5 Things to Know: October 11

Randy Burkett was honored with the 2025 International Association of Lighting Designers (IALD) Lifetime Achievement Award on Friday during the IALD Enlighten Americas conference. In his acceptance speech, Burkett reflected on the journey that led him to a four-decade career in lighting design, blending personal stories with broader insights into the profession’s impact.

Burkett began by tracing his roots from rural Pennsylvania to Penn State, where he discovered architectural engineering and was deeply influenced by Professor John Flynn’s research on lighting and human behavior. His early career started at Holophane in Denver, a formative period he credited with refining his technical skills. He later joined the lighting design group at HOK in St. Louis, before founding his own practice in 1988. He acknowledged the guidance and inspiration of mentors such as Edison Price, Craig Roeder, Leslie Wheel, and Dave Munson.

Closing his remarks, Burkett shared the image of the “Pale Blue Dot,” a photograph taken by Voyager 1 as it exited the solar system. He described the image as a humbling reminder that everything known — every life and every light — is held on a single fragile speck. He urged designers to recognize that lighting shapes how we live and experience that world, “Light can be strength. Light can be used to interpret, embrace, elevate and convict. At the very least inspire all of us."

About a month into the top job at Signify, As Tempelman is already logging miles — and making impressions — in the company’s largest single market: the United States. With a background rooted more in European energy utilities than lighting, Tempelman’s early itinerary suggests a crash course in the unique machinery of the North American lighting business.

Recent sightings place him in both the Atlanta metro area and New York City — two distinct ecosystems in the commercial lighting world. In Atlanta, Tempelman paid a visit to Cooper Lighting Solutions headquarters in Peachtree City. But perhaps more telling was his time with rep agency Ardd + Winter, which represents Cooper across Georgia, northern Florida, South Carolina, and most of Tennessee. For a CEO new to the intricacies of agent-manufacturer dynamics, it’s an important first stop.

In New York, Tempelman was seen alongside Kevin Poyck, head of the Genlyte Solutions group, where the Empire State Building’s iconic Color Kinetics lighting served as both backdrop and brand statement. Social posts hinted at the visit’s tone: part strategic immersion, part symbolic overture. For a European executive inheriting a global lighting brand, America’s scale and complexity clearly demanded early attention.

Tempelman’s visit occurred during the week of September 29, and the Inside Lighting editorial team has been properly admonished for not reporting this sooner.

Industrial lighting maker, Dialight says it will “significantly exceed” expectations for adjusted operating profit this fiscal year, with official results for the six months ending September 2025 due on November 11. The upbeat guidance reflects continued progress on margin improvement, overhead reduction, and debt control — hallmarks of the company’s ongoing Transformation Plan.

Still, the story isn’t one of growth. Sales remain “marginally down” year-over-year, echoing Dialight’s August update, which noted a similar decline in revenue despite gains in profitability. As of September 30, net debt stood at $10.2 million, improved from $17.8 million in March, aided in part by two COVID-era tax credits totaling $3 million.

Much of the operational lift stems from tariff-free shipments via Dialight’s Mexico facility, a key cost advantage given that 60% of revenue comes from North America. But that exemption’s long-term viability remains unclear.

After a rocky stretch of executive turnover, current leadership under CEO Steve Blair and CFO Mark Fryer appears to have stabilized the company’s financial footing. That said, with no clear growth engine in sight and macro uncertainty persisting, Dialight’s cautious tone remains warranted — even as it primes the market for a profitable, if unspectacular, first half.

On October 10, Texas-based Pacem IP Holdings filed dual lawsuits in the Central District of California — one against Sunco Lighting, the other against Maxim Lighting International. Both complaints allege infringement of the same set of LED bulb-related patents, including a gas-cooled LED lamp design and a filament-style assembly. It’s a strategy with echoes: identical claims, near-identical filings, dropped like twin anvils on two Southern California operations.

In both suits, Pacem claims Sunco and Maxim are selling LED products that use Pacem’s proprietary technologies without permission, citing models such as Sunco’s A19 and ST64 series and Maxim’s A19 Frosted 3000K and ST58 bulbs. The complaints detail multiple counts of alleged infringement, including inducement and contributory infringement, and seek monetary damages under five U.S. patents.

Notably, both defendants are accused of continuing to sell the disputed products even after being made aware of the patent rights. The allegations also suggest the companies sourced infringing LED components from third parties, knowingly incorporating them into their products.

Pacem, which appears to operate more like a patent enforcement entity than a traditional manufacturer, has not publicly disclosed any licensing efforts prior to litigation.

As reported by Hortidaily, Gavita International B.V., a prominent provider of professional horticultural lighting, has announced a management buyout effective September 30, 2025, marking its departure from Hawthorne's Professional Horticulture Lighting division, part of ScottsMiracle-Gro. The company will now operate independently under the ownership of its current leadership team. Marc Salvany has been appointed Chief Executive Officer while continuing as interim Chief Operating Officer, and Ad van der Vorst remains Chief Financial Officer. Both leaders bring extensive industry experience from roles at companies such as Signify and Intel.

Gavita plans to maintain its core focus on horticultural lighting while expanding into adjacent technologies and service innovations aimed at improving efficiency, reliability, and sustainability for growers.