Get A Grip On Lighting Podcast
460 episodes - English - Latest episode: 13 days ago - ★★★★★ - 1 ratingRecognizing 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.
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Episodes
#59 - Biases in the Lighting Industry
January 21, 2019 00:00 - 29 minutes - 20.3 MBIn this episode of Get A Grip On Lighting Podcast, Greg and Michael acknowledge and call out ALL the biases that happen in the lighting industry. This is an excellent reminder for leaders, business owners, and influencers in the field, especially now that we just entered a new year. Discover the different types of biases that we encounter: group bias, conviction bias, confirmation bias, and superiority bias. Whenever possible, we should try to overcome them. It’s high time to take...
#58 - LiFi - Game Changer or Niche Product?
January 14, 2019 00:00 - 36 minutes - 24.8 MBWhat’s coming next for the lighting industry? Our guest, Randy Reid from Edison Report, is confident that it’s going to be LiFi. With just light, which can be found almost everywhere, people are able to connect with wireless data. It’s quick, convenient, and hassle-free. So, in today’s episode of the Get A Grip On Lighting Podcast, Michael and Greg pay a visit to Randy’s office in Tennessee to get the most updated information and news you need to know about LiFi. Discover also th...
#57 - Ellis Yan is Back, The Return of the King!
January 07, 2019 00:00 - 51 minutes - 35.4 MBLighting geeks and lighting nerds, are you ready to hear from the expert? In this episode of Get A Grip On Lighting Podcast, Greg and Michael talk to Ellis Yan, the founder and CEO of TCP International Holdings Ltd. to speak about the current developments and challenges in the lighting industry. TCP is one of the big companies that manufacture light bulbs. Ellis has always been welcoming with emerging techs and innovations. Learn from Ellis himself how TCP managed to stay strong du...
#56 - How Would You Retrofit That? Pt. 2
December 17, 2018 00:00 - 23 minutes - 16.4 MBThere’s still so much to know on how to retrofit your lighting so let’s not waste time and start watching the second part of the How Would Your Retrofit That? Special of Get A Grip On Lighting Podcast. And, if you’ve missed the first part (Episode #54), make sure to check it out on www.getagriponlighting.com or our YouTube Channel. For today, Michael and Greg continue to provide solutions for your retrofitting problems. If you’re in doubt of what to do, their tips will definitely he...
#55 - Lighting Update with Mr. Edison Report Randy Reid
December 10, 2018 16:51 - 34 minutes - 23.8 MBIt isn’t solely about illumination now. The lighting industry is gradually integrating new techs and going beyond its initial standard functions. So, how are the companies keeping up? Today on the Get A Grip On Lighting Podcast, Michael and Greg talk to Randy Reid, the Editor for Edison Report, about the pressing issue of how lighting companies are handling disruptive innovations like AI controls, LiFi, etc. They emphasize that there’s a noted increase of consolidation activity of c...
#54 - How Would You Retrofit That?
December 03, 2018 00:00 - 30 minutes - 21 MBWhen you’re about to do upgrades or retrofits, knowing the specifications of a lighting fixture is just the start. So, what are other things to consider when retrofitting? In this episode of Get A Grip On Lighting Podcast, Michael and Greg share their insights on the retrofit strategies you should do depending on a lighting fixture's technical specifications. Everything is covered since a lot of different lighting fixtures are highlighted today. They emphasize that there are times w...
#53 - The LED Tinkerer
November 26, 2018 00:00 - 11 minutes - 8.17 MBIn this episode of the show, Michael sits down with Wes, a self-proclaimed LED Tinkerer. Wes wandered into Michael's store in Toronto, Canada, and asked to speak to the owner. Michael, seizing the opportunity to create content, threw Wes into the studio and asked him to explain his tinkering. Wes has taken the driver out of an LED fixture and connected it directly to DC current, and then tested the connection to show the LED chip's power consumption is only 1/4 of a Watt. Michael as...
#52 - Remember Halogen?
November 19, 2018 00:00 - 19 minutes - 13.1 MBToday on the Get A Grip On Lighting Podcast, Michael and Greg walk down the memory lane of the lighting, design, and tech industry! Discover what changed and what stayed throughout the years. We focus on the evolving applications, technicalities, & demographics in modern lighting. Michael and Greg share their experiences in how lighting designers, distributors, and consumers have changed their choices because of the growing options in lighting. Learn what has improved in terms of ...
