Customer and Rep of the Month Program

Here at Golden, we are doing something new and exciting for the new year! We are initiating a Customer and Rep of the Month program to honor some of our loyal and hardworking customers and reps. Throughout the year, we will be featuring our best and brightest!

April’s Sales Representative of the Month – Vince Hall

Congratulations to Vince Hall, Golden Lighting’s Sales Rep of the month for April! Vince Hall is genuinely a great guy whose sincerity and personality always shines through. He makes such a great impression that we were surprised to realize that he has only been a Golden Lighting sales representative for 5 years. Congratulations on 5 years, Vince, but before that, we were certainly missing out! Vince says that he got started in the lighting industry when he was just 19! His first job was in a lighting warehouse. Management took notice of his communication skills and he was quickly shifted to the showroom to work in sales. Becoming a sales rep was a natural transition for Vince and he has been working with an independent agency for 13 years. When you have access to someone with Vince Hall’s experience, you don’t hesitate to pick his brain. We asked a few questions starting with what’s his favorite part of the job. He said, “Interacting with my customers. Showing new product and following up on orders is equally as important as understanding their business challenges and watching their kids grow up. In many respects, they are like an extension of my family and it’s a pleasure to have the opportunity to communicate with them and watch their businesses grow.” While we had his ear, we asked Vince a few other questions about lighting. We found out that Vince prefers transitional to traditional styles. In his own dining room, he has a rustic wood fixture to pair with a painted dining room table. Vince predicts that the rest of 2018 will be good for transitional fixtures with soft golds, whites, and grays. Although dedicated, Vince is not all work. When he has a break, you may find Vince traveling. He enjoys a good round of golf, tennis, and cards. We are pleased to honor such a great rep! Congratulations, Vince!

April’s Customer of the Month – Hermitage Lighting Gallery – Nashville, Tennessee

We are pleased to announce that our Customer of the Month for the month of April is Hermitage Lighting in Nashville, Tennessee. Family owned and operated, Hermitage Lighting was founded in 1944. The company has been in business for almost 75 years.

Specializing in light fixtures, home decor, appliances, and custom designs, Hermitage Lighting is located in a 40,000 square foot building. The company’s Lighting Division, Appliance Department, Electrical Division, Hardware Division, Internet Division, and Kitchen and Bath Division all share the same showroom allowing them to be a one-stop shop and meet a variety of customer’s needs. The showroom serves as a residential and remodeling source for Middle Tennessee and Southern Kentucky.

Hermitage Lighting Gallery is the winner of the Reader’s Favorites Awards in Greater Nashville House and Home, a Home Decor winner in Best of City search, Nashville, and is an ARTS finalist.

Congratulations, Hermitage and thank you for partnering with Golden Lighting! To learn more about Hermitage Lighting, visit their webpage, https://www.hermitagelighting.com/.

March’s Sales Representative of the Month – Cher McLelland

Meet our Rep of the Month for the month of March, Cher McLelland of Cher McLelland Sales, LLC. Based out of Utah, Cher has been in the lighting industry since 1972. Golden Lighting has had the pleasure of working with Cher for the past 3 years.

We asked Cher about her favorite room to light and her favorite style of lighting. She says she loves lighting for the kitchen and her tastes lean toward traditional to transitional.

We would like to thank Cher McLelland for being a great Golden Lighting Sales Rep!

March’s Customer of the Month – Lightstyle of Orlando – Orlando, Florida

We are pleased to announce that our Customer of the Month for the month of March is Lightstyle of Orlando in Orlando, Florida. Lightstyle has been a landmark in Central Florida since 1962. In 2000, Mr. Tom Rensenhouse purchased Lightstyle of Orlando and took over the operations. He later expanded to two other locations in Central Florida.

The North Orange Avenue location is managed by the very capable, Hollie Gonzalez, who was gracious enough to answer a few of our questions. Hollie has been at Lightstyle for 17 years. She actually started out in the accounting office and worked her way up to general manager. She said, “I fell in love with all aspects of the lighting showroom.” We asked Hollie what trends she foresees for 2018 and she said, “LED and Contemporary are super-hot right now. Mixed metals are also very strong this year.” Hollie says that she does not have a favorite room to work with when lighting a house. Instead, she “loves to light up the customer.” Hollie says she likes to see the customers get excited and happy when they have worked together to select the perfect light for their space. She says it does not matter if it is a task lamp or a grand chandelier, she loves it when the customer is happy. Hollie spoke of a recent experience, “I had a lady leave dancing yesterday she was so excited!” She says she also enjoys seeing the installation photos that her customers provide.

