Get A Grip On Lighting Podcast

John comes onto GAGOL to explain how ESCO’s are serving MUSH. Okay. You know what GAGOL is. You probably know what an ESCO is. You’ll have to listen to this podcast to find out what MUSH stands for. John breaks down what it is to be an ESCO, who they serve, and how they make money.

John Hamilton is an accomplished sales executive with over a decade of experience leading growth and driving profitability in the energy services and lighting industries. Currently serving as Vice President of ESCO Sales at SLG Lighting® (since April 2023), John is responsible for creating value within the ESCO market space by developing innovative products and solutions that address the unique needs of energy services companies. In this role, John is focused on expanding SLG’s market share and ensuring the long-term success of the ESCO channel, providing strategic leadership in sales management, account development, and product delivery.

Prior to SLG Lighting®, John served as National Sales Director at LEDVANCE, where he managed the growth and profitability of the Energy Services Company (ESCO) channel, establishing relationships with key accounts and aligning customer needs with cutting-edge lighting solutions. During his tenure at MaxLite as National Sales Director for ESCOs (2018–2021), John further honed his expertise in leading national sales initiatives, nurturing client relationships, and building impactful business strategies.

Known for his ability to forge long-lasting client relationships and drive results in highly competitive markets, John brings a consultative approach to sales, delivering tailored solutions that create both short-term wins and sustainable growth. With expertise in sales management, account development, and strategic partnerships, John is a trusted leader in the lighting and energy services industries.

Integrity. Is it in short supply? Michael thinks there is a lot of it in the lighting distribution business. People pay their bills on time, honor handshake deals, and trust one another. But it may not be so in other businesses. Lighting Distribution is a good business to be in! 

If you missed the live stream, here is a recording of Michael’s chat with Eric Teacher at Canada Light Expo. Michael and Eric talk about what it is to be a lighting agent, how STL has survived the chaotic agency world of Toronto, and how the US market seems unaware of how enormous the Ontario and Toronto economy is. Working in the lighting industry since 1993, Eric has been with STL Lighting Group for 4 years as a lighting system specification consultant. Eric is Past President of the Toronto IES. 

Dr. Shelley James is back with a little preview of her new podcast, “Thinking Differently About Lighting.” Dr. James has pulled together her “dream team” of scientists to discuss the latest research and findings, and how that is transforming the way we think about lighting. Watch out for the launch on the Get a Grip network. Dr. Shelley James is an international expert on light and well-being, TEDx and keynote speaker, Author, WELL Advisor and Visiting Lecturer at the Royal College of Art. She is also a trained glass artist and electrician. Shelley is on a mission to inspire others to harness the power of the humble lightbulb to be healthier, happier and help to save the planet too. Clients include global lighting and technology brands and regulators, healthcare and education trusts, architects and designers, academic institutions and museums. A recent social media campaign to raise awareness of the impact of light on teens was translated into three languages and reached over 2.5 million people around the world. Her TEDx talk was the third-most watched in the world in the month following the launch. 

Is the LED boom over? Maybe so, but not in sports lighting. The energy savings and cost reductions with LED, and the advancements in controls now means you can get that NFL “look” for your local high school field. As Royce says, it can make participants feel like they are part of something bigger. Royce Banuelos is the marketing manager for SLG Lighting, an LED lighting manufacturer known for their high bays, commercial lighting, and turn key sports lighting solutions. He has an extensive 15+ years of experience in marketing and has been in lighting for 4 of those years, falling in love with the industry of making the world a brighter place. 

Yes, there is a market north of the border! The Toronto area is huge and deserves its own lighting show. Gaurav saw the opportunity and jumped on it all the way from India. With his company, MEX Exhibitions, he plans to “provide a platform for the lighting community to engage in meaningful dialogue and explore the future of smart lighting, LED technology, and design.” And he’s getting help from The Lighting Agora’s Tom Butters who is acting as the Knowledge Partner for the educational program. Spoiler alert - we’ll be there live streaming from the Get A Grip On Lighting booth! Bonus as a GAGOL listener: use the code NAILD40 to receive a discount on your registration fees. Gaurav Juneja, Director of MEX Exhibitions Pvt. Ltd. and MEX International Inc., is a pioneering leader in the B2B exhibition industry specifically for lighting industry, apart from many other Industry Verticals. He has played a transformative role in the industry, most notably through his leadership in launching major trade shows that have become flagship events in each sector. Gaurav was instrumental in the launch of LED Expo India in 2009, a ground breaking platform that introduced the Indian market to advanced LED technologies and solutions, helping accelerate the adoption of energy-efficient lighting across the country. Following its success, Gaurav spearheaded the expansion of the brand into Southeast Asia by establishing LED Expo Thailand in 2013, making it one of the largest and most influential lighting shows in the ASEAN region. Tom Butters, LC, is the creative mind and developer behind some of the most well received educational tools and events of the global lighting industry. Since 1986, Tom has worked in or served the entire array of the lighting industry. He uses this diverse background and empathy to understand the needs of the individual or organization to deliver high quality lighting education to suit the precise needs of the user. Tom is a proud board member of the Nuckolls’ Fund for Lighting Education and an Emeritus Member of the IES. As the Senior Manager then Director of Canlyte/Philips Lighting Concept Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada from 2000 to 2016, Tom developed and delivered top level lighting education to thousands of attendees in all segments of the lighting industry. Tom was the co-developer, along with F.X. Morin, of the globally successful free lighting app “IES Ready Reference”. He is the creator of “Light for Life – a Global Collaboration 2020” which involved 17 webinars from 15 lighting organizations from around the world during the COVID-19 pandemic. Tom was the director of the IES’ free 4-hour live webinar “Germicidal Disinfection in the Days of COVID-19” which had over 3600 live attendees from 56 countries and has been viewed by thousands more as a free offering on the IES website. 

You or your contractor are installing lights in a retail store with a scissor lift. Suddenly, a few tiles crack under the weight. Who’s to blame? It might not be who you think.

Cory joined his father at Lighting Unlimited in 2008. He took on a leadership role in 2014 as well as receiving his LC from the NCQLP in 2017.  He was the president of NAILD in 2018 and the VP of the Phoenix chapter of the IES.

Michael recently had a customer call to fix some blinking lights in his parking lot. Brian joins Michael and Greg to discuss how a distributor could handle this situation when some other company did the installation. THe boys discuss everything from selling them new fixtures, to advising them to call the installers to find out the warranty situation. What would you do?

Brian began his career in the lighting industry with Pacific Lamp Wholesale, in 2009. Before Pacific Lamp he sold radiant floor heating, solar electric, and solar water systems. That is how he got started working with utility rebates and tax credit programs. 

Pacific Lamp founder Dave Junkin, a founding member of NAILD, came out of retirement, and Brian was the first person he hired after his son decided to do another line of work. Dave took him under my wing and taught him everything he knows about the business. Brian purchased the company from him in 2019.

Brian would like to see more sustainable lighting and better standards of uniformity and would like to contribute to making the industry a better place with more collaboration between manufacturers and distributors to give end users better quality fixtures. He would love to see higher end lines manufactured in the US again! 

He is a huge advocate for dark sky friendly and animal friendly lighting that has purpose with the correct color and distribution based on the application. 

CEOs of publicly traded lighting companies, you are invited to be a guest on Get A Grip On Lighting. Michael, Greg, and Spencer Miles discuss the pros and the cons for you. And we have concluded the pros outweigh the cons. If you’re up for it, email us at [email protected]. Spencer Miles first appeared on Get a Grip On Lighting way back in 2017 on episode #4. He is the President of Pacific Lamp and Supply Company where he has worked for 23 years of Pacific Lamp’s over 100 years of business. Spencer served as NAILD’s President in 2019. 

Devin and Louvers International have a new UVC air sanitizer product called Cluvaire. But while we have Devin, we go into the “deep state” of the lighting industry, outdoor lighting, bulb bans, dark sky compliance… But yeah, he has a new UV product called Cluvaire. Check it out: https://louversintl.com/uvc-air-sanitizers/ Devin, along with his brother Derek, heads up Louvers International which was founded in 1986 with reliability and good design in mind. What started out as a small business has evolved into a team that works together to build connections between their customers and the lighting and plastics industries. 

Michael presents a document from the Canadian government outlining the coming ban on CFL bulbs. Brian Huff joins Michael and Greg to tackle this misguided and needlessly complicated plan. Hey Governments - want to get rid of Mercury containing bulbs? A NAILD committee will figure it out in 15 minutes. Brian Huff, President of Adventure Lighting in Des Moines, IA, has been in the lighting industry for 15ish years, and has owned Adventure Lighting for 7 years. He has 2 kids, and spends a lot of time going to kids sports, coaching kids sports, playing golf, and volunteering on a few local boards/non-profits. 

Jake Watters reached out to us after listening to episode #356 with Paolo Cordovado and how difficult it has become, as a building manager, to simply replace light bulbs. Even as Jake’s company attempts to mitigate the waste with their modular system, even he admits that the only path to sustainability is probably form factor standards. Michael gets hotter than usual on this one. Born and raised in the Lighting industry, Jake’s father was a branch and then general manager of a regional ED/showroom in the Detroit area. As a kid, he worked in the warehouse, eventually putting together, hanging, and electrifying light fixtures. While in college, Jake helped his father open up a 10,000 sq foot lighting showroom in Central Florida. A year after finishing college, his father retired and Jake ran the showroom for 7ish years until his father had to sell the business. Jake moved out to California, where his wife was from, and he purposefully turned down opportunities to return to lighting. Fast forward a decade, and after having 3 young kids and being a stay-at-home dad for a little over 3 years, he returned to lighting on the manufacturing side in 2019 working for Auroralight, and then Elco Lighting since May 2023. 

It was another very successful NAILD Convention. Michael and Greg give us their take on the event, from the seating plan to the presentations to the first pitch at the baseball game by Brian Huff. Greg considers the boxed lunch sandwich possibly one of the best he’s ever had!

Mel Jacobson started selling light bulbs out of a van in 1951 and in 1955, Paul’s Grandfather Don McLellan joined Mel, then bought the company in 1982 when Mel retired. When the internet arrived, teenage Paul built a website and started selling light bulbs online. But vanolite.com just wasn’t going to cut it. And so LightBulbs.com was born. Paul and his brother-in-law Jason tell us how they built up the online business and how they continue to keep it successful. Hint - they have a big family.

Paul created LightBulbs.com's first website in 1996, and continues to provide all eCommerce development today, focusing on providing a fast, responsive and user-friendly experience. After over 25 years of working in nearly every position at the company, Paul now rests comfortably as President (and Programmer).

When he isn't working at LightBulbs.com, he's spending time with his wife Laura and their nine children (five of which are currently employed by LightBulbs.com), enjoying the outdoors, especially their favorite vacation spot of Fort Myers Beach, FL; and in his spare time, Paul really, really enjoys immersing himself in a good movie or video game.

Jason has been with LightBulbs.com for 24 years and works directly with: Sales, Distribution, Customer Service, Accounting and Web Content. Fresh out of high school and after one year of doing tech support for a dial-up ISP in Minneapolis, he decided to join the family lighting business of his then girlfriend – who eventually became his wife.

Since joining Service Lighting, Inc. / LightBulbs.com in 2000, Jason helped the company develop a pick, pack and ship process that handled a 1500% increase in average daily volume in these 24 years. In 2013, Jason began working with both Commercial and Retail / Utility Sales Managers on various projects and initiatives for their customers. Overseeing the growth of an online sales department that went from 4 reps up to 13 in those 11 years.

Jason loves spending time with two kids, playing fantasy sports and having his heart constantly broken by the sports teams in Minnesota, especially the Vikings…

Special Release! It’s almost September and that means the Archlight Summit is almost upon us. Lea and Cindy update Michael on what to expect this year at The Dallas Market Centre in Dallas Texas. Educational and enjoyable. Catch up with friends and colleagues you haven’t seen for a while. September 17 and 18. Lea is a seasoned professional with over 25 years of experience in Trade Show Sales, Attendee Development, and new business development, specializing for over 14 years in the commercial and architectural lighting industry. Lea joined the Dallas Market Center this past April and is focused on Attendee Development and Exhibit Sales for ArchLIGHT Summit. She is dedicated to driving exhibit hall growth by attracting high-profile exhibitors and key industry attendees, ensuring the show's success, and expanding its impact in the lighting industry. Cindy is an award-winning Independent Marketing Consultant who’s been working in the lighting industry for 20 years. She has an extensive background in Event Management and Marketing in various industries including professional sports, non-profit events, and industry trade shows. She got her start in the commercial and architectural lighting industry with Acuity Brands and continues to serve as a marketing specialist for a variety of clients in architectural lighting. Cindy was contracted by the Dallas Market Center four years ago to create and manage ArchLIGHT Summit to Central Texas. She serves as the Director of Event Strategy and is responsible for exhibitor growth, association involvement, board members and overall event marketing and management. Cindy serves as the National Marketing Chair on the Women in Lighting + Design Board of Directors. 

We get back to basics with lighting distributor Brian Amundson, President of Pacific Lamp Wholesale. We start off with a video of possibly the most hellish room you could ever experience. Brian discusses with Michael and Greg, how to handle a situation like that, and sticking up for the customer in general. Brian began his career in the lighting industry with Pacific Lamp Wholesale, in 2009. Before Pacific Lamp he sold radiant floor heating, solar electric, and solar water systems. That is how he got started working with utility rebates and tax credit programs. Pacific Lamp founder Dave Junkin, a founding member of NAILD, came out of retirement, and Brian was the first person he hired after his son decided to do another line of work. Dave took him under my wing and taught him everything he knows about the business. Brian purchased the company from him in 2019. Brian would like to see more sustainable lighting and better standards of uniformity and would like to contribute to making the industry a better place with more collaboration between manufacturers and distributors to give end users better quality fixtures. He would love to see higher end lines manufactured in the US again! He is a huge advocate for dark sky friendly and animal friendly lighting that has purpose with the correct color and distribution based on the application. 

Alex and Paulina are our first guests from Mexico. And they seem to have many of the same challenges as in the rest of North America - problems with Chinese products and standards and certifications, for example. They are making headway on light pollution however, starting with some dark sky compliant areas in the Baja Peninsula and working its way through Mexico. Alex is an Architect and Lighting Designer from the Polytechnic University of Catalonia. With extensive experience in lighting design, mainly in the industrial and commercial sectors. He has collaborated on multiple projects to achieve green certifications, such as LEED. He is a university lecturer, teaching Lighting courses in the Architecture program. Passionate about sharing knowledge, he has conducted various workshops where light is the medium for expressing ideas. Co-founder with his wife Paulina of Wawa Lighting. Paulina is an architect from the National Technological Institute of Mexico and holds a master's degree in Lighting Design from Aalborg University in Denmark. She has over 10 years of experience collaborating on hospitality, residential, urban, and industrial projects in Mexico, the United States, and Europe. She is the co-founder of Wawa Lighting, an architectural lighting design firm. Committed to education, she actively participates in courses, diploma programs, master's programs, and workshops, where she seeks to share knowledge about the culture of light and dark skies. 

We’re a little off-topic here, but it’s for a good cause. Instead of the usual black tie event to raise money to fight cancer, founders of the H Foundation decided to create an uplifting event with The Goombay Bash. So grab your Hawaiian shirt and get yourself to the Navy Pier in Chicago on July 27th and help fight cancer (https://www.goombaybash.com/). While you’re there, order yourself a Goombay Smash, just like the one Michael is drinking in this episode. Cortney Hausser has dedicated her career to the nonprofit industry holding numerous positions over the years in this sector. She began her career in 2010 as the Partnership Builder for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Will & Grundy Counties. After leaving her position to pursue a more corporate setting, Cortney took the role as Development Associate for the Bolingbrook Hospital Foundation where she advanced the fundraising efforts to support the healing mission of Adventist Bolingbrook Hospital. Through this role, Cortney reinvigorated the Employee Charitable Giving Program nearly doubling the amount raised year over year. In October of 2015, Cortney made the decision to pursue a new role within the cancer nonprofit sector. Cortney began her position as Executive Director of The H Foundation in December of 2015. As Executive Director of The H Foundation, Cortney sits on the Advisory Board for the Friends of the Lurie Cancer Center. She was the recipient of the 2019 West Suburban Chamber of Commerce and Industry 30 Under 40 Award, graduate of the 2014 Adventist Hospital Emerging Leader Program, a prior member of the Exchange Club of Joliet and the recipient of the 2012 Exchange Club of Joliet William H. Lipsey "Rookie of the Year" Award. John Rot is a proven community and charitable leader. He started his career doing business valuations as a part of the appraisal group for Arthur Anderson. After leaving this position, John managed Hortons of La Grange, Inc., a pillar in La Grange since 1896. After two years in a management position, John purchased the company and created the business we know today as Hortons Home Lighting. This business propelled John’s track record as an experienced businessman. His entrepreneurial spirit led him to opportunities of investment and ownership in the La Grange Theater, Q-BBQ, and The Hot Dog & Burger Co. His advocacy to the La Grange community drove him to invest in a $2 million renovation of the historic La Grange Theater in order to maintain this community asset. Through his business ventures, John has served as an Advisory Board member for the largest co-op in the lighting industry and as an Advisory Board member for the Friends of the Lurie Cancer Center. He was the recipient of the 2016 Business Person of the Year for the Rotary Club of La Grange, 2005 La Grange Business Association Person of the year, and served as the 2004 La Grange Business Association President. John is a Founding Father and the current President of The H Foundation. 

Let’s go back to the time when people accepted that light bulbs would burn out. Michael calls it a “pseudo subscription model.” You could sell light bulbs to customers on a pretty regular schedule. We don’t need to tell you how that changed with the advent of LED. Michael and Greg discuss how distributors should react to the change.

Deborah Gottesman is a lighting Designer in Michael’s neck of the woods. Gottesman Associates has been designing lights since 1999. Deborah stresses, as a lighting designer, to consider what’s best for the client. For instance, one client who was visually impaired, needed to see everything. So a design with contrast and shadows, which would be pleasing for most of us, just wouldn’t work for this person. The “intention” in this case was flat, even lighting, and that was the best design for that customer. Deborah has a unique contextual understanding of lighting from all perspectives; her career spans over 30 years in all facets of the lighting industry including design, engineering, management, education, and manufacturing. An electrical engineer with an MBA in Real Property, Deborah has successfully worked on projects in many sectors, with particular expertise in Heritage, Residential, and Commercial projects. She has taught lighting at all levels to a wide audience from students at colleges and universities to senior architects. Deborah currently sits on the Illuminating Engineering Society Residential Lighting Committee, and is a past president of the Toronto Section. She also currently sits on the Canadian National Committee of the Commission Internationale de L’Eclairage (CIE). 