#51 - Rebate Programs, The Good, The Bad & The Ugly
November 12, 2018 00:00 - 55 minutes - 37.8 MBEnergy Efficiency is the answer to sustainability in the future. And if you’re about to make the shift, make sure you know what’s the best utility incentive programs for you. In this episode of Get A Grip On Lighting Podcast, Michael and Greg chat with Dan Mellinger, Senior Consultant at Energy Futures Group, about energy efficiency and everything about rebate programs. EFG has been providing energy-related expertise to clients across North America – governments, utilities, and env...
#50 - The Scrub Roundtable
November 05, 2018 00:00 - 1 hour - 46.4 MBIt’s the 50th episode of the Get A Grip on Lighting Podcast and so far, it has been amazing! Let’s celebrate today by making it fun and laid back. Michael and Greg chat with some of their buddies from NAILD over a couple of beers talking about anything under the sun related to the lighting industry. It doesn’t really matter if you’re a lighting distributor, manufacturer, salesperson, or a customer, you sure are gonna learn as they share their own opinions and perceptions. Our guests...
#49 - Build your Network in the Lighting Industry
October 29, 2018 00:00 - 44 minutes - 30.3 MBDon’t just settle on flipping those lighting textbooks. Be more impactful in the lighting industry by learning and collaborating more with lighting professionals, mentors, influencers, and peers. This episode of the Get A Grip On Lighting Podcast might give you that push you need to start building your network straight from the Illuminating Engineering Society (IES) Executive Director himself, Timothy Licitra. The IES, which was established in 1906, is the recognized technical and e...
#48 - The Historical Developments of the LED Tube
October 22, 2018 00:00 - 52 minutes - 36.2 MBIt was just 5 years ago when LED tubes were introduced and since then many commercial spaces have switched to LED tubes due to it's energy efficiency and environmental impact. However, in this short amount of time a lot of changes in LED tubes occurred. In today’s episode of the Get a Grip on Lighting Podcast, Greg and Michael talk to Dr. Matthew Maa, the Vice President for Sales & Marketing at Aleddra LED Lighting. The focus of the show is some solid “lighting dork” stuff: the h...
#47 - Integrative Lighting - The Fish Become Aware of the Water
October 15, 2018 00:00 - 1 hour - 44.4 MBToday, we draw a fine line between the facts and myths of lighting’s effect on our behavior and health. It’s time to tell the consumers what’s true and what’s not. Joining Michael and Greg in this episode of the Get A Grip On Lighting Podcast is Dr. Jennifer Veitch, the Principal Research Officer at National Research Council of Canada. Dr. Veitch has long been doing research studies about lighting’s impact on health – what are it's effects and how can it be improved. One of the bes...
#46 - Who to Trust in Lighting
October 08, 2018 00:00 - 58 minutes - 40 MBWith the threat of tariffs on importing Chinese goods, it looks like the lighting industry will be really shaken up. But is this kind of disturbance good or bad? What does it bring to U.S. lighting companies? How does it affect the consumer? Today, we dive deep on this and more in this episode of the Get A Grip On Lighting Podcast with Michael, Greg, and our guest David Gordon, the President of Channel Marketing Group. His company has long been helping manufacturers and distributor...
#45 - Women in Lighting
October 01, 2018 00:00 - 49 minutes - 34.1 MBIn this episode of the Get A Grip On Lighting Podcast, Michael and Greg talk to Brenda Puckett, the President of West-Lite Supply Co., Inc., to highlight women’s value in the lighting industry. As statistics show, executive and team roles are still filled mostly with men. How has it been for the women in lighting? Is there really a gender bias happening in the industry? Aside from shedding a light on the issues of gender diversity, listen in on Brenda’s experience in the lighting in...
#44 - Navigating THE Amazon
September 24, 2018 00:00 - 52 minutes - 36 MBAmazon is affecting every business to some degree and is a threat to the lighting industry. Anytime you are dealing with a threat you need to come up with a plan to act on it. In this episode we talked with Mike Connors the CEO of bulbs.com regarding Amazon’s impact on the lighting industry and how you can navigate your way through the Amazon.
