All Photos Courtesy of New York State Thruway Authority Whether you refer to this famous crossing by its original name – the Tappan Zee – or by the name given to the newly built replacement (Governor Mario M. Cuomo Bridge), this important roadway connects two demographically dense counties Rockland and Westchester) in New York and…
Wisconsin-based ETC (Electronic Theatre Controls) has acquired Pharos Architectural Controls (Pharos) of the UK, a developer and manufacturer of dynamic lighting control systems used in architectural, themed entertainment, and large-scale visual installations that has collaborated with ETC for the past 20+ years. For example, Pharos is the designer and manufacturer behind ETC’s Mosaic product family….
Pennsylvania-based Lutron Electronics Co., Inc., has acquired Tanury Industries, which has supplied metal faceplates to Lutron for the past 25 years. A premier surface finishing and metal coatings company founded in 1946, Tanury’s metal work can be seen on high-end motorcycle and automotive parts as well as private and commercial aviation, marine hardware, high-end gifts,…
After 32 years at the helm of his own rep firm, Michael Estrin has joined THEA Enterprises as director of sales. Years ago, when I first interviewed Michael Estrin, he was the principal of Estrin-Calabrese Sales (which later became Estrin-Zirkman Sales). While discussing a day in the life of a lighting rep, he mentioned that…
While 3D printing in mass production was once a dream, advancements in the technology have moved it more into the mainstream. The technique, which is also referred to as additive manufacturing, has rapidly evolved from a niche prototyping tool into a transformative production method for many sectors, including the lighting industry. As manufacturers confront supply‑chain…
By David Shiller Are you looking for fresh ideas on how to grow your business in 2026? There is a new resource to help. Lighting Industry Trends For 2026 is a free whitepaper covering many of the most important trends impacting the lighting industry right now. The white paper covers trends in lighting technology, controls,…
While most viewers of the recent Golden Globes® were watching the celebrities, lighting professionals were undoubtedly looking up at the crystal chandeliers lining the red carpet entrance to the Beverly Hilton hotel in Hollywood. Even the fashion magazines took notice, with Vogue writing: “Awards season aficionados will have spotted that the 2026 Golden Globes boasted…
Renowned New York City-based architectural lighting design firm Fisher Marantz Stone (FMS) has joined the late Paul Marantz’s family and friends in initiating a lighting design scholarship to honor the FMS founder, who died in June 2025 at age 87. In December, the Board of Directors of The Nuckolls Fund unanimously approved the proposal to…
Port Washington, N.Y.-based WAC Group has unveiled a new CEU course: Shaping LED Light – Technology and Trends for Decorative Luminaires. This dynamic course was created to help design professionals navigate the fast-changing world of decorative LED lighting. The course earns 2 HSW CEU credits through the IDCEC and AIA. According to the company, participants will discover…
By Geoffrey S. Marlow Consolidation is not strategy; it’s gravity. Like water finding its level, capital flows toward scale — particularly when private equity firms sit on record dry powder and interest rates finally stabilize after years of turbulence. The rebound we witnessed in 2024, with private equity deal volume up 22% and total announced…
Melville, N.Y.-based Leviton – the long-time manufacturer of electrical, lighting, data network and energy management solutions – is celebrating its 120th anniversary in 2026. Established in 1906, Leviton began as a small tinsmithing business founded by Isidor Leviton, where he produced mantle tips used for gas lighting. Since then, Leviton has grown from a single-product manufacturer into a…
North Carolina-based Cree LED, a Penguin Solutions brand, and Blizzard Lighting LLC have reached a mutually beneficial settlement resolving a patent infringement dispute involving Cree LED’s patents related to LED components commonly used in LED displays. As part of the settlement, Cree LED has granted Blizzard a limited license to certain Cree LED patents covering…
By Patrick Hayes, General Manager at Contractor Training Center by Colibri Group For electrical contractors, technical skill has always been the starting point. Licensing, code compliance, and field experience are non-negotiable. If the work isn’t safe and correct, nothing else matters. What has changed is everything that happens around that work — how jobs are…
The adage, “Don’t sell rebates, sell outcomes” easily applies to the current landscape in the electric utility market today. With the sunsetting of some utility rebate programs – such swapping out incandescent, fluorescent, metal halide, and high-pressure sodium for LED versions on a lamp for lamp basis – many contractors, lighting specifiers, and facilities managers…
As the calendar turned, many in the lighting industry said “good riddance” to 2025. It was a rocky road given the impact of tariffs on the project market and product pricing. At the end of the day for most it was a “meh” year from a revenue viewpoint with tariff “inspired” pricing perhaps enabling for flat revenue performance … not a report card that anyone wants to come home with.
Paul Pompeo, principal of the renowned executive recruiting firm Pompeo Group, assembled an esteemed committee of leaders in lighting to select the 25 most Influential lighting professionals. As recently shared on the Pompeo Group website, the list of the 25 most influential people in lighting includes four manufacturers, 11 designers, and 10 lighting professionals from…