Lightstyle of Orlando is amazing and so are the people who run it! Their knowledge of the lighting industry and their desire to offer customers outstanding selection, quality, value and service has made Lightstyle a lighting leader in Central Florida. We appreciate their loyalty to the Golden Lighting brand and hope to continue to partner with them for many years to come!

To learn more about Lightstyle of Orlando, visit their webpage, https://www.lightstyleoforlando.com/.

February’s Sales Representative of the Month – Bob Mirizio

Congratulations to Bob Mirizio, Golden Lighting’s Rep of the Month for February! Bob is the well-known, always smiling, good-natured leader of the sales rep team, Bolyn Sales Group/Big Fish Group.

Curious about how he got started in the industry, we interviewed Bob and he entertained us with this story…. “I started out in the 70's wanting to be a pilot and as many of the reps in the industry, I stumbled into lighting quite by accident. With my design experience, I started designing, manufacturing, and importing lighting at Studio of Lighting in Miami. After 7 years I decided to start a rep agency for the entire state of Florida. Our agency has grown to 5 people over the years and we are the only agency that still covers the entire state. I have had the pleasure of being a Golden Lighting Sales Rep for 12 years. I have watched the company grow from a small builder line to what it is today. Golden has become a great showroom and designer source. Golden excels in design with fair prices, quality, and service that is beyond the best in the industry.”

We didn’t select Bob as rep of the month because he reps in Golden Lighting’s home state of Florida. We chose him because of his expertise in lighting. For that same reason, we asked him to share a few things about his years of experience in the industry. He said, “My favorite thing about my career is that I travel and meet with some of the best owners in the lighting industry. We discuss options for the future of our mutual success and partner with factories to meet our full potential.” He continued, “I've been blessed to have worked in many facets of our industry and to understand all sides of the business. I look forward to the challenges of future lighting endeavors. Along the way, I have had the opportunity to make many friends amongst manufacturers, distributors, and reps. We have the best reps in our agency.”

Congratulations, Bob! Thank you for your years of service and loyalty to the Golden Lighting brand! We hope to continue to grow with you and your team!

February’s Customer of the Month – Avenues Lighting – Jacksonville, Florida

Our Customer of the Month for the month of February is Avenues Lighting! Avenues Lighting’s motto is “We don’t just sell lighting. We sell solutions.” It is this hard-working, can-do attitude that endears the company to its customers, that has allowed the business to stand the test of time, and which has made Avenues a growing force in the lighting industry.

Avenues Lighting is Jacksonville, Florida’s premier lighting showroom and fan dealer. Combined, the showroom’s sales staff has over a 100 years of lighting experience! The 16,000 square feet showroom houses a huge selection of brand name lighting, fans, mirrors, and other home accessories. Golden Lighting is happy to be amongst the suppliers whose products grace the elegant showroom.

Owners, John and Mark Blanchard have been in the lighting industry since 1976, so we asked Mark a few questions about lighting. We asked him about his favorite room to light in a house and he replied, “The kitchen…specifically the kitchen island seems to be given the most attention by our customers, its where they live in their home and has the most exciting options.” When asked about his favorite lighting trend, he replied, “LED. With the advent of LEDs and their flexibility…it has really opened up design opportunities.”

Happy 10-year partnership anniversary, Avenues Lighting! You have been working with us at Golden Lighting since 2008 and we hope you continue for many more years!

To learn more about Avenue’s Lighting, visit their webpage, https://www.avelighting.com/.

January’s Sales Representative of the Month – Steve Knighten

January’s Rep of the Month is Steve Knighten. Everybody knows Steve. He loves the lighting industry and navigates it beautifully. Steve is a member of the rep agency, Parker Brothers & Associates. The Parker Brothers firm has been representing Golden Lighting since 1983. In 2004, Steve, who owned and operated retail lighting stores, sold his stores and joined the Parker Brothers team as their principal agent.

His previous work as a lighting retailer gives him unique perspective and insight as a lighting sales rep. So, we asked Steve a few questions about the industry. Here’s what we asked and here is what he had to say…. We asked Steve about his favorite style of lighting. To which he replied, “My favorite style of lighting has evolved over the years. Selling Golden Lighting in Virginia and the Carolinas over the years, I have seen the market gradually change from very traditional lighting to more transitional and contemporary. This has happened for a couple of reasons. First, the move to LED lighting has created more transitional to contemporary designs and secondly with tv shows of remodeling homes and ‘fixer uppers’, more people have been exposed to transitional and contemporary lighting being used in those programs. So, my favorite lighting style used to be traditional, but now I lean toward transitional and contemporary.” We also asked Steve if he foresees any trends for the new year. Steve said, “I see the trends for 2018, in Virginia and the Carolinas, to be clean lines with lighter finishes. I think an increase in Rustic/Industrial/Vintage styles as well.”

