Get A Grip On Lighting Podcast

Get A Grip On Lighting
Get A Grip On Lighting Podcast

Recognizing a need in the lighting industry to forum together and discuss subjects & issues in our industry, the Get A Grip On Lighting Podcast was born. Get A Grip brings on industry experts to talk about real issues and focused on that subject matter. If there’s something to be said on the subject, Get A Grip will go there. Get A Grip On Lighting Podcasts are hosted by Michael Colligan and Greg Ehrich, who have over 30 years of combined experience in the lighting industry. Michael Colligan is an entrepreneur and inventor. He’s a subject matter expert in commercial and industrial lighting supply, lighting retrofits, and finding recycling streams for hard-to-recycle waste. Greg Ehrich, LC is the former President of the National Association of Innovative Lighting Distributors (NAILD) and owner of a progressive lighting distributorship.

  1. #391 - I Want It All And I Want It Now

    2 DAYS AGO

    #391 - I Want It All And I Want It Now

    Jason wants it all - now. But he also says, be careful what you wish for. In this competitive environment, don’t just take any job. Jason is competitive and doesn’t like to lose but, as he says, you don’t want to win a race to the bottom. Then the only way you’re going to make money is if all the stars align and nothing goes wrong on the project. So despite the title, there are some things you don’t want. Over the last 19 years Jason has been a leader in providing turn-key retrofits amounting to millions of dollars’ worth of energy saving that have also garnered millions in incentive money for clients across Ontario. Jason has also provided educational seminars for George Brown College, ACMO RCM training, Tradeshow seminars etc. Jason has been a Trailblazer in the multi-residential energy retrofit market being one of the first to introduce Occupancy sensor technology in parking garages over 17 years ago.

    27 min
  2. #390 - Tariff Talk

    FEB 10

    #390 - Tariff Talk

    As of this recording, the US has backed off on tariffs, for now. But they still loom as a possibility sometime in the future. Michael gives his perspective from the viewpoint of Canada, while Greg and Spencer look at it from a “what’s best for America” standpoint. Can’t we all just get along? Spencer Miles first appeared on Get a Grip On Lighting way back in 2017 on episode #4. He is the President of Pacific Lamp and Supply Company where he has worked for 24 years of Pacific Lamp’s over 100 years of business. Spencer served as NAILD’s President in 2019.

    25 min
  3. #389 - The Man Behind The Curtain

    FEB 3

    #389 - The Man Behind The Curtain

    You’ve heard him on Monday mornings. You’ve seen his work quarterly. We pull back the curtain on Scott Wachter to take a look behind the scenes at his work on the Lighting Industry News Brief, Today’s Lighting Distributor, and The Darkness News Update (on RestoringDarkness.com). Beyond his work as the best-informed person in the lighting industry, he’s part of the content management team; keeping the social feeds up to date, co-authoring Today’s Lighting Distributor, developing courses for LS Evolve, the recent revamp of LS-2, and developing the new DS-1 course. Other notable things about Scott:Has never sold a lamp or fixture.Wrote his senior thesis on the value of apologies in situations of bad moral luck.His recent, unrelated podcast The Recap from Mercury was the Number 1 on the Apple Podcasts Animation Charts in Brazil (top 20 in Japan).He once entered a stand-up comedy contest as it was running because the other comics were so bad, improvising a winning 5-minute set.He once got in a fistfight with a bouncer at the bar he worked at.Scott was once threatened with a lawsuit over cupcake recipes.He makes the best gin gimlet you have ever had.No one drinks gin gimlets.His favorite color is blue.He has the nicest hair in NAILD.He should probably get a new headshot; this one is 11 years old.

    18 min
  4. #388 - The Purpose of Lighting

    JAN 27

    #388 - The Purpose of Lighting

    Fear. Is that a sales strategy? Michael thinks so. If you have a “perversely commissioned sensor” that suddenly makes the lights go off in a machine room while someone is under the HVAC equipment, the urgency level to fix that for safety is high. Make sure the lights serve their purpose–to see! Sponsor: Barron Lighting Group www.barronltg.com

    9 min
  5. #387 - Circling the Circular Economy

    JAN 20

    #387 - Circling the Circular Economy

    Retrofitting a troffer? Impossible! Or is it? Greg presents a case where maybe, just maybe, it’s possible to save the old fixture. Even Michael thinks this one has a chance to not end up in a landfill. Sponsor: Griplock www.griplocksystems.com

    15 min
  6. #386 - Nobody Knows

    JAN 13

    #386 - Nobody Knows

    This one is short but important. Michael and Greg discuss the recent Restoring Darkness podcast featuring Dr. Mario Motta (https://youtu.be/tEbcyBf-2Ug). Michael and Greg want to get to the bottom of the conflict between Dr. Motta and the IES. They’d love to hear the IES’s side of the story.

