My 50 Years in Lighting

Fifty years ago last week, I was hired into my first job in lighting. I was studying Architectural Engineering and my part-time job was coming to an end. I worked as a drafter for a rubber machinery rehab company. (Sort of a used-car lot for rubber machinery.) They needed a full-time person and preferred someone with machine-engineering skills. Gear pitch and key dimensions were not my idea of a life’s work, so I was not too upset. The school readily accepted employment requests from the local business community, so I asked if there were any available options. I was told a local lighting company needed a part-time drafter. I had no more knowledge of lighting than any other nineteen-year old, but it was a job. I requested an interview, met with the General Manager, Department Manager and on a card table in the VP’s office, I filled out an employment test and some required paperwork. I was hired a week, or so later.

My first job was creating a library of every component part used in the factory. Every luminaire was made in-house from hundreds of components and only a few had engineering drawings. (I know. It was a different time.) With a warehouse filled with parts, employees were having a hard time disseminating one socket from another, one screw from the next and recalling a part-number for a less-than-popular lockwasher. I made scaled drawings and some full-sized drawings on 8 ½” x 11” sheets of every component category in the company. As the company grew, these books became indispensable tools for foreman, storage personnel and engineering.

I graduated, but architecture in Cleveland in the 1970s was challenging. There was little work and less construction. The lighting company asked if I would consider taking a full-time job. I accepted, figuring I could do this for a while, until a “real” job in architecture popped-up.

My second assignment, the first as a full-time employee, was the cleansing of each product’s Bill of Material. I pulled a unit out of stock, opened the carton, removed the parts, disassembled, reassembled and hung it to insure each component worked and was accounted for on the B/M. I then restructured the layout of the B/M to better service the costing, parts acquisition and inventory set-up for construction and assembly. In one year’s time, I had broken-down, build and hung hundreds of luminaires. I still can think of no better introduction to lighting, or if similarly structured, any other career.

While I still love architecture and always treat it as my, “what if” career, my life took multiple detours that filled the non-professional half of my vessel. I continued to act in local amateur stage productions, eventually directing. My friend and I wrote five theatrical plays, I learned to sculpt, paint, weld and blow glass. I traveled and ran for local political office. Underpinning all of this was a growing knowledge of lighting.

I began to write all new Bills of Material for the company, handled all of the “change requests,” wrote all of the catalog copy and dove into the layout and orchestrated order of each printed catalog. I spent so much time with printers, I devoted a year of evenings at a local community college to learning the fundamentals of Graphics Arts so I could intelligently communicate with these professionals. A Graphics pro was eventually hired. I was also the Quality Assurance person prior to a professional being hired and I troubleshot production issues before a manufacturing expert was brought onboard. I was becoming a pretty good “generalist.” A career I now know to be very valuable.

The company grew. I no longer actually made drawings; drafters with CAD skills were hired and I was the last person in the company to receive an “official” title beyond employee. I became the Engineering Supervisor. As production transitioned to Asia, I found ways to communicate with people speaking a different language by creating documents filled with sketches that indicated errors, suggestions and changes. Because they did not rely on the one or two people in the company who spoke English, they were widely welcomed. Eventually, I became the Engineering Manager.

When a computer was introduced into the company, (there were no computer when I was hired,) I oversaw the data input. As the Millennium approached, like so many other companies, a computer update was required and I worked on a core team to transition the company to a new ERP system.

As lighting became more complex and new light sources were just peaking their heads around the corner, I realized my mechanical engineering skills were not going to serve the company. It was time for a change. I took an assignment to live on and off in China for a year, the goal being to educate Chinese manufacturers and guide the company staff located in China. What did North American consumers want? What expectations did US consumers have? Incoming quality improved to 99% after my sojourn. I believe vendors and staff were better for the effort.

I eventually was moved to Product Management where, over my years in the department, I directed almost every sector of the company’s many lines. During oversight of the more complex items, LED became a factor and I realized that important product education was missing. I started to develop educational tools for the design-professional user community. That led to yet another career transition.

I was asked to abandon my Product Management responsibilities and concentrate on Education, but also, stay aware of related industry aesthetic trends, serve as corporate spokesperson and keep involved in the emerging “Energy Efficiency” community. That was my concentration until the “pandemic” interrupted the world and I was “invited” to retire.

I thought it a good time to exit. More plays needed to be written. I had arranged a comfortable post-work existence. A funny thing happened on the way to the retirement forum. (Musical theater reference intended!) Somewhat surprising to me, other people outside the company knew who I was and I was asked repeatedly if I could help them with a wide variety of problems.

Sharing information about lighting, using 50 years of experience has been a very rewarding way to slowly move away from full time employment. I am able to spend time writing a new play, but I am continually challenged to reflect on a variety of topics thanks to the large population of design practitioners who listen to my regular educational talks. I have volunteered my time with The Illuminating Engineering Society, restructuring industry “best practices” standards, I have also been asked to help in other facets of the industry and that has been very rewarding. Reports of my death were, apparently, greatly exaggerated.

When I muse about a total exit from lighting, my wife asked me what I would do to stay active. Sure, theater still serves as a siren, but is it enough? Right now, it looks like I will continue until I see my value reduced. I still find myself interested in the transition of an industry that, when I was first hired, had operated for over 100 years with nary a change. The last twenty years have admirably made up for lost time. I can’t wait to see what it will do in the next 25, at which time I will celebrate my diamond anniversary in lighting!