September 12, 2025
Hot Topics: DLC Debate, IES Election, and More
Michael, Greg & Al unpack recent buzzworthy happenings in lighting industry circles
In a break from their annual New Year prediction cadence, Inside Lighting publisher Al Uszynski joined Michael Colligan and Greg Erich on the Get a Grip on Lighting podcast for an off-schedule, real-time September discussion of the most talked about topics in lighting. Less crystal ball, more hot seat.
Here’s what they unpacked:
NAILD vs. DLC: Open Letters and Open Questions (10:52)
NAILD's controversial open letter demanding DLC cease operations by 2030 sparked intense industry debate. In this discussion, Colligan supports calls for the DLC's complete exit from the lighting industry. Uszynski pressed him on what the industry would actually look like without DLC's standards and certification programs. The discussion explored fundamental questions about utility-driven efficiency requirements, manufacturer costs, and whether current certification processes help or hinder lighting innovation.
IES Election Sparks Unusual Write-In Campaign (25:35)
For the first time in collective "lighting person" memory, a write-in candidate — industry veteran Ira Rothman — is mounting a campaign for the IES Board, challenging the organization's long-standing closed-ballot process. Uszynski highlighted how the move may ignite rare voter interest in a historically sleepy election cycle.
The Role of Lighting Industry Journalism, and Why It Matters (5:30)
The conversation explored how the lighting industry needs trade journalism that does more than announce deadlines and updates. Real trade reporting adds institutional memory — connecting today's events to happenings of years earlier, translating technical matters for broader audiences, and maintaining the kind of sustained unbiased coverage that helps lighting people understand not just what happened, but why it matters and what might come next.
LUMY Awards: A New Stage for Product Recognition (2:27)
Into the void left by shuttered trade publication awards and a now-smaller and biennial LightFair Innovation Awards come the LUMY Awards — Uszynski's calculated alternative to an industry drowning in participation trophies. Where global competitions hand out 66 winners annually, the LUMYs offer six categories with ruthless clarity: four finalists, one winner, no consolation prizes.
