Keystone Technologies, SATCO, Lutron Electronics and Gripple took home top honors at the 2018 Product Sprint Awards, the National Association of Innovative Lighting Distributors (NAILD) announced.
NAILD Product Sprint awards honor lighting manufacturers with products in five categories. Exhibitors showcased their products during NAILD Innovation 2018 at the Westin Mission Hills Golf Resort & Spa in Palm Springs, Calif. NAILD distributor members voted the winners of the awards.
“We’re pleased to introduce winners of the NAILD Product Sprint,” says Cory Schneider, who was named the 2018 president at the conference. “These companies manufacture innovative products and these awards are given by lighting distributors, who know exactly how the products perform for the end user.”
SignHero from Keystone earned Best Lamp and voters also named it Best Overall at the conference. In 2017, its Smart Safe LED Emergency Battery Backup Kit was voted Best Ballast/Driver and Best Overall. Keystone also swept the same categories in 2016 for its Future Fit LED kits.
The 2018 Product Sprint winners:
- Best Luminaire: SATCO, Blink Plus Profile LED surface mount fixtures
Ultra-low profile, edge lit LED fixtures, available in gun metal and bronze finishes. Available in seven different size options, including 1- by 4-foot and 2- by 2-foot versions. Mounts directly to any 3- or 4-inch box. - Best Lamp & Best Overall: Keystone Technologies Inc., SignHero chain or parallel
SignHero is a way to retrofit or build a sign cabinet with LED. Operating off of line voltage, it bypasses the ballast and wire using the existing sockets, allowing for installation in less than 5 minutes. No external driver required. - Best Control: Lutron, RA2 Select
The RA2 Select is a differentiated lighting, shading and home control system providing smart home capabilities while also providing setup ease for the installer. - Best Accessory/Service: Gripple, The Angel
The Angel is a cable hanger kit for lighting that is now available in black to blend into dark ceiling spaces.
Forces Under 40
NAILD also named two lighting industry leaders as Forces Under 40 for 2018:
- Jon Hermansen, 30, is an industrial designer and new product development manager at LSI Industries. As LSI moves towards producing contemporary architectural lighting fixture designs, Hermansen’s designs are a part of its new direction. He creates fixtures that are cost-effective to manufacture. His concepts and product designs have led to a stream of products that are helping to transform the company. Hermansen is responsible for the latest luminaire family at LSI, the LED Mirada Series.
- Greg Ehrich, 37, is vice president of Premier Lighting. When he was first hired, he worked on straight commission and focused on cold calls. Not only was he excited to sell a six pack of A19s, Ehrich was fast, aggressive and never forgot anything. He became a partner in the business a short time later. Thirteen years later, the company has tripled its sales and continues to be a lighting leader in the St. Paul/Minneapolis area. Ehrich also served on the NAILD board of directors, culminating in serving as president in 2015. During that time, he helped to redefine NAILD and re-launch the lighting specialist training programs.
“Jon and Greg represent the best of the next generation of lighting professionals,” Schneider says. “We’re thrilled to recognize their contributions to our industry so far and we’re excited to see their continued success.”