The American Association of Independent Lighting Agents (AAILA) held its second annual membership event prior to LEDucation 2023 in New York City last week. Officially launched in December 2021 by lighting industry veterans Billy Hodges and Jay Andrews, who each operate their own agencies – Hodges’ Digital Filaments in Pennsylvania and Andrews’ Next Generation Lighting…
Think data breaches only happen to national banks, mega corporations, and large retailers? Several lighting manufacturers in the commercial sector (Acuity Brands, Cooledge Lighting) as well as the residential side (Quorum and Eglo) were hit last year with either data breaches or ransomware attacks. In the cases of ransomware, the lighting companies I spoke with…
Attendees at LEDucation 2023 in New York City this week can seize the opportunity to learn about Casambi’s latest developments, which include new feature-rich SoC, software upgrades, and new hardware components that create a fourfold increase in node-to-node communication range, which will enable more robust indoor, outdoor, and hybrid indoor/outdoor networks. Casambi’s feature-rich SoC, CBM-003,…
Georgia-based Halco Lighting Technologies has appointed Tony Campbell as its new VP/Product Development, where he will be leading the product team in bringing great new lighting solutions to market. “We can’t wait to soar to new heights with him on board our all-star team,” a company statement read. Campbell is a lighting industry veteran who…
Netherlands-based Signify has acquired Intelligent Lighting Controls, Inc. (ILC), a U.S. domestic manufacturer of wired control systems. Founded in 1990 and headquartered in Minnesota, ILC manufactures energy-saving control systems for applications such as healthcare, education, offices, and sporting venues. Going forward, ILC will sell its brand of wired control systems as part of Cooper Lighting…
The National Electrical Manufacturers Representatives Association (NEMRA) has named four officers to its Board of Directors and four Executive Committee Members to the NEMRA Manufacturers Group (NMG). NEMRA is a powerful voice in the electrical industry and an advocate for the independent manufacturers’ representative and the manufacturer affiliates. The NMG is an allied group of…
Lighting legend Howard Brandston, formerly of New York City and Claverack, N.Y., died on Friday, February 24 from Alzheimer’s Disease. He was 87 years old. Howard graduated from Brooklyn College in 1957 and later founded H.M. Brandston & Partners in New York City in 1966, one of the first architectural lighting design firms (now Brandston…
Contemporary Italian lighting brand Lodes has further expanded into the North American market with a dedicated U.S. subsidiary and office in the New York City area. A significant milestone for the Venice-based, family-owned and operated manufacturer, the move marks a new chapter in the manufacturer’s 70+-year history. The announcement comes on the heels of a…
Greenville, S.C.-based Current™ has appointed William (“Bill”) Tolley as Interim CEO, effective today. In an official statement, Current noted that departing CEO Manish Bhandari was instrumental in leading the company through the pandemic and a transformative acquisition of Hubbell’s C&I Lighting business. Tolley has served on Current’s Board of Directors for several years and has…
As previously noted by US Lighting Trends, MaxLite has relocated its corporate headquarters to a new facility in Pine Brook, N.J., which includes a first for the company: a state-of-the-art training center and showroom featuring MaxLite’s energy-efficient luminaires and c-Max Network lighting controls system. The new facility is located at 340 Changebridge Road in the…
A security policy is only good if it’s implemented. For example, the elementary school in Uvalde, Texas had a policy of keeping exterior classroom doors locked, but when that protocol was not followed, disaster ensued. Developed to help school staff more quickly and easily spot potential breaches as well as communicate emergency safety cues, a…
On February 13, 2023, Nichia Corp. filed a patent infringement lawsuit in the Tokyo District Court, seeking damages and to enjoin trading company CoreStaff Co., Ltd., from selling products from the F90 family of LEDs made by U.S.-based Bridgelux, Inc. The asserted patent in the lawsuit, Japanese Patent No. 4974310, as well as related patents…
Montreal-based LMPG Inc., a leading specification-grade LED lighting solutions group, has acquired 100% of Architectural Lighting Works (ALW), a privately owned, innovative interior and exterior architectural LED lighting solutions provider, from Prairie Capital. Founded in 2005, ALW is renowned for their diverse selection of linear, architectural decorative, cylinder and acoustic lighting products, its unparalleled performance,…
The International Association of Lighting Designers (IALD) has elected Carla Bukalski, PE, LC, LEED AP, as co-chair of its Lighting Industry Resource Council (LIRC) Steering Committee. The council provides a framework within IALD for enhanced communication between professional lighting designers and manufacturers to create an environment conducive to the collaborative improvement of products, services, business…
A 10-year veteran of Denver-based American Lighting, Jennifer Kirkpatrick has been promoted to Director of Sales for Lighting Showrooms for the Prizm Lighting and Proluxe divisions. The company released an announcement that read, “Jennifer has consistently demonstrated exceptional leadership and has worked to make American Lighting a stronger company for the last 10 years —…
As an update to NEMA LSD 81-2019, the recent NEMA LS 20009-2022 Controlled Emergency Lighting bulletin incorporates changes in the 2023 National Electrical Code® NFPA 70® that address the increasing complexity of emergency lighting systems, specifically regarding improved definition and requirements for directly controlled luminaires. The technical clarification bulletin, from the National Electrical Manufacturers Association…