Lighting Controls Podcast

Dan joins us from Lam Partners Architectural Lighting where they are “crafting luminous environments for people to spend their lives in.” That luminous environment requires lights, obviously, but also controls. That being said, Dan points out that the most successful projects are ones that have simple user interfaces. As Ron says, “You can have the most complicated control system on the back end, but if that end user experience isn't simple and easy, people just get confused.” But even the simplest design needs coordination and communication between the architect, engineer, and lighting and controls designers–A Team Effort. Dan Weissman, AIA, IALD, IES is an award-winning Architectural Lighting Designer, researcher, and craftsman specializing in sustainable design and digital technologies. As Associate Principal and Director of Lam Labs at Lam Partners, he collaborates on innovative projects and engages with leading academics to advance the field. Dan serves as Chair of the IES Daylighting Committee, is an active member of the IES Sustainable Design committee and Solemma’s Climate Studio Product Advisory Group, and sits on the Board of Directors of the Flint Collective. He periodically teaches at Harvard Graduate School of Design, and is a frequent guest lecturer nationally and internationally. An avid musician and amateur luthier of mandolin-family instruments, Dan also tends a garden, and two children along with his artist wife Lanie, and bakes two sourdough loaves a week. 

Parker comes to us from the Edison Report. He gives Webster and Ron a 30,000 foot view of the lighting controls industry. Looking in from the outside, Parker touches on the retrofit world, manufacturer reps, the national electrical grid, and even cryptocurrency. Parker Allen serves as a Manager at EdisonReport, a news website and media network dedicated to covering the lighting industry. He is a content editor and staff writer for designing lighting (dl) magazine, as well as the assistant editor of Lighting Management and Maintenance (LM&M) magazine, published by EdisonReport on behalf of NALMCO. Allen just celebrated his third anniversary at EdisonReport. In a former life, he worked at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, conducting research into the aging process, specifically the role that insulin signaling played in promoting or delaying aging. He graduated from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville in 2014. He is an avid Vols fan (despite his better judgement) and enjoys life in Nashville with his fiancée and 5 cats. 

Avi’s back! And he speaks his mind. Avi contends that the lighting designer should also design the controls. As he says, “If I pick what that thing is, then I gotta figure out how to turn it on and off.” Avi says that it also includes “Liminaire Number One,” by which he means the Sun. Yes, automated shades should also come under the purview of the lighting designer. Oh and yes, for Avi, DALI is “da bomb.”

 Founding Principal, Avraham “Avi” M. Mor has been practicing lighting design for over 20 years. After graduating from the University of Kansas with a BFA in Theater Design with an emphasis in Architectural and Theatrical Lighting Design, he moved back to his hometown of Chicago to further his craft. Avi has grown his business from a small operation with only a handful of clients to a bustling firm with projects of all sizes located around the nation.

Connect with Avi:
https://www.facebook.com/Avmister
https://www.linkedin.com/in/avrahammor/

Morlights - https://www.facebook.com/Morlights/
https://www.instagram.com/morlightsdesign/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/morlights/
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC94SRUUcmQ0cXSvCBk7mbpA

Umesh shares with us the latest at MaxLite. They haven’t always been in lighting controls. But from their beginnings in architectural lighting, they have evolved and are even setting the pace with lighting controls, especially with their unique use of USB-C connectors. Be aware that USB-C, in this application, is there to simplify the connection process, not to charge your phone. Umesh is a SVP of Product and Engineering at MaxLite and leads a cross-functional team to develop and bring new product ideas and technologies to help MaxLite grow in the C&I space. Umesh brings more than 20 years of cross-industry experience in product and business improvement. He has held progressively senior leadership positions in product management, engineering and corporate development across diverse organizations ranging from high-tech manufacturing corporations, to Wall Street to Fortune 5 companies like Amazon. His lighting career began with Philips overseeing the downlight and track portfolio for the Americas and of late he has been busy creating the c-Max Lighting controls portfolio for MaxLite. He is an engineer by trade and also has an MBA.

Connect with Umesh:
www.maxlite.com/pub/media/wysiwyg/about/team/Umesh_Baheti.jpg
www.linkedin.com/in/umeshsbaheti
www.maxlite.com
www.maxlite.com/cmax 

Nathan has been digging into the National Electrical Code. He stresses the importance of verbiage in codes. A word as simple as “all” can have an enormous impact on interpretation. For example, Webster and Ron discuss with Nathan a weird transition in Texas electrical and mechanical rooms from using occupancy sensors to timer switches and how, if you are a worker in that room and you aren’t familiar with the system when the lights go out, you won’t know what the heck is going on. Listen to this thought provoking episode to hear more! Nathan Williams is a lighting controls field service engineer with over 16 years of controls experience. Throughout his career, he has held certifications with 11 different lighting controls manufacturers, and he also holds NALMCO’s CLCP and CSLT certifications along with Tridium’s Niagara AX certification. Nathan is the senior field service engineer at CW Lighting, a lighting fixtures and controls manufacturers’ rep firm that has been in the industry for 40 years. Nathan entered the lighting industry at 20, building upon his background in technical theater. He has earned a reputation for attention to detail, troubleshooting expertise, and excellent customer service, and he currently serves on the Wattstopper technician advisory council. He lives in Spring, TX with his wife and their two cats, and in his spare time, he chairs his neighborhood Architectural Review Committee, enjoys fine tuning his home automation, and is always looking forward to his next Caribbean cruise. 

