Page 128 - Lighting Magazine January 2019

Iron MavEN
right: For one side facing a busy tra c corner, mirrors are shown along with xtures to indicate the breadth of the styles inside.
“I love going on job sites and helping
people create their dream homes.”
—Tricia Hanson
sta is constantly training; we have sessions roughly twice a month. If there’s an [outside] class they’re interested in, all they have to do is tell me,” she comments. Clouse frequently sends her employ- ees to Chicago for a week to take lighting classes on Juno’s campus.
There’s plenty of room to grow. Tricia Hanson – who holds a bachelor’s degree in Communica- tion Studies – started out eight years ago as the showroom’s receptionist and has since grown into roles such as Showroom Sales Support. She is now in the Builder Sales department, along with two others.
“I like that every day is di erent,” Hanson says. “I love going on job sites and helping people cre- ate their dream homes. Every day I come in, I don’t know what challenges I’ll face. I’m currently involved in several remodeling projects in Charles- ton’s historic district. It’s the perfect job for me!”
Another member of the Builder Sales team is Shannan Preston, who graduated college with a degree in Public Relations and initially embarked on a career in radio advertising. Before she arrived at Carolina Lanterns in 2000, she le radio to explore the design world with sales positions at an interior design rm and an electrical supply house.
The fact that lighting has become more compli- cated recently only encourages Preston to dive deeper in. “I love the technical aspect of lighting. The lighting lab in the showroom is my brain child.
I love LED tape and the whole specifying aspect of the job. I do a lot of the designing for projects.”
Being a young female in a male-dominated eld hasn’t bother Preston. “You just have to prove your- self,” she explains. “Knowledge is key. You’ve got to know your product.”
A self-starter, Preston brought home plans to study and would ask her husband – who is in the construction industry – questions. “He’d work with me on understanding the process,” she recalls. “I also studied the ALA’s Residential Lighting Manual for a good six months, plus I did a lot of research on Pinterest and Instagram.” She is currently work- ing on obtaining her Certi ed Lighting Consultant (CLC) accreditation with the ALA.
Preston enjoys a ending Dallas Market along- side Clouse. “Being able to see the new product in person is amazing,” she notes, adding that she also appreciates the business aspect of Market, discuss- ing partnerships with vendors in order to be er compete with internet sales.
While some builders nationwide have begun sourcing lighting online, Preston and Hanson say this hasn’t been a problem. “They know I’m going to get all of the bulbs/ xtures they need, and that ev- erything is going to be clearly labeled and delivered neatly to their job site. [Once they’ve experienced that] I’ve really go en builders to stand behind me,” Preston comments.
“A lot of people forget that the rep relationship is
126 enLIGHTenment MagazIne | January 2019
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