Simplifying Life Through Technology

Elemental LED: Rob Doherty

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On this episode of “Simplifying Life Through Technology,” Mark and Andrew sit down with Rob Doherty of Elemental LED.

Great lighting doesn’t announce itself. It quietly shapes how a space feels, supports your day, and disappears into the architecture when done right.

In this episode, we sit down with Rob to explore what truly specification-grade linear lighting brings to modern homes. Rob breaks down how Elemental LED engineers and manufactures their products in the U.S., why consistency and color quality matter so much in continuous runs of light, and what separates premium solutions like Lucetta from typical off-the-shelf options.

We unpack how thoughtful engineering leads to cleaner installs, lighting that blends seamlessly into finishes, and rooms that simply feel better to live in. From kitchens and showers to backlit stone, wood slat walls, and outdoor applications, Rob shares where linear lighting makes the biggest impact—and why it’s becoming a foundational layer of residential design.

The episode closes with a broader look at where residential lighting is headed, toward dynamic, human-centric systems that adapt naturally throughout the day. Rob explains how control-agnostic integration with platforms like Lutron and Control4 allows lighting to be designed around experience rather than interfaces, resulting in spaces that feel balanced, intentional, and easy to live in. The discussion ties together design, wellness, and engineering, showing how well-executed linear lighting becomes an invisible but essential layer of the home. 

To learn more about Elemental LED:

https://www.elementalled.com/

To learn more about Lucetta Lighting:

https://lucettalighting.com/

Check out Lucetta Lighting on Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/lucetta.lighting/

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SPEAKER_03:

Doherty. I think Doherty a lot.

SPEAKER_00:

Now say it one more. How do you pronounce it again?

SPEAKER_03:

Doherty. Doherty.

SPEAKER_00:

Now I have it on recording, so I can always go back if I don't do it right the first time. And we're going to refer to you from Elemental LED. Yes.

SPEAKER_03:

And we may want to explain how Lucetta CI fits in to Elemental LED.

SPEAKER_01:

I personally would love that explanation. There is some confusion around the industry. Yes. Yes. I don't, there's a you got a lot of different companies going on in there or whatnot. In fact, go right ahead.

SPEAKER_03:

Well, we have one company, and that's Elemental LED. That's the parent company. Gotcha. And there's two brands that are available and sold within or under Elemental LED, and that's Diode LED, and that's Lucetta. And so Diode LED is well known in distribution, electrical distribution brands, solutions. Uh has a longer history. Has a longer history, 18-year history in the industry.

SPEAKER_01:

Okay. And and and primarily in the electrical side, not so much in the integrator side.

SPEAKER_03:

Well, yes, primarily has grown the reputation in the business in electrical distribution. Okay. And Lucetta as well as Diode LED brands are available to our dealers. RCI dealers. Lucetta is specification grade product, higher CRI, higher performance product that is mainly sold through or sold to or specified in the industry. And then and then obviously our CI dealers are it's available for purchase through through CI. So it's a premium product. It's a premium product, uh, and and that's how we market it. And that's how we promote it.

SPEAKER_01:

Where where did the name Lucetta come in? Uh we're we're just going right now. We're just gonna jump. You could pop this in later. Oh, I am going to. But I gotta get his applause. Oh, I was just gonna do this and then stop and do the do the intro.

SPEAKER_00:

Okay, sorry, sorry, sorry.

SPEAKER_03:

Well, where Lucetta CI comes in, Lucetta CI is a division today of Elemental LED. Elemental LED is a privately held company. Okay, Randy Holloscow is the the owner and single owner, single owner, president of the company. He started it 18 years ago in his garage. And more on the I know that feeling. You do know that feeling, exactly. The garage, the basement, and you know, growing, growing the the business and uh just uh a delightful man. Uh his his philosophies on business, his philosophies on on life. That is where the culture starts with the company. And certainly I was attracted to it immediately.

SPEAKER_01:

We love talking about culture. I I but I want to before we jump off it, because I do want to hear about that. Where I I can sort of surmise where diode LED, the name comes from. That that's I mean, kind of a functional name. You're sitting in the garage, oh, diode LED. Where does Lucetta come from? That's not as easily deciphered. Yeah, that's a good question.

SPEAKER_03:

One I don't know the answer. Yeah, fair enough. We'll nix that. It's it's often referred to she is unique. She's higher level, she's elevated, she's so is Lucetta actually a word that has a definition?

