Julian Palacios

Julian Palacios is the Director of Sales and Business Development at Smart Buildings Academy (SBA), the world's largest independent smart buildings training company.1 In this role, he leads the commercial development of new offerings and executes the organization's sales and marketing strategies.1

Background and Experience

Julian has over 15 years of experience in the building automation systems (BAS) and HVAC industry, as well as in private equity.1 Throughout his career, he has:

• Led sales, operations, data analytics, and strategy teams
• Managed organizations ranging from $5 million to $3 billion in size
• Focused on helping companies grow their profitability and enabling Smart Buildings professionals to excel in their jobs3

Education

Julian holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Marquette University.1

Role at Smart Buildings Academy

At SBA, Julian's responsibilities include:

• Developing and implementing sales and marketing strategies
• Identifying new business opportunities
• Overseeing the expansion of SBA's training programs

Under his leadership, SBA has served over 13,000 students across more than 2,000 companies in the building automation industry since 2017.12

Industry Involvement

Julian is actively involved in industry events and discussions. For example:

• He moderated a panel at the Niagara Summit 2024, focusing on hiring, retaining, and training superior talent in the building automation industry.45
• He has spoken about the importance of workforce development and training for building automation systems and controls.2

Julian Palacios is recognized as an expert in talent recruitment and development within the smart buildings and building automation sectors, working to address the industry's skilled labor challenges and promote efficiency, profitability, and employee retention.2