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 f...
Dec 14, 2022•55 min•Ep. 381
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. Sh...
Dec 12, 2022•47 min•Ep. 380
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. ...
Dec 08, 2022•46 min•Ep. 379
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 – Architectu...
Dec 07, 2022•58 min•Ep. 378
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 di...
Dec 05, 2022•2 min•Ep. 377
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 t...
Dec 01, 2022•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 376
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 As...
Nov 30, 2022•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 375
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 lighti...
Nov 28, 2022•54 min•Ep. 374
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 ...
Nov 21, 2022•27 min•Ep. 373
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 Coordin...
Nov 17, 2022•1 hr 7 min•Ep. 372
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 studie...
Nov 16, 2022•51 min•Ep. 371
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 light...
Nov 15, 2022•34 min•Ep. 370
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 o...
Nov 10, 2022•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 369
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 Ex...
Nov 07, 2022•44 min•Ep. 368
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 Lume...
Nov 03, 2022•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 367
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 Gatewa...
Oct 31, 2022•39 min•Ep. 366
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 & Deve...
Oct 27, 2022•56 min•Ep. 365
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...
Oct 26, 2022•34 min•Ep. 364
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 ...
Oct 24, 2022•26 min•Ep. 363
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,...
Oct 20, 2022•45 min•Ep. 362
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, Melv...
Oct 17, 2022•40 min•Ep. 361
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 Toggle...
Oct 13, 2022•52 min•Ep. 360
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...
Oct 12, 2022•50 min•Ep. 359
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 con...
Oct 11, 2022•40 min•Ep. 358
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.
Oct 04, 2022•49 min•Ep. 357
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.
Sep 30, 2022•37 min•Ep. 357
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!
Sep 26, 2022•17 min•Ep. 356
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...
Sep 22, 2022•53 min•Ep. 355
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...
Sep 19, 2022•41 min•Ep. 354
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 de...
Sep 13, 2022•48 min•Ep. 353