Sure, Jon sells light bulbs, but he also sells safety and risk mitigation. First, by installing the right bulb in the right position, safety is increased, and second, by installing a longer lasting bulb and requiring someone to climb up and change it less often, he is mitigating risk. If you're doing it right, you’ll NEVER have OSHA involved. Jon Rud is an accomplished sales executive with over a decade of experience in the electrical and lighting industries. Currently serving as the VP of Sales for the Americas at Dialight, Jon has been with the company since 2012, where he has held various pivotal roles after having started as a regional sales manager. Prior to his current position, he served as the Director of Sales for the Gulf region for seven years and the Global Strategic Accounts Manager for two years. Before joining Dialight, Jon developed his expertise in the electrical industry with business development at Graybar and previous to that served as the Industrial Manager for Border States Electric for three years. A dedicated member of the Green Building Council since 2011, Jon is committed to promoting sustainable building practices and innovative lighting. 

If you want to REALLY become technically proficient about lighting, get on grow lighting. Taylor Schaberg has been in the business for quite awhile and he tells us he’s still learning. You want to light a warehouse, throw up some high bays. You want to light a cannabis greenhouse? Wait a minute, what strain of cannabis is it? How strong do you want it to be? Then there are the controls that you need to set to mimic night and day. And then there’s the heat and moisture controls! Taylor is all for educating lighting professionals who want to get into the grow lighting business. After you listen to this episode, check out Taylors podcast, Get Up & Grow (activegrowled.com/en-ca/pages/the-get-up-and-grow-podcast). Taylor is the Founder and CEO of Active Grow. He started working in lighting back in 2011 when he lived in a factory in Nanjing, China. This was during the time when commercial LEDs were starting to flood the American and European markets. He then got a job with Green Creative in Shanghai during their early days, as a product manager. He was always intrigued by how spectrums can manipulate organic life, and the idea of sustainable food and medicine production. So he designed and built an LED prototype to test on a friend's cannabis farm in California. The tests were successful so he drove a beat up van full of samples from Eau Claire, WI to Seattle, WA and started Active Grow. In the early days of the company he lived on a cannabis farm, did hands-on research and learned what it takes to grow healthy and thriving plants. Today Active Grow offers a variety of grow lights not only for cannabis growers but microgreen businesses, mushroom farms, vertical farms, plant-based food production facilities and more. 

If you don’t know who Bill Brown was, you weren’t in the lighting industry. From founding Bill Brown Sales at the kitchen table with his wife Norma in 1955, to creating A.L.P manufacturing in 1972, Bill was a force in the industry. Known for his mutual respect, philanthropy and hard work, he received numerous industry awards over his lifetime. We were lucky enough to have him as a guest way back on episode 10 in 2017. Please enjoy this retrospective and encore presentation. https://www.billbrownsales.com/ 

Like many of us, India “fell” into lighting. Except India’s interest is in the history of Los Angeles street lighting, from the “moon towers” of the 1880’s, to the Golden Age of street lighting in the 40’s and 50’s to the skyrocketing of street lighting over crime concerns in the 60’s. Some of these classic light poles are still in use, but alas, with copper wire theft and some of these cast iron poles being literally ripped out of the ground and taken for scrap metal, we may be losing the beauty of the past. Come on, leave the street lights alone! India Mandelkern was born in Los Angeles, California, received her B.A. from Middlebury College in Middlebury, Vermont, and received her Ph.D. in History from the University of California, Berkeley. After all this school, she made her way back to Los Angeles, where she has worked as a curator, consultant, and critic, writing on art, culture, design, and cities for a variety of publications, both local and national. From 2016-2018 she served as a fellow at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), where she got interested in public art and worked as the speechwriter for the CEO. During her tenure there, she created a 'field guide' to the 16 different 1920s and 1930s streetlight designs included in Chris Burden's famous streetlight sculpture located at LACMA's south entrance, Urban Light. The guide became an overnight hit at the museum, which led her down a rabbit hole, so to speak, and resulted in her latest book, Electric Moons: A Social History of Street Lighting in Los Angeles, published in late 2023 by Hat & Beard Press. In the book, she uses the streetlight as a "flashlight" to reexamine the history of LA, looking at how lighting shaped conversations about civic identity, transportation, policing, and the definition of public space, to name a few. She currently works at the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LACMTA) –– a fortuitously "streetlight-adjacent" gig –– where she oversees the agency's blog and writes about Metro construction projects and policies. 

Paolo is your typical customer for a lighting distributor or a contractor. The misinformation on LED lifecycles, the difficulty in replacing drivers, and the sheer waste that has been created prompts Paolo to label the whole system as a Ponzy scheme. How many electricians does it take to change a light bulb? The joke’s on you because on many fixtures, you can’t change the bulb.

Paolo Cordovado is a Building Operator at Avison Young Real Estate Management Services, recognized as BOMA Toronto's 2023 Emerging Leader of the Year. With a decade of experience, Paolo is a key member of the Ontario Operations Team, overseeing two buildings in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). He excels in problem-solving, preventive maintenance, and tenant relations, earning a reputation as the go-to person for building needs. Paolo's professionalism extends beyond his role, actively contributing to industry groups, mentoring new operators, and spearheading innovative initiatives such as e-waste recycling and piloting barcoding systems for preventive maintenance tasks. As a member of Avison Young's Global Operations Task Force, Paolo is shaping the future of CRE operations, demonstrating leadership and dedication to excellence in building management.
 
 Connect with Paolo:
 www.linkedin.com/in/paolocordovado/
linkedin Group- Building Operations-  https://www.linkedin.com/groups/9127092/
Newsletter- https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/lets-talk-building-operations-7097993398795595777/ 

Mike is a member of AAILA and he’ll tout the benefits all day long, from assistance and support to education, just like NAILD does for independent lighting distributors. AAILA brings together independent lighting agents and makes them “stronger together.” When he’s not volunteering for AAILA, he and his company are working on projects like lighting the longest enclosed pedestrian bridge in the world. (https://www.durhamregion.com/news/lighting-up-the-pickering-skyline/article_008e7f09-f2f4-5d10-96bc-0601ce2c4f33.html) The vision for Mike’s company, Visionz, is simple: be dedicated to the customer experience, partner with premier brands, and support the design community on their projects from start to finish. You’ll have to listen to the end to hear what Michael and Greg think is the best explanation they've heard for what an agent is. A Canadian with over 24 years in the lighting industry, Mike Hamilton’s experience in the lighting specification community is extensive, having been a part of the 12V LED lighting market, from its inception. Mike has led national sales teams and participated in their product design & development initiatives. All prior to entering the lighting specification market in Toronto. Mike has participated in a number of media attention grabbing projects, like the lighting of the longest enclosed pedestrian bridge in the world. Mike is currently the principal of Visionz Inc. a prominent Toronto based Architectural Products agency, that is focused on the creation of specifications in the areas of Architectural Lighting, Landscape Furnishings, and integration of Architectural Elements. 

Luminaire Level Lighting Controls. Is it time? Bruce and Angela think so. With wireless and Bluetooth maturing, the time may be right to NOT rip out walls and old control boxes, and just install LLLC. Now lighting controls are accessible to contractors and end users. Everybody’s happy. Okay maybe it’s not quite that simple. Listen to this one to hear about the promises and the challenges of LLLC. Angela Pilant has more than 25 years of experience working within the lighting and energy industries. She has a diverse background as a utility specialist, manufacturer’s representative, and consultant. She has worked at Evergreen Energy Partners since 2009 and specializes in market and trend analysis, utility program development, client engagement strategies, and training. She is a certified instructor for the Building Operator Certification Program (BOC) and has earned a Lighting Certified Professional designation from NCQLP. Bruce Hemmelman has more than 30 years of experience in the lighting and lighting controls industries. He has worked for lighting and lighting controls manufacturers as a Product and Sales Manager, as a manufacturer's representative and currently as a consultant. His current focus is promoting market transformation and adoption of Luminaire Level Lighting Controls working with the electrical specification, distribution and contractor market segments. 

We’ve all heard about AI by now. But probably not everyone really understands what it’s about. Pete Grett is kinda counting on that a little. As he says, using AI is pretty simple, but people just want others to do it for them. That’s where Pete steps in. He wants to help individuals be more efficient by taking away tasks and giving them to AI to perform. But don’t tell the boss. Just produce your usual level of productivity, then with your spare time watch or listen to Get A Grip On Lighting episodes! Pete started in supply chain 25 years ago as a temp worker in a warehouse. He rose to operational leadership in a variety of roles before moving to system implementations and support. Eventually, Pete took on leadership responsibility at what became FedEx Supply Chain. Pete oversaw system solution design, sales, and implementation for the two largest verticals at FedEx. Pete took that experience and many key resources and started his own consulting firm, The Blackrock Group, offering Supply chain management and system consulting. The Blackrock Group now has clients and uses resources all over the globe With a keen eye for innovation, Pete is now steering into the future with Blackrock Software Company, where he’s embracing the transformative power of generative AI. Under his #TechSherpa brand, he’s dedicated to guiding businesses through the evolving landscape of technology, ensuring they stay ahead in today’s digital ascent. Join Pete as he unpacks the complexities of supply chains and explores the frontiers of artificial intelligence. 

You will remember Dr. James from episode 291 in December 2022. She’s written a couple of books about light and health since then (see below). Light and its relation to circadian health keeps popping up on this podcast. There’s no doubt there’s something to it. But even Dr. James will tell you, the best way to deal with it is to go outside and let the rays from that big light in the sky hit you. Dr Shelley James is an international expert on light and well-being, TEDx and keynote speaker, Author, WELL Advisor and Visiting Lecturer at the Royal College of Art. She is also a trained glass artist and electrician. Shelley is on a mission to inspire others to harness the power of the humble lightbulb to be healthier, happier and help to save the planet too. Clients include global lighting and technology brands and regulators, healthcare and education trusts, architects and designers, academic institutions and museums. A recent social media campaign to raise awareness of the impact of light on teens was translated into three languages and reached over 2.5 million people around the world. Her TEDx talk was the third-most watched in the world in the month following the launch.

Connect with Dr. James: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-shelley-james-53592229/, https://www.facebook.com/DrShelleyJames/ https://twitter.com/DrShelleyJames/ https://www.instagram.com/drshelleyjames/ www.ageoflightinnovations.com

What exactly is the National Lighting Bureau? Well, Tom can tell us because he is now the Executive Director. He gives us a sneak peak on what's ahead for the Bureau. Tom also explains three personal goals he has as Director: increasing member benefits, outreach to like-minded organizations, and public outreach. The topic of transformation comes up between Tom, Michael and Greg. Is it coming? Listen to this episode to find out. Tom Butters, LC, is the creative mind and developer behind some of the most well received educational tools and events of the global lighting industry. Since 1986, Tom has worked in or served the entire array of the lighting industry. He uses this diverse background and empathy to understand the needs of the individual or organization to deliver high quality lighting education to suit the precise needs of the user. Tom is a proud board member of the Nuckolls’ Fund for Lighting Education and an Emeritus Member of the IES. As the Senior Manager then Director of Canlyte/Philips Lighting Concept Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada from 2000 to 2016, Tom developed and delivered top level lighting education to thousands of attendees in all segments of the lighting industry. 

From billionaires’ butler to very successful owner of 3 hair salons with 77 employees (which also meant 77 headaches) to lighting designer and decorative lighting store retailer. William has always had a knack for what looks good and that has served him well as a lighting designer. When he’s not out designing the interior and exterior lighting of a home, he’s minding the store in Santa Barbara (lightandhome.com). William George has been a photographer, interior designer, art historian, theatrical set and lighting designer, and successful entrepreneur in the beauty industry. He has always loved lighting and design and brings his fresh perspective and design sensibility to Light + Home 

Two interesting perspectives on the lighting distribution industry: Sean Valliere who knew nothing about the lighting industry when he became an owner of Lamp Sales Unlimited, and Miranda Shepherd, who worked at Lamp Sales Unlimited for 23 years and also became an owner. Sean and Miranda discuss how they keep customers coming back by carefully choosing the right stock and having better customer service than the other guys. Sean Valliere moved from Pennsylvania at the age of 19 to Jacksonville FL where he worked in Supply Chain and Logistics management for 20 years. He spent 9 years at UPS, 4 years at Grainger and 7 years in Medical Logistics. In November of 2021, Sean’s family along with Miranda Shepherd acquired Lamp Sales Unlimited Inc. A 40-year-old Lighting Distributor with locations in Jacksonville FL and Orlando FL. Sean serves alongside Miranda as a VP to oversee operations and day to day business functions in both Jacksonville and Orlando FL. Miranda Shepherd, a Jacksonville, FL native, has 37 years of experience in the wholesale lighting industry, 23 of those years with Lamp Sales Unlimited. Her lighting career began with a 22-branch multi-state firm in inside sales selling residential lighting, and after 3 years was promoted to outsides sales and later to Branch Manager. Miranda started at Lamp Sales Unlimited in 2001 in outside sales and over the years served in multiple roles including Sales and General Manager. Miranda became one of the managing partners in 2021 and currently serves as Lamp Sales Vice President and General Manager. 

Omar is so knowledgeable about the Internet of Things that he’s written a book about it. He talks to Michael and Greg about the future of smart sensors and cloud data. Imagine a smart sensor that can see where, when and why people gather in a particular spot in a retail establishment. But, as Michael points out, a downside of collecting all this data is that it has to be stored on physical drives that take enormous amounts of energy and cover acres and acres of land around the planet. Omar A. Rivera is an industry-leading product development professional with more than 30 years of experience working with Osram/Sylvania, General Electric, and Orion Energy System. He has expertise in advanced energy-efficient lighting systems, where he led a product development team to launch the most efficient industrial light fixture in the world in 2017. This record-breaking efficacy still stands today. Omar A. Rivera has authored numerous articles and white papers on energy efficiency that have been published in various magazines and blogs. Omar is also an expert in the application of the Internet of Things “IoT technologies.” He was an early adaptor of this technology and led the effort to integrate advanced sensor technology into lighting systems. These sensors collect data to help organizations run more efficiently, save energy, and increase asset security. Omar served in the United States Air Force with distinction for 13 years. He has a Bachelor’s in Business Administration from California Coast University, MIT Massachusetts Institute of Technology Sloan School of Business Executive Programs.

Michael and Greg continue their conversation in Frankfurt Germany. This time Michael is the “guest.” Greg asks Michael what he thinks about the organizers of Light + Building taking over LightFair. Is this a trojan horse? Is this a way for European companies to worm their way into the North American market?

Entschuldigung! Greg is Michael's "guest" on this one, reporting from Light + Building in Germany. But mostly they talk about LightFair in America. It seems Light + Building will be organizing the next LightFair. Greg is a little more ambivalent than Michael about it. But they both agree LightFair needs to be shaken up. Maybe some Europeans can do that. 

You might have caught Buddy on Restoring Darkness ep. 92. We had him on Restoring Darkness because he’s at the front lines of manufacturing responsible outdoor lighting. You might even say, he’s cornered the market. When Sedona Arizona put out a tender for dark sky friendly lighting, his company, Crossroads LED was the only bidder. And this gels with what Michael has been saying - there’s money to be made in the relighting (or darkening?) of America. Buddy Stefanoff is an entrepreneur, small business owner and the Vice President of Engineering for Crossroads LED. With over 20 plus years of experience and expertise in the development of advanced, LED based luminaires and dark-sky certified lighting platforms, Mr. Stefanoff is the driving force behind the company’s product line which has received numerous patents and awards, including the International Dark-Sky Association’s prestigious “Best Design and Technical Innovation Award”. Under Mr. Stefanoff’s direction and leadership, Crossroads LED has become the undisputed worldwide leader in the design and production of LED luminaires that reduce light pollution and sky glow. 

You can’t help getting swept up in Dirk’s enthusiasm and energy. And that’s over the internet. Dirk insists that distribution is a noble calling. It’s a 7 Trillion dollar economic engine and it supports over 6 million jobs. In the middle of the pandemic, Dirk decided he wanted to support that calling, so he went on the road with his We Supply America Tour. Go to https://wesupplyamerica.net/ and maybe you can get him to come to your distribution business. Dirk Beveridge is a visionary entrepreneur and the founder of UnleashWD, an innovative firm that creates transformative learning experiences and connections for growth oriented distributors. With his one-of-a-kind perspective on the future of wholesale distribution, Dirk has been leading major change for over 35 years to advance growth, relevance, and transformation. Over the last three years Dirk produced the We Supply America tour including a twenty-four film docuseries highlighting and championing the noble calling of distribution. Dirk has authored four books including the best selling INNOVATE! How Successful Distributors Lead Change In Disruptive Times. And on May 1st, Dirk is producing Force For Good Virtual - Live, a transformative event to fuel personal and professional growth for all 6 million employees of distribution. 

Avi doesn’t give a damn who makes the lights or what kind of lights they are as long as the feeling and emotion is achieved in a space. And of course, that feeling has to be maintained. So if you’ve buried a light fixture in concrete, that “feeling” is going away in about 5 years when the light burns out and you can’t get at it. If you want to keep the feeling, call on Morlights to design your lighting. Founding Principal, Avraham “Avi” M. Mor has been practicing lighting design for over 20 years. After graduating from the University of Kansas with a BFA in Theater Design with an emphasis in Architectural and Theatrical Lighting Design, he moved back to his hometown of Chicago to further his craft. Avi has grown his business from a small operation with only a handful of clients to a bustling firm with projects of all sizes located around the nation. 

Returning guest Melvin Newman tells us what’s been going on with Patabid since we last saw him. There’s a new partnership with City Electric Supply, improved estimating software and AI, and even more time savings for contractors. Melvin is the President/CTO of PataBid. Prior to co-founding PataBid in 2018, Melvin worked in the construction industry for 15+ years as an estimator and project manager. As an entrepreneur, Melvin co-founded PataBid and is the full stack developer on the platform, specializing in the development of the internal ML/AI systems. In addition to developing the platform, Melvin is responsible for building the deployment systems and developing key business partnerships.

Another short one with Michael and Greg. In this episode, our hosts discuss the phases of a career in lighting distribution. The first phase had Greg going everywhere looking for dead light bulbs or broken lenses just to get a supply business going. Michael’s story is similar except he did it on Rollerblades. Buy some inline skates and get your business going!

Michael Colligan is President of Atlas Lighting in Toronto, Canada. 

Greg Ehrich is President of Premier Lighting in St. Paul, Minnesota. 

