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 o...
May 16, 2022•50 min•Ep. 322
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 organ...
May 09, 2022•1 hr•Ep. 321
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?...
May 06, 2022•26 min•Ep. 320
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 Technolog...
May 04, 2022•55 min•Ep. 319
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.
May 02, 2022•57 min•Ep. 318
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 Ligh...
Apr 25, 2022•54 min•Ep. 317
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.
Apr 20, 2022•19 min•Ep. 316
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-nat...
Apr 20, 2022•39 min•Ep. 315
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....
Apr 19, 2022•1 hr 8 min•Ep. 314
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...
Apr 13, 2022•41 min•Ep. 313
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 Lightin...
Apr 11, 2022•35 min•Ep. 312
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. Bu...
Apr 07, 2022•32 min•Ep. 311
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.
Apr 04, 2022•47 min•Ep. 310
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.
Mar 30, 2022•39 min•Ep. 309
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 - Pa...
Mar 28, 2022•43 min•Ep. 308
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 desi...
Mar 21, 2022•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 307
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. Hi...
Mar 16, 2022•54 min•Ep. 306
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 t...
Mar 14, 2022•49 min•Ep. 305
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....
Mar 08, 2022•48 min•Ep. 304
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...
Mar 03, 2022•41 min•Ep. 303
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.
Mar 02, 2022•42 min•Ep. 302
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 La...
Feb 28, 2022•52 min•Ep. 301
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 Li...
Feb 21, 2022•55 min•Ep. 300
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....
Feb 16, 2022•37 min•Ep. 299
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 th...
Feb 14, 2022•32 min•Ep. 298
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.
Feb 10, 2022•31 min•Ep. 297
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.
Feb 07, 2022•30 min•Ep. 296
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.”
Feb 03, 2022•47 min•Ep. 295
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....
Jan 31, 2022•52 min•Ep. 294
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
Jan 25, 2022•39 min•Ep. 293