#43 - Efficiencies in the Lighting Retrofit Audit Process
September 17, 2018 00:00 - 49 minutes - 33.7 MBOne of the most time-consuming tasks of any company doing lighting retrofits is the audit and analysis process of the existing lighting. Everyone has their own system for doing this and often times the reason they do it a certain way is because that’s how it’s always been. If you stop and look at any process you have there is almost always a way to make it more efficient. On this episode we talked with Jeff Seifert of Snapcount to discuss how their software can make your lighting aud...
#42 - Hop on the Rebate Bus
September 10, 2018 00:00 - 54 minutes - 37.4 MBIn this episode we hopped on the Rebate Bus with Joe Pater and discussed the importance of utility rebates to the lighting industry. We took a wild ride discussing everything rebate related. Like the movie Speed, we must keep the rebate bus going at a certain speed or a bomb in the industry will explode.
#41 - EV Charging Stations – 5,4,3,2 lift off?
September 03, 2018 13:53 - 41 minutes - 56.5 MBRemember 2013? Thinking hmm, should I start selling my customers LED lighting? Remember all those charts and predictions that no one thought possible? 80% adoption by 2020 and so on? Well get out of your time machine and look at the predictions and projections surrounding electric vehicles and the gear required to make this donkey ride. All the arrows go straight up. Might be the lighting industries turn to take a bite out of someone else’s pie for once.
#40 - Visible Light Disinfection
August 27, 2018 14:00 - 48 minutes - 33.1 MBWe hear a lot about healthy lighting and the potential effects it can have on people, but until we talked to Clifford J. Yahnke, Ph.D, Director, Clinical Affairs at Indigo-Clean we weren’t convinced. After this discussion we feel there is finally a true “healthy” lighting option. Visible Light Disinfection is legit and very effective at disinfecting clean room environments. While not for all applications this is a sign of where lighting is heading.
#39 - The Lighting Industry's Biggest Competitor
August 20, 2018 00:00 - 54 minutes - 37.5 MBNo it’s not Bill Hurd, although he would be tough to beat in any competition. A 30+ year lighting industry veteran, Bill has done it all. He has worked for a manufacturer, owned a lighting distributorship and is now working with National Accounts for Border States. We had a very NAILD-esque conversation discussing all of the hot lighting topics that affect us today and will in the future.
#38 - War For Talent
August 14, 2018 00:00 - 51 minutes - 35.6 MBThe lighting industry is a candidate’s market so there are a lot of lighting companies battling for talent. We had a great discussion with Paul Pompeo who is the President of the Pompeo Group an executive recruiting firm focused on the lighting industry. We talked about best practices for interviewing and hiring as well as mergers and acquisitions. All topics that are of interest to anyone in business not limited to lighting. In fact this might be the least lighting focused podcast w...
#37 - Is Your Lighting WELL?
August 06, 2018 00:00 - 39 minutes - 27.4 MBThe International WELL Building Institute (IWBI) is leading the global movement to transform our buildings and communities in ways that help people thrive. As Concept Lead for Light at International WELL Building Institute, Gayathri Unnikrishnan focuses on the importance of natural and electric lighting on the well-being of occupants in the built environment. People are the most important asset for any business, so protect that and make your lighting WELL.
#36 - Inclusiveness
July 23, 2018 00:00 - 51 minutes - 35.3 MBCarol McGlogan is the President & CEO of Electro-Federation Canada and has had an impressive career in lighting. As we all know the lighting industry has changed dramatically and continues to, but not just on the technological side. Historically dominated by men, today many of the most powerful people in lighting are women. Carol commented on this and then, as usual, we got into the lighting geek stuff.
#35 - The Health Effects of Lighting - First Do No Harm
July 16, 2018 00:00 - 48 minutes - 33.7 MB VideoHow many lighting companies have someone on staff with the title Chief Scientist? John Davenport is the Chief Scientist at Energy Focus and is a recognized global expert in light source physics and product technology. He has been at it for years starting with GE where he developed the “blue” Xenon headlamp currently used in cars and now Energy Focus with a range of LED lighting products including IntelliTube®, Energy Focus’ unique tubular LED retrofit Technology. In addition, he is a...
#34 - The Practicality of Lighting Controls
July 09, 2018 00:00 - 50 minutes - 34.7 MBWhat does Sci Fi and Lighting have in common - Craig Dilouie. Actually, the way lighting is going it sometimes feels like it’s more science fiction then science. In addition to writing novels, Craig Dilouie is a renowned educator, journalist, and marketing consultant to the lighting industry. He is the editor of the LightNOWblog and Lightsearch newsletter as well as the education director for the Lighting Controls Association. We always hear that lighting controls are the way of the...