It’s an honor and a joy to have someone of Steve’s caliber representing the Golden brand. Parker Brothers & Associates has been associated with Golden Lighting for 35 years and we look forward to continuing the partnership for many more!

January’s Customer of the Month – Brecher’s Lighting – Louisville, KY

January’s Customer of the Month is Brecher’s Lighting in Louisville, Kentucky. Brecher’s is huge in the lighting industry! In fact, the company has been in business since 1866 and is the largest supplier of decorative lighting in the state of Kentucky! That’s almost 152 consecutive years in business!

The company started off manufacturing fireplace mantels, hearths, and gaslights, but as advances in technology took place, the company began manufacturing combination gaslights and electric lighting.

Brecher’s is currently owned and operated by Bill Branham. We interviewed William Branham about his favorite lighting style. He said, “Personally, I am really into all the Mid Century Modern looks going on right now. I’ve got a version of a Sputnik hanging in my house. For me, clean, simple lines are always a must. I hope the clean lines stick around for a while! Same with the gold tones!”

Brecher’s has been a source for lighting since 1866 and has been doing business with Golden since 2006. We look forward to continuing the partnership for many more years! To learn more about Brecher’s Lighting, visit their webpage, www.brecherslighting.com.

Golden Lighting Welcomes New Hire, Savannah Saeger

We would like to welcome Savannah Saeger to the Golden Lighting team! Savannah is our new E-Commerce Analyst. She is a part of our Ecommerce team and her primary function is to monitor and analyze our online sales.

Savannah just graduated from Florida State University last December with a Bachelor of Science in Management Information Systems. We have had a little over a month to get to know Savannah at work. She has a great attitude and work ethic. In addition, she has a good sense of humor, is extremely punctual, and equally as helpful. To get to know Savannah a little better outside of Golden, we asked her what she likes to do in her spare time. She said, “If I am not at work, you can probably catch me on my way to the beach with my two-year old puppy, Macy, by my side.”

Well, Savannah, cheers to new beginnings! Congratulations on your new degree and welcome to the team!

Golden Lighting Announces New Quality Manager and New Hire

Golden Lighting announces that Matthew Perrin, valued member of Golden’s Supply Chain has been promoted to Quality Manager. Perrin’s new role will focus his attention on maintaining high quality standards throughout all aspects of the organization.

Another change to Golden’s Supply Chain is the addition of new hire, Juan Zurita, a 2015 graduate of Florida State University. Along with other tasks, the new Supply Chain Specialist will provide technical support. Congratulations to Matthew Perrin and Juan Zurita!

Christa Pineda Named People's Choice Award Winner

Earlier this year, Golden Lighting teamed up with Florida State University faculty members, Dr. Jill Pable and Amy Huber of the Department of Interior Architecture & Design to host a collegiate-level lighting design competition. Lighting Fundamentals students led by Dr. Jill Pable who were also enrolled in Professor Amy Huber’s CAD2 course were asked to design LED bath fixtures.

Judged based on creativity, functionality, and marketability, three winners of the contest were announced this summer. Golden Lighting later announced a plan to ask retailers and sales representatives in the lighting community to vote for their favorite design to determine the winner of Golden Lighting’s People’s Choice Award.

This summer, during June Lightovation, Golden Lighting displayed all of the FSU students’ lighting designs in its showroom at the Dallas Market Center. All of the concept boards were displayed and Golden Lighting showroom visitors were given an opportunity to vote.

Congratulations to Christa Pineda, creator of the “Infinity” sconce and winner of Golden Lighting’s People’s Choice Award. Ms. Pineda was also awarded Honorable Mention by Golden Lighting judges during the initial lighting design contest.

“We would like to thank Dr. Jill Pable, Professor Huber and all of the FSU students who participated in this year’s contest. We are excitedly looking forward to next year,” said Golden Lighting’s Creative Director, Danielle Dzurik.