Watch for Brian and his team on the cover of the Spring 2024 edition of Today’s Lighting Distributor. Brian tells Michael and Greg about how he started in the business and about how he continues to be successful and what the future holds for his company, Pacific Lamp. And for all you Restoring Darkness fans out there, Brian is a big advocate for responsible outdoor lighting at night. Brian began his career in the lighting industry with Pacific Lamp Wholesale, in 2009. Before Pacific Lamp he sold radiant floor heating, solar electric, and solar water systems. That is how he got started working with utility rebates and tax credit programs. Pacific Lamp founder Dave Junkin, a founding member of NAILD, came out of retirement, and Brian was the first person he hired after his son decided to do another line of work. Dave took him under my wing and taught him everything he knows about the business. Brian purchased the company from him in 2019. Brian would like to see more sustainable lighting and better standards of uniformity and would like to contribute to making the industry a better place with more collaboration between manufacturers and distributors to give end users better quality fixtures. He would love to see higher end lines manufactured in the US again! He is a huge advocate for dark sky friendly and animal friendly lighting that has purpose with the correct color and distribution based on the application. 

Al, Michael, and Greg look back at some of their predictions and try to guess who said what, and assess how accurate they were. But you can’t look back without looking ahead. The guys give their predictions on artificial intelligence, lighting controls, and Al even has a prediction for Acuity. Al Uszynski is an experienced executive with over 25 years of experience in the lighting industry. He is Principal of inside.lighting, an online media company that provides valuable insights and information to lighting industry professionals. Throughout his career, Al has held leadership positions with major lighting companies in roles that have encompassed full P&L responsibility, as well as sales, marketing and brand management. Al also serves as a business advisor and consultant to select lighting and electrical industry clients. 

It’s always fun, informative, and educational to have such experienced people like Richard on the podcast. He also brings his incredible energy and positive attitude with him, not only to the podcast, but wherever he goes. With an incredible 60 years in the business, he’s got a lot of knowledge to pass on. This podcast is one of our favorites this year. Richard has devoted his entire career to the lighting industry that has spanned some 60 years. Starting in the UK with the General Electric Company, in London, then on assignment for this company in Toronto and then Chicago. Declining to return to the UK, Richard elected to stay in America and went on to work for such companies as Halo Lighting, Devine Lighting, Steiner Electric and others. Richard claims to have no retirement skills and so continues to work full time, working for Louvers International as their Director of Business Development. Richard has many accomplishments but is most proud of his 55 years of continuous service with the IES. 

LEDucation will be here before you know it (March 19-20, 2024) so Jamie Eck, Co-Chair of the LEDucation Committee, gives us a preview of what to expect. As Jamie says, “LEDucation is geared towards the design community,” but there will be plenty there for everyone else too. And watch for some live streaming podcasts from Get A Grip On Lighting, Restoring Darkness, and The Lighting Controls Podcast.

Jamie has been in the lighting industry for more than 30 years and brings experience and understanding of all parts of the design, sales and implementation process, to the customer. He has worked in various markets and verticals in multiple sales and management positions. Starting in lighting distribution in 1989, he moved over to the manufacturer side in 2006, where he worked for Philips, GE Lighting (as a rep for Brazill Brothers) and also as a Regional Sales Manager for Satco Products Nuvo Lighting. He currently holds the position of Business Development Manager at O’Blaney Rinker & Associates in NY and NJ. 

Do you have an enthusiasm for old light bulbs? Then contact Chad and you can geek out about an 1880 Edison Bristol Board Filament prototype lamp, or an 1886 Luminoid Incandescent Lamp. In fact Chad probably has the greatest collection of antique lamps and related electrical artifacts in existence. But this episode isn’t all about antique light bulbs. Chad also has some pretty astute things to say about the good, the bad, and the ugly of LEDs.

Chad Shapiro has had a fascination with lighting since the age of 13 when his interests in Thomas Edison shifted from the Phonograph to the invention of the first successful incandescent lamp. Mentored by historic light bulb and Edisonia veterans like the late Dr. Hugh F Hicks and later the late Charley Hummel, Chad went on the search the world for the earliest examples of electric lighting history.

Alongside this near lifetime fascination with electric lighting, Chad's father had been a lifelong electronics technician. Chad grew up installing electronic gadgets alongside his father much of his childhood. After working for his father for about 10 years Chad founded Sterling Sound & Vision in 2012 to focus on the luxury home automation market.

Connect with Chad:

www.sterlingsv.com

Collection (a small but growing catalog of entries out of several thousand pieces in the collection): https://hub.catalogit.app/1834

Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/chad.shapiro.9

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chad-shapiro-42584797/

The King of Lighting Ellis Yan is one our favorite guests on Get a Grip on Lighting. His company TCP has been a supporter of the show for years. Today we honor some of his greatest moments with our "Best of Ellis Yan". 

Tony is back with an update on the progress of his Quantum LIFI. If you fully understand what he’s talking about in this episode, then you’re probably Tony Lawrence, or you should call him up and get a job at Light Rider. Seriously, this stuff is mind blowing. No more description necessary. Just listen. Tony Lawrence is an entrepreneur, technologist, and prophet of quantum possibilities through his current role as CEO of Light Rider. Tony is a service-disabled veteran of the U.S. Army, who began his career being recruited into the intelligence field by the National Security Agency. Serving in multiple high-profile roles, Tony gained invaluable experience in counterterrorism and threat analysis as well as tracking high-value targets and tactical intelligence collection. His target geo-location efforts produced intelligence reports directly leading to the capture or elimination of terrorists worldwide. Tony went on to develop unique cyber intelligence collections techniques, many of which are still being used by the nation’s Cyber Mission Forces today. 

Billy talks to us from his car (don’t worry, he’s not driving) which is apropos as he is moving on in his career. Billy is winding down his agency, Digital Filaments. He considered driving a bus - nothing was off the table - but he is far too valuable in this business to be anywhere else. He’s going to continue to head up AAILA, and if you’re in the Philly area, you’ll still see him around. Interested in the magic of lighting since the theater in high school, Billy founded Architectural Engineering at Penn State, became passionate about lighting design, and embarked upon a career in Architectural Lighting.

Check out episode 246 from March of 2022. Forest and Zach were on the verge of launching Parspec. Well now they’ve been at it for a year-and-a-half and it sounds like it’s going pretty well. With AI, customer feedback and a host of talented employees, Parspec is ready to provide you better access to data and to make your product search faster and easier. They’re dangerously good at this and they’re getting better and better. Forest Flager pursued a PhD and spent some time on the research and teaching team at Stanford University, followed by a stint at the technology driven off-site construction company Katerra, where he led the company’s software and design automation efforts. Forest founded Parspec Inc. in 2020 with the mission of simplifying the process of discovering and sourcing the best available construction products and materials. Zach Mix leads Sales and Business Development for Parspec. After spending the past decade working for lighting & electrical companies including Green Creative, WattStopper, & ElectroRep, Zach is energized by providing top-tier software technology to help lighting & electrical companies perform their best. When he’s not working, Zach switches to Dad-mode and enjoys time with his family. 

Mike Johnson and the International Living Future Institute (ILFI) is here to define what “good” looks like in the world, as far as the built environment goes. ILFI has a Living Product Certification which requires independent scientific validation that a product has left the world in better condition than had it not been made - a net positive effect. And ILFI lists more than 50 products so far. Listen to this episode and get on board! Mike Johnson is a net positive visionary and sustainability professional, whose decades-long career path has led him from environmental restoration fieldwork and social entrepreneurship to corporate executive leadership. As Director of Materials at the International Living Future Institute (ILFI), he focuses on creating global-scale market transformation towards the manufacturing of goods that will build an equitable, healthy and regenerative future. Mike’s understanding of how commerce is a powerful force in the balance of planet, people and economy has enabled his sustainability initiatives to grow from start-up level to industry-recognized and leading edge in various organizations. He brings an ability to offer real world context and practical solutions to individuals and organizations seeking to create net positive benefits. He is a founding member of the Living Product 50, a frequent presenter in the AD&C and educational communities, a volunteer in sustainability groups, a full-time dog dad, and an advocate for wilderness. 

Something a little different on Get A Grip On Lighting. Frank brings us some fascinating episodes in history related to light, everything from the origins of the traffic light, to the invention of the Lite Brite toy. Did you know the first President to have electric lights in the White House was afraid to touch the switches? There is much more like this in Frank’s incredibly interesting blog, Radiant History (www.radianthistory.com). Frank has spent over 30 years in the lighting industry working for architectural lighting and specialty lighting manufacturers. He started in the business in 1992 with Litetronics. After 10 years with them he went to work for Ushio America helping run their architectural and entertainment lighting divisions for just under 18 years. In 2019 he started his own media marketing company called Red Mouse Media and has consulted with Plusrite and Naturaled ever since he started Red Mouse. This past summer Frank created Radiant History, a blog that explores the illuminating history of the lighting industry and takes readers on a captivating journey into our lighted world. 

Katherine and Carrie sat down with Michael and Greg at The Archlight Summit to dive into the history and future of color. You’ll learn some really fascinating facts about color. The word ‘blue” is not mentioned once in Homer’s “The Odyssey.” Did they see blue at the time? Or did they not know how to describe it? Before trade routes opened up, people in some parts of the world never saw certain colors. The Inuit have 18 different words for white. The Russian language has different names for light blue and dark blue. Tune into this one and geek out with us. Katherine Stekr brings a fresh and up-to-date perspective on the “light and health” debate, and is skilled at crafting lighting designs that weave architectural design goals in with moments of light that accent their environments. Her role is to ensure that the client receives a lighting design that suits their programmatic requirements and budget, while staying true to aesthetic considerations. She is inspired by stories that set the tone for building design, and strives to capture what is unique about the architecture and client when developing the lighting design. As the firm’s CEO and founder of the Boston branch of HLB, Carrie Hawley brings over 25 years of substantive experience in the world of architectural lighting design. She is a dynamic and passionate leader, an architect by training, and has a design sensibility that transcends standard design schemes. Her holistic approach blends the practical with the aesthetic to deliver innovative and project-specific design solutions. Carrie’s collaborative spirit and unrivaled expertise enable HLB to navigate challenging design interventions with diligence, skill and enthusiasm. 

Rachel and Jessica from Stantec dropped by to chat with Michael and Greg at the Archlight/NAILD Convention, to talk about the challenges of lighting in the work environment. Rachel and Jessica have to take into account efficiency, safety, mental health, circadian rhythm and the quality of the lighted environment. All that while working within the customer’s budget. Rachel Fitzgerald is a senior lighting designer with Stantec in Denver, Rachel has over 15 years of experience providing exterior and interior lighting designs for hospitality, mixed-use, retail, corporate, civic/government, religious, and recreation facilities. She is a leading expert on how lighting and daylighting drive health and wellbeing, such as her net zero energy designs for the US Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory Research Support Facilities where the lighting was designed to support its occupants’ natural circadian rhythms. Jessica Smith, in her position at Stantec, defines and enhances spaces with electric light, providing ease of functionality to end users while mitigating energy use in buildings. Coming from an architectural engineering background and having previously worked as an electrical engineer, Jessica deeply understands the needs of other disciplines within the built environment—she strives for early and continual coordination on all projects. She loves working directly with clients to understand their goals for the space, to then develop designs that fulfills their needs while also meeting stringent energy code requirements. 

Special Episode! Another successful NAILD Convention has come and gone. Michael and Greg look back at the informative presentations from experts such as Bernie Erickson, Mark Jewell and Adam Lillien. If you weren’t there, you missed the Dallas Cowboys stadium private group tour, panel discussions, education, camaraderie, and the NAILD vibe. The dates for next year’s convention aren’t set yet, so keep an eye on www.naild.org and put a placeholder in your calendar for next September. 

LED’s do burn out. With presence in 16 cities, there’s a good chance Rob Jensen and Voss lighting will be able to help you out. Rob started at Voss in 1985 and in 2017, they made him President. Rob sees the first generation of LEDs burning out and, as he tells Michael and Greg, there is a LOT of fixture replacement business out there. Sidebar: Did you know that BR did not originally stand for Bulge Reflector. It originated from the manufacturer, the B…. well, you’ll have to listen to this episode to find out. Voss Lighting is a lighting, design and services focused company started in 1939 by Henry Voss in Lincoln Nebraska, when lighting specialists were a rarity in the industry. It is primarily in the central part of the U.S. from Minnesota to Texas and branching out to the Southwest and Southeast parts of the U.S. Rob started with Voss Lighting at the opening of the Dallas branch in 1985 and lived there for 5 years before moving back and taking on the role of vendor relations - negotiating annual programs, handling products and pricing. His role was primarily in this arena, while also learning all facets of the business. He moved on the management team, becoming VP of products, pricing and purchasing before becoming the President of Voss Lighting. Watch out for Rob on the cover of the Fall edition of Today's Lighting Distributor. 

Jill sat down with Michael and Greg at the Archlight Summit to talk about the IALD Education Trust. Jill and the IALD are sharing their lighting knowledge with educators and students for the purpose of promoting the study of architectural lighting design. Understanding legacy lighting is important too, though these young bucks today might not fully grasp it, having never lived through it. 

Jill is Principal at Dark Light Design and has over 25 years of experience as an architectural lighting designer. Her projects have won numerous lighting design awards and been featured in multiple design publications. She views light as a means to craft spaces, heighten experiences, and enhance connections. This experience guides her in creating lighting solutions that thoughtfully address human factors and scales. 

Jill has directed lighting design for multiple project types, across a wide range of project sizes and budgets. Her lighting design offers balance: a balance between design integrity and technical solidity; a balance between initial design goals and future operation; a balance between dark and light. 

Connect with Jill: 

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jill-cody-8730515 https://www.instagram.com/iald https://www.linkedin.com/company/international-association-of-lighting-designers https://www.instagram.com/weare_darklight https://www.linkedin.com/company/dark-light-design

Nathalie has questioned a lot! Everything from the term “Lighting Designer” (she prefers the title “Phototect”), to what color lights to use to light different skin tones. Nathalie started the not-for-profit, Light Reach, a solar lighting initiative to help light disaster areas and underserved communities worldwide. Being the founder of a think tank on light, she shares some different perspectives on lighting issues with Michael and Greg. Nathalie Rozot, MIES, is the founder of PhoScope, a think tank on light. She is a New York-based phototect and the recipient of many prestigious awards, grants, fellowships and sponsorships, including a 2021 WIL Award for the global solar lighting initiative Light Reach. She has a strong track record of contributions to social and critical issues in lighting and to lighting and design education. These include international keynote presentations, speaking engagements and publications, as well as a part-time professorship at The New School, former engagements as senior thesis faculty in lighting design Masters programs, senior guest lecturer in landscape architecture Masters programs in Versailles and Lille, and education columnist for the IES’s publication LD+A. Connect with Nathalie: https://www.phoscope.org www.lightreach.net Social Media: @lightreachnet @lightforleb Sponsor: Griplock www.griplocksystems.com

Oh boy. Here comes another curve ball for the industry. LEDs came along in the early 2000’s. They emitted light. They were energy efficient. What could be bad? Ask Mark Baker who’s highly sensitive to certain LED lights. And there are people worse off than him who cannot neurologically tolerate the type of radiation emitted by LEDs. Imagine if you couldn’t go to a store or walk under street lights lest you get dizzy, acquire a migraine or fall into an epileptic episode. There are thousands of people who can’t leave their house, and now can't even replace their light bulbs with incandescents. Mark Baker is the President of The Soft Lights Foundation, a non-profit organization that advocates for the protection of people and the environment from the harms of visible radiation emitted by products that use Light Emitting Diodes. Mark is the primary author of a primer on the differences between a curved surface emitter and a flat surface emitter. His co-authors include subject matter experts in the fields of physics, engineering, medicine, and light pollution. Connect with Mark: www.softlights.org Soft Lights Foundation - https://www.facebook.com/groups/softlights.org Ban Blinding LEDs - https://www.facebook.com/groups/BanBlindingLEDs Petition to Ban Blinding Headlights: https://www.change.org/p/u-s-dot-ban-blinding-headlights-and-save-lives 

Idiotic. Stupid. Disastrous. A debacle. We’re talking about the recent light bulb ban of course. Hey DOE, take a walk with Michael or Greg and see how this negatively impacts countless businesses and institutions on the ground.

It was always looming, and now the day has finally arrived. You can’t sell any more incandescent lamps (with VERY few exceptions). Is it going to bring down energy consumption? Is it going to create a lot of waste? Is it going to be a problem in some businesses? In this episode, Chris Siegal from Satco addresses these and many more questions and concerns. Chris is the 4th generation in the lighting business, starting with his family’s company, Supreme Ltg., a manufacturer of incandescent lamps in SC. Followed by 6 years with SLi Lighting after acquiring Supreme in 1999. With cousin Gary Siegal, he started Hygrade Lamp Company in 2005, which was then acquired by Satco Products in 2008. Now at Satco for 15 years, Chris has been responsible for managing the Satco brand portfolio of traditional lamps and their transition to LED, overseeing the product development, compliance and purchasing of their ever-expanding line of LED lamps and Downlights. Chris is the Satco representative to NEMA and is currently serving as the Vice Chair of the Light Source Section. 

After 300 episodes, you think you’ve heard it all, then Dr. Moore-Ede comes along with some more fascinating facts about circadian lighting. Did you know that you can whiten-up light by substituting violet for blue light while avoiding triggering the circadian system? Also, Dr. Moore-Ede tells Michael and Greg that perhaps 40% of adults sleep with the lights on. Don’t do that! For over 40 years, Dr. Moore-Ede has been a leading world expert on circadian clocks and the health problems caused by electric light at night. As a professor at Harvard Medical School (1975 – 1998), he led the team that located the suprachiasmatic nucleus, the biological clock in the human brain that controls the timing of sleep and wake. He pioneered research on how circadian clocks regulate the timing of body functions. Since 2010, he has led the Circadian Lighting Research Center team that identified the key blue signal that synchronizes circadian clocks and developed patented LED lights, which provide circadian-optimized light across day and night based on comprehensive medical research. The effectiveness of these circadian-modulated lights in improving health and well-being has been validated by installing them in the 24-hour operations of Fortune 500 companies and hospitals. He has published over 180 scientific articles and authored ten books, including the best-selling books, The Clocks that Time Us, and The Twenty-Four Hour Society. His latest book THE LIGHT DOCTOR: The Science and Solutions for Replacing Your Lights Now to Protect Your Health has been released as a serial on Substack at https://lightdoctormartinmooreede.substack.com 

Katia joins us from Athens Greece, but it was in a London museum where she spotted some terrible lighting. You’d think that good lighting would be a top priority in a museum. That’s when she came up with “The Lighting Police.” There are “police” contributing from all over the world. Check it out. Maybe you can become an officer. Katia is an award-winning lighting designer, communication strategist, and advocate of the Lighting Design Profession. She is the founder of Archifos and her international work combines architectural lighting with Immersive lighting experiences and engaging marketing communications, collaborating with the best designers and brands to share their stories in an innovative and impactful way. She is involved in various community-based and educational projects in the lighting industry like the Women in Lighting, the Silhouette Awards, and the VLD Community and the Lighting Police Project. Katia loves sharing ideas and has been invited by various worldwide organizations and universities to talk about light, communication, light art, mentorship, and inspiration amongst others. 

