Let's Talk About Light
Last month, intrepid SESCO explorers and their clients from our Chattanooga and Birmingham offices left our beloved Southeast and ventured up north to beautiful Littlestown, Pennsylvania. In two days, they visited Hadco’s foundry, toured their factory, and received hours of outdoor training on Lumec’s and Hadco’s Smart Pole and Interact products. As much fun as they had on the job, their extra-curricular activities deserve a mention, too. Our adventurers were treated to a bus tour of the momentous Gettysburg Battlefield before heading downtown with their Proton Packs* to shed some light on the city’s ghosts! Thanks to Hadco and Lumec for hosting this incredible learning experience for our reps and clients!
*Proton Packs aren’t real, but Smart Poles are – and they’re way more helpful.
Imagine an all-in-one fixture that makes everyday life a little smoother: shows your reflection, shines light, plays your favorite music while you’re getting ready, turns into a television or a piece of art… Think it’s too good to be true? Think again! SESCO is proud to announce the representation of the company behind these dream fixtures, Electric Mirror. For over sixteen years, they have been serving the hospitality and residential industries with magical products such as Lighted Mirrors, Mirror TVs, and Waterproof TVs. Not only that, but their Beautiful World™ Initiative uses environmentally-friendly technologies to reduce maintenance, energy costs, and overall carbon footprint. Beautiful fixtures, beautiful rooms, and beautiful world – sounds like a win/win/win to us! Welcome, Electric Mirror! Visit their website here to learn more.
SESCO Lighting is happy to announce that Stephanie Oakley has earned her designation as WELL Accredited Professional. As an intern architect and an advocate for prioritizing health, designing healthier buildings that help people thrive is a natural progression for Stephanie. Human-centric lighting for the benefit of an occupant’s circadian rhythms, physiology and psychology is a fundamental consideration for healthy spaces. Lighting design for commercial buildings in and around Nashville are the focus of Stephanie’s work. This additional accreditation adds to her ability to assist architects, lighting designers and engineers in constructing buildings that put people first.
Stephanie contributed, “WELL AP, to me, is a means of addressing the built environment with regards to the health of its inhabitants and the health of the natural environment it impacts. It means taking responsibility for development while caring for the life that lives around it. It’s a huge stride toward a healthier world, which means a great deal to me.”
MORE ON WELL BUILDING & THE WELL AP CREDENTIAL
The WELL Building has over a hundred features divided into the following seven concepts: air, water, nourishment, light, fitness, comfort, and mind. As a WELL AP you can show the world that you understand what it takes to design, build, and operate healthy buildings. Because we spend about 90% of our time indoors, this movement will be key not only in creating healthier happier occupants, but more productive folks as well! The WELL Building Standard is poised to one day be as popular and widely recognized as LEED, so WAY TO GO Stephanie Oakley for being an early adopter and trend-setter!
Taking care of our planet and all that’s on it is one of our top priorities – we live here, after all! How can lighting do that, you may wonder? Well one of our dearest causes (being Florida-based) has been increasing education around sea turtle-friendly lighting. That’s where our resident turtle lighting expert, Kristi Spohn, NAILD LS I out of SESCO Pensacola, comes in. Kristi partnered with some of our favorite coastal-conscious organizations to host two workshops this month, where attendees learned about the issues with non-turtle-friendly lighting and what they can source instead to help out. Susan Holbrook, a biologist from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, also spoke, offering even more insight into the problems and their turtle-friendly solutions to our 100+ total attendees. Saving the world one light at a time – that’s the way to KSA, SESCO Pensacola!
In our constant movement to stay on top of the best and most innovative products, we like to be at the forefront of new offerings from our manufacturers. Our SESCO Fort Lauderdale team recently ordered Kirlin Lighting’s LRR-06013 Sauna/Steamroom LED Downlight – the first order of that product since its May 1, 2019 launch! Our team knew that this downlight would suit the elegance and preeminence of the project, the Remede Spa inside the St. Regis Bal Harbour. Not only is this product functional for a steamroom space, the high quality is consistent with St. Regis’s aesthetic standards. Congratulations to SESCO Fort Lauderdale for another step in the bright direction!
Partner Credits:
Kirlin’s awesome team, of course
First Electrical Contractors, Fort Lauderdale
SESCO Credits:
Alex Serrano, LC | Outside Sales
Ted Walkey | Project Manager II
GREAT WORK, TEAM!