SPEAKER_01:

I mean, it not not involved with the the company. Is it an actual word that has a definition? That is a great question. We're gonna chat we're gonna have to chat that. We're gonna we're gonna have to find that out. Yeah, yeah, we're gonna chat that. Yeah. Okay, cool. So now you want to do the intro?

SPEAKER_00:

Yes. We'll just literally, I'll just do the welcome and get we'll get right into it. We'll get right into it. We're gonna practice that name another time to make sure I get it perfect. All right, all right. Let's jump in. Welcome, Rob.

SPEAKER_01:

So we have Rob Doherty. Okay. And I Rob, I say this in a lot of our podcasts how this is like a special one. I I I remark of that a lot. But this is really special, and I didn't want to tell you this before before we started because I wanted it to be like raw. Um you have been probably the most patient and and um best rep that I've dealt with over the last 15 years. And and here's why.

SPEAKER_03:

Wow.

SPEAKER_01:

We have done we've done almost no business with you over the years, and yet every time I see you, and we see each other at least once a year, it's some show or something. We always run into a point, we've been on a plane, right? You you actually stopped in the plane, aisle. I was sitting, you were walking in, right? You stopped, and always know my name, always say hello. You're never like pushy at all. You're never like you don't have this agenda. You just you're just like, hey, dude, you know, how you doing? Good to see you again. You've done that, I'm not kidding, Andrew, eight, nine, ten times. Is that true?

SPEAKER_03:

It it is, yes, you you're right.

SPEAKER_01:

It it it is, and that is a rare um uh uh trait or or personality thing that folks have, and you are just a real natural, just a likable, really good guy. And so I really much, very much appreciate that. And I'm super excited that we are doing business with you now.

SPEAKER_03:

Mark, I'm so excited, and thank you. You really am humbled by that. You know, it's it's uh, you know, I I have such a passion for our industry and to see your progression with your company, what you know, what you've done meeting years ago, and just to watch how you've grown and how how successful your company is today from an outsider looking in, somebody who's who's known you for a long time. I respect that. And so it's always in in being in the industry as long as I have, it it's great to see companies like yours grow.

SPEAKER_01:

Well, and and we model a lot of the stuff we do off of where you worked before, which is a good segue into how you got into this business. Sure. Uh tell us a little bit about your how you got into lighting and and just in the the industry that you love.

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah, I've been I've been directly and indirectly involved in lighting for all my career. I've I've been in the CI channel for 29 years. 29 years, and I love it. Love the relationships.

SPEAKER_01:

Andrew, how old are you?

SPEAKER_00:

Seriously, how old are you? I'm turning 29 in February. Okay, Andrew. I thought it was 29. Yeah, I'm 28 right now.

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah, that now I really date myself.

SPEAKER_00:

Caught that. No.

SPEAKER_03:

But it's uh it it started as a as an integrator. You know, I worked for for ETC Florida starting in the mid-90s, and and back then, uh, you know, Bill Marinetto and the company back then were heavily involved in in the CI channel and in in the industry, but we were one of the leading lighting control companies in the United States. And so it's we see You were a very early adopter. Very early adopter.

SPEAKER_01:

And just so our listeners, most of them I would say, or don't necessarily know who ETC is. Uh they're an integrator, a very successful integrator in the South Florida market, kind of Palm Beach, Fort Lauderdale, that that sort of area, right? That's correct.

SPEAKER_03:

That kind of based in West Palm Beach.

SPEAKER_01:

And that happens to be, if not the first place that lighting really took off. It's certainly one of the places. Uh just it's very um forward-thinking, very contemporary, very right, right? Am I correct?

SPEAKER_03:

That's right. I mean, and certainly with the with the homes in Palm Beach and Jupiter Island, we had the opportunities. These these clients demanded excellence. They wanted simplicity early on. They wanted the conveniences. And lighting control was one thing that we could offer. That every time they built a new home, it was something they wanted to do more of. They couldn't live without it once they had it. And when it's done right, yeah, that's just the way it is with with lighting and lighting controls.

SPEAKER_01:

And and back then, correct me if I'm wrong, in the beginning for you, it was lighting control almost almost uh exclusively. That's correct.

SPEAKER_03:

Oh, it is correct. We led with lighting control back in the mid-90s, right?

SPEAKER_01:

Exactly. The actual lighting design, which we talk about a