When Robert White started in the business, he had a mullet, earrings, and a jacket with a diagonal zipper that started at the shoulder. In other words, he’s been around a while. So he brings a lot of knowledge from the world of lighting design. He even knows enough to offer some insight to us lighting distributors. Wait till you hear his fantastic idea for lighting a building to avoid uplight. Robert has been practicing lighting Design for over 30 years and is Principal at Illuminart based in Troy Michigan. He has a BFA from College for Creative Studies and has received over 40 lighting design awards including several Guth Awards of Distinction. His wide-ranging design experience includes projects throughout the US as well as the Middle East. He also enjoys teaching and is adjunct faculty for LTU, and CCS. 

Neil Peterson is CEO of LED Lighting Supply where they sell - you guessed it - LED lighting. But they don’t sell to just anyone. LED Lighting Supply excel’s at commercial, industrial and sports lighting. And the market is booming. Neil prefers to stay in that lane and remain really good at it. 

Neil has over a decade of lighting experience spanning lighting and pole product strategy, layout design, controls, and a wide range of product applications. As CEO of LED Lighting Supply, Neil leads a team supporting the commercial, industrial, and sports markets, with a focus on solutions for Industrial, sports, and harsh environments, including oil refineries, factories, and power plants. In his role, Neil has a particular interest in product planning, supply chain strategy, and sales management providing a bird's-eye view into the ebbs and flows of the lighting industry.

Obtaining government contracts can be a challenging endeavor as the competition is fierce. However, a business partnership that includes a disabled veteran can provide your company with a valuable advantage. By doing so, this fulfills a requirement that government contracts often seek, while also offering a disabled veteran the opportunity to be a business owner. This arrangement creates a win-win situation. Nevertheless, it is important to note that being awarded government contracts still requires you to be a competitive and excellent service provider. As Chris rightly points out, success in this field is never guaranteed and requires dedication, effort and some old school tactics. Chris is VP of Sales & National Accounts and a partner at American Veteran Lighting. In 2004, he launched RAY-LITE Industries, Inc. and in 2017 formed a Partnership with Ray Marchan and launched American Veteran Lighting, Inc. Ray, a distinguished Army Veteran and accomplished professional, is the Chairman of American Veteran Lighting and plays a pivotal role in driving the company's marketing efforts. Drawing from a wealth of experience and leadership skills gained during his military service, Ray brings a unique perspective to the lighting industry. Passionate about delivering exceptional lighting solutions, he strives to enhance the lives of customers through innovative products and outstanding service. 

You run a city. You need to know where all your street lights are. You want to know where the car, bike and pedestrian collisions areas are, what time of night they happen. And you need it tomorrow. Call Nick and Evari GIS will take that data and improve your safety record, reduce light pollution and enhance your energy savings. Nick Mesler, PE is the Director of Operations with Evari GIS Consulting, a data technology company specializing in street lighting, ADA infrastructure, and active transportation. Nick is based in Portland, Oregon. Nick specializes in transportation safety, with a background in mobility planning and transportation operations. Nick manages and oversees the delivery of infrastructure and safety projects all over the United States. 

Brad does not work for a designer or manufacturer, so he considers himself “off the leash,” so buckle up: He thinks we’re in a race to the bottom in cost and quality. With the move to manufacturing in China, all the R & D money is gone. Sustainability is nearly non-existent. The industry is in a dark place. But despair not! Brad has some ideas to get us back on track. Brad Koerner has held a 20-year career in architectural lighting design and innovation in lighting technologies. He was at Philips Lighting in the innovation and corporate venture groups. He was the Lighting Market Manager for Color Kinetics, and a lighting designer in the Boston area at Lam Partners, Light This!, and Ripman Lighting Consultants. For the past several years Brad has been helping companies drive product innovation via his firm Koerner Design. Brad received his Master of Architecture degree from Harvard University, where he received the IALD Education Trust Fund Grant and the IESNA Richard Kelly Grant. 

David, a lawyer, might know more about gallium nitride and LED light bulbs than you do. He survived - and thrived - through the LED “patent wars” of the early 2000’s. David tells Michael and Greg about patent suits involving the Nobel Prize Winner Shuji Nakamura, Cree Inc., and Nichia Corporation. Listen to this episode to find out who won. If you’re involved in a patent dispute, you DO NOT want David on the other side. Similarly, if you anticipate getting involved with one, feel free to reach out to him before the other side does.

Prior to getting his law degree from Columbia University, he got a PhD in Electrical Engineering from Cornell where he focused on the semiconductors that eventually became the backbone of the LED lighting industry. Over his 30 plus year career, David has litigated more than 75 LED patent cases involving over 150 LED patents. That is more than any other attorney in the US by probably an order of magnitude. His client list and experience with the LED lighting industry goes back over 30 years.

ALERT! ALERT! If you’re a middle class salaried or hourly wage earner, you’re going to keep earning less and less when you factor in cost of living inflation. But despair not! Michael and Greg have the answers. Maybe.  You’ll have to listen to find out.

After studying Renaissance Design in Italy, Architecture in Buffalo, and Communication Design in New York, Adam landed a job in… wait for it… cancer research! Eventually, via a series of career changes, he ended up at UL and finally, on the Get A Grip On Lighting Podcast. Adam schools us on the latest research in circadian lighting. Are Michael and Greg finally convinced about the merits of circadian lighting? You’ll have to check out this episode to find out. As UL Subject Matter Expert in Circadian-Effective Lighting, Adam served on the Industry Task Force investigating current circadian practices. In 2019 UL published UL Design Guideline 24480 Promoting Circadian Entrainment with Light. He has spoken at conferences, led webinars, published papers and authored several circadian service patents for UL Solutions. Those services are now launched. 

With the kinds of customers Tim serves, good lighting can be a matter of life and death. Mines, factories, steel mills - all require lighting that isn’t going to melt, start a fire or blow up! Tim and his company, Dialight, keep sustainability at the forefront of their mission while helping customers achieve their environmental and safety goals. Tim does have one frequent customer complaint though: people can’t believe how dirty their facilities are once they’re properly lit! Tim Cillessen is Dialight’s VP of Sales, overseeing global sales as well as marketing and customer service operations to drive revenue growth and develop strategies to expand Dialight's market share. Tim began his career as a Product Development Engineer, where he gained valuable experience in developing and testing instrumentation products for various industrial markets, eventually moving to work at Siemens as a Product Manager for Instrumentation and quickly rising the ranks to become their Head of Sales and Marketing for the Process Safety division – leading sales and marketing teams and developing solutions to increase safety in some of the toughest markets. 

“Leave the earth better than how we found it.” That’s Melissa’s definition of sustainable. Of course she agrees that it is more complicated than that when it comes to the lighting industry. Luckily Brian Huff the chairman of NAILD's Distributor Committee for Sustainable Lighting joins us to add some flavor. Listen to this episode as we solve all the problems. Almost. Melissa divides her time between architectural lighting design and sustainable manufacturing consulting. As the leader of Sladen Feinstein’s sustainability efforts, Melissa is continually curious about the relationship between architecture, the human experience and what it means to embody space. Brian Huff is President of Adventure Lighting in Des Moines, IA. He’s been in the lighting industry for 13ish years, and owned the company for 5 years. He spends a lot of time with his two kids going to kid's sports, coaching kid's sports, playing golf, and volunteering on a few local boards/non-profits. 

Michael has noticed, over the years, that vendor members who have quit NAILD, have experienced “the kiss of death.” In this short-form Get A Grip, Michael and Greg riff on private equity take-overs, change of ownership, ROI, education, and giving back. If you want to have a better chance at success and staying in business, join NAILD!

You must check out some videos of Michal’s LED Tron Dance Suits. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DVt2OwMKiM8. You’ll be mesmerized. Michal explains to Michael and Greg how his company continues to address the challenges of controlling the lights, maintenance of the LED diodes and trying to keep the dancers from beating up the suits! As Michael points out, if Michal and his company can figure out controls for dancing suits, why can’t our industry get it together?

Michal Pokluda has a background in mathematics, software development and computer graphics. He started as a laser show designer for small parties and discos. Later he found interest in developing laser show software and hardware. He is an author of Fiesta and Moncha laser show software produced by Showtacle Ltd. company.

He is also one of the developers of LED Strip Studio pixel mapping software used for a variety of LED installations for TV, clubs, museums, or LED dance performances.

He is now CEO of LED Strip Studio company, which produces pixel LED controllers and LED Strip Studio software.

If you don’t know Sid Phillips, you should. His experience and longevity in the business makes him a go-to for information and advice. Lucky for us, he gives some here on the Get A Grip On Lighting podcast. As Sid likes to say, he “kick’s the cans” and tries to fix what’s wrong. So listen up manufacturers call Sid and he’ll look at your latest product. Mostly, you’ll want to listen to this one to hear Sid tell Michael he’s wrong! Sid Phillips started Professional Lighting in 1985 with his wife Becky. With Becky as President, Sid focuses on sales in his role as Vice President. Sid’s a big believer in doing the right thing. 

“The human centric workplace.” That subject will always spark debate, especially the lighting part of it. Simone explained to Michael and Greg how she goes about it in her profession. She avoids the fluff and the trendiness of the subject and… Just. Makes. Sense. If she wasn’t across the pond in England, we’d have her over to shake up our workplaces. You could say Simone is a workplace thought-leader who’s passionate about creating human-centric workplaces, but at its most basic, what she does is focus on people. She hones in on the employee experience, workplace culture, and organizational performance and uses data insights to deliver change and business improvement in regard to culture, space, process, and technology. 

In this special edition of Get A Grip On Lighting, super-fan Peter Ma drops in the studio to chat with Michael. Peter, a long time listener, came by to meet Michael and to see the studio. But Peter is in the business, so he and Michael talk about how his parents went from manufacturing flash drives to manufacturing LED’s in Taiwan, starting Vyvyd Lighting in Toronto, and how he learned lighting design from Nelca Roco on Youtube. You can even learn a couple things about Taiwan's history. Vyvyd Lighting's founder, Peter Ma, got his start in the lighting industry in his family LED manufacturing business in Taiwan since 2006 when LED light bulbs were just introduced to the market. After moving to Toronto in 2008, Peter has worked as an electrical apprentice, lighting specifier, and graphic designer. He noticed the Greater Toronto Area has many unique requirements in lighting due to its geographic position and multi-cultural society. He founded Vyvyd Lighting in 2014 to offer customized lighting design and supply services. 

Who knew that chemists would be working on light bulbs. Well, Jakoah and Shruti explain their research into different phosphors to find the most efficient ways to create colors - other than blue. Fifteen years in the business and we learned something new about LED’s: They don’t fade, the phosphor decomposes. Prof. Jakoah Brgoch is an Associate Professor in the Department of Chemistry and a Principal Investigator in the Texas Center of Superconductivity. Shruti Hariyani completed her Bachelor’s of Science and is in the process of her Ph.D. in Inorganic Chemistry at the University of Houston under the supervision of Professor Jakoah Brgoch. 

Light is a spectrum and our eyes see a thin slice of it. But that doesn’t mean the light outside of our visual perception doesn’t affect us. Dr. Krames and Dr. Berends talk with Michael and Greg about the research they have conducted and the conclusion they have reached on the effects of near-infrared light on human health. To put it bluntly, it’s good stuff, when used in the right dosages. You’re probably going to “see” this technology added to computer screens, webcams, cell phones, TV’s… You’ll be working at your laptop and you’re going to feel healthier and happier!

Dr. Mike Krames has more than 25 years of materials, device, and applications experience, with emphasis on solid-state lighting devices and products, including advancing the performance and color quality of LEDs for general illumination. He is currently president of Arkesso, LLC, a consulting firm in Silicon Valley, and Sr Advisor to Seaborough Research BV in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.

Dr. Anne Berends has a background in chemistry and a PhD in nanomaterials science. She likes to work in a dynamic and multidisciplinary team and that is exactly what she found in the Life Science program at Seaborough. Translating fundamental scientific insights to products that improve human wellbeing and health, require skills and insights from so many viewing angles that true teamwork is a must.

Come celebrate 300 with us! Okay, it didn’t quite fall on the actual 300th episode, but it doesn’t take away from the achievement. This group of misfits got together with Michael and Greg to talk about how the Get A Grip On Lighting Podcast got started. But they also talk about sustainability and mercury and drivers and… well, it seems there’ll be enough to talk about to make at least another 300 episodes. You already know all these guys - Josh Brown, EVP of Distributor Sales & Marketing at Keystone; Brian Huff, President of Adventure Lighting; Cory Schneider, President of Lighting Unlimited; and Spencer Miles, President of Pacific Lamp. Start thinking about episode 600, guys! 

Nothing can beat real sunlight for an indoor environment. But sometimes, getting daylight into an interior space is difficult or impossible. Benjamin says he’s got the next best thing. Michael and Greg do their best to be skeptical, but Benjamin might have won them over with LIGHTGLASS Simulated Windows & Skylights. Let Get A Grip On Lighting shed some light on the subject for you. Benjamin is a Co-founder of LIGHTGLASS and lightly, a student of biophilic design, and a researcher of light’s impact on human biology and psychology. He works to further understand how we can apply light to improve people’s quality of life, and to reduce the carbon footprint of the industry. As a lifelong musician, Benjamin greatly appreciates the converging creativity and design of architectural products and spaces, and is passionate about improving the human relationship with the built environment. 

Randy Reid is back and he’s here to clear up some confusion with his publication, The Edison Report. Accusations were leveled, mistakes were made and Randy gives his side of the story.

Randy Reid is the editor of designing lighting (dl) magazine. He also publishes and edits the EdisonReport. Reid is president of LumEfficient, a company focused on industrial and hazardous lighting, and he also serves as the Executive Director of the National Lighting Bureau (NLB). Reid is a past president of the Illuminating Engineering Society (IES).

Come on… you know you love it when Michael gets worked up! In this new short-form Get A Grip On Lighting podcast episode - he beefs to Greg about misguided incentive programs, purple lights, the state of rebate programs, and the leaderless lighting industry… heads need to come out of the sand and get their sh*t together.

Winner of the L-Prize, Don Peifer lets us in on some of his designs and the principles that guide him in his design concepts. He’s adamant that some fixtures need to be made out of paper. We’re sure he’ll do it and probably win another L-Prize in the process.

Don Peifer is an entrepreneur, lighting product designer, and sustainability expert.  He received his Masters of Architectural Sciences in Lighting from the Lighting Research Center at RPI. Peifer is the founder of Earthlighting and Smash the Bulb and has a Living Future Accreditation (LFA) from the International Living Future Institute. In February 2022, Peifer was awarded one of 4 L-Prizes for the Concept Phase by the Department of Energy. 

Is skipping a tradeshow treason?

Probably not, but large presences backing out of a LightFair is a capitulation to foreign players in the industry. The industry as a whole needs to admit that there’s more to learn every year by going to the biggest show, and the manufacturers and vendors need to be visible there.

You’ll wish you thought of this first. Jean-Côme, discusses with Michael and Greg, how Guardtex has developed Kanvaslight technology. Simply put, they weave fibre optics into fabric to create textiles that light up. They can even make the entire floor of your pool into a light source. This one is fun! Jean-Côme Mazière is a Mechanical Industrial Engineer with a diverse background in various fields and locations. Throughout his career, he has had the opportunity to study and work in Europe, North America, and South America. In 2020, he joined the team at Guardtex to develop Kanvaslight technology and currently serves as the COO of the US entity. In this role, he is responsible for directing both technical and commercial developments and he is committed to driving innovation and growth for the company. 

Camilla has an interesting way of looking at lighting design. Rather than a lighting designer, she calls herself a “darkness designer.” Camilla explains to Michael and John her philosophy on darkness, and how it is revealed with the use of light. Camilla leaves you with a little exercise on how to embrace darkness. Camilla has a bachelor’s degree in Design Culture and a master’s degree in Lighting Design from Aalborg University in Denmark. She started working as a team manager in a museum in Copenhagen, but continued working on research within light and darkness with Aalborg University and developing lighting on Anholt island in collaboration with the Dark Sky Anholt Association. 

Al’s back! He’s got 11 predictions for 2023. First Michael and Greg review Al’s 2022 predictions, from such experts as Christopher Knowlton, Kraig Kasler, Bernadette Boudreau, and Tom Benton to name a few. Give this podcast a listen and see if you agree. Al Uszynski is an experienced executive with over 25 years of experience in the lighting industry. He is Principal of inside.lighting, an online media company that provides valuable insights and information to lighting industry professionals. 

In this special year-end episode, Michael and John discuss issues that have come up over the past year in the Darkness Restoration and Preservation movement. Have things improved? Are we getting there? 2023 is upon us, let’s get it done! 

He’s back! Tony gives us an update on his quantum technology. It’ll blow your mind if you can even understand it. The “Quantum Demon” is the quantum computers that nefarious entities are working on. Those will be able to get into any system in a matter of seconds - except ones that are using Tony’s quantum LiFi. You’re going to have to get on board eventually, so get a head start by listening to this podcast. Tony Lawrence is an entrepreneur, technologist, and prophet of quantum possibilities through his current role as CEO of Light Rider. Tony is a service-disabled veteran of the U.S. Army, who began his career being recruited into the intelligence field by the National Security Agency. 

Matthew talks with Webster and Ron about “getting grandma to not click on bad things,” how to keep networks secure, and how to avoid a “spear-phishing” attack (as opposed to a just plain “phishing”). Matthew has been in the cybersecurity world for 24 years and he and Morphisec know how to make it EXTREMELY difficult to mount a successful cyber attack. Matthew encompasses a rare combination of qualifications in information security, networking, security research, forensics and incident management. 

This one’s a little different. Brooke is a recruiter for the electrical and lighting industry. Brooke lets us in on some of the trends like the growing demand for lighting designers (there’s your career path, kids!) and the traits and work history that she looks for in a candidate, which might surprise you. Brooke Ziolo is the President of Egret Consulting, an executive search firm exclusive in the electrical industry for the last 23 years. Brooke has been recruiting for 14 years. She focuses solely on lighting manufacturers and lighting design firms to help them hire industry specific talent in sales, marketing, operations, engineering, product management and lighting design at all levels. Brooke is also a member of the IES, IALD and WILD and has done several presentations in the lighting industry. 

