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.