Industry News

Howard P. Lewis, the Illuminating Engineering Society of North America’s (IES’) representative to the National Lighting Bureau, has been elected to an unprecedented fourth consecutive term as Bureau chair. The National Lighting Bureau is an independent, not-for-profit, lighting-education foundation sponsored by professional societies, trade associations, manufacturers, utilities, and agencies of the U.S. government.
 
Also re-elected were Vice Chair Cary S. Mendelsohn (Imperial Lighting Maintenance Company), representing the interNational Association of Lighting Management Companies (NALMCO), and Secretary/Treasurer James M. Yorgey, P.E., L.C., technical applications manager for Bureau Sponsor Lutron Electronics Company, Inc.
 
Mr. Lewis is the founder and chief technical officer of Lighting Alternatives (Parsippany, NJ), a fluorescent-fixture manufacturer established in 2003. Before then he spent more than 30 years in lighting, with an emphasis on product manufacturing. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Franklin Pierce University (Rindge, NH) and is a member of the IES Progress Report Committee. He also is a past president of the IES Philadelphia Section and sits on its Board of Managers.
 
“We’ve come through a tumultuous time for lighting,” Mr. Lewis said. “We’ve witnessed the onset of significant change, as we usher out the old and familiar and usher in the new, the innovative, and probably only the beginning of the exciting future ahead. And all of this has been occurring at a time when the lighting industry has been tested and somewhat reshaped by economic turmoil that finally seems to be more in the rear-view mirror than the windshield.”
 
Speaking of the economic downturn, “I know that our sponsors have had to make some hard decisions about which organizations to support. I am so gratified that their support of the Bureau and its mission has remained steadfast. That is precisely the attitude that has allowed the Bureau to flourish for almost four decades. The Bureau is a reliable, trusted, and independent source of lighting information. We want people to know what lighting can do for them at work, at play, and at home, inside and outside. Lighting boosts our productivity, reduces errors, enhances safety and security, increases consumer discretion and retail sales, increases buildings’ resale value, and even contributes to our health. And it’s doing all that and more while adding versatility and choice, and dramatically lowering energy consumption and cost. Serving as a representative of our lighting community is an honor and a serious responsibility.”
 
Others serving on the National Lighting Bureau Board of Directors are:
 
Douglass M. Baillie (NEMA enLighten America Task Force),
 
Robert W. Colgan, Jr. (National Electrical Contractors Association),
 
Mike Colotti (OSRAM SYLVANIA),
 
Mary Beth Gotti (GE Lighting),
 
Larry Leetzow (Magnaray),
 
Terry McGowan (International Dark-sky Association),
 
Heather Milcarek (Philips Lighting),
 
Ron Runkles (National Electrical Manufacturers Association), and
 
Kristine Winner, IIDA (National Council on Qualifications for the Lighting Professions).
 
Founded in 1976, the National Lighting Bureau provides information about and encourages reliance on High-Benefit Lighting®, that is, lighting that quickly pays for itself by improving productivity, reducing absenteeism, preventing accidents, enhancing security, and otherwise contributing important and valuable benefits – including health benefits – while also minimizing energy waste.
 
More information about the National Lighting Bureau is available at its website (www.nlb.org) or by contacting the Bureau directly (8811 Colesville Road, Suite G106, Silver Spring, MD  20910; tel. 301/587-9572; fax 301/589-2017; e-mail [email protected]).