Golden Lighting and FSU Lighting Design Competition 2017

This year, Golden Lighting teamed up with the staff and students of Florida State University for its lighting design competition. FSU students were invited to design LED bathroom fixtures. Students were taught the basics of lighting design and asked to use what they learned to create a design. Contestants were judged based on the creativity, functionality, and the marketability of their products. “We learned a lot the first year,” said Golden Lighting’s Product Design Manager and contest judge, Danielle Dzurik. She continued, “One of the most important things was that we needed to very clearly state our requirements and expectations. We chose to work with Florida State University because the school has a great design program and it is local”. All of the design concepts are on display in Golden Lighting’s Dallas showroom. The winners of the contest were recently announced. Golden Lighting awarded a cash prize to First-Place winner Brianna Langman for her design, Vertex. A prototype of the design hangs with the concept board. “The design impressed because of its ability to take the environmental consideration of the bathroom mirror into account and use it as a design feature,” said Dzurik. The two honorable mentions, Shannon Burger and Christa Pineda each received gift cards for their designs.

What Customers Say About Golden Products

What do a lot of buyers do before making an important purchase? We look around to see what’s available. We find what we like, compare that item to others based on price and features. BUT, before making that final purchase, many of us check the reviews. Product reviews allow us to see right on the product page what verified buyers have to say. These reviews can lend insight that goes far beyond marketing text, dimensions, or product photography. Reviews are helpful to shoppers, but can also be useful to the creators of the products. Here at Golden, we attempt to remain tuned in to the needs and desires of our customers. What do customers say about Golden Lighting products? Well, to find out, we read and analyzed our online product reviews. This allowed us to see our strengths and in a few cases, our opportunities for improvement. Just for fun, we took 5,600 of our online product reviews and created this word cloud. The larger the word in the cloud, the higher the frequency of use by our product reviewers. To those who take the time to write product reviews, we would like to say thank you for your business, your feedback, and your awesome reviews!

Golden Lighting and University of Central Oklahoma Lighting Design Contest

Earlier this year, Golden Lighting partnered with the University of Central Oklahoma’s Interior Design Department for a lighting design contest. The contest challenged sophomore design students led by professor Mary Katherine Crouch to create a wall sconce or bath vanity light fixture on-trend with today’s home fashions. Students were asked to come up with fixtures that were LED either by native sources or through retrofit LED bulbs.

The contest consisted of several phases or rounds. Students were asked to hand-sketch and then use newly-learned software to present their concepts to judges. To simulate a professional design experience, design students received feedback throughout the process allowing them to refine their designs after each round. Entrants were judged based on the creativity, functionality, and overall marketability of their products. “It was a hard decision,” said Golden Lighting Design Manager and contest judge, Danielle Dzurik. “Throughout the process, we saw a lot of inspired designs. The students were issued a challenge and had a really creative response,” said Dzurik.

Who were the winners and what did they win? Two winners were selected. Honorable mention and runner-up, Hangyeol Jeong received a cash prize for his Tropazoid design. His concept is on display in the Golden showroom. Sophomore interior design student, Nadia Beg received first place for her Moon Dance Lighting sconce. Her design concept and prototype were displayed in the Golden Lighting showroom for the Dallas Market Center’s 2016 June Lightovation. The dimmable LED wall sconce features a unique, jewelry inspired silhouette that is new to the lighting market. With a round opal diffuser and trendy gold finish, the geometric design combines sophisticated beauty with functionality.

“Buyers fell in love with the design," said Dzurik. As a result of the positive response to Nadia’s prototyped design, Golden Lighting is currently investigating/evaluating manufacture of the fixture. “We have gotten such a positive response from both the students and our customers that we are looking into running the contest again,” said Dzurik.

Golden Lighting Becomes the Newest Lighting One Vendor

Steve Falk, Golden Lighting’s VP of Sales has focused on increasing market penetration. When hired, Falk agreed to oversee and grow Golden Lighting’s showroom sales channel. His customer-centric approach to sales has led to Golden Lighting becoming the newest Lighting One vendor. “Golden Lighting is a great company with great product and great people. We want to make sure that we form valuable, long lasting relationships and we are sure that we have done so in our new partnership with Lighting One,” says Falk.

The Lighting One Cooperative is comprised of over 240 independent lighting showrooms located throughout the United States and Canada. Falk says, “Lighting One’s belief in strong Showroom Members is in perfect alignment with the core vision of Golden Lighting.” Lighting One’s members should be aware that Golden Lighting has taken a very aggressive approach as a Lighting One supplier and powerful benefits are available. Members of the Lighting One Cooperative have access to the industry’s top manufacturers and now Golden Lighting has joined the ranks.