#33 - The Greatest Invention Ever for Productivity
July 02, 2018 00:00 - 50 minutes - 34.8 MBThere are 1.2 billion people in the world without lighting. Dr Venkat Venkataramanan and his team from the Impact Centre at the University of Toronto are working towards solving this problem and utilizing science to better the quality of life for society as a whole. We are not just talking about selling light bulbs anymore.
#32 - Illumigeddon Meets The Matrix
June 27, 2018 00:00 - 37 minutes - 25.9 MB VideoLighting industry veteran Chris Brown coined the term Illumigeddon several years ago and met up with Get A Grip to discuss where we are headed. Ilumigeddon has turned into Illumitunity as long as you can work your way through The Matrix. Enough with the analogies, just give this a listen.
#31 - Get A Grip and Listen to this Recap
June 21, 2018 00:00 - 41 minutes - 28.6 MB30 podcasts on Light Bulbs?! Much like the picture above, the last 30 episodes are a blur. This last year went by so quickly that we figured it was time to briefly recap what we learned from episodes 1-30 of the Get A Grip on Lighting Podcast with the Host Michael Colligan and Co-Host Greg Ehrich.
#30 - Lux As A Service
June 12, 2018 00:00 - 45 minutes - 31.4 MBPier LaFarge is the Co-Founder & CEO of Sparkfund. Their goal is to “netflixize” the energy technology industry. If this happens, the lighting industry will be in for a bigger change then the LED transformation. Get A Grip!
#29 - The Lighting Renaissance Man
June 06, 2018 00:00 - 44 minutes - 30.5 MB53 years in the game and Bill Attardi is as feisty as ever. As a Renaissance man his career is as full as it is diverse; salesman, manager, executive, owner, consultant and teacher. You bet we grappled with him.
#28 - Fill the Gaps with Lasers
May 29, 2018 00:00 - 49 minutes - 34.1 MBDr. Paul Rudy is the co-founder of SLD Laser along with Dr. Shuji Nakamura. They are commercializing a new generation of laser light sources for display, automotive and specialty applications; filling in the gaps left by the limitations of LED. What? LED has limitations? You bet, time to press play!
#27 - Training Lighting Professionals Systematically using LS1
May 21, 2018 00:00 - 38 minutes - 26.1 MBCory Schneider is the current President of NAILD and the CEO of Lighting Unlimited in Arizona. He has developed a unique way to deploy LS1 that a lot of other NAILD members are copying. If you have some lighting people to train we suggest giving this episode a listen.
#26 - Compliance Fatigue and the Poetics of the Zhaga Consortium
May 14, 2018 00:00 - 46 minutes - 31.9 MBDr. Dee Denteneer is the Secretary General of the Zhaga Consortium. Zhaga is an open, global, lighting-industry consortium that is standardizing LED light engines and associated components, including modules and drivers. The end goal of the Consortium is to turn global chaos in order. Fat chance or worth a shot?
#25 - Piloting Transition with David Nathaniel
May 07, 2018 00:00 - 1 hour - 49.8 MBDavid Nathaniel is the CEO of Standard; started out selling electrical tape with his dad from their home in Montreal. 37 years later he has the largest privately owned lighting manufacturing company in Canada. His business has drastically changed in the last five years and the hosts of this show were glad he took the time to tell us about the transition.
#24 - Got a Grip Thanks to Paul Hafner
April 30, 2018 00:00 - 47 minutes - 32.4 MBPaul Hafner is the creator of NAILD’s education programs: LS1 and LS2. He was instrumental in the transformation of the association from a club to an educational organization. A legend in NAILD circles, many of the members have Paul to thank for their success but especially the hosts of this show.
#23 - Value Added Selling with Randall Johnson
April 23, 2018 00:00 - 55 minutes - 38.3 MBRandy Johnson is the President of US Lamp in Green Bay Wisconsin. Randy is an LC (Lighting Certified) and a State Licensed Designer of Engineering Systems. Sounds complicated so just think of him as the ultimate lighting guru and you should be good to go for this one.
