That’s Brilliant!

LED Fixtures: Integrated or Socketed Light Source?

Do you want to use an led light bulb, or use a fixture with the LEDs built in? Raelle and Liz discuss the topic with Chris Primous, who wrote a paper on the subject.
 
Show notes
With over 24 years in product development, sales, and consulting with companies such as Acuity, Progress Lighting, MaxLite, and EPA/ENERGY STAR, Chris Primous has well-rounded industry experience. A 2018 ALA Pillar of the Industry award winner, Primous is the current VP of Business Development and Sales at LiteTrace where he provides software and sensors to manufacturers and building owners for smart commercial lighting controls.
To read the industry version of Chris’s whitepaper on this subject:
https://alamembers.com/Portals/1/Socketed%20vs%20Integrated%20LED%20Guidance%20ALA_1.pdf
A consumer version will come out soon.
Go to the ALA Conference! 
Visit ALAMembers.com for more information about the American Lighting Association and membership.
ALALighting.com has lighting tips and inspiration, and a listing of ALA-member showrooms. 
Raelle Bell – Host
Liz Ware – Host
Association Briefings - Producer

Tape Light 101: Selling Tape Light in Your Showroom

You don’t have to be an expert to offer your customers incredible tape light solutions, you just need to know who to ask. Dane Brock of Richard Alan & Associates walks Liz and Raelle through the key considerations when it comes to selling tape light. Plus, he offers some insightful ideas on how you can sell just about any product in your showroom if you have a strong industry network.
 
Show notes
Beginning in college, Dane realized that he had a passion for lighting when he was presented the opportunity to do lighting design and programming in the theater.  That love of lighting has only increased in the 16 years that he has been in the residential lighting industry.  Beginning with showroom sales, management and outside sales, Dane concentrated on technical lighting specification and training on LED usage within residential and commercial projects.  In 2015, he had the opportunity to join Richard Alan & Associates as a manufacturer's representative and in 2020 earned his Certified Lighting Manufacturer's Representative Certification with the American Lighting Association.
 
Visit ALAMembers.com for more information about the American Lighting Association and membership.
ALALighting.com has lighting tips and inspiration, and a listing of ALA-member showrooms. 
Raelle Bell – Host
Liz Ware – Host
Association Briefings - Producer

Black, Brown or Navy?

When was the last time you thought about the lighting in your closet? Today is the day! Jeff Dross (LightingByJeffery.com) will take us through the many considerations for this small space.
 
Show notes
Jeffrey R Dross has been involved in the residential lighting industry for over 45 years. He has engineered products, managed the development of different lighting types, educated the industry about lighting and its use, helped designers comprehend the power of lighting and designed lighting installation in a variety of residential spaces.
Visit his site for a great blog, and more about his design services.
 
Jeffrey talks about CRI.  Terry McGowan, ALA’s resident engineer, says:
Color Rendering Index is a measure of how well people or things look when lighted by a particular light source compared to how they look when lighted by incandescent bulbs.
The scale used for CRI is 0-100 where 100 is a perfect color match.
The higher the CRI; the better (more natural) people and things will look.
For residential lighting, use LED light sources with CRI ratings of 90 and above.
From a practical standpoint, most LEDs (even the ones with poor color rendering) usually have a CRI of 70 or more.
 
If you want to really geek out about CRI, you can do that, too.
Visit ALAMembers.com for more information about the American Lighting Association and membership.
ALALighting.com has lighting tips and inspiration, and a listing of ALA-member showrooms.
 
Contest for folks who read the show notes: Be one of the first three respondents to give a coherent summary of CRI, and you’ll win a prize.  Mostly bragging rights, but also a little prize.  Enter at Podcast@ALALighting.com.
 
Raelle Bell – Host
Liz Ware – Host
Association Briefings - Producer

Selling Smart

The market for smart lighting and controls is growing faster than ever. Learn how to step into this crowded arena and take advantage of this billion-dollar market opportunity. Tim Vislay, Director of Sales for Lighting Showrooms at Legrand, joins Raelle and Liz, providing tips for how to bring these products to your showroom and what we can expect to see as smart lighting and controls continue to evolve.  
 
Show notes
Tim began his lighting career in 1986, when he took a job with Lamps Plus as a sales associate. He ultimately became a store manager, managing several locations within Lamps Plus. In 1999 he moved to the Expo Design Center and spent 5 years as the Lighting manager as well as several other management positions in the store.
In 2004 he joined the Minka Group, first as a product manager, then became the sales manager for Minka Lavery in the Eastern Region.
After leaving Minka, Tim worked as a Western Region sales manager with WAC, and then the Director of Sales for Maxim Lighting.
After working as a sales manager for Minka Lavery, then WAC, then sales director for Maxim, in 2013 Tim was approached by Legrand to develop the Western Region in the showroom channel of distribution. In 2018 Tim became the Director of Sales responsible for the US and Canadian markets.
Terry McGowan, ALA’s resident engineer, says “ There are so many control offerings and options today.  It’s a wild market so that both consumers, as well as retailers, designers, reps and distributors are confused.  What should they be reading, for example?  [Note:  I follow Craig DiLouie who writes for the Lighting Controls Association. “
 
Visit ALAMembers.com for more information about the American Lighting Association and membership.
ALALighting.com has lighting tips and inspiration, and a listing of ALA-member showrooms.
Contest for folks who read the show notes: Be one of the first three respondents to tell us when the cat meows in this episode, and we’ll send you a t-shirt when we get some printed.  Enter at Podcast@ALALighting.com.
Raelle Bell – Host
Liz Ware – Host
Association Briefings - Producer

The Sin of a Bad Lighting Layout

From under-budgeting to poor understanding of the value and importance of proper lighting in a home, we’re discussing what leads to bad lighting and how we can fix it. Hear from Peter Romaniello as he drops some creative solutions and bold ideas on how to better light any home.
 