    12 min
  7. #385 - 2025 Predictions

    JAN 6

    #385 - 2025 Predictions

    Al brings along some predictions from some movers and shakers in the industry. He, along with Michael and Greg, assesses the predictions for 2025 from people like Colleen Harper at the IES, Cory Schneider at Lighting Unlimited, and Rob Duncan from Bell & McCoy. Will controls take off? Can the circular economy be strengthened? Is consolidation in the industry going to grow? Let us know about your own predictions for the coming year. Al Uszynski is a seasoned lighting industry professional with a career spanning sales and management roles at several well-known lighting and controls manufacturers. Today, he serves as the Publisher and Editor of Inside Lighting, North America’s most visited media site for lighting industry news and information. Al is also the #1 favorite recurring guest of Michael and Greg on their Get a Grip on Lighting podcast. Connect with Al: https://inside.lighting/https://www.linkedin.com/company/inside-lighting/https://www.instagram.com/inside.lighting/https://twitter.com/InsLightinghttps://www.facebook.com/InsideLighting/

    46 min
  8. #384 - The Blend and the Dance

    12/30/2024

    #384 - The Blend and the Dance

    Leon and Brenda tell you how it’s done! Two years ago, FSG acquired West-Lite Supply Company in California and they’ll tell you in this podcast, that it was a complete success. Brenda stayed on with FSG to become VP of California Sales and no one lost their job. In fact, Leon always looks forward, in an acquisition scenario, to finding a gem among the new employees. Leon has been in the lighting industry for over 24 years. Leon entered the industry out of college, joining his family's New Jersey based lighting distributorship, which specialized in lighting supply sales to end users. This company was one of the early adopters of promoting energy conservation programs offerred by utilities in the Northeast. Upon joining FSG in 2007, Leon became one of the National Account Representatives handling multi-site national accounts. In 2012, Leon led the acquisition of Summit Lighting, a Manhattan-based commercial lighting distributor servicing the construction industry. After the acquisition, Leon become the Market Director of this FSG branch, located in the heart of Manhattan. He currently oversees this New York City operation, while concentrating on providing National Accounts with all of the services of FSG including lighting, electrical, signage, technology, and energy solutions. In 2022, after overseeing the NYC operations, Leon became the Chief Operating Officer - Distribution, overseeing the lighting business for FSG nationally. Brenda is one of the VP's of Sales at Facility Solutions Group, assisting in California sales and new business development for one of the leading providers of lighting, electrical, and energy solutions in the US. She has more than 40 years of experience in the lighting industry, having served as the President of West-Lite Supply Company., Inc. for 7 years, and previously in sales and marketing, helping to grow a local California business to a regional leader in lighting distribution and marketing. Her mission is to help customers achieve their lighting goals, whether it is to reduce energy costs, improve aesthetics, enhance safety, or comply with environmental standards. Brenda has extensive knowledge and expertise in energy saving lighting solutions, and has worked with utilities and end users to secure rebates and incentives for implementing green lighting practices. She is passionate about delivering quality service and value to clients and partners, and is always looking for new opportunities and challenges in the lighting industry.

    35 min
See All (348)

4.7
out of 5
13 Ratings

About

Recognizing a need in the lighting industry to forum together and discuss subjects & issues in our industry, the Get A Grip On Lighting Podcast was born. Get A Grip brings on industry experts to talk about real issues and focused on that subject matter. If there’s something to be said on the subject, Get A Grip will go there. Get A Grip On Lighting Podcasts are hosted by Michael Colligan and Greg Ehrich, who have over 30 years of combined experience in the lighting industry. Michael Colligan is an entrepreneur and inventor. He’s a subject matter expert in commercial and industrial lighting supply, lighting retrofits, and finding recycling streams for hard-to-recycle waste. Greg Ehrich, LC is the former President of the National Association of Innovative Lighting Distributors (NAILD) and owner of a progressive lighting distributorship.

Information

  • Creator
    Get A Grip On Lighting
  • Years Active
    2017 - 2025
  • Episodes
    348
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2025 Get A Grip On Lighting
  • Show Website
    Get A Grip On Lighting Podcast

You Might Also Like

To listen to explicit episodes, sign in.

Stay up to date with this show

Sign in or sign up to follow shows, save episodes, and get the latest updates.
Select a country or region

Africa, Middle East, and India

Asia Pacific

Europe

Latin America and the Caribbean

The United States and Canada