider. Intrigued by this transformation challenge, Meredith joined GG, allowing him to blend his tech background in paving a well-established manufacturing business into its new digital-centric future.
Driving Transformation Through myQ
The lynchpin holding together CG’s vision for the future is myQ, a connected ecosystem that overlays intelligent software and services onto CG’s established hardware access points. With 51 million households in the U.S. equipped with CG hardware, myQ leverages this expansive connected network to provide conveniences, such as detecting when kids come home from school, securely receiving package deliveries, opening your garage door automatically from your car as you arrive home, and more.
“myQ is our tool to deliver intelligent access solutions to all of our customers, whether it’s through our residential business or commercial business,” said Meredith. “It’s really us moving from a hardware-first mentality to a customer experience-first mentality.”
Meredith explained that myQ solves problems people may not have even realized they had, like knowing for certain when family members have safely returned home. “Parents have peace of mind knowing their kids are secure. We’ve added a facial recognition feature, so with your permission, myQ can identify all of your family members. Rather than a basic notification indicating my door opened and closed, I now know that my daughter, Meghan, just got home from school, I can even watch her arrival via a streaming video feed.”
2024 and Beyond: Focus on Growth and Prioritization
Meredith estimates CG is about halfway through its full business transformation journey. A key benchmark on this journey is growing CG’s services business enabled by myQ and connecting its customers to the ecosystem.
“In 2023, we achieved a significant milestone by exceeding 10 million users of our myQ residential access app, something only a handful of other smart home apps can claim,” said Meredith. “Our residential myQ services include video streaming, package delivery and auto integrations. In 2024, you’ll see us expand our myQ commercial offerings, including within multi-dwelling communities and warehouse facilities.”
In addition to myQ and connected service efforts, Meredith has rallied the company around three focal points for 2024: vision, prioritization, and simplification. He wants every team to clearly articulate their vision for how they will contribute to CG’s overarching corporate vision. With many potential innovation avenues, prioritizing what matters most this year is crucial. Finally, simplification involves identifying and eliminating inefficient processes built up over the years.
Top Talent Driving Forward Momentum
CG has invested significant resources into myQ and other transformative efforts thus far. The company has also focused extensively on building its software engineering capabilities, shifting from 30% software engineers in 2018 to 70% currently.
In addition to engineering talent, CG has strengthened its executive bench in preparation for its ambitious future. Recent C-suite hires include former Tonal and Drizly CMO, Gina Hardy, ex-Shutterfly CFO, Mike Eklund, and Hulu’s former CTO, Dan Phillips.
Come Grow with Us on Our Exciting Journey
For those looking to join a company with a unique combination of stability and growth prospects, CG aims to provide the best of both worlds. The company merges the innovation and fast pace of a tech company with the safety net of a strong core business.
Meredith also emphasized CG’s focus on diversity. “We’re really trying to be thoughtful about how we build an environment that’s welcoming to a diverse talent base,” he said.
For the right candidate who thrives off challenging norms and building solutions that enhance people’s lives, CG presents exciting opportunities to learn and advance.
“It’s a place where you can really flourish,” said Meredith. “Forty percent of our employees have been here two years or less. There’s a ton of upside opportunity and I’ve seen people come in and move into more advanced roles 2 or 3 times within a couple of years.”