We’ve had some brainiacs on this podcast before, but the products Pathway Connectivity has engineered around switching, PoE and networking… well, suffice to say, you’ve probably used something they have or his team has built. Robert discusses, with Webster and Ron, how switches, designed for entertainment, are making their way into architectural lighting and “architainment.” Robert Bell a Consulting Director for Product Market at Acuity Brands and oversees the development of the entire Pathway Connectivity product line. Robert has been awarded multiple US Patents for lighting controls and networking which have been assigned to Acuity Brands. In 1992, he won the first ever Wally Russell Newcomer Award as the creator of WYSIWYG, the Emmy Award winning previsualization software. 

Sabine is a full time Dark Sky Officer for the UNESCO World Heritage Site, Sternenpark Rhön. Sabine explains to Michael how she has become an expert on laws regarding light and light pollution. While she can’t issue tickets (yet), she can use her authority and expertise to improve bad light and advise on development plans. If you’re in lighting, listen to Sabine in this episode! Since childhood, Sabine has been an amateur astronomer and has been active in nature and species conservation. Being fed up with “male astronomy” techniques, she developed star guiding tours that include the nightly landscape, the moon, night clouds (which are very special), mythology, invisible things and all sorts of issues about the darkness. Initiator and pioneer of the IDA Dark Sky Reserve Sternenpark Rhön, she has been coordinator and the official dark sky officer of the park for almost 10 years where she has specialized in public relations, star guidance and most of all, de-illumination. 

Many researchers have focused on the effects of light on elderly people. Dr. James was drawn to the health effects of light on young people. She discusses with Michael and Greg, how light affects depression, sleep, eyesight and memory. Want your teen to do better on a test, give them some quality light. Your Dad was right - get outside! Dr Shelley James is an international expert on light and well-being, TedX and keynote speaker, WELL Advisor and Visiting Lecturer at the Royal College of Art. She is also a trained glass artist and electrician. 

Sean lives in California, so he is immersed in the code requirements that the rest of the country will eventually see. As Sean says, dimming is a requirement in California code, and isn’t that a fundamental part of lighting controls? Webster and Ron discuss with Sean how relationships with manufacturers, agents, engineers, and architects help drive towards those requirements while still satisfying the customer. Sean O'Connor recognized the power of light and shadow as a student of architecture. Since establishing his firm, Sean O'Connor Lighting, nearly 25 years ago Mr. O'Connor has developed an award-winning body of work which defines spaces, their character, identity, and beauty through the use of light. 

Michael Colligan was inspired to be a Dark Sky advocate by William Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night's Dream.” The stars have inspired countless poets. Kerem considers the night to be a “realm” and he specializes in dark sky friendly lighting design for what he likes to call, “the urban and rural public realm.” Kerem Asfuroglu is the founder of Dark Source, a London-based lighting design studio driven by social and environmental values. Following his graduation from Wismar University – Architectural Lighting Design MA, Kerem has worked at Speirs + Major as a senior member of the creative team for 8 years. Throughout his career, he has won several design awards including Red Dot, Vox Juventa, PLDC, LAMP and LIT. 

This episode starts with a long bio description - because Michael Siminovitch has accomplished ALOT! As usual, California leads in the push for energy efficiency and Michael was there with his involvement in California’s Strategic Lighting Plan. If you want to attend any of his classes at UC Davis, you’re out of luck - he’s retired. But you can listen to this podcast and learn a lot from him! Michael Siminovitch is the director of the California Lighting Technology Center (CLTC) and associate director of the Energy Efficiency Institute at UC Davis. He established CLTC to support collaborative efforts among representatives from private industry, public agencies and utilities. CLTC projects accelerate the development and commercialization of energy-efficient lighting technologies for both residential and commercial applications. 

Patrick once worked in laser cutting sheet metal, then building recreational vehicles which eventually led to Syndesis, his company that creates solutions for integration. How? Well, you’ll have to listen to this podcast to find out. Webster and Ron talk with Patrick about efficiency, communication and “plug and play - without the plug!” Patrick P. Treadway is President and owner of Syndesis LLC. Pat opened Syndesis LLC in September 2020, to offer the Lighting industry a resource reflective of the diverse factors lighting, controls, and manufacturing companies face today. Syndesis brings Product Development, Product Management, Industrial Design, and Project Management expertise to its clients commercialization efforts. 

Mark originally wanted to be a painter and painting to him was like subtracting light as paint is added to a white canvas. Conversely, in lighting, one is adding light to darkness. And this led Mark to understand you can’t talk about light without talking about darkness. Michael discusses with Mark how we have lost much of our understanding of the value of darkness as lights have gotten cheaper and more efficient. Mark formed Speirs Major with Keith Bradshaw which grew out of Speirs and Major Associates. Speirs Major are recognized as being one of the world’s leading lighting design practices, using light and darkness to enhance the experience of the visual environment. 

This one is so packed that we are already planning part 2.  Pieter and Mike are taking Seaborough from a purely R & D company to more of a business partner with the lighting industry.  If you’re a manufacturer, you might want to consider becoming one of those partners when you hear about their innovative LED technology.  Dr. Mike Krames has been working in LED for 30 years and as he says, he was laughed at in the beginning. No one’s laughing now.

Pieter Six is well versed in the world of lighting and is passionate about the development and disruption of new lighting innovations. Before joining Seaborough in 2020 as CEO, he worked as Chief Commercial Officer for Ellipz Smart Solutions, a scale-up company in the field of data communication via light (LiFi).

Dr. Mike Krames has more than 25 years of materials, device, and applications experience, with emphasis on solid-state lighting devices and products, including advancing the performance and color quality of LEDs for general illumination.

Tom joins Michael Colligan to talk about “the big lie,” mercury, arsenic, politicians, education, and rock and roll! And also, who’s going to win out - China or the aliens? Tom is the owner of BLC America Inc. and Green Energy Lighting Corp. He’s also a musician who was bitten by the music bug on Feb 9, 1964 when the Beatles first appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show. And he’s been writing music ever since. Stay tuned at the end for Tom’s interview from the NAILD Convention in September 2022, and a bonus song. 

With a guy like Steve Mesh, it’s hard to keep the discussion to an hour. In this episode, Webster taps into Steve’s vast knowledge of lighting controls to find out how he became a lighting controls specialist and what can be done now to formalize the education of lighting controls specialists. Steve knows so much that he is a much sought-after lecturer and teacher. Oh - and he can fly planes! Steve has been a lighting designer and educator for 42 years. He was the Senior Lighting Program Coordinator at the Pacific Energy Center in San Francisco from 2008-2011. Steve is a member of the Illuminating Engineering Society and was the IES/Northeast Regional Vice President. He was also part of the development team for the California Advanced Lighting Controls Training Program. Steve has taught lighting for 38 years. He won an IALD award for the Palm House at Dowling College and an EPRI award for Brower Commons at Rutgers University. Since 1992, he has given several workshops at LightFair and has spoken at Lux Pacifica in New Delhi, India. He is also a private pilot. 

Bernd is an astrophotographer based out of Cologne, Germany. Bernd tells Michael how hard it is to find dark skies for his astrophotography. Even driving 2 days from Cologne, he can’t find an ideal dark area to take pictures. Bernd has taken photos from high in the Austrian mountains, but the bright lights of the ski hill grooming machines moving up and down the hills is hard to avoid with his time lapse photography. Bernd Pröschold is an astrophotographer and author. From 1998 to 2003 he studied communication science, sociology and cultural studies at the University of Münster, Germany. Shortly after he started to produce astronomical time lapse videos, an activity which turned into his profession very soon. His footage has been distributed by TV stations, planetariums and picture agencies. 

Chad Palmer from Energyficient Systems joins Michael and Greg to talk about selling, the heightened value of lighting distributors, and maintenance engineering. Chad specializes in electrical products made for those who work in and build barns. And you might have seen him in Season 11 of “Fireball Run.” Chad Palmer is the President, CEO at Energyficient Systems, Inc., a lighting distributor with a national footprint serving the ESCO market and Energyficient Products, LLC. a manufacturer of lighting and electrical products for the agricultural industry.

IoT. What’s that? Internet Of Things. This is an emerging market. Yeah, it’s not exactly lighting controls, but it’s all becoming interconnected. Lights, HVAC, emergency, WiFi, elevators… even refrigerators are becoming connected. If you’re in controls, you might want to put “knowledge upgrading” on your radar. You can start by listening to Mike Skurla in this episode. As Chief Product Officer at Radix IoT, LLC–Michael Skurla helps consolidate global Marketing & Product Viability, focusing on forthcoming product strategy and intellectual property for markets including unique R&D initiatives, cloud/managed services, merger & acquisitions targets. Previously, as CTO, Skurla set product strategy. He has over two decades of experience in control automation and IoT product design with Fortune 500 companies, focusing on the intersection of software and hardware, emphasizing data aggregation and analytics for mission-critical industries. 

If you need a certain color from an RGB LED light, you just mix the right combination of red, green and blue, right? Not so fast! What about dimming? Solveig explains the challenges with dimming steps, variances in dimming rates in chips, the intensity of each color, and what the human eye sees. That’s why Solveig and Schnick Schnack Systems are working on high-quality RGB lights. Even though her favorite color is pink, Solveig Busler loves all colors of the visible spectrum. As Member of the Executive Board at the German LED manufacturer Schnick-Schnack-Systems GmbH, she provides TV-Studios, rental and production companies, as well as architectural projects with LED modules and luminaires as well as control systems. 20 years in the lighting and entertainment industry have made her an experienced and knowledgeable partner for ideas and projects of all sizes. 

Are building owners and engineers still not seeing the benefits of lighting controls? Gary explains the reluctance to embrace the technology when the long term benefits are hard to weigh against the upfront costs. As Gary says, how do you compete against a 99 cent on/off switch? Education! (So spread the word on The Lighting Controls Podcast!) Gary Meshberg, LEED AP, LC, CLCP, IESNA is vice chair of the Lighting Controls Association and director of industry and market engagement for Digital Lumens/Encelium. A 32-year industry veteran, he previously served as director of marketing, VP of sales and specification business manager for major lighting manufacturers. He chairs the IES Lighting Commissioning Committee, previously served as past education chair for the Dallas IES Section and founded and served as chair of the Home Lighting Control Alliance 

If you’re not a member of IMARK, maybe you should think about it. As Steve tells Michael and Greg, current members love it. They love the rebates, but IMARK is more than just rebates. IMARK provides training portals, product sourcing support, group health insurance and a group 401(K) to name a few benefits. Steve Ruane is the VP, Marketing and Member Services for IMARK Electrical. In that role, he is responsible for the group’s s marketing programs and group meetings such as GainShare and Gateway to Growth, Leadership Conference), member education (IMARK University) , and corporate communications both print and electronic. 

We’re really geeking out on this one. Steve Terry from ETC is all about codes and standards. Name a code in emergency lighting and Steve probably had a hand in shaping it. He chats with Webster and Ron about the history of lighting control and the confusion that can result from the complexity of ever-evolving standards. Steve Terry is currently the Director of Standards & Industry relations at ETC. From 2001-2017 he held various executive positions at ETC, including VP of Research & Development, where he led the team responsible for global product development. 

Wind turbines are a zero emissions solution to energy needs. But with solutions, new problems always arise. We’ve all seen the giant wind turbines towering into the sky and with any tower, there is a risk for air traffic. And how do we solve that problem? With lights. Sometimes blinking. And that has been a problem for residents in Germany who live near them. Thomas Herrholz and Dark Sky GmbH from Germany is a company that has been developing techniques to activate obstacle lighting only when it is really needed for air traffic. Their solution enabled them to realize that the lights on some wind-turbines can be turned off up to 98% of the night time. So most of the time the obstacles are illuminated for nothing! 

Ellis is back! If you’ve met him, you know about his contagious energy and enthusiasm. Well he is bringing that energy and enthusiasm to a new campaign to help you, the distributors. Ellis talks to Michael and Greg about the state of the market, building trust and ramping up TCP’s support for its distributors. Born in Shanghai, Ellis spent the early years of his life living through the cultural revolution in China. He came to the U.S. to study in 1979, following in the footsteps of some members of his mothers’ family who had emigrated about 30 years earlier. TCP was formed in 1993, and he became its President and Chief Executive Officer. 

Title 24, 2011…DDC Revolution…LP 16…OPR…Commissioning…LP 8, formerly DG 29… It’s enough to make your head spin. Lyn makes it all clear. She even states the exact measurement of a “crap-ton.” But seriously, you want to listen to this and tap into Lyn’s vast knowledge of standards and regulations. Lyn is an MEP Coordinator for DPR Construction. She uses her 20+ years of experience to start up and build quality into integrated systems for HVAC, electrical/lighting, control systems, fire protection, backup power, and technology. In her spare time (lol), she’s the chair for the update to DG-16 (the standard for lighting/controls commissioning), on the board of the Building Commissioning Association as well as co-chair of the annual conference, co-chair for the new standard on control sequences for lighting control systems (LP-16), teaches classes on lighting controls, and supports Techbridge, an afterschool STEM program. 

Have you ever had to go through a giant facility and count fixtures and estimate the replacement cost? Well Melvin’s company Patabid can help you with that. Using Artificial Intelligence and machine learning, that task can now be automated. Now you’ll have more time to listen to Get A Grip On Lighting!

Melvin is the President/CTO of PataBid. Prior to co-founding PataBid in 2018, Melvin worked in the construction industry for 15+ years as an estimator and project manager. As an entrepreneur, Melvin co-founded PataBid and is the full stack developer on the platform, specializing in the development of the internal ML/AI systems. In addition to developing the platform, Melvin is responsible for building the deployment systems and developing key business partnerships. 

Webster and Ron talk with Dan about how Toggled came to be, from TLED’s to dimming to entire building lighting controls. But with growth comes challenges. Dan and our hosts talk about retrofitting, ballasts/not-ballasts, bluetooth, data collection, cyber security, and even dealing with asbestos in an old building. Daniel Hollenkamp Jr. is responsible for Toggled’s day-to-day operations; he oversees sales, marketing, manufacturing, and research & development. Previously, Hollenkamp was Toggled’s lead manufacturing engineer, where he ramped up the company’s mass production efforts. He has more than 12 years of experience in electronics manufacturing and seven years of experience in the LED industry. 

Mark discusses with Michael, practicing mindfulness when under the night sky. He proposes that astronomy was the first science, out of necessity. The night sky is the only view that hasn’t changed and now a large portion of humans can’t even see it. Mark says, whatever your view - clouds, streetlights - just be in the moment and enjoy what you have. (But still, let’s eliminate light pollution!) Mark Westmoquette is a mindful stargazing expert, astronomer, author and Zen teacher. Mark holds a PhD in Astrophysics and was a professional astronomer before switching gears, and now teaches yoga and mindfulness full-time. Mark has been studying Zen with Zen Master Daizan Skinner from Zenways for over 10 years. 

We’ve all heard of the War of the Currents - the battle between George Westinghouse (AC) and Thomas Edison (DC) in which Westinghouse mostly won.  Well Edison would have been happy to get behind Bolis Ibrahim and his quest to get back to DC power.  With lower power demand from LED and the push for sustainability, it looks like the comeback of DC makes sense.

Bolis Ibrahim comes from an electrical engineering and project management background in both the electronics manufacturing and electrical contracting industries. Bolis is passionate about the rise of intelligent buildings that utilize DC (direct current) power distribution, advanced sensors, and intelligent automation to dramatically reduce energy consumption to achieve net-zero operations.

Henrik Clausen is leaving Get a Grip on Lighting. In this episode, he and Michael look back on his time as host. It was fun and emotional. They touch upon lighting for the office, teaching about lighting, selling darkness and our relationship to fire. Don’t worry, we’ll get Henrik back now and again. Henrik Clausen B Eng; M IDA, M IESNA, Associated Professor, AAU Henrik has been involved in lighting for over 30 years in both commercial and academic positions. 

Welcome to The Lighting Controls Podcast, where we discuss all things lighting controls. Webster and Ron will be joined by various guests from the lighting industry. In this, our first episode of the new series, Webster and Ron look back at the Conversation Series and look ahead at the future of the new Lighting Controls Podcast. 

Jeff Nefouse, Vice President at A-M Electric, is a third generation President after his Grandfather Ed Saag (a founding member), and his father Greg Nefouse. Maybe in 20-25 years, we’ll see Jeff’s son as the fourth generation president! 

 Michael and John discuss with Etta how to engage people with Dark Skies so as to bring them back. Etta is taking steps to do just that with her company, Visit Dark Skies, where you can immerse yourself into a true nature experience with her audio-guided stargazing. Etta Dannemann, Dipl.-Ing., has been in the lighting industry for 10 years before founding VISIT DARK SKIES GmbH, a company dedicated to the experience of the natural night sky. As a lighting designer, she has been interested in light and darkness and especially in light-related biological processes like the darkness adaptation of the human eye.  

Have you ever had a contractor ask, “Where’s my stuff?” As Matthew says, his product OrdrTrak will help you find “stuff.” In other words, it’ll help with - just like the name says - order tracking. In 2022, we want “instant gratification,” and more of it. Can the technology keep up with the demand? As Michael says, the problems seem to be perpetuating themselves faster than the solutions can catch up. It’s a complex challenge. Matthew spent 35 years in the electrical industry. In 1988 he started writing software to help his agency, which led to interest in other agencies purchasing the software. And that eventually brought him to TradeTech Solutions and developing OrdrTrak. 

The final episode in our Technical Update Series, previously streamed. 

The smarter our buildings become, the more data they generate. Lighting controls data could prove valuable for facilities managers, manufacturers, and lighting designers. For example, button press data can reveal insights into occupancy levels, when and where lights were turned on or off, and adjustments to light settings. These data can prove valuable for facility owners hoping to cut down on energy waste, or for lighting designers who commission future lighting systems. But as valuable as the data are, the building industry is still learning how to interpret and leverage the data. Greater insight into this data could lead to more informed decision-making on the efficiency of our buildings.

There’s air pollution, water pollution and noise pollution. Why hasn’t light pollution been recognised the same way? This is the question Michael Colligan and John Bullock tackle with Yana. Of course it takes awareness, but also commitment. And it just might be that the best way to get commitment is to get it in the books legally. It’s a complex problem that Yana is dedicated to studying, and maybe… solving? We didn’t even get into her research on space law. We’re going to have Yana back! Yana Yakushina is a practicing lawyer and researcher in the field of environmental and space law. Currently, Yana is working on her Ph.D. thesis on the legal recognition of light pollution as an environmental problem at the University of Ghent (Belgium). 

Specifications! Integrations! Complications! Sean Wynne brings his unique perspective as a sales rep and discusses, with Webster and Ron, the challenges of navigating among the various entities on a project. Sean understands the benefits of having an integrator on a project. He is a specifications sales agent, but as Webster says, he is almost an integrator's agent! Sean has had 15+ years of lighting industry experience. He began on the manufacturing side, switched to agency side, back to manufacturing and finally, within the last year, returned to the agency side and joined Reflex. His primary account focus at Reflex is the lighting design market. 

