Get A Grip On Lighting Podcast Get A Grip On Lighting

Like many of us, India “fell” into lighting. Except India’s interest is in the history of Los Angeles street lighting, from the “moon towers” of the 1880’s, to the Golden Age of street lighting in the 40’s and 50’s to the skyrocketing of street lighting over crime concerns in the 60’s. Some of these classic light poles are still in use, but alas, with copper wire theft and some of these cast iron poles being literally ripped out of the ground and taken for scrap metal, we may be losing the beauty of the past. Come on, leave the street lights alone! India Mandelkern was born in Los Angeles, California, received her B.A. from Middlebury College in Middlebury, Vermont, and received her Ph.D. in History from the University of California, Berkeley. After all this school, she made her way back to Los Angeles, where she has worked as a curator, consultant, and critic, writing on art, culture, design, and cities for a variety of publications, both local and national. From 2016-2018 she served as a fellow at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), where she got interested in public art and worked as the speechwriter for the CEO. During her tenure there, she created a 'field guide' to the 16 different 1920s and 1930s streetlight designs included in Chris Burden's famous streetlight sculpture located at LACMA's south entrance, Urban Light. The guide became an overnight hit at the museum, which led her down a rabbit hole, so to speak, and resulted in her latest book, Electric Moons: A Social History of Street Lighting in Los Angeles, published in late 2023 by Hat & Beard Press. In the book, she uses the streetlight as a "flashlight" to reexamine the history of LA, looking at how lighting shaped conversations about civic identity, transportation, policing, and the definition of public space, to name a few. She currently works at the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LACMTA) –– a fortuitously "streetlight-adjacent" gig –– where she oversees the agency's blog and writes about Metro construction projects and policies. 

Paolo is your typical customer for a lighting distributor or a contractor. The misinformation on LED lifecycles, the difficulty in replacing drivers, and the sheer waste that has been created prompts Paolo to label the whole system as a Ponzy scheme. How many electricians does it take to change a light bulb? The joke’s on you because on many fixtures, you can’t change the bulb.Paolo Cordovado is a Building Operator at Avison Young Real Estate Management Services, recognized as BOMA Toronto's 2023 Emerging Leader of the Year. With a decade of experience, Paolo is a key member of the Ontario Operations Team, overseeing two buildings in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). He excels in problem-solving, preventive maintenance, and tenant relations, earning a reputation as the go-to person for building needs. Paolo's professionalism extends beyond his role, actively contributing to industry groups, mentoring new operators, and spearheading innovative initiatives such as e-waste recycling and piloting barcoding systems for preventive maintenance tasks. As a member of Avison Young's Global Operations Task Force, Paolo is shaping the future of CRE operations, demonstrating leadership and dedication to excellence in building management.  Connect with Paolo: www.linkedin.com/in/paolocordovado/ linkedin Group- Building Operations-  https://www.linkedin.com/groups/9127092/ Newsletter- https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/lets-talk-building-operations-7097993398795595777/ 

Mike is a member of AAILA and he’ll tout the benefits all day long, from assistance and support to education, just like NAILD does for independent lighting distributors. AAILA brings together independent lighting agents and makes them “stronger together.” When he’s not volunteering for AAILA, he and his company are working on projects like lighting the longest enclosed pedestrian bridge in the world. (https://www.durhamregion.com/news/lighting-up-the-pickering-skyline/article_008e7f09-f2f4-5d10-96bc-0601ce2c4f33.html) The vision for Mike’s company, Visionz, is simple: be dedicated to the customer experience, partner with premier brands, and support the design community on their projects from start to finish. You’ll have to listen to the end to hear what Michael and Greg think is the best explanation they've heard for what an agent is. A Canadian with over 24 years in the lighting industry, Mike Hamilton’s experience in the lighting specification community is extensive, having been a part of the 12V LED lighting market, from its inception. Mike has led national sales teams and participated in their product design & development initiatives. All prior to entering the lighting specification market in Toronto. Mike has participated in a number of media attention grabbing projects, like the lighting of the longest enclosed pedestrian bridge in the world. Mike is currently the principal of Visionz Inc. a prominent Toronto based Architectural Products agency, that is focused on the creation of specifications in the areas of Architectural Lighting, Landscape Furnishings, and integration of Architectural Elements. 

Luminaire Level Lighting Controls. Is it time? Bruce and Angela think so. With wireless and Bluetooth maturing, the time may be right to NOT rip out walls and old control boxes, and just install LLLC. Now lighting controls are accessible to contractors and end users. Everybody’s happy. Okay maybe it’s not quite that simple. Listen to this one to hear about the promises and the challenges of LLLC. Angela Pilant has more than 25 years of experience working within the lighting and energy industries. She has a diverse background as a utility specialist, manufacturer’s representative, and consultant. She has worked at Evergreen Energy Partners since 2009 and specializes in market and trend analysis, utility program development, client engagement strategies, and training. She is a certified instructor for the Building Operator Certification Program (BOC) and has earned a Lighting Certified Professional designation from NCQLP. Bruce Hemmelman has more than 30 years of experience in the lighting and lighting controls industries. He has worked for lighting and lighting controls manufacturers as a Product and Sales Manager, as a manufacturer's representative and currently as a consultant. His current focus is promoting market transformation and adoption of Luminaire Level Lighting Controls working with the electrical specification, distribution and contractor market segments. 

We’ve all heard about AI by now. But probably not everyone really understands what it’s about. Pete Grett is kinda counting on that a little. As he says, using AI is pretty simple, but people just want others to do it for them. That’s where Pete steps in. He wants to help individuals be more efficient by taking away tasks and giving them to AI to perform. But don’t tell the boss. Just produce your usual level of productivity, then with your spare time watch or listen to Get A Grip On Lighting episodes! Pete started in supply chain 25 years ago as a temp worker in a warehouse. He rose to operational leadership in a variety of roles before moving to system implementations and support. Eventually, Pete took on leadership responsibility at what became FedEx Supply Chain. Pete oversaw system solution design, sales, and implementation for the two largest verticals at FedEx. Pete took that experience and many key resources and started his own consulting firm, The Blackrock Group, offering Supply chain management and system consulting. The Blackrock Group now has clients and uses resources all over the globe With a keen eye for innovation, Pete is now steering into the future with Blackrock Software Company, where he’s embracing the transformative power of generative AI. Under his #TechSherpa brand, he’s dedicated to guiding businesses through the evolving landscape of technology, ensuring they stay ahead in today’s digital ascent. Join Pete as he unpacks the complexities of supply chains and explores the frontiers of artificial intelligence. 

You will remember Dr. James from episode 291 in December 2022. She’s written a couple of books about light and health since then (see below). Light and its relation to circadian health keeps popping up on this podcast. There’s no doubt there’s something to it. But even Dr. James will tell you, the best way to deal with it is to go outside and let the rays from that big light in the sky hit you. 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. Connect with Dr. James: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-shelley-james-53592229/, https://www.facebook.com/DrShelleyJames/ https://twitter.com/DrShelleyJames/ https://www.instagram.com/drshelleyjames/ www.ageoflightinnovations.com