August 17, 2024
5 Things to Know: August 17
More details emerge on Mercury Lighting acquisition. Plus, Cooper annouces new rep in Western U.S.
Here's a roundup of some of the week's happenings curated to help lighting people stay informed.
1. IES Honors Lighting People
On Thursday at IES24, the annual conference of the Illuminating Engineering Society, the organization honored the following individuals with Technical and Service awards:
Above: IES Past President, Lance Bennett, presents Naomi Miller with the IES Medal Award
IES Medal Award
The society's most prestigious technical achievement award.
- Naomi Miller
Louis B. Marks Award
Honors exceptional non-technical service to the society.
- Dan Salinas
IES Distinguished Service Award
Recognizes significant non-technical contributions to the IES mission.
- Shaun Fillion
- Michael Grather
- Christian Suvagau
IES Fellow Designation
Acknowledges valuable contributions to the society's technical activities.
- Mitchell Hefter, FIES
- Jeff Tsao, FIES
IES Presidential Award
Recognizes excellence among IES members.
- Brienne Willcock
- Patricia McGillicuddy
- Dan Ozminkowski
- Mark Lien
- Frank Agraz
Past President's Award
- Frank Agraz
2 . Illuminating Concepts Acquired by IMEG
Illuminating Concepts, a prominent lighting design firm based in Farmington Hills, Michigan, has been acquired by IMEG, a leading U.S. engineering design firm. Known for its unique combination of lighting design and procurement services, Illuminating Concepts will now operate as a division of IMEG, retaining its current leadership and team. The firm, which has been creating award-winning lighting systems since 1981 under the leadership of Ron Harwood, will continue to serve clients from its existing location.
“We’re very excited to have Illuminating Concepts join our firm,” said IMEG President/CEO Paul VanDuyne in a statement published by IMEG. “Their lighting design expertise and procurement services are fantastic additions to our existing architectural lighting portfolio, and their client-driven focus mirrors IMEG’s approach.” VanDuyne added that Illuminating Concepts’ capabilities will help position IMEG’s lighting group to expand nationwide.
IMEG, headquartered in Rock Island, Illinois, is ranked #52 on ENR’s Top 500 Design Firms list with 94 offices and 2,800 employees.
3. Cooper Lighting Taps New Idaho Rep
Cooper Lighting Solutions has announced that Salt Lake City based Quantum Lighting Group will take over as its representative by expanding into Idaho beginning September 1, 2024. This change follows the company's decision to end its long-standing partnership with Idaho Lighting Solutions, which will continue to represent Cooper Lighting in the state until August 31, 2024.
Marc Mitchell, Principal at Quantum Lighting Group, will establish a local office in Idaho, with sales personnel expected to be announced soon. The group will also receive core support from its Salt Lake City, Utah operations.
This development comes on the heels of Quantum Lighting Group's recent expansion into Montana through the acquisition of Illumination Systems' North territory. The move marks another significant step in Quantum Lighting's growing presence in the western United States.
Cooper Lighting's Northern Idaho territory continues to be serviced by Ambient Lighting, from the Spokane, Washington market, and is not affected by these moves.
4. IES25 Conference Set for Anaheim
The Illuminating Engineering Society (IES) announced yesterday that its 2025 annual conference, IES25, will be held in Orange County, California. The location, the Anaheim Marriott, was revealed during this week's IES conference in New York City, which has seen an increase in both attendance and enthusiasm. The choice of Anaheim is already generating positive buzz, particularly for West Coast lighting people.
With Disneyland nearby the venue, we reached out to Acuity Brands, a major sponsor, to ask if their annual sponsored evening event might include a Pirates of the Caribbean or Jungle Cruise-themed experience. However, Kathryn Kusuplos, Director of Trade Shows and Events at Acuity Brands, did not respond to the Inside Lighting I-Team inquiry before press time.
5. More Details Emerge about Mercury Lighting Acquisition
The Inside Lighting I-Team has uncovered new details about the recent acquisition of New Jersey-based Mercury Architectural Lighting. As previously reported, Joe DiBernardo, a longtime Mercury executive, is one of the investors involved. Additionally, the owner of Asimex Global, a Mexico-based logistics company, is also a major investor.
In related news, Brian Cunningham, Mercury's Vice President of Sales & Operations, resigned on Tuesday, August 12. His departure, after 36 years with the company, marks a significant change in leadership following the acquisition.
