The Business of Lighting Education

Designing for Darkness

The Business of Lighting Education

On February 1st, GE Current, a Daintree company acquired the C&I Lighting Business of Hubbell, and I had the privilege of interviewing the leadership team that day in Greenville, SC. After the interview I spent some time with Andy Miles, Director of Education, Training, and Marketing Programs. The following day I joined Emma Lyne Bruce, Manager, Learning Operations, at the Current Institute in Hendersonville, as I wanted to better understand The Business of Lighting Education.

The Lighting Solutions Center

Prior to my visit last month, I had toured the Lighting Solutions Center in Greenville in 2009 and again in 2017. Each time, the facility has shown tremendous progress. The LSC is the centerpiece of their commitment to train, educate and develop solutions as lighting technology continues to evolve.

In 2017, the C&I Lighting Division of Hubbell spent over one million dollars upgrading the LSC to allow for the integration of the latest LED luminaires and controls, as well as adding a large collaborative learning environment, a second classroom, which seats 80, and expanded hands-on application displays. Pre- COVID, this 25,000 sq ft center would have about 3000 VIPs to attend in-person training.

Andy explained a bit about the expenses. Typically, several members of a rep firm will make the journey to Greenville, accompanied by a few lighting designers, distributors, contractors and/or end users. The rep will typically pay for the transportation of their guests to Greenville. But, once they set foot on the ground, Hubbell picks up all local expenses, which normally include hotel, local transportation, training, materials, meals, alcohol, and entertainment. This is not a firm policy, but it does seem to be standard practice among the large training centers in the lighting industry.

I asked Andy about metrics, and he explained that many times they can track orders and specifications to projects that were conceived at the LSC. He did acknowledge that it is impossible to track and quantify all activity. But training and education have been a huge part of the facility since it opened in 2007.

Andy said, “When COVID started, our function changed dramatically, as we moved everything to a digital format, which resulted in a reach over 5 times the number of influencers pre-COVID.” Andy said the increase in engagement was seen across all their communication platforms, greatly increasing their influence beyond only individuals who could be present physically. Prior to COVID a typical in-person event would be 5, 10 or 20 people. But quickly, they were doing multiple webcasts each day with 20 people attending.

“With the pandemic, we created two new platforms: one for our agents and another for the broader market and customer that included both on demand and live content,” Andy explained. He went on to say that they were already developing their online university prior to the pandemic, so the transition to digital was smooth and fast.

While they were one of the first to benefit from digital training, they noticed a trend in mid to late 2021 - training fatigue. After a year of virtual meetings, people were just worn out. To counteract the weariness, Andy explained, “We worked hard to ensure our presentations were not the traditional death-by-slideshow experience so common today. We utilize green screen technology, and the product displays we have at the Lighting Solutions Center as part of our presentation to recreate an in-person experience in a remote environment.”

Andy further explained that the new skills developed during the pandemic are useful now as the LSC participates in the product launch process, enabling them to educate their channel partners real-time as the products are being introduced.

Andy also said they are back on track for in-person training and have planned for a normal year in terms of the number of events. The interview ended with Andy explaining that there is no manufacturing at the Greenville facility, but now that they have been acquired by Current, there is a great manufacturing facility just 45 minutes away in Hendersonville, NC.

And that was my next stop.

The Institute at Hendersonville

Emma Lyne Bruce gave me a tour of the Institute, which is housed in the old Lamplighter building. This historic building has the distinction of being the newest large training center in the lighting industry. It has been totally overhauled in their over-1-million dollar renovation. I last visited this facility when I was trying to sell GE on the virtues of electronic HID, and I recall a very dark conference room with huge cobra heads attached to the wall, looming large, like some sort of wild beasts mounted above a mantel.

All of that is gone. In fact, Hendersonville no longer produces any HID luminaires. The cobra heads have been replaced by portable carts that are wheeled in and out as needed, allowing for hands-on training tools and product demonstrations. The building is now a specification focused facility, showcasing the latest in lighting design and Daintree controls throughout the building. Functionality was a keyword that Emma Lyne used throughout the tour, saying, “We wanted a beautiful, comfortable and modular space in which you can bring out the carts and panels with the specific product being demonstrated and then put them away when not in use.”

They did a nice job incorporating some of their history into the renovation by keeping an untouched rock wall in the back of the building. The Forum linear lights are in the shape of two giant letter “L”s, representing the former name of the building.

Cameras are set up in every room to incorporate two-way communication. During my visit I spoke live to Carla Bukalski, Director of Specifications, who was several hundred miles away. She pointed out that the Institute was remodeled recently, allowing them to incorporate best practices in meetings technology learned during the pandemic. Carla envisions that a visiting group will be exposed to in-person presenters as well as remote presenters, exponentially increasing their effectiveness and efficiency. If they are conducting training on horticulture, they could discuss growth recipes with a scientist in Lachine, Canada. The center has live, hybrid, and virtual training capabilities.

The design is smart in that there are large TV’s in the lobby that allow for a participant to watch if they are not in the main training area. The ADA compliant restroom features 365DisInFx, their on-all-the time UVA product. Each room in the Institute is named for local towns, such as Appalachian, Biltmore, Blue Ridge and Highlands, just to name a few.

Being right next to the manufacturing plant, the Institute leverages “Best-In-Class” manufacturing as a sales tool for those in attendance.

The business of lighting education is evolving dramatically, and both Current and Hubbell Lighting are well positioned to benefit. ■

The Business of Lighting Education

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