SESCO had an exceptional 2018, due mainly to the efforts of all our employees. We are proud to be a part of a company where our employees feel like family, and even more proud of the consistently excellent service they provide for our clients. In May, our Kick Ass Club (select salespeople who exceed expectations in sales) gathered in Washington, DC for our annual Awards Gala Retreat. Flip through the photos for a couple of highlights and favorite moments from the Awards night!
In May, a group of tried-and-trues from our Maitland location participated in the Colon Cancer Coalition’s “Get Your Rear in Gear” 5k! A cause dear to our hearts as it has affected one of our own, our group alone raised $1,150 to go towards the Coalition! All funds help provide education about colon cancer, as well as preventative methods and patient support in the Orlando area. SESCO has participated in this 5k for two years now (and counting!). Thank you to our group of runners, both in 2018 and 2019, for supporting the people and community that support us! KSA!
If you haven’t had a chance to visit our Orlando office (where HQ and Central FL sales operate), we’ll just tell you: it’s awesome. From our fantastic team to the office mascots (AKA our dogs) to the LEED Silver certified building… we could go on and on about how great it is. Now, we may be (read: definitely are) a little biased, but we’ve got some pretty compelling, nonpartisan backup: The Orlando Business Journal named us Best Place to Work in the medium-sized category! For the second year in a row! Thanks to each of our SESCO family members who responded to the anonymous surveys – it’s all because of your support that we hit #1! Though HQ is just one building of our business, this win is representative of our entire company and culture – so congratulations to everyone across our SESCO offices! What’s better than a repeat? A 3-peat! KSA!
Read more about our win on OBJ’s website here!
If innovation is the name of the game, our newest manufacturing partner is ahead of the curve. LightGuard Systems has been a leader in pedestrian-safety lighting for over 25 years, including the development and patenting of the first-ever lighted crosswalk! In fact, their work set the standards still implemented today by the United States Federal Highway Administration Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD). With a personal, determined mission to protect pedestrians, LightGuard Systems is making the world a safer place, one light at a time. And that’s a mission we can get behind! Please join us in welcoming LightGuard Systems, and visit their website here to learn more.
SESCO has been a proud multi-year participant in Orlando’s IOA 5K, the do good/have fun corporate event of the year. This year, we turned that pride into an Official Sponsorship and contributed in the best way we knew how: with lighting! SESCO supplied the lighting for the multiple photo stations at the race so that each participant looked as good as they felt after the race. Congratulations to our SESCO family members and all those who participated in the 5K: together, we donated 154,000 meals to local food banks! Now that’s something worth shining a light on! KSA!
Here at SESCO we know that it’s not only important for us to stay up-to-date on all things lighting, but also for us to keep our distributors equipped with cutting-edge knowledge. In April, our Fort Lauderdale DSG team partnered with Graybar to present the latest and greatest from some of our top lines in their South Florida territories. In what turned out to be the largest training of its kind in our history, we presented to approximately 90% of Graybar’s South Florida salesforce! Thanks to everyone who came from all over South Florida to attend and to our vendor partners Dialight, Wattstopper, Beghelli, and Signify! And special thanks to our team members Teri Cruz, Dave Vonderhaar, and Turner Nabors for hosting such a great event!
Last month, part of our awesome team in Fort Lauderdale came together to raise money for and participate in Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Light The Night Walk. Donations “fund treatments, patient support services, and vital research that are saving the lives of patients today. Not someday, but today. Each year friends, families and coworkers form teams to raise money in support of our mission.” We are proud to stand next to people making a difference in their community and beyond, day and night!
The Madame Fortune Taylor Bridge in downtown Tampa is an incredible example of how we can improve the lives of our fellow citizens with each and every project. Congratulations to this excellent team on a job very well done!
Project Credits:
City of Tampa
Chris Jones Lighting Designer
Voltair, Bill Beard Engineer
A&A Electric, Danny Perdomo
Photographer:
John Weatherby
SESCO Lighting Controls Division:
Kyle Ledford, Regional Product Specialist: LED Fixtures & Control
Phil Wilberg, Outside Sales
SESCO Tampa:
Jeff Kostrewa, Outside Sales
Bob Coffman, Outside Sales
Read the full report from Fox 13 News here.
We are delighted to share that SESCO now represents H.E. Williams in our most recently annexed territory: Memphis!
In keeping with our high standards not only for our work but also our workplaces, SESCO’s Headquarters has been awarded LEED Silver Certification! The LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) rating system, developed by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), is the foremost program for buildings, homes and communities that are designed, constructed, maintained and operated for improved environmental and human health performance.