Germicidal ultraviolet (GUV) lighting is a promising new technology with the potential to contribute to healthier buildings and cleaner air for occupants. New PNNL research finds that GUV is potentially more effective and energy efficient than turning up ventilation systems. However, since the technology is so new, commercially available products have not been properly studied or vetted. 

As you’ve heard on this podcast before, existing satellites are incapable of detecting the blue light of LED’s and thus produce incomplete imagery of light pollution. Ken explains to Michael how he and his colleagues are sending balloons almost 30 kilometers into the sky and beginning to map light pollution in a very unique way. 

Ken Walczak is the Senior Manager of Far Horizons at the Adler Planetarium in Chicago - a hands-on science, engineering and research program for students, volunteers and the public. He is a board member of the International Dark-Sky Association and an associate member of the IES. 

DOE will be launching the next phase of L-Prize, the Prototype Phase, this summer which will include some new enhancements and participation opportunities for industry with a $2 million Prize pool. This is an opportunity for lighting designers, manufacturers, and innovators to advance the U.S. clean energy economy for next-generation LED lighting. L-Prize will reward innovations that move rapidly to improve lighting performance, resulting in energy, carbon, and cost savings for American businesses and consumers. Guest speakers Gabe Arnold and Kelly Gordon can give a brief overview of the history of the L-Prize, how it has helped bring innovative products to U.S. homes and buildings, and what the opportunity space is for LED lighting. Arnold and Gordon can also describe past winners and what judges are looking for in the Prototype Phase. 

Craig gives Webster and Ron his 9000 foot view of the lighting industry. From education to evolution - Craig gives his take on network controls, sensors, bite-size training video clips, and writing, among other things. By the way, check out his fiction: https://www.goodreads.com/author/list/682045.Craig_DiLouie Craig DiLouie, LC, CLCP is a journalist and educator in the lighting industry and serves as education director for the Lighting Controls Association, a council of NEMA dedicated to educating the public about lighting control technology and application. He is also a lighting columnist for tED Magazine and Electrical Contractor. 

Episode 2 of our Technical Update Series previously streamed. Michael Myer and Axel Pearson discuss “Lighting System Integration.” DOE's Better Buildings' Integrated Lighting Campaign is a national effort to accelerate the adoption of advanced lighting controls and sensors and of the integration of lighting with other building systems. The campaign shares resources, provides technical guidance, and recognizes the exemplary adoption of integrated lighting. Guest speakers will share success stories, integration use cases, and advanced lighting strategies of this year's participants. Listeners will come away with actionable information they can use in their own lighting upgrades and retrofit projects. 

Michael discusses with Catherine Pérez Vega the question: Is light a pollutant? Catherine is researching the effects of artificial light on organisms and there is little doubt that it is. And there’s little doubt that it affects the organisms called humans, as well. Obviously modern society needs some artificial light at night, but all the other organisms don’t. As Catherine says, “how do we apply artificial lighting for our benefit, but at the same time take care of the night time?” Catherine is currently a Doctoral candidate in Biology at Freie Universität Berlin, Germany with her research taking place at the Light Pollution and Ecophysiology research group of Leibniz Institute for Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries (IGB). Her work involves the interphase of ecology and architectural lighting to mitigate environmental solutions for urban lighting design applications. 

Episode 1 of our Technical Update Series previously streamed. Kate Hickcox and Aaron Smith discuss “Sustainability in Lighting.” Historically, the lighting industry has focused on the impacts of carbon emissions produced from the use of lighting technologies but understanding embodied carbon impact is critical because once embodied carbon is released in early stages, there’s no opportunity to decrease those substantial early impacts through energy efficiency modifications. Join us each Thursday at 11 am Eastern 

Michael and Greg discuss wireless and wired lighting controls with Greg Galluccio from Energy Focus. Wireless is hackable which is a problem in critical infrastructure. Wired controls require pulling wire through a building. The solution? Powerline controls. No Cloud. No hub. As Michael says, it’s a bit like edge computing where the technology and the smarts is at the point of use. It’s not simple stuff, but Greg and Energy Focus are figuring it out. You can speak to him about it at the Energy Focus booth at the Achlight Summit.. Greg joined Energy Focus in 2021 and serves as Senior Vice President of Product Management and Engineering, responsible for developing, directing and implementing Energy Focus’ product strategy, engineering development and portfolio offering. 

Lighting showroom manager Michelle Cruz, ArchLIGHT Summit manager Laura van Zeyl, and designer Andrea Hartranft join us in this episode.They are working on Women in Lighting events and programs at this year’s ArchLIGHT Summit in Dallas. Beyond telling us what to look forward to at the show they help us understand that the lighting world is welcoming to women and having spaces for women to be alone is still valuable and useful for the whole community. They also discuss the importance of having good food at industry events, getting students and emerging professionals to show up for these things, and what ArchLIGHT Summit might look like.

Lighting is getting more complicated all the time. Our guests Tony Esposito, Founder of Lighting Research Solutions, and Jason Livingston, Principal at Studio T + L, are here to help us understand the IES’ bigger book of color rendering — TM-30. Lamps and luminaires tested under these procedures can result in 140 different measurements; but none of those will probably end up printed on boxes on your shelves. Perception changes based on conditions and these measurements can help designers create useful comparisons that go far beyond high and low or good and bad color rendering. Please listen as we all celebrate fidelity, vividity and possibility in lighting.

Seeing is believing, so both of our guests will be at the ArchLIGHT Summit in Dallas, TX this September with a brand new demonstration room. NAILD will also be there for our own convention, so please drop by and check it all out. 

This special release of our series features Diane Knutson, a regional dark sky advocate / business owner turned Dark Sky International Board President. In this episode Greg Ehrich and Michael attempt to disentangle the need for jargon as a sales gimmick and the hurdle of hurdles jargon puts in the way of advocates and educators. Whether we end up calling what we do Night Sky Protection, Night Time Restoration or just Flipping the Switch the value of darkness at night continues to be there for the world to rediscover.

Christopher Cuttle has had a lifetime in lighting and he has a shelf full of awards and recognitions to reflect it.  Listen to this episode and you’ll understand why. Henrik Clausen talks with Kit about his unique way of looking at light and how it’s applied to a space. 

Christopher “Kit” Cuttle, MA, PhD, FCIBSE, FIESANZ, FIESNA, FSLL, is a lighting educator, designer and author. During a long career, he has held the positions of Head of Graduate Education in Lighting at the Lighting Research Center, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, New York; Senior Lecturer at the Schools of Architecture at the University of Auckland, and the Victoria University of Wellington, both in New Zealand; Section Leader in the Daylight Advisory Service, Pilkington Glass; and Lighting Designer with Derek Phillips Associates (now DPA Lighting Consultants), both in the UK.

Michael and John are thrilled to have Professor Foster on the podcast. He brings his deep scientific knowledge and understanding of circadian photobiology. Russell tells us about his discovery of the third photoreceptor in the eye for which he got a lot of pushback from the scientific community in the 90’s. They don’t push back anymore. Professor Foster is the Head of Oxford’s Nuffield Laboratory of Ophthalmology, the founder and Director of the Sleep and Circadian Research Institute and is a Fellow of Brasenose College Oxford. His research addresses how circadian rhythms and sleep are generated and regulated and what happens when these systems fail as a result of societal pressures, ageing and disease. 

OPR. What are the Owner's Project Requirements? That's what Julia Gordon posits on every project. Julia, along with Webster and Ron, discuss where a lighting designer goes from there. What’s the best way to design and implement the controls? Who should design and implement the controls? How do you work with the electrical engineer? This stuff will make your head spin. Fortunately, you’ve got this episode of the Conversation Series to clear a few things up for you. With 25+years as a lighting designer, Julia’s background has given her the ability to bring an extraordinary level of attention to detail and create enthusiasm in all phases of her projects; from initial design development, through photometric analysis, project document preparation, specification, and the final site aiming of light fixtures. 

Efficiency. Isn’t that what everyone strives for? Well, the lighting industry is going digital with productivity improving applications. Ben and Paul discuss how they have come up with a way to curate lighting product content - kind of a mix of Spotify/Wayfair/Pinterest for lighting specifiers. Fueled by manufacturers and agents this might be the ticket. Might be time for you to check gosourcery.com. Ben Fischer brings over 7 years of partner level experience in the lighting industry and has a strong, entrepreneurial mindset with a vision for strategic growth and innovation. Paul Hudson brings over 20 years of lighting experience and strong relationship-building skills with clients and manufacturers. 

This is David’s second time around on Get A Grip On Lighting. David talks, with Michael and Greg, about his dislike of recess cans (“why do you want to light the carpet?”). David's experience has led him to put down his light meter and use his eyes to measure what is bouncing off the walls. Michael doesn’t quite agree with discarding the light meter, but they do agree that the important lighting is vertical lighting. David Warfel is Midwestern farm boy turned lighting designer, author, and educator who passionately shares the gift of light. Whether blogging at languageoflight.blog, writing for Fine Homebuilding, Technology Designer, and Houzz.com or designing residential and entertainment experiences from coast to coast, David simply wants to help others live better lives through the scientific and artistic application of radiant energy. 

Our old friend is back! John Arthur Wilson joins Michael and Greg to complain about the state of the controls manufacturing industry. Why isn’t there a standard yet on this critical infrastructure? Let's think about the end-user, the CUSTOMER! John Arthur Wilson is a lighting-industry influencer with a curiosity for lighting and its myriad connections with society. Motivated by community and a desire to provide value, he offers a unique perspective that blends pragmatism, creativity, and big-picture thinking. 

In this episode you get three unique perspectives on urban lighting. Co-host Michael Colligan in Canada, co-host John Bullock in the U.K and guest Kate Hickcox from The Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. They discuss the challenges of lighting populated areas. Will more light decrease crime? Will less light? Perhaps it has to do with the kind of lighting. Listen to this, then join the conversation. Kate Hickcox joined PNNL as a Lighting Research Scientist in 2020. She is a creative thinker in the field of lighting, with over 18 years of experience in both lighting research and lighting design. No matter which hat she’s wearing, her goals are simple – to provide equitable and universal lighting solutions that support humans and the environment. Kate’s unique background blends the artistic with the practical and allows for discovery of unique design solutions and innovative research-based strategies. 

Amardeep Dugar talks with host Henrik Clausen, about the poetry of lighting. As he explains it, language is compositional just as lighting is. And so Amardeep has been examining the connection between poetry and lighting. He is also looking at architecture itself as a light source. He believes this may be achieved with bioluminescence. Could that mean the end of light fixtures? Amardeep also instructs yoga and has taken up the guitar. A trained architect and an advocate for all the elements of lighting – design, education and research – Dr. Amardeep M. Dugar is the founding principal of Lighting Research & Design. Aside from working on high profile projects and teaching at several architecture schools, he has been instrumental in conducting lighting workshops educating students and professionals about the importance of lighting. He is also the co-founder of an online platform for lighting called the Virtual Lighting Design Community. He has been elected to the IES Board of Directors and is part of several committees within the IES. 

Javid discusses, with Webster and Ron, the technological evolution of controls, from the ancient Greeks using mirrors to control light for the stage, to “old telephone” style patching, to digital controls. If you haven’t guessed, Javid, like many of you, comes from a theatrical background. Wait till you hear how he lit a production of “The Crucible.” You’ll wish you’d seen it. Javid Butler is a lighting designer and energy engineer who holds LC, CEM, and CMVP certifications. He has contributed to the development of many lighting standards including RDM and sACN, and chaired the task group for E1.27 DMX512 cabling standards. 

Trinity Warranty started out offering extended warranties for HVAC, refrigeration and generators. About 10 years ago, with municipalities pushing for LED, they saw an opportunity to offer parts and labor warranties. With a little number crunching, they figured out how to sell 10 year labor coverage and 5 year extended parts coverage. If you’re installing for a municipality or a stadium, get your customer to listen to this episode. Gus Vassilopoulos is the Digital Marketing Manager and Richard Jurek is the Strategic Account Manager at Trinity Warranty Solutions. 

As Bastian Groiss says, people see light as an enabler for vision. But light - sunlight in particular - is so much more. It triggers hormonal reactions, allows your immune system to recharge and gives the mitochondria the energy to repair your eyes. Of course healthy light during the day allows healthy darkness at night to do its thing. And stop wearing sunglasses! Bastian is of German origins with a rural upbringing. He is a former project manager, self taught wood worker and handyman, spiritual explorer, student of the Diamond Approach, ambassador for regenerative agriculture, circadian rhythms, natural light and reconnecting with nature. 

Here’s a little peek into the state of the industry in Australia. Rob touches on Chinese products, bringing along the next generation of lighting professionals, and the misconceptions around human-centric lighting. Oh, and you’re going to want to take up paragliding by the end of the podcast. Originally from the UK, Rob moved to Australia in 2005. He set up HI Lighting with his business partner in 2010, which rapidly grew to be the largest commercial lighting supplier in South Australia.

Connect with Rob: Website – www.hilightingsa.com.au
Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/rob-hill-a233a713/
Instagram: @h.i.lightingsa
Linkedin: @h-i-lighting-sa

Connect with Henrik: https://www.linkedin.com/in/henrik-clausen-3927372/
www.fagerhult.com

Sponsor: Keystone www.keystonetech.com

John Bullock, guest co-host on this episode, asks the question, “How do we shift the argument so that we can start to talk about the reality of what we experience rather than the propaganda of what people tell us is a problem.” And from there, Michael, John and Nona discuss the history of street lighting, the unproven link between light and safety and the spiritual notion of light equaling safety. Perhaps, as Nona says, we need to reveal the “invisible infrastructures.”

Nona Schulte-Römer is currently working and teaching as senior researcher at Humboldt University in Berlin in a social scientific project on the public understanding of 5G and light exposure in urban contexts. She has a background in humanities, sociology and journalism. In her previous research she has focused on public lighting, light pollution, sustainable chemistry and aquatic micropollutants. Her focus is thereby how these phenomena become issues of public concern or remain ‘invisible’ infrastructures. 

Mentions in the podcast:

Wolfgang Schivelbusch, “Disenchanted Night: The Industrialization of Light in the Nineteenth Century”, University of California Press

Our citizen science project website:

https://nachtlicht-buehne.de/startseite/nightlights/

Our citizen science app can be found and tested or used here: https://lichter.nachtlicht-buehne.de/

Is Power over Ethernet the future for network controls? Wendell Strong tells Michael and Greg about the challenge of integrating PoE into the world of AC powered lighting. But PoE networking is perfect for lighting for health and wellbeing. Wendell is a 40 year veteran of the Commercial Lighting Industry and serves as the GENISYS PoE Lighting Manager for Innovative Lighting, a LED lighting manufacturer of 30 years based in Iowa. He has served as President and Executive Board member of the National Association of Independent Lighting Distributors (NAILD) and was instrumental in creating two Lighting Specialist Training Programs used by both Manufacturers and Distributors alike. 

Are the good old days of rebates over? Is the move to LED efficiency reaching its conclusion? Peter Brown is back to discuss this and more with Michael and Greg. With over thirty years in the lighting industry, Mr. Brown has sales and marketing experience in distribution, manufacturing, auditing, design and installation; both in the C&I and public sector markets. 

Derek and Devin give us a unique inside look at the life of a small lighting manufacturer.  They give us their perspectives on the DLC and accreditation agencies in general, and what a pain in the *ss it is to get products certified.

Louvers International was founded in 1986 with reliability and good design in mind. What started out as a small business has evolved into a team that works together to build connections between their customers and the lighting and plastics industries.

Michael and Michael - or “Marlin” as he likes to be referred to - delve into the practical and spiritual aspects of restoring darkness. Practical, as in not running someone over because you can’t see them from the glare of car and street lights, and spiritual, as in seeing the stars and the Milky Way allowing us to connect with the universe and our ancestors.

Michael Marlin (aka Marlin) has been actively involved in Dark Sky advocacy for 35 years, initially as a theatrical director/producer of an international touring show that raised awareness of the loss of darkness due to light pollution, (LUMA: Art in Darkness)  and today as a dark sky ambassador for the International Astronomical Union and International Dark-Sky Association. Marlin is the author of “Astrotourism: Star Gazers, Eclipse Chasers, and the Dark Sky Movement” the first book on the topic of the new emerging market of ‘Star Tourism’.

Not your typical Get A Grip On Lighting podcast, but you’re going to want to hear this one anyway. You can sell light bulbs over the counter, but if you want those big retrofit contracts, sometimes your customer needs financing. That’s where Ross comes in. With an LED upgrade, he can arrange it so that your customer saves money and you make money. Everybody wins. Ross is excited and enthusiastic to play a role in transforming the energy efficiency industry, which has been frustrated with "lack of budget" issues, long sales cycles, and low close rates due to the upfront project cost. His expertise in commercial financing along with his deep understanding of the energy efficiency and renewable energy industries provides a "high-value low-brain damage" funding program to remove the upfront cost, and deliver immediate cash-flow positive results for the customer! 

Jennifer Amann is a senior fellow at the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy.  How does the work of the ACEEE impact lighting distributors?  It means a big push on LED.  That leads to energy efficiency and, a big part of the ACEEE’s mandate, getting mercury out of lighting products and keeping it out of the environment.  And removing mercury containing products from the environment means you sell more LED’s.

At the ACEEE, Jennifer develops and supports strategic directions for the organization’s efforts to improve efficiency in homes and commercial buildings. Since joining ACEEE in 1997, she has written and presented extensively on buildings and equipment efficiency technologies, policies, and programs.

In this special episode of Get A Grip On Lighting Conversation Series, Webster and Ron discuss this article https://inside.lighting/news/22-04/lighting-controls-become-bricks-smart-home-company-disappears

which describes an incident in which customers were left high and dry when the smart home company disconnected the cloud servers and left millions of smart home setups broken.  Can something be done to prevent this in the future?

Here on Restoring Darkness, we’ve talked about the impact of light pollution, how to restore darkness, and now, in this episode, Michael discusses, with Dr. Stone, the ethical aspects of restoring darkness and maintaining lights at night.

Dr. Taylor Stone is a Postdoctoral Researcher at the Institute for Science and Ethics, University of Bonn. He studied architecture and worked in the environmental non-profit sector before completing a PhD in Ethics of Technology at Delft University of Technology. His research focuses on the ethics of urban lighting, and what it means to value – and ultimately design for – darkness. Taylor’s writing has appeared in a variety of academic journals, and in 2019 he received a Recognition Award for Research from the Professional Lighting Design Convention (PLD-C). 