Marissa comes to us from Tondo Smart. “Smart” is in their name because they are on a quest to bring smart controls to roadways and outdoor areas. That is, possibly, the next frontier in lighting. We’ve saved as much energy as we can with LED’s, now it’s time to take the next step with controls. Marissa tells us about Tondo’s leadership in integrating sensors, energy meters, cameras, and controls for connecting critical infrastructure. Marissa Wright is the Chief Revenue Officer at Tondo Smart, where she leads Tondo’s U.S. and Canadian market expansion. Marissa has over 40 years of experience in the technology sector, business advisory services, and financing early-stage startups, and she’s the driving force behind Tondo’s expansion into the U.S. market, bringing cities next-generation lighting and critical infrastructure management solutions. Marissa is based in Vancouver, Canada, and holds an MBA from Simon Fraser University. Her career has included founding and managing over a dozen early-stage companies, focusing on market strategy, business development, and project leadership for high-growth technology firms. At Tondo, Marissa developed the company’s market strategy and also designed the company’s new adaptive roadway lighting control solution. Join us as Marissa shares her insights on the rapidly evolving world of smart roadway lighting controls, the impact of adaptive roadway lighting on lighting safety and energy efficiency, the importance of cybersecurity for managing critical infrastructure, and her vision for making Smart Cities a reality. 

Dr. James joins us from across the pond. Dr. James strives to “build bridges between end users and lighting designers and specifiers and scientists and controls people.” She wanted to bring all these worlds together so much that she even learned to be an electrician. Her latest venture on the education front is a new podcast, “Thinking Differently About Lighting,” launching soon on the Get A Grip Network of podcasts. Dr Shelley James is an international expert on light and well-being, TEDx and keynote speaker, Author, WELL Advisor and Visiting Lecturer at the Royal College of Art. She is also a trained glass artist and electrician. Shelley is on a mission to inspire others to harness the power of the humble lightbulb to be healthier, happier and help to save the planet too. Clients include global lighting and technology brands and regulators, healthcare and education trusts, architects and designers, academic institutions and museums. A recent social media campaign to raise awareness of the impact of light on teens was translated into three languages and reached over 2.5 million people around the world. Her TEDx talk was the third-most watched in the world in the month following the launch. 

Shoshanna figures the U.S. is 30 years behind Europe in adopting interoperable lighting controls. She has a very interesting take on why that is. It all comes down to a market structure issue. It seems Europe has figured it out with DALI and the U.S. is still not coming together for the good of the industry. Becaus…, well…, “because capitalism.” Shoshanna Segal believes in the power of light to make the world a more equitable and accessible place. She uses both the artistic and scientific sides of her brain to illuminate the spaces where people live, work, and learn because this is the way she can effect change for the greatest number of people. Years of professional practice have taught her that lighting provides opportunities to realize synergies among technology, social interaction, and commerce. Ms. Segal practices creating these synergies as a Principal at Hartranft Lighting Studios. She is among the first professionals in the world to achieve the international certification CLD and is serving currently as president of the IES-NYC. Shanna firmly believes that all lighting professionals should drink bourbon (or at least brown liquor). 

If you are a distributor, a rep, a designer, or an electrician, you have dealt with lighting controls at some point. And they’re growing in the marketplace. You’re going to be dealing with them more and more. Now, you can meet a client, boost your credentials, and show proof that you have some expertise in the field because NAILD is offering a certification in lighting controls. The certification is endorsed by brands so that it's not just some letters next to your name, but assurance that you can design, distribute, or install their products. Want to know more? Check out https://naild.org/ls-c/ 

Yes, there is a market north of the border! The Toronto area is huge and deserves its own lighting show. Gaurav saw the opportunity and jumped on it all the way from India. With his company, MEX Exhibitions, he plans to “provide a platform for the lighting community to engage in meaningful dialogue and explore the future of smart lighting, LED technology, and design.” And he’s getting help from The Lighting Agora’s Tom Butters who is acting as the Knowledge Partner for the educational program. Spoiler alert - you’ll also see our host, Webster Marsh there as a presenter! Gaurav Juneja, Director of MEX Exhibitions Pvt. Ltd. and MEX International Inc., is a pioneering leader in the B2B exhibition industry specifically for lighting industry, apart from many other Industry Verticals. He has played a transformative role in the industry, most notably through his leadership in launching major trade shows that have become flagship events in each sector. Gaurav was instrumental in the launch of LED Expo India in 2009, a ground breaking platform that introduced the Indian market to advanced LED technologies and solutions, helping accelerate the adoption of energy-efficient lighting across the country. Following its success, Gaurav spearheaded the expansion of the brand into Southeast Asia by establishing LED Expo Thailand in 2013, making it one of the largest and most influential lighting shows in the ASEAN region. Tom Butters, LC, is the creative mind and developer behind some of the most well received educational tools and events of the global lighting industry. Since 1986, Tom has worked in or served the entire array of the lighting industry. He uses this diverse background and empathy to understand the needs of the individual or organization to deliver high quality lighting education to suit the precise needs of the user. Tom is a proud board member of the Nuckolls’ Fund for Lighting Education and an Emeritus Member of the IES. As the Senior Manager then Director of Canlyte/Philips Lighting Concept Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada from 2000 to 2016, Tom developed and delivered top level lighting education to thousands of attendees in all segments of the lighting industry. Tom was the co-developer, along with F.X. Morin, of the globally successful free lighting app “IES Ready Reference”. He is the creator of “Light for Life – a Global Collaboration 2020” which involved 17 webinars from 15 lighting organizations from around the world during the COVID-19 pandemic. Tom was the director of the IES’ free 4-hour live webinar “Germicidal Disinfection in the Days of COVID-19” which had over 3600 live attendees from 56 countries and has been viewed by thousands more as a free offering on the IES website.