Show notes
Peter Romaniello, IALD, founded his award-winning lighting design company, Conceptual Lighting, in 1998. He has designed lighting systems for more than 2,000 residences, along with many restaurants, retail spaces, health care facilities, and houses of worship. He has served as a regional vice president and member of the board of directors for the Illuminating Engineering Society. Peter has taught many seminars over the years for organizations including ALA, AIA, ASID, NKBA, and IES, and has been an adjunct professor at the University of New Haven and Fairfield University.
Visit ALAMembers.com for more information about the American Lighting Association and membership.
ALALighting.com has lighting tips and inspiration, and a listing of ALA-member showrooms.
Send questions, comments & suggestions to Podcast@ALALighting.com.
Raelle Bell – Host
Liz Ware – Host
Association Briefings - Producer

Why Your Voice Matters

Clark Linstone is an example to follow for finding ways to help your industry or your community. He sits down with Liz and Raelle to discuss ways to get involved in the industry and the importance of doing so. This episode is sponsored by HINKLEY and Kichler Lighting.  
 
Show Notes 
 
President and COO of Lamps Plus, Clark Linstone is well known across ALA and the lighting industry for his successful leadership and dedication to the betterment of the industry. Over the years, Clark has worked closely with ALA staff and committee member volunteers to support association efforts. He served on the ALA Board of Governors from 2009 to 2015, including as chairman in 2014. Some of his most notable impacts on the industry and ALA have been through his role in supporting ALA’s government engagement efforts. He currently serves as chair of the Government Engagement Committee. He has also served as chair of the ALA Political Action Committee, treasurer on the Board of Governors, chair of the Membership Campaign Committee, and is a member of the Electronic Technology Committee.  Clark has twice been honored as an ALA Pillar of the Industry (2000 and 2008) and received Residential Lighting’s Industry Leadership Award in 2013. 
Get Involved! See the full list of ALA Committees.
 
Clark mentioned circadian rhythms, which we covered in our first episode.
Join us at the ALA Conference September 11 – 13, 2022. See the full schedule of events, including Clark’s induction into the ALA Hall of Fame.
Visit ALAMembers.com for more information about the American Lighting Association and membership.
ALALighting.com has lighting tips and inspiration, and a listing of ALA-member showrooms.
Send questions, comments & suggestions to Podcast@ALALighting.com.
 
Raelle Bell – Host
Liz Ware – Host
Association Briefings - Producer

Hiring, Training, Retaining

We're talking best practices for creating a brilliant lighting showroom team that provides great customer service. Director of Training at Progressive/Lee Lighting Michelle Plumley, LS, has more than 29 years of experience working in a lighting retail showroom and currently manages the hiring and training in 11 showroom locations across Georgia, Texas, and North Carolina. She sits down with Liz and Raelle to discuss her team’s philosophy on how they create a successful showroom team. This episode is sponsored by HINKLEY and Kichler Lighting.  
Show notes
Start your lighting training with ALA’s library of courses at ALAEducation.com 
The only place to be in September is Austin, Texas.  ALAConference.com
Visit ALAMembers.com for more information about the American Lighting Association and membership.
ALALighting.com has lighting tips and inspiration, and a listing of ALA-member showrooms.
Send questions, comments & suggestions to Podcast@ALALighting.com.
Raelle Bell – Host
Liz Ware – Host
Association Briefings - Producer

Bonus Episode – Lightovation 2022

In this bonus episode, we ask a few folks at Lightovation, the Dallas International Lighting Show, to give us some thoughts about where the industry is headed, and what they’re thinking about now.
 
Show Notes 
Joe Rey Barreau, architect and Professor of Lighting Design at the University of Kentucky, talks about his expanded definition of smart home lighting.
Terry McGowan, Director of Engineering and Technology for ALA talks about a dark sky-friendly light design at a retirement community.
Liz Townsend, Marketing Director of Capital Lighting Fixture Company explains the ALA product data standard.
Jennifer Brons, Research Program Director at Light and Health Research Center, Mount Sinai, updates us on the work to create lighting that supports circadian entrainment.
Special thanks to ALA members Jack Fleischer, President of Hermitage Design Center & Susan Irie, President of Kilohana Lighting. 
ALAEducation.com has a wide variety of programs for people in the lighting industry.
The only place to be in September is Austin, Texas.  ALAConference.com
Visit ALAMembers.com for more information about the American Lighting Association and membership.
ALALighting.com has lighting tips and inspiration, and a listing of ALA-member showrooms.
Send questions, comments & suggestions to Podcast@ALALighting.com.
Raelle Bell – Host
Liz Ware – Host
Association Briefings - Producer