Webster and Ron talk to Norman Russell about finding the balance, in lighting design and integration, between the designer, the engineer and the owner. It’s a challenge getting everyone into the same room. And of course, education, education, education! Mr. Russell has contributed lighting design expertise to a wide variety of public and private projects. He completed graduate studies in lighting for theatre and television and compiled a significant list of lighting design credits. 

How do you gain credentials as a lighting designer?  You go and learn under Henrik or Glenn. Our host and his guest talk about the evolution of education in lighting design - from the days of being self-taught to a proposed law in Texas that would require lighting designers to be licensed. 

Glenn Shrum transitioned from architecture to lighting to pursue the creative opportunity of light’s profound effect on space and people.  He maintains a dual professional identity as Associate Professor of Lighting Design and Interdisciplinary Practice at Parsons School of Design in New York City and founding principal of Flux Studio. 

Michael, Greg and Dan discuss the ins and outs of keeping a trade show and conference like LightFair on track. If you’re not sure whether or not to go, maybe this will help you decide. Oh - and the early bird rate has been extended, so get on it!

A 34-year tradeshow veteran, Darby is the show director for LightFair, the world’s largest annual architectural and commercial lighting trade show.

In part 2 of this podcast (find part 1 here:  https://restoringdarkness.com/episodes/41-from-prison-yards-to-national-parks), Michael and Tim continue their conversation. Tim gives his perspective on outdoor lighting and energy savings in Massachusetts while Michael does the same from his Ontario Canada perspective.

Tim is the Vice President of the Massachusetts chapter of the International Dark-sky Association.

Find Part 1 here: https://restoringdarkness.com/episodes/41-from-prison-yards-to-national-parks

Connect with Tim:
https://idamass.wordpress.com
web.mit.edu/wallace

Sponsor: Evluma www.evluma.com 

Dan talks about the early days of controls when all it took was simply changing the voltage on incandescent bulbs.  With Webster Marsh and Ron Kuszmar, Dan talks about the present where LED’s, aesthetics, energy codes and human health have come into play.

Dan Blitzer is Principal of The Practical Lighting Workshop, founded in 1993. The firm provides consulting services in marketing, strategy, communication, and education and serves both manufacturers and non-commercial clients.

This one was so interesting, Michael let it go for an hour and 15 minutes. So we’ve broken it into 2 parts. In this, part 1, the conversation ranges from clean, affordable energy to controls to a popcorn analogy and the “windows effect.” Tim is the Observatory Manager and Technical Instructor at MIT's Wallace Astrophysical Observatory. Watch for Part 2, available soon.

Connect with Tim:
https://idamass.wordpress.com
web.mit.edu/wallace

Sponsor: Evluma www.evluma.com

The Schneiders tell us about how Scott started Lighting Unlimited and how Cory took over the reins and grew the business. Scott still goes into the office, but his title has transitioned into the “Chief Golf Officer.” As in any family business, there’s friction, but Mrs. Schneider came up with a creative way to deal with that. In 1989 Scott started Lighting Unlimited as a Lighting only distributor. He built it to four locations throughout the Phoenix metro area. Cory joined his father at Lighting Unlimited in 2008. He took on a leadership role in 2014 as well as receiving his LC from the NCQLP in 2017. He was the president of NAILD in 2018 and the VP of the Phoenix chapter of the IES. 

Live shows are back and people are loving it! As Burt says, it’s the “touchy-feely” aspect of the live and in-person aspect of the LEDucation Trade Show and Conference that people want. What’s the Secret Sauce in LEDucation? Two of the main ingredients are Burt Grant and Caroline Rinker. Book your trip now to New York for the next LEDucation in March 2023. Caroline Rinker has over 40 years experience in the New York City lighting community in manufacturing, distribution and independent sales. Burt Grant is the President/Owner of Metro Area Sales and is the Co-Founder and Co-Chair of LEDucation, Past Vice-President of DLFNY, and Past-President of IES Long Island. 

On Steve’s second visit to Get A Grip On Lighting (see him in episode 129), he discusses everything from controls to UV to EV. With the scalability of LED, Steve believes we are on the cusp of a renaissance in lighting.  He’s been around a while, so listen up.

After serving in the Air Force and attending the University of Texas in Austin, Steve helped start FSG in 1982 in San Antonio Texas. Today he leads the lighting and distribution business. 

Ron installs and commissions lighting controls. He is an integrator who knows his stuff. In this Restoring Darkness episode, he and Michael make the case for controls in exterior lighting systems and wonder why the lighting industry largely ignores this application. Ron Kuszmar oversees Port’s Architectural and Theatrical Lighting Design & Installation departments, as well as their Lighting Control Systems and Equipment Sales teams. 

Hey lighting folks who put together luminaire schedules and specification packages listen up:  Zach and Forest tell us about their startup, Parpec, which is designed to “automate part number entry, datasheet lookup and annotation tasks to eliminate hours of tedious and error-prone work.”  Through machine learning and AI, Parspec will save you hours of tedious data entry for each item on your spec sheet.  Enter a part number and - bing bang boom - Parspec fills in the rest.  But hold your horses - Parspec is still a start-up, so go over to their website and check it out before it goes live.

Forest Flager pursued a PhD and spent some time on the research and teaching team at Stanford University, followed by a stint at the technology driven off-site construction company Katerra, where he led the company’s software and design automation efforts. Forest founded Parspec Inc. in 2020 with the mission of simplifying the process of discovering and sourcing the best available construction products and materials.

Zach Mix leads Sales and Business Development for Parspec. After spending the past decade working for lighting & electrical companies including Green Creative, WattStopper, & ElectroRep, Zach is energized by providing top-tier software technology to help lighting & electrical companies perform their best. When he’s not working, Zach switches to Dad-mode and enjoys time with his family.  

Lighting controls need a standard protocol.  That’s what Webster & Ron, along with guest Steve Mesh argue is needed.  Steve is doing his best, serving on several associations and committees, and also being a leading educator and lighting designer, to bring that about.  As Steve says, he’s brought a lot of people to the trough, but he hasn’t been able to get them to drink.  

Steve attended Parsons School of Design in New York City and has been a lighting designer and educator for 42 years.  He designed the lighting for a wide variety of projects in the U.S. and internationally.

Terry brings his vast amount of knowledge and experience to the question of industry alignment in the quest to reduce light pollution. Michael talks with Terry about the importance of educating everyone, from manufacturers and distributors right down to municipalities, which are some of the worst offenders. Let’s get on board with the 6 strategies for darkness restoration and preservation!

Terry is involved in illuminating engineering/lighting design, lighting education and lighting research. His professional career of 60+ years includes GE Lighting at Nela Park where he was Manager of the GE Lighting Institute. In 1998, he started his own consulting company, Lighting Ideas, Inc and became involved in lighting research as  Director of the Lighting Research Office for the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI).  These days, in addition to consulting work, he acts on behalf of the American Lighting Association as their Director of Engineering and Technology and is the Executive VP of the J.H. McClung Lighting Research Foundation. 

This one is truly for the lighting dorks!  When it comes to value engineering, do we go with 0 - 10 volt analogue OR digital lighting controls? With Michael moderating, Webster and George have a spirited debate on the issue.

C. Webster Marsh is the owner of Penumbra Controls, where he brings 14 years of applied experience with lighting and controls, and he enjoys using his wealth of knowledge in the architectural lighting design industry.

George Filtsos started EcoGrid Technologies in 2019, and they have already helped companies save well over 14 million kWh of consumption. “What sets us apart in a big way is the advanced wireless controls, giving clients the best ROIs in the business.”

Terry is a member of just about every lighting association, foundation or society you can think of.  And so he should be, having the vast amount of knowledge that he does.  And Terry shares some of it with you!  Terry, along with Michael and Greg, touch on LED glare,  the proper way to light an office, socket vs integrated lighting and the problems that arose from HPS street lighting in the 70’s.

Terry is involved in illuminating engineering/lighting design, lighting education and lighting research. His professional career of 60+ years includes GE Lighting at Nela Park where he was Manager of the GE Lighting Institute. In 1998, he started his own consulting company, Lighting Ideas, Inc and became involved in lighting research as  Director of the Lighting Research Office for the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI).  These days, in addition to consulting work, he acts on behalf of the American Lighting Association as their Director of Engineering and Technology and is the Executive VP of the J.H. McClung Lighting Research Foundation. 

Connect with Terry:
Linkedin:  Terry K. McGowan, FIES, LC
American Lighting Association:  https://alalighting.com/

Sponsor:  Satco  www.satco.com

Did you know that at 80 years of age, only one-fifth of the light reaches your eye as it did at 20? Eunice Noell-Waggoner has passionately studied the problem of inadequate lighting quality to maintain a healthy circadian rhythm, particularly in nursing homes.  You’ll be fascinated by some of her findings.

The first half of Eunice’s professional career involved interior and lighting design for public buildings and commercial spaces. The second half of her career has been focused on addressing the needs of older adults, especially focused on lighting for aging vision and health, through the Center of Design for an Aging Society, a not-for-profit organization she founded.

Where does the resistance to the adoption of darkness friendly lighting come from?  Michael poses this question to Peter Brown. Michael and Peter discuss how and if it’s even possible to get the industry on board.

With over thirty years in the lighting industry, Mr. Brown has sales and marketing experience in distribution, manufacturing, auditing, design and installation; both in the C&I and public sector markets.

If you want to learn about the scientific aspects of lighting, check out Leukos. Henrik Clausen chats with the editor-in-chief, Kevin Houser, about his stringent vetting of submitted papers. At a 70% rejection rate, you can be assured that you are reading a rigorously peer reviewed journal. Besides his gig as Editor-in-chief of LEUKOS, Kevin [PhD, PE (NE), FIES, LC, LEED AP] is also a Professor at Oregon State University with a joint appointment as Chief Engineer at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory.

Connect with Kevin: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevinhouser/
ResearchGate: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Kevin-Houser-2
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6097-1560
Google Scholar: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=JT_AA7QAAAAJ&hl=en
Twitter: @kevin_houser
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevinhouser/

In this episode we delve into the love-hate relationship with lighting agents. Can distributors build relationships with agents when agent turnover is so high?  Billy & Jay and our hosts do their best to solve the problem!

Interested in the magic of lighting since the theater in high school, Billy found Architectural Engineering at Penn State, became passionate about lighting design, and embarked upon a career in Architectural Lighting.  In May of 2013 Jay Andrews co-founded Next Generation Lighting in Atlanta. Next Generation Lighting is a commercial and industrial lighting agency representing 90 manufacturers covering the Atlanta/North GA market.  

Scientific coordinator for the Mont-Megantic International Dark Sky Reserve, Rémi Boucher has been passionate about the starry sky and the night experience for many years. Do people believe that light pollution is actually pollution or a metaphor?  Michael and Rémi dive into this question and tackle the complexities of maneuvering through municipal and state/provincial governments,  environmentalists, lighting manufacturers and distributors, private landowners and… you can see how complex this is.  Listen to Restoring Darkness and then help us bring back the night sky.

Twitter : @remiboucher

Personnal website (photography) : remiboucherphoto.com

Work website (dark sky reserve) : meganticdarksky.org

Chris Dobroth has built a swanky website, social media plan and business strategy for selling decorative light fixtures.  He is an experienced eComm leader across multiple industries over the past 16-years, with a background in both start-up environments and large matrix-based organizations. In his own words, Chris is “living the dream.” Over eCommerce, Chris has sold gaming products, furniture, office supplies, and even funeral urns, but he has finally entered the world of lighting. Listen to this episode to find out what it takes to ship a 20,000 dollar chandelier.

In a past life, Jake cut his teeth working long hours in finance before pivoting towards his passion by earning a master's degree in industrial design.  That has led him to create Solar Echo, a company that is focusing on the circadian rhythm.  Yes, you’ve heard all about the circadian rhythm, but this is different. If Michael and Greg are excited about this, then you know there’s something to it.

David is the CEO and Founder of Countifi (formally Countalytics), an image analysis and data analytics company that focuses on helping hospitals, airlines, and universities manage inventory processes more efficiently. If you hate counting inventory like Michael does, you need to check out this episode. David doesn’t know anything about selling lights, but he can sure help you with your warehouse.  Big Brother is watching - but in this case, it’s a good thing.

Mark is an award winning international lighting designer who leads the lighting profession across BDP. He has over 35 years’ experience and is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts (FRSA).  Mark tells us about his fascinating journey from theatre - operating a spotlight - to an international, award-winning, architectural lighting designer. Listen to Mark’s philosophy and, as he says, “the awards will come.”

Ms. Martinez-Nobles began her career as an intern at Fisher Marantz Stone in 2005 and is now a Principal in the firm.  Her endless scribbling and sketching as a child led to a Bachelor of Architectural Engineering at Pennsylvania State University.  Wouldn’t it be fun to just do design drawings all day!  But, in her position, Paula has to deal with clients and suppliers.  Listen to how Paula navigates between owners and architects and pick up some pointers for steering through your next project.

Abdul Dremali is an Palestinian/Egyptian artist with a passion for the night sky. Currently based in Reno, Nevada, he travels the world in search of dark skies for his astrophotography. Abdul advocates some sensible solutions for restoring darkness. We should all follow his example of his relationship with the moon and the stars. And check out his photos at what is perhaps the suavest URL ever - abdul.cool

Henrik Clausen has been involved in lighting for over 30 years.  He is the founder of the Fagerhult Lighting Academy and currently holds a position as professor in Lighting Design at AAU in Copenhagen.

As an accomplished keynote presenter, CEU provider, and former on-air CBS design expert,

Deborah Burnett shares insights as to how the body and brain are directly impacted by the built

environment.

Henrik is going to be a regular, and for his first kick at the can, we’ve brought him together, with Deborah and Michael, and the result is a very interesting conversation on glare, vertical light, indirect light, physiological effects of light and more…this one is pretty dense. 

Check out this related video where Henrik and Deboarah go even deeper - https://youtu.be/F5xPaUppgjs

Connect with Henrik: https://www.linkedin.com/in/henrik-clausen-3927372/ https://www.fagerhult.com/ Connect with Deborah: [email protected] http://www.deborahburnett.com http://www.benyaburnett.com Sponsor: TCP www.tcpi.com

Christopher Lewis is a graduate of Colorado State University Tech Journalism Program with studies in TV/Web/Broadcast. After many successful years working for others, Mr. Lewis founded Evergreen Applied Technologies in 2014. 

Chris talks about his early success in E-commerce (selling while you sleep!), the history of LED’s, and the balance of always being honest but still needing to sell. Chris is currently working on the concept of moving people through a space via AI controlled lighting - also known as “cueing”, which we here at Get A Grip On Lighting have been advocating for, for some time.

Personal Social - https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-lewis-a7b600199/

Business Social - https://www.linkedin.com/company/evergreen-applied-technologies/

Websites -

Retail: www.lightdisty.com | www.electricalgopher.com

Distribution: www.evergreenappliedtechnologies.com

Manufacturing: www.prosportstech.com

Art is the President/Owner of the National Institute of Crime Prevention (NICP, Inc.), a global training and consulting company specializing in Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design. Art contradicts Michael’s anecdotal assertion that lighting up an area like a prison yard makes people act like criminals, with some solid stats that lighting up a high crime area actually reduces crime.  But that could be at the cost of light blasting into your bedroom at night.  Can we find a balance?

Web: www.CPTEDTraining.net 

Linkedin: Art Hushen 

Linkedin: NICP, Inc. 

Facebook: NICP CPTED Network

C. Webster Marsh brings 14 years of applied experience with lighting and controls and is the owner of Penumbra Controls, where he provides lighting controls design and specification for a wide range of project types. Ron oversees Port’s Architectural and Theatrical Lighting Design & Installation departments, as well as our Lighting Control Systems and Equipment Sales teams. In this first episode of our Conversation Series, Web and Ron discuss design and integration of controls, plus going the extra mile for your client. Got a big light installation coming up? You want these guys on your side. 

Al Uszynski is an experienced executive with over 25 years of experience in the lighting industry. He is Principal of inside.lighting, an online media company that provides valuable insights and information to lighting industry professionals. Just like the title says, Al, Michael and Greg review 13 lighting predictions made by industry professionals you’ll know, like Trevor Palmer, the President of Acuity and Daniel Salinas, the interim Executive Director of the IES. Keep this episode linked in your browser and see if any of these have come true this time next year.

Founder of Equilume Ltd, Dr. Barbara Anne Murphy is Head of Equine Science and Programme Director of the BAgrSc Animal Science-Equine degree at University College Dublin.  Her research has led to a revolution in the Thoroughbred industry.  By administering blue light with the Equilume Light Mask, you can cue certain circadian and biological rhythm’s in your thoroughbred champion in order to breed at the optimal time, all while keeping your horse happy and healthy. In fact, many of the principles Dr. Murphy discusses with Mike and Greg could possibly be applied to humans.

Following teaching at the University of Florida, opening a roadside restaurant with a neon theme, apprenticing at a neon shop, opening his own custom neon sign business, and collecting old neon signs, he finally opened the Neon Museum of Philadelphia. Len tells us about the fascinating culture of neon, the dwindling supply of glass and artisans and how neon is quickly being superseded by LED.

Ruth is a lighting consultant with a background in engineering, lighting design and academia. She’s passionate about the role of daylight and sunlight in bringing buildings to life, and the impact of daylight exposure on the health and wellbeing of building occupants. Ruth,  Michael and Greg discuss the challenges of measuring negatives and positives.  That is, you can measure the effects of taking away flicker or blue light, but how do you measure the effects of improving people’s health with human centric lighting or air purification?

David Warfel is Midwestern farm boy turned lighting designer, author, and educator who passionately shares the gift of light.  David has extensive experience in lighting design, from theater to Las Vegas to cruise ships to pizza joints. In his own words, “there’s nothing magical about design.” His ideas are reasonable and sensible and aimed at making lives better.  You want nice interior lighting, this is your guy.

Hannah Moon is a PhD Candidate at the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa in Dr. Megan Porter’s vision lab.  Her work focuses on understanding the physiological and molecular aspects of light perception in birds and has won multiple awards at scientific conferences.  In other words, she’s trying to understand what birds are seeing. As you’ll hear, it goes beyond just the molecular structure of the bird's eyes.  And yes, it’s but another species that can’t make it to the sea because of our nonchalance towards light pollution. 

Todd Straka currently serves as global industry director for UL’s Lighting and Electrical Products Retail business.  Michael and Greg grill Todd on product safety, the verification processes, labeling, surveillance and enforcement, and counterfeit labels.  This stuff will make your head spin but this episode will give you a better understanding of the topic.

Dr. Meredith Kernbach is a postdoctoral scholar at the University of South Florida, St. Petersburg in the lab of Dr. Mya Breitbart. For her doctoral dissertation, she studied how light pollution may affect zoonotic disease dynamics, specifically West Nile virus in House sparrows. Dr. Kernbach has found that even low light levels have allowed sparrows to hold the disease longer which means more mosquitos acquire it. And you can guess what that means for us.  Turn off your lights! 

