In July 2005, Conexus began with a vision and a leap of faith. What started as a strategic acquisition of a struggling building automation business quickly became something more: a personal mission to build a company rooted in transparency, quality, and long-term relationships.
The early days were anything but easy. With no prior experience managing a team, limited capital, and a line of credit stretched thin, Kurt Twiford, President and CEO of Conexus, stepped into the unknown. What followed was a journey marked by persistence, steep learning curves, and a simple but powerful principle: do good work first, and the profits will follow.
THE FOUNDING STORY: GRIT AND OPTIMISM
The decision to acquire the company that became Conexus wasn’t made in comfort — it was made with a mix of vision, analysis, and what Kurt calls “naive optimism.” With everything on the line, including a term loan larger than the family mortgage and a $600,000 line of credit, Conexus launched with virtually no working capital. The first check, a deposit to the gas utility, was written on that line of credit.
The acquired backlog of work had previously generated losses, and rebuilding the business meant starting with culture. Kurt recalls telling new employees, “We have to do good work first, and the profits will come.” That simple belief, in quality over shortcuts, became foundational to how Conexus would grow.
CORE VALUES IN ACTION
From day one, Conexus has led with integrity, always prioritizing what’s right for the client over what’s convenient or short-term. Over two decades, this has meant:
Prioritizing open systems: Wary of proprietary platforms from the start, Kurt built Conexus on the belief that clients deserve choice on their BAS partner. Conexus champions open protocols like BACnet IP and avoids vendor lock-in. No programming tools, passwords, or software are withheld. Clients maintain their relationships with Conexus because they choose to do so, not because they have no other choice.
Setting clear expectations early: Through BAS Intent Meetings, Conexus ensures alignment between owners, engineers, and integrators — reducing risk and misinterpretation before programming begins.
Commissioning with purpose: Conexus applies rigorous U.S. Army Corps of Engineers commissioning protocols to every project — a practice that verifies full system performance before handover and results in fewer warranty issues.
Few integrators have remained as committed to this open, client-first philosophy as long as Conexus. And that commitment has earned the trust of schools, hospitals, government agencies, and commercial campuses throughout the Mid-Atlantic.
WHERE WE ARE TODAY: INTEGRATION WITH PURPOSE
Today, Conexus supports clients across the region with nearly 50 team members and hundreds of integration projects completed. Our work includes:
- HVAC, lighting, and access control systems that optimize comfort, efficiency, and safety
- Master Systems Integration across campuses and multi-building sites
- Analytics and trends that enable smarter, more proactive operations
Our work continues to be defined by one thing: making life better for building occupants, facility teams, and owners. That purpose drives not just what we deliver, but how we deliver it, with care, clarity, and collaboration at every stage.
LOOKING AHEAD: SMARTER, OPEN, MORE SECURE
The next 20 years will build on the same principles that brought us here, with a focus on the future of building automation:
- Cybersecurity: We harden OT networks, use unique logins and MFA, and train clients to reduce human-error breaches.
- Mobile and modern interfaces: With HTML5 graphics and mobile-first designs, clients can manage their systems from anywhere.
- Cloud-hosted systems and scalable integrations to meet the needs of large facilities, campuses, and enterprise operations.
Conexus will remain focused on delivering resilient, flexible solutions that adapt to evolving technologies and client needs, always with transparency, quality, and longevity in mind.
BUILT ON TRUST, READY FOR WHAT’S NEXT
As we celebrate this milestone, we’re reminded that our growth was never guaranteed. It was earned through late nights, hard decisions, and the unwavering support of those who believed in us.
To our clients: thank you for your trust. To our team: thank you for your talent and heart. To our partners and supporters: thank you for walking this journey with us.
Whether you’ve worked with us for years or are just learning about Conexus, we invite you to explore the solutions we’ve built over the last two decades and see how we can support your goals moving forward.