#22 - Entering the Matrix with Dan Ryan
April 12, 2018 00:00 - 53 minutes - 36.6 MBDan Ryan is not really a lighting guy. He has worked in the industry but he rolls more with the Silicon Valley crowd. He founded ByteLight in 2011 and flipped it to Acuity Brands where he stayed on as a VP of Product Development. On this episode we talked about IoT, Smart Lighting, LiFi, Indoor Positioning and, well, the Matrix. Dan is currently the Co-Founder & CEO of VergeSense
#21 - Promises Promises, Name Changes & Beers in Frankfurt with Randy Reid
April 03, 2018 00:00 - 51 minutes - 35.4 MBGet a Grip on Lighting rolled into Frankfurt looking for answers and the editor of the Edison Report was happy to oblige. We set up our gear at his booth, cracked a few beers and pushed record. Manufacturer's warranties, Lumens as a Service, the future of lighting and more. Push play Hombre.
#20 - Selling Projects Using Tax Deductions?
March 27, 2018 00:00 - 56 minutes - 39.1 MBDaniel Audette is a tax engineer. Do we need to say more than that? The hosts of the show thought all you needed was an accountant until they ran into Dan. Check out this episode to find out more about the deductions and incentives available to help Lighting Distributors and Contractors sell their projects.
#19 - Horticultural Lighting Ripe for LED?
March 19, 2018 00:00 - 41 minutes - 28.2 MBAndrew Myers, CEO of ProGrowTech, is confident that LED technology is ready to revolutionize the Horticultural Lighting landscape. He laid out his argument on the Get A Grip on Lighting Podcast. Andrew is convinced that all lighting professionals should find a way into the market that is set to “grow” exponentially.
#18 - Prospering in Uncertain Times with Keystone Technologies
March 11, 2018 00:00 - 46 minutes - 31.8 MBIra Greenberg, CEO of Keystone Technologies, and his VP of the Distributor Channel Josh Brown joined the Get a Grip on Lighting Podcast to discuss the evolving and capricious nature of the lighting industry. While many manufacturers seem ready to pack it in, Keystone is growing and flourishing and the Hosts needed to know why.
#17 - IES Relevance with Tom Butters
February 28, 2018 00:00 - 1 hour - 42.3 MBTom Butters, LC MIES, is the Director of Education for the IES. He is responsible for developing and delivering lighting education to the IES membership and the public at large in a multitude of modern modalities. Prior to his appointment at the IES, Tom was the Director of Canlyte/Philips Lighting Concept Centre in Toronto from 1999 to 2016. He is the immediate Past President of the IES Toronto Section and an awarding winning presenter and lighting educator.
#16 - Lighting Health Effects with Mariana Figueiro
February 20, 2018 00:00 - 1 hour - 46.4 MBMariana G. Figueiro, Ph.D., is the Director of the Lighting Research Center (LRC) and Professor of Architecture at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. She has also served as Light and Health Program Director at the LRC since 1999. Dr. Figueiro is well known for her research on the effects of light on human health, circadian photobiology, and lighting for older adults. Her research is regularly featured in national media including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and Scienti...
#15 - Lighting Health Effects with Greg Yeutter
February 05, 2018 00:00 - 41 minutes - 28.6 MBGreg Yeutter is an "up and comer" in the lighting business. On this episode he shared his thoughts on the health effects of artificial lighting.
#14 - Horticultural LED Lighting with Dave Inman
January 30, 2018 00:00 - 33 minutes - 31 MBDave Inman's expertise is in the horticultural lighting sector. On our show he talked about LED luminaires designed for growing cannabis and why this market is set to explode. He also hosts his own podcast "State of Cannabis".
#13 - POE Lighting with Wendell Strong
January 22, 2018 00:00 - 40 minutes - 36.9 MBWendell Strong is a three decade veteran of the Commercial Lighting Industry and serves as the PoE (Power over Ethernet) Manager at GENISYS Lighting. He has served on the executive board of the National Association of Innovative Lighting Distributors.
#12 - Inventory Management 2 with Jason Bader
January 02, 2018 00:00 - 46 minutes - 43 MBJason Bader is back on Episode 12 of the Get A Grip On Lighting Podcast. He is the President of the Distribution Team and a subject matter expert in the field of inventory management.
#11 - Lighting Controls with Jim Benya
December 05, 2017 00:00 - 36 minutes - 33.6 MBJim Benya is flat out one the world’s top authorities on lighting design and applied illuminating engineering. He is especially known for his work in the field of design with a hardcore emphasis on daylighting, lighting efficiency and sustainable design. We caught up with him at the DLC’s gig back this summer in Portland.