Page 30 - Lighting Magazine January 2020

FINE-TUNING
SUCCESS
ELK Group International ushers in the ’20s with streamlined operations, honing in on product distinction and greater customer partnership.
26 enLIGHTenment Magazine | January 2020
www.enlightenmentmag.com
Although ELK Lighting has been a main- stay in the decorative lighting industry for more than 30 years, over the past decade its parent company ELK Group International (EGI) has been gaining
momentum by acquiring the assets of 14 companies in a variety of home furnishings and lifestyle prod- uct categories.
“Since I joined ELK [last year], the question I get asked the most from customers is, ‘Why are you in all of these businesses, and do they have purpose together?” states Dave Pamer, ELK’s CEO. “These were strategic decisions. Maybe we have not done a good enough job explaining why or telling our story of how [these acquisitions] can also help our customers.”
With its legacy rooted in lighting, ELK has looked outside its comfort zone for growth, pursuing
categories that would be complementary. “We see an opportunity where today’s consumer and end- user are searching for curated and merchandised styles and trends across product categories that make their decision-making easier, and frankly, ones that they are more confident in and reflect their personality,” Pamer continues. “For our distributor partners, it represents a wonderful opportunity to cross-sell solutions. What we know is that when a consumer or end-user comes to a lighting show- room, it is with a purpose in mind, and usually a project. We are intentional when we design product to ensure that it falls into today’s relevant style and trend themes so that the cross merchandising, cross selling opportunity has consistency. As we pursued this strategy, we did not want to compromise our heritage in decorative lighting or what we are known for in lighting as we added these categories, namely