Dr. Andreas Jechow is an interdisciplinary physicist with a broad expertise in photonics, the science of light. Earlier in his career Andreas worked in laser physics and quantum optics, for example on imaging the "shadow of a single atom" with lasers. In 2015, Andreas transitioned to environmental sciences where he applies his knowledge of light in research on light pollution.  Some of the fascinating studies Andreas is involved in include the impact of light on bats and insects and also on aquatic ecosystems. You’ll love the story of his daughter’s astute observation of the moon, and you’ll be jealous to hear that the city of Berlin where he lives is one of the darkest cities in Europe.

Active in the lighting business since 1982, Clay is the Owner & Managing Member of Starbeam Lighting and he served on the NAILD Board from 1997 to 2005 and as President from 2002 to 2003. In this podcast, Clay gives a brief history of Starbeam Lighting.  We discuss loyalty and pricing, how training evolved, from reading the old catalogues to LS Evolve.  Clay gives us some insight into where he thinks horticultural and human centric light will be going.  And of course, he recommends you join NAILD! 

Dr. Sam Illingworth is an Associate Professor at Edinburgh Napier University, UK. He is a leading expert in using poetry to develop a dialogue between scientists and non-scientists. Sam write’s books, tweets, blogs, composes poetry, podcasts, creates games and still finds time for running.  If you want to engage your left AND right brain, give this episode a listen.

Mary Beth was the Manager of the GE Lighting Institute in Cleveland, Ohio for 18 years.  She was responsible for the overall operation and curriculum development for this training and education center that hosted over 4000 visitors a year. Mary Beth and Michael and Greg take a little trip down nostalgia lane recalling the days of the Edison Awards and training at the institute. She might be retired from GE, but Mary Beth hasn’t stopped. You can still learn a thing or two from the professor.

B.D. is a proven leader and team builder, successfully navigating an ever changing high-tech business climate. He is currently running SaticShield, the country’s leading clean power manufacturing facility and Montana’s most proficient solar company.  You might not have heard about dirty electricity and you probably haven’t thought about the impact of dirty electricity on lighting and electronics and human health. No one really knows what electricity is but B.D. sure does understand how to clean it up. Get ready to start installing his products after you hear this.

 Gail Walker is the founder of Nantucket Lights, an all-volunteer citizen advocacy group recently formed to combat the growing light pollution on Nantucket, the island off the coast of Massachusetts that is a popular summer destination for many. A former litigator for the U.S. Department of Justice, she began working on light pollution issues there after retiring a few years ago. Gail discusses with Jane how she uses her litigation skills to convince people on Nantucket Island to take steps to preserve the night sky.  With a yearly influx of up to 50,000 seasonal residents each year, it is a challenge to simply enforce the Light Ordinance Bylaws.  Will Gail get it done?  Listen to this episode and you be the judge. 

 Brian Huff is President of Adventure Lighting in Des Moines, Iowa. Brian is your new NAILD Board Member, although this isn’t his first time serving. From the perspective of a family owned lighting distribution business, he gives us his point of view on sales, distribution, sustainable lighting, the future of the replacement process and, of course, his plans while serving on the NAILD board.  Welcome Brian. 

Hilding Neilson is an interdisciplinary scientist currently working with the David A. Dunlap Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics at the University of Toronto and is Mi’kmaw from the Qalipu First Nation band. Hilding is working at the intersection of science, astronomy and Indigenous knowledge. He tells us some fascinating Indigenous stories about the constellations, and how many more have been lost and overshadowed over time by what he refers to as “Astro-colonialism.”    Hilding also tells us about his favourite star, Polaris, and why our sun is a “weird” star.

Meet your new NAILD board member. Devin Wall is the President of Louvers International where they manufacture commercial and industrial light fixtures, light fixture components, and do complete plastic fabrication. In this episode, the guys discuss Louvers history in manufacturing lenses, solutions to headaches from poor lighting, and growth in the UV disinfection play including “disinfection theatre.”  Listen to this episode and we think you’ll agree that Devin is an excellent addition to the NAILD board.

Dr. Tyler Nordgren is an artist, author, astronomer, and night sky ambassador. He holds a Ph.D. in Astronomy from Cornell University where he did work on dark matter as well as a B.A. in Physics from Reed College. In this episode, we discuss the role of his artwork in public education about the night skies, how inhabiting Mars is a longshot with questionable benefits, and you won't want to miss Tyler's description of solar eclipses and why they are so important for humanity. 

Nam has over 20+ years of experience in technology product development across various industries: Military, Automotive, Medical Devices, and now Lighting. Nam joined Cooper Lighting in 2013. Nam has been working on augmented reality.  This is like Pokemon Go for the lighting industry. It’s going to make sales easier than ever.

 https://www.cooperlighting.com/s/lightarchitect/index.html. 

Megan Porter PhD is an Associate Professor in the School of Life Sciences at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa.  Her research program is focused on understanding the evolution of animal eye diversity, particularly from a molecular perspective. In this episode, Megan tells us about the vastly different vision perceptions that animals have from humans and the massive impact light pollution has on their vision. Wait till you hear about the Mantis Shrimp.

Enjoy this quick one with your hosts Michael and Greg. The boys talk about how to get back to dark night skies with everything from advocacy to guilt and shame. Could we eventually see enforcement through regulation? The Chinese manufacturers are going to love it! 

Long-time friend of Get A Grip On Lighting, Spencer Miles ruminates on his time on the NAILD Board, what he’s going to do with all his free time now, and where he sees the future of lighting going. Oh - and he was convinced to sell smoke detectors - and it’s going well! 

Douglas Arion, PhD is the founder and director of Mountains of Stars, a public science outreach and education program that engages the public with ‘environmental awareness from a cosmic perspective’.  In this episode, Douglas logically explains why all other living creatures are equal to humans. He warns us of the pitfalls of the plethora of satellites that are going to be orbiting earth.  And you’re going to want to order the Galileoscope, a VERY affordable telescope that Douglas helped create and bring to market in order to bring the night sky to the less financially fortunate around the world.

Alan is Senior Vice President at Satco. Alan is “graduating” from NAILD’s Board of Directors this year. He looks back on his time with the board, the relationships forged, and the opportunities presented. Alan talks about his post-board future with Satco and if you’re ever in Long Island, he would be happy to take you for cold cheese pizza.

Dr. Micah Brodsky is a wildlife veterinarian who focuses on marine animal medicine, research, and conservation and is the Director of Conservation Medicine at Hawaiʻi Marine Animal Response and a lecturer at the University of Hawaiʻi. Dr. Brodsky tells us about the dire consequences of light pollution on Wedgetail Shearwater birds, sea turtles and Monk Seals, to name a few, in Hawai’i.  As he says, it’s not Disney out there!

Dan Blitzer is Principal of The Practical Lighting Workshop, founded in 1993. The firm provides consulting services in marketing, strategy, communication, and education and serves both manufacturers and non-commercial clients.

You’ll be hard pressed to find someone with more experience in the industry.  He’ll tell you his mother told him to be a teacher but he wanted to be in sales.  Well guess what he does now?  And having learned himself from the best, Paul Hafner, you won’t be able to find a better education yourself.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/dan-blitzer-57526414/ 

Kelly Beatty has been explaining the science and wonder of astronomy to the public since 1974. An award-winning writer and communicator, he specializes in planetary science and space exploration as Senior Editor for Sky & Telescope magazine.  Kelly talks about the lack of blue light detection in most satellites leading to under-reported levels of light pollution, and he touches on the ongoing bug apocalypse. And you’re not going to want to miss the next eclipse after you hear about his eclipse-chasing adventures over the Antarctic. 

Over the last 17 years Jason has been a leader in providing turn-key lighting retrofits amounting to millions of dollars worth of energy savings that have also garnered millions in incentive money for clients across Ontario, Canada.  Respecting the channel and working to build quality lighting systems for customers, Jason speaks to the LED lighting revolution from the perspective of a unionized electrical contractor.  Something that hasn't been unpacked on the show as yet. He tells us how he has dealt with condo boards and how he has maintained his integrity by insisting on quality products and quality installations. 

Sohana Arni, LC, MIES has had experience in many aspects of the lighting profession. At Cooper Lighting she has held roles in product management, marketing manager, Manager of Architectural Markets over a few architectural brands, and currently is the Director of Marketing and Design for 3D printing. 

You probably never thought you’d learn all about acoustic design on the Get A Grip On Lighting Podcast.  In this fascinating episode, Sohana talks about Cooper Lighting’s designs for acoustic material integrated into light fixtures. Get on board.  This is going to be another arrow in your sales quiver.

Bettymaya Foott works for the International Dark-Sky Association as Director of Engagement. Preserving dark skies is her life goal and she finds that astrophotography is the most poignant way to express a love for the night, as well as educate about the impacts of light pollution. If you want to take some great photos of the night sky, listen to Bettymaya here for some of the best places to go and amazing tips and tricks for astrophotography.

Angelica Santana holds a Bachelor of Architectural Engineering with a focus in Lighting/Electrical systems from The Pennsylvania State University. Angelica is a lighting designer with CM Kling in Washington DC.  Angelica describes her work as “painting with light” when she goes into a space. As a yoga instructor, she also uses light as an important aspect of meditation. Want to de-stress you or your employees?  Shoot an email to Angelica at [email protected] 

Matt is the outgoing President of NAILD.  He held down the fort through the pandemic crisis, keeping NAILD thriving over the past 18 months.  You’ll hear about Matt’s own thriving business, plus NAILD’s leading position on Dark Sky education and advocacy. And hey, don’t forget to join NAILD!

Ashley is the Director of Conservation for the International Dark-Sky Association (IDA) where she collaborates with advocates and volunteers around the world to help them promote effective uses of outdoor lighting and protect pristine dark skies. Ashley tells us about her work in dark sky awareness and education through the lens of Sensory Ecology.  And listen to her great plumbing analogy for wasting light.

Sandra Vásconez is a senior instructor in the Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering at the University of Colorado, Boulder. She is co-creator and co-director of the Rocky Mountain Lighting Academy.  Education at the Academy is designed for professionals already in the industry.  So, if you want some fresh air and a deep dive into lighting education, head on over to Boulder and learn a thing or two from Sandra. 

Dr. Fischer operates The Zoological Lighting Institute, a 501 c(3) dedicated to supporting the sciences of light and life through the arts for animal welfare and wildlife conservation. This one is broad ranging.  What are the five domains of animal welfare?  What is a ZALA station? And why should banks become bird friendly?  To find out, give this episode a listen.

In 1994 Bob Crespo eloquently stated that his son Ray was “doing nothing” and asked if he wanted to start a business doing something environmental since Ray “loved the environment.”  And so, Energy Conservation and Supply was born.  Since then, Ray and company have been working on things like controls, UV disinfection and EV charging stations.

Samyukta is an advocate with the International Dark Sky Association, and a member of their International Committee. She currently works in Slovenia, designing experiences to help people connect with darkness and the night sky. Have you ever heard of Forest Bathing?  Well Samyukta can design a dark sky experience where you can go “Star Bathing.” Give this a listen and you’ll learn about “archeoastronomy” and “ethnoastronomy.”

If you were fascinated with the previous episode with Peter, listen to this one.  He’s an expert in the field of human perception, but when you’re talking about bringing back the night sky, you’re bound to go into weird and wonderful areas of conversation. This episode touches on flotation tanks, meditation and lucid dreaming. The hour will fly by. 

Justin is the President of Stouch Lighting, Inc, a LED and UVC distribution and implementation company. Stouch Lighting has had some pretty good success with UVC in the health field. There’s hygiene theater in a public school hallway, and there’s reducing infections by quantifiably inactivating pathogens in a hospital setting.  Justin is working successfully towards the latter.  Listen to this episode then go make some room for UVC in your warehouse.

Kevin Houser [PhD, PE (NE), FIES, LC, LEED AP] is a Professor at Oregon State University with a joint appointment as Chief Engineer at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory.  Dr. Houser is an expert in light and color. He has conducted research on human perceptual and biological responses to light. Do color rendering metrics have a racial bias?  How can lighting make everyone look radiant, healthy and attractive?  What opportunities are there for truly equitable color rendering for humans? Tune in for a lively discussion that questions a core value of lighting. 

Daniel has over 25 years of experience in the lighting industry as lighting designer, manufacturer, sales rep, teacher, and consultant. He currently serves as ICF Lead Lighting Consultant for ENERGY STAR. In this episode, the wide-ranging topics include LED flicker, CRI and The Department of Energy. Daniel is also Chair of the NCQLP Examination Committee. No, you’re not going to get any answers to the exam, but it couldn’t hurt to listen to this episode!

Welcome to the premiere episode of Contrast Ratios with hosts Edward Bartholomew and John Arthur Wilson.  Edward is the Principal of Bartholomew Lighting (https://sites.google.com/view/bartholomew-lighting) and John is the founding director of Fernhill Shopworks (https://www.fernhillshopworks.com). Edward and John reveal some of the "awkward" and raw topics from their podcast.

Oliver Moorhouse is the Head of Business Development for BrainLit North America Inc a subsidiary of  BrainLit AB, the developer and IP holder for BioCentric Lighting™. We’ve talked about human centric lighting before, which Brainlit likes to call “BioCentric” lighting. Never mind controls on the wall, Oliver talks about wearables - now you just walk into a room and the lighting changes to just how you need it. The applications are widespread, from helping premature babies go home earlier to enhancing the abilities of elite athletes. And wait till you hear who’s the brain behind Brainlit.

Dr. Rajaram Bhagavathula is a Senior Research Associate in the Division of Vehicle, Driver, & System Safety at Virginia Tech Transportation Institute. Dr. Bhagavathula has conducted some fascinating studies on the effects of light on drivers.  He talks about the effects of glare and light bands on driver behaviour, the hypnotic effect, the moth effect, dashboard lights… you'll never drive the same again.

Ali joined Heliospectra as CEO in 2017. With him he brought his passion for people and technology with 22 years of international business leadership experience to his position at the helm of Heliospectra. Ali and Heliospectra are on the cutting edge of horticultural LED lighting.  With their light spectrum controlled lighting and software, “communicating” with plants to make them healthier and tastier is possible.  Far out stuff.

Robert is the founder and CEO of the Canadian Scotobiology Group Inc. that raises awareness of the impact of artificial light at night (ALAN) on wildlife and human health. Robert talks about “Eco Lights,” how much light you actually need in order to read, the shelf life of hormones and many other fascinating darkness related topics.  He even references the Moody Blues.

Angie Koch is the President and founder of Premier Lighting. Angie shares her entrepreneurial story, and what her role encompasses in the company. Greg, your Get a Grip On Lighting host is also an owner of the company, so they both share how he came on board, all those years ago, what they’re up to and where Premier is going.

James Tu is a visionary entrepreneur and the Chairman & CEO of Energy Focus.  In this episode we discuss the challenges and opportunities of the Human Centric Lighting "umbrella" which includes circadian, cuing, tuning, wellness and injury prevention.  The choice vs prescriptive circle is squared.   Finally, James refers to the scientific literature and to the massive opportunity the lighting industry has to make a significant impact on human health and wellness.  Jimmy Tunable has arrived.

Peter has a PhD in Psychology studying human perception, action, and the link between them, with over a decade of experience in conducting research in these topics. Blue light, glare bombs, perception, infrared medicine...these are just a few of the fascinating things touched upon.  We only scratched the surface with Peter.  He’ll be back. 

Robert Soler is a co-founder of BIOS Lighting. Almost everyone has trouble sleeping - including your customers. The Bios Institute will train you to be a “Circadian Auditor” to assess lighted environments from a human health perspective. And guess what? That’s going to lead to sales!

Frank Agraz has worked in the energy efficient lighting community for 25+ years and serves as Director of the C&I Engineering department at Eco Engineering.  Frank tells us about his stint as the Exam Committee Chair.  He won’t give away any answers, but he’ll tell a bit about the background of creating and administering the exams.  Gotta get your LC! 

Andy has been involved in astronomy education and outreach for over 25 years, and in the planetarium field for over 20.  Andy tells us about his successful techniques for teaching kids about the night sky. He’s also had some wins in cases involving “light privilege” and just plain ignorance. Inspiring.

Mike Quijano currently serves as the Strategic Marketing Director for Cooper’s Ephesus Sports Lighting business. From community soccer fields to professional football stadiums, Ephesus Sports Lighting has learned to mitigate the problems with overheating in high wattage extreme application LED’s.  They have enhanced controllability by a magnitude while simplifying it and are addressing the challenges that come with abiding by local light pollution ordinances.  Plus a lot more.  This is a good one for the lighting dorks.

Jan Denneman is Founder and Chairman of the Board at Good Light Group as well as Honorary Ambassador Global Lighting Association. We’ve been arguing for a while that quality darkness is essential to good sleep. Jan contends that good light during the day is also essential to our circadian rhythm for a good night's sleep.

Barry Johnson is the volunteer webmaster for the Pennsylvania Outdoor Lighting Council, as well as a lecturer and consultant on outdoor lighting issues. In his retirement, Barry is a crusader against light trespass and pollution.  If you live in Pennsylvania and your neighbor’s flood light illuminates your bedroom wall, give Barry and his fellow POL Council members a call. 
 

Contact Barry @ http://www.polcouncil.org/ 

Simon is the Chief Technology Officer and founder of Silvair and Chair of the Mesh Working Group at Bluetooth SIG. Michael and Greg have been expounding the need for controls in lighting for some time now. Along comes Simon and Bluetooth mesh networking. Revolutionary stuff.

Valerie Stimac Bailey is a travel, space, and astrotourism writer. She founded Space Tourism Guide in 2017, and her first book Dark Skies: A Practical Guide to Astrotourism was published by Lonely Planet in 2019. Valerie thinks that space travel will be available as a “bucket list” goal to the average person in the not too distant future. In the meantime, let’s make the night sky accessible to everyone so we can all experience “the Milky Way effect.” 

You already know our old friend Tom Butters. He has years of training experience in the lighting industry, including a stint at the Philips Lighting Concept Centre.  Now Tom has funneled all that knowledge into The Lighting Agora (lightingagora.com). Tom and his organization can help you do your job quicker, better and more confidently and that, of course, leads to better revenue.

Our guests, Brian Walker Ph.D and Kelly Gordon are here to talk about the L-Prize. Brian is the manager of DOE’s Lighting Research and Development program and Kelly is the Program Manager at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. What is the L-Prize? Go here - https://www.energy.gov/eere/ssl/l-prize-competition - for the description. But suffice to say, if you want a piece of the 12.2 million dollars in prize money, INVENT A BETTER LIGHTING SYSTEM!