Page 68 - Lighting Magazine August 2018

Rep Ride-along
At right, Je Gatzow of Optec and Joel Larson of Spectrum Lighting & Controls meet with the team at Uihlein Electric.
concerned about heat, longevity, and ease of ac- cessibility. “With this customer, the conversation is more about ‘lumens per dollar,’” Gatzow told me. While 4000K in HPS (high pressure sodium) xtures is used in many factories, this client was interested to learn there was a choice of 3000K, 4000K, and 5000K in LED. The concept of wire- less protocols came up as well, and he was also pleased to hear that there is not a prescribed con- trol brand that comes with the product.
Gatzow and Je Larson of Spectrum Lighting asked if the rm had a need for wall packs and showed several new options. “An architectural aes- thetic doesn’t have to cost more,” Gatzow stated. “You can have something that acts like a spec prod- uct, but at a be er price.”
Delivery times and standard nish colors came up in the conversation, as well as energy rebates. With many factories receiving energy incentives from utilities, this was an area of importance to the client — speci cally whether there was a procedure in place whereby Optec could handle all of the pa- perwork on behalf of Quad/Graphics. (The answer was yes.)
Another concern the client voiced was avail- ability of styles, noting that some of the competing brands “seem to discontinue products every week.” In this case, the 10-year warranty was especially valuable. “We support our products long-term,” Gatzow a rmed. While design details such as hav- ing a variety of hole pa erns for product versatility was appreciated, it was apparent that customer service and standing behind products for a long time to come was more critical for this customer. A er all, with multiple facilities worldwide, there will be a continual need to retro t and adapt.
Our last stop was at Uihlein Electric, a well- known electrical rm in the Milwaukee area. Here, there was a team of electricians in the meeting. The chief discussion revolved around ease of installation. The interest also involved the avail- ability of spec-grade product at design-build prices, as well as an integration of design styles for those customers who want to have the parking lot xtures coordinate aesthetically with the build- ing’s exterior xtures.
Instead of a deep dive into optics or energy re- bates, the conversation was centered on products that o ered easy mounting with multiple points for greater anchoring power. The 10-year war- ranty was important to the electricians, and they liked the notion of being able to indicate whatever control system they wanted to use on a project without having to rely on what came with the light- ing product.
Concerns about discrete shielding and glare protection options were prominent in the discus- sion, along with available light pa erns. Another unique a ribute these electricians were interest- ed in was a low-pro le xture that could provide ba ery back-up in case of a power outage. While nishes matching Valmont poles was well-received news, one electrician asked if custom nish colors could also be accommodated (the answer is yes).
At the end of the day, this road trip was an educational experience for learning about the various concerns of the commercial lighting world. It wasn’t just hearing new terminology, but the de- sign considerations and practical aspects involved in each segment was eye-opening for me. There’s no doubt that being a lighting rep – both on the residential and commercial side – is a much more complicated sales proposition, requiring a multi- faceted skill set than any other category in the home and build environment. 
It wasn’t just hearing new terminology, but the design considerations and practical aspects involved in each segment was eye-opening for me.
64 enLIGHTenment Magazine | august 2018
www.enlightenmentmag.com