Obtaining government contracts can be a challenging endeavor as the competition is fierce. However, a business partnership that includes a disabled veteran can provide your company with a valuable advantage. By doing so, this fulfills a requirement that government contracts often seek, while also offering a disabled veteran the opportunity to be a business owner. This arrangement creates a win-win situation. Nevertheless, it is important to note that being awarded government contracts still requires you to be a competitive and excellent service provider. As Chris rightly points out, success in this field is never guaranteed and requires dedication, effort and some old school tactics. Chris is VP of Sales & National Accounts and a partner at American Veteran Lighting. In 2004, he launched RAY-LITE Industries, Inc. and in 2017 formed a Partnership with Ray Marchan and launched American Veteran Lighting, Inc. Ray, a distinguished Army Veteran and accomplished professional, is the Chairman of American Veteran Lighting and plays a pivotal role in driving the company's marketing efforts. Drawing from a wealth of experience and leadership skills gained during his military service, Ray brings a unique perspective to the lighting industry. Passionate about delivering exceptional lighting solutions, he strives to enhance the lives of customers through innovative products and outstanding service. 

You run a city. You need to know where all your street lights are. You want to know where the car, bike and pedestrian collisions areas are, what time of night they happen. And you need it tomorrow. Call Nick and Evari GIS will take that data and improve your safety record, reduce light pollution and enhance your energy savings. Nick Mesler, PE is the Director of Operations with Evari GIS Consulting, a data technology company specializing in street lighting, ADA infrastructure, and active transportation. Nick is based in Portland, Oregon. Nick specializes in transportation safety, with a background in mobility planning and transportation operations. Nick manages and oversees the delivery of infrastructure and safety projects all over the United States. 

Brad does not work for a designer or manufacturer, so he considers himself “off the leash,” so buckle up: He thinks we’re in a race to the bottom in cost and quality. With the move to manufacturing in China, all the R & D money is gone. Sustainability is nearly non-existent. The industry is in a dark place. But despair not! Brad has some ideas to get us back on track. Brad Koerner has held a 20-year career in architectural lighting design and innovation in lighting technologies. He was at Philips Lighting in the innovation and corporate venture groups. He was the Lighting Market Manager for Color Kinetics, and a lighting designer in the Boston area at Lam Partners, Light This!, and Ripman Lighting Consultants. For the past several years Brad has been helping companies drive product innovation via his firm Koerner Design. Brad received his Master of Architecture degree from Harvard University, where he received the IALD Education Trust Fund Grant and the IESNA Richard Kelly Grant. 

David, a lawyer, might know more about gallium nitride and LED light bulbs than you do. He survived - and thrived - through the LED “patent wars” of the early 2000’s. David tells Michael and Greg about patent suits involving the Nobel Prize Winner Shuji Nakamura, Cree Inc., and Nichia Corporation. Listen to this episode to find out who won. If you’re involved in a patent dispute, you DO NOT want David on the other side. Similarly, if you anticipate getting involved with one, feel free to reach out to him before the other side does.

Prior to getting his law degree from Columbia University, he got a PhD in Electrical Engineering from Cornell where he focused on the semiconductors that eventually became the backbone of the LED lighting industry. Over his 30 plus year career, David has litigated more than 75 LED patent cases involving over 150 LED patents. That is more than any other attorney in the US by probably an order of magnitude. His client list and experience with the LED lighting industry goes back over 30 years.

ALERT! ALERT! If you’re a middle class salaried or hourly wage earner, you’re going to keep earning less and less when you factor in cost of living inflation. But despair not! Michael and Greg have the answers. Maybe.  You’ll have to listen to find out.

After studying Renaissance Design in Italy, Architecture in Buffalo, and Communication Design in New York, Adam landed a job in… wait for it… cancer research! Eventually, via a series of career changes, he ended up at UL and finally, on the Get A Grip On Lighting Podcast. Adam schools us on the latest research in circadian lighting. Are Michael and Greg finally convinced about the merits of circadian lighting? You’ll have to check out this episode to find out. As UL Subject Matter Expert in Circadian-Effective Lighting, Adam served on the Industry Task Force investigating current circadian practices. In 2019 UL published UL Design Guideline 24480 Promoting Circadian Entrainment with Light. He has spoken at conferences, led webinars, published papers and authored several circadian service patents for UL Solutions. Those services are now launched. 

With the kinds of customers Tim serves, good lighting can be a matter of life and death. Mines, factories, steel mills - all require lighting that isn’t going to melt, start a fire or blow up! Tim and his company, Dialight, keep sustainability at the forefront of their mission while helping customers achieve their environmental and safety goals. Tim does have one frequent customer complaint though: people can’t believe how dirty their facilities are once they’re properly lit! Tim Cillessen is Dialight’s VP of Sales, overseeing global sales as well as marketing and customer service operations to drive revenue growth and develop strategies to expand Dialight's market share. Tim began his career as a Product Development Engineer, where he gained valuable experience in developing and testing instrumentation products for various industrial markets, eventually moving to work at Siemens as a Product Manager for Instrumentation and quickly rising the ranks to become their Head of Sales and Marketing for the Process Safety division – leading sales and marketing teams and developing solutions to increase safety in some of the toughest markets. 

“Leave the earth better than how we found it.” That’s Melissa’s definition of sustainable. Of course she agrees that it is more complicated than that when it comes to the lighting industry. Luckily Brian Huff the chairman of NAILD's Distributor Committee for Sustainable Lighting joins us to add some flavor. Listen to this episode as we solve all the problems. Almost. Melissa divides her time between architectural lighting design and sustainable manufacturing consulting. As the leader of Sladen Feinstein’s sustainability efforts, Melissa is continually curious about the relationship between architecture, the human experience and what it means to embody space. Brian Huff is President of Adventure Lighting in Des Moines, IA. He’s been in the lighting industry for 13ish years, and owned the company for 5 years. He spends a lot of time with his two kids going to kid's sports, coaching kid's sports, playing golf, and volunteering on a few local boards/non-profits. 

Michael has noticed, over the years, that vendor members who have quit NAILD, have experienced “the kiss of death.” In this short-form Get A Grip, Michael and Greg riff on private equity take-overs, change of ownership, ROI, education, and giving back. If you want to have a better chance at success and staying in business, join NAILD!

You must check out some videos of Michal’s LED Tron Dance Suits. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DVt2OwMKiM8. You’ll be mesmerized. Michal explains to Michael and Greg how his company continues to address the challenges of controlling the lights, maintenance of the LED diodes and trying to keep the dancers from beating up the suits! As Michael points out, if Michal and his company can figure out controls for dancing suits, why can’t our industry get it together?

Michal Pokluda has a background in mathematics, software development and computer graphics. He started as a laser show designer for small parties and discos. Later he found interest in developing laser show software and hardware. He is an author of Fiesta and Moncha laser show software produced by Showtacle Ltd. company.

He is also one of the developers of LED Strip Studio pixel mapping software used for a variety of LED installations for TV, clubs, museums, or LED dance performances.

He is now CEO of LED Strip Studio company, which produces pixel LED controllers and LED Strip Studio software.