“LEED is a transformative tool that ensures a building is designed and operating to achieve high performance in key areas of human and environmental health while enhancing the triple bottom line – people, planet and profit,” said Mahesh Ramanujam, president and CEO of USGBC. “By prioritizing sustainability, SESCO is leading the way in their industry and helping USGBC continue toward our vision of a sustainable built environment within a generation.”
Sending out the old year with a bang! KSA!
Please join us in warmly congratulating Brittany Dytrych, LC, Outside Sales rep for Tampa, on her recent award! AIA Tampa presented Brittany with their Allied Award; you can read the delivery speech below. We are proud to have such excellent representation of the SESCO family out there – congratulations, Brittany!
AIA’s speech:
“The Allied Award recognizes an allied member who has gone above and beyond in their service to the chapter. Someone who has helped to promote the value of AIA and the architecture profession. The Allied Award goes to: Brittany Dytrych with SESCO Lighting.
Brittany has been a member and supporter of the chapter for many years. Whenever she is asked for help, she jumps in to action. Brittany and SESCO Lighting have supported all chapter programs including continuing education, golf and sporting clays tournaments, sports outings and have recently signed on as the chapter’s newest Keystone Partner. Above and beyond their event sponsorship, SESCO Lighting provided ALL of the lighting Free of Charge for the new Center for Architecture and Design in Ybor City.
For her contributions and for being so Kind and Generous, we are pleased to present Brittany Dytrych with the Allied Award.”
SESCO is excited to welcome two new outstanding manufacturers to our linecards! Ostwin will be available throughout our footprint, and North America Lighting will be available throughout except in Georgia.
Ostwin| “High quality residential indoor/outdoor lighting products at affordable prices making us the best option for all budgets. We offer a wide selection of residential lighting fixtures perfect for living rooms, meeting rooms, dining rooms, bathrooms and bedrooms, as well as a line of hospitality lighting for hallways, stairwells and common areas. We offer high quality products, affordable prices matched with exceptional customer service.”
North America Lighting | “North America Lighting (NAL) partners with premier manufacturers from around the world in order to introduce these new brands and products into the US market. NAL offers unique and innovative products ranging from decorative to architectural lighting for commercial office, public use, and hospitality spaces. Our products, brands, and relationships offer unique lighting options and the confidence that they will get delivered on time and as specified.”
SESCO U’s newest Featured Video is:
Lumca| Smart Pole
Learn how Lumca connects citizens to the cities they live in with the latest technology available. Our lighting not only makes people’s lives a little brighter but also much easier.
Watch & Win! We’re giving a $100 Amazon gift card! Just log in, watch the Featured Video, and take a short quiz to be entered! (Promotion ends December 28, 2018.)
Visit SESCO U here: http://sescou.iqed.online/index
SESCO is excited to welcome two new outstanding manufacturers to our linecards throughout our footprint!
Lifted | “Over the past two years, we’ve been experimenting and pushing the boundaries of LED grow lights, building on existing technology to increase yields and give growers more power and more flexibility through tools that, up till now, were simply not available. In the end, yield is what a grower is after, but not at any price. Before LEDs, yield required sacrifices such as use of inefficient lamps, high energy costs, and frequent maintenance. In other words, a lot of waste. While LEDs have largely addressed those issues, we felt the technology could be pushed further to create even greater yield. So, we made it happen.”
SolarOne | “SolarOne was founded in 2004 and initially explored several environmental technologies. Over time, the company focused its efforts on off-grid lighting solutions enabled by decreasing costs of both PV modules and LED lighting. Today, SolarOne’s off-grid lighting solutions reduce customers’ environmental footprint while saving them money, shortening project times and providing additional flexibility in the layout of their projects. Their solar LED lighting solutions combine its proprietary SO-Bright® technology, which includes solar-generated power and energy management technology, with highly efficient LED lamps.”
The Manufacturers Association of Central Florida held their Annual President’s Dinner and award ceremony earlier this month at the Orlando International Airport. There, SESCO had the honor of being awarded Associate Member of the Year! Congratulations to our SESCO family who made this possible (Turner Nabors, Industrial Sales Specialist, accepted the award). See all the photos from the event here.
SESCO U’s newest Featured Video is:
Signify | Interact Pro
Signify has introduced Interact Pro, a multi-tasking, smart lighting system and software developed for small and medium-sized businesses. The IoT-connected lighting can reduce energy costs as well as help to improve employee well-being and productivity.
Watch & Win! We’re giving a Bose Soundlink Color Speaker II to 2 lucky viewers! Just log in, watch the Featured Video, and take a short quiz to be entered! (Promotion ends November 30, 2018.)
Visit SESCO U here: https://lnkd.in/e6c9wfu
SESCO Nashville was delighted to host their 4th Annual Customer Appreciation Event last month! There was a spectacular turnout at Nashville Underground to celebrate all of our area customers – who are also our area friends! Thanks to everyone who came and made it a night to remember!
A building isn’t environmentally friendly unless it’s energy-efficient!! We are thrilled to share that SESCO Lighting’s HQ has been awarded the Environmental Protection Agency’s ENERGY STAR award.
For more than 20 years, the EPA’s ENERGY STAR program has identified the most energy-efficient products, buildings, plants, and new homes – all based on the latest government-backed standards. This program was created in 1992 to help businesses and individuals save energy and fight climate change. Today, every ENERGY STAR label is verified by a rigorous third-party certification process.
ENERGY STAR certified buildings and plants are verified to perform in the top 25 percent of buildings nationwide, based on weather-normalized source energy performance and many other metrics, including occupancy, hours of operation, and more.
SESCO is proud to take part in creating sustainable office spaces that will help keep the environment clean for future generations.
We are honored to have received Signify’s 2018 Best Performing Value-Added Partner award at their Global Partner Summit in Amsterdam. It has been a wild ride and we look forward to continued growth together! Congrats to all of Signify’s Power of Two award recipients and thanks to all who voted!
At SESCO, not only are we excited to show our manufacturers’ latest and greatest products, we’re also eager to stay involved with the design community to demonstrate exactly how we can all support one another. At the recent ASLA Florida Conference, we had the opportunity to meet and talk with many talented local designers and show how our manufacturers’ products can meet their landscape lighting needs. Thanks to all who stopped by, and to our awesome manufactures, Wagner, and Spring City. We’re already looking forward to the conference in 2019!
In honor of our recent OBJ Best Places to Work first place win, we celebrated in the best fashion we could think of: ice cream sundaes and champagne for all!
Our HQ also hosted SESCO’s first Art Contest! Congratulations to our winners and to all the incredibly talented, creative people we have the pleasure of working with!
SESCO U’s newest Featured Video is:
H.E. Williams | LED Downlight Collection
Learn about the new LED Downlight Collection from H.E. Williams, an excellent solution for sleek, modern architectural lighting. Available in round and square styles with 2, 4, 6 and 8 inch apertures. Their downlights create an elegant ambiance in every environment.
Watch & Win! We’re giving a YETI Hopper cooler to 4 lucky viewers! Just log in, watch the Featured Video, and take a short quiz to be entered! (Promotion ends September 7, 2018.)
Visit SESCO U here: https://lnkd.in/e6c9wfu
“A conversation with Todd Langner, President & CEO of SESCO Lighting in Florida, the largest manufacturers’ rep firm in the country with 300 employees and a full-time
training center.
“Todd Langner has four decades of experience in the lighting business, starting out in his family’s hardware and lighting store in Florida. He spent 30 years in manufacturing, primarily on the residential side, with brands such as Illuminating Experiences, Forecast Lighting, Hinkley, and Troy Lighting (which he purchased and later sold). He then moved to Cleveland as VP/Marketing & Product Development for Kichler and later ran the lighting division of Hunter Fan. Ten years ago, he joined SESCO as VP/Business Development.”
Read the full interview here: https://www.enlightenmentmag.com/news/how-the-commercial-lighting-sector-differs
SESCO has the honor of having not one but TWO projects up for Philips/Signify’s Power of Two Awards! These projects have been nominated out of 33 worldwide to be considered the “Best of the Best”.
Please follow the links below and vote. Voting closes August 31st so be sure to vote early!
Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park and Riverwalk: https://lnkd.in/egbEiRP
408 East/West Expressway Lake Underhill Bridge: https://lnkd.in/eqmyzsN
Marshall Graham, SESCO Lighting’s chairman says, “SESCO Lighting now employs MBAs and other graduate level employees as we not only have to understand lamps, lumens and fixtures, but we also have to grasp the business advantages that our technology brings to end users. It’s really an educational process from design to the C-Suite.”
Read the full article at bizjournals.com.
It is with much excitement that we announce… SESCO RANKED FIRST IN THE ORLANDO BUSINESS JOURNAL’S “BEST PLACES TO WORK!!” (2018, Medium-sized Company Category)
One of the most significant factors that sets us apart from the rest of the 8 finalists is that we are a 100% Employee Owned Company. Congrats to the finalists in this category and others. Well done to all and thank you for your continued support!
Read the full article about Why SESCO is So Successful on the Edison Report.
MAITLAND, Fla.; November 27, 2017 – SESCO Lighting, the nation’s largest lighting manufacturers’ representative agency with nearly $300 million in annual revenue, has opened its new 16,000 sq. ft. headquarters in Maitland, Florida.
“We started in the Orlando area 50 years ago and this headquarters relocation is an important milestone for our company and a necessary step to meet SESCO’s requirements as America’s leading lighting manufacturers’ representative agency,” said Todd Langner, CEO, SESCO Lighting. “We’ve also refreshed our branding and our business model is strategically organized to maximum internal efficiency and bolster customer service in the midst of rapid growth.”
Industry Leadership
In addition to extensive business in Florida, the company has exclusive rights to sell a multitude of lighting products in Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, Tennessee and Puerto Rico. This expansion of the company has enhanced its services, improved the ability to serve customers and bolstered growth. SESCO also provides lighting for projects in many foreign countries.
“Our primary fiscal goal is to achieve $500 million in annual lighting sales by 2020,” said Mike Segal, Founder and Director of Training, SESCO Lighting. “We embrace the responsibility of being industry leaders and 50 years in business is a major accomplishment that is a source of pride for our employees, who are also the owners of the company.”
SESCO has also realized success through its focused business division structure. SESCO Global Lighting supplies projects in South America, Central America, Mexico and the Caribbean. The Energy Division retrofits existing buildings and new construction with energy-saving technologies, while the Distributor Solutions Group builds the electrical distributor channel to garner greater allocations of distributor stock. SESCO’s National Accounts Division focuses on large, repeat business across major sectors and the company’s Public Sector Division includes DOT-driven projects and opportunities through local/regional governments.
SESCO’s employee ownership of the company is a tremendous morale booster and incentive driving individual and team achievement. It reflects the company’s intrinsic understanding of the value of people in SESCO’s success.
About SESCO Lighting
Founded in 1967, SESCO Lighting prides itself on having the most professional, best trained and most knowledgeable sales force in the industry. The company is 100 percent employee-owned with 14 branch offices, eight support divisions and 260 highly-motivated employees. From the initial design phase working with designers, consultants and engineers through final turn-on, SESCO’s team works to produce a perfectly coordinated project for its customers. Learn more about the company at www.sescolighting.com and follow @SESCOLighting on Twitter.
Media Contact:
Phillip Bergman
Frankel Media Group
(845) 728-3984
SESCO Lighting is pleased to announce it is expanding its reach with the acquisition of the G2 Lighting Agency, based in Birmingham, AL. According to Todd Langner, President/CEO of SESCO Lighting, “Today more than ever, this acquisition helps support our growing sales efforts. This opportunity creates a unified specification, contractor and distributor support structure over our entire footprint. From a geographical standpoint, our now contiguous footprint bolsters our presence in both the greater Atlanta and Gulf Coast markets.”
It has been a goal of SESCO Lighting to expand into Alabama, and the buzz and excitement over the announced acquisition in the Birmingham market is something that is embraced by the growing SESCO Lighting team. Marshall Graham, SESCO’s Chairman, says, “When looking at this acquisition, it quickly became apparent that Shannon Godwin and the team at G2 Lighting were an extraordinarily good fit for SESCO. The fact that SESCO and G2 Lighting are both specification driven companies made Shannon’s team the obvious choice.”
When the contract was finalized, Shannon Godwin, President of G2 Lighting added, “I sincerely appreciate the opportunity the SESCO family has provided G2 Lighting Agency and its employees. I am very thankful to the outstanding manufacturers and staff who supported G2 Lighting Agency over the last several years. I owe a debt of gratitude to the specifiers, distributors and contractors who supported G2 and we all look forward to a new beginning as we join the SESCO family!” The G2 Lighting Agency and its employees will be integrated into SESCO over the next month.
Today, SESCO Lighting is the nation’s largest and most successful lighting manufacturers’ representative company, with more than 250 employees and annual sales approaching $300 million. Founded in 1967 by Mike Segal and this year celebrating 50 years in business, SESCO Lighting, an ESOP, is now 100% employee owned with 14 branch offices and 8 support divisions.
Our new Birmingham employees joining the team today are as follows:
• Shannon Godwin – Branch Manager
• Jennifer Langley – Outside Sales
• Phillip Godwin – Outside Sales
• Wanda Langley – Sr. Inside Sales Support
• Ryan Godwin – Quotations Specialist I
• Graham Smith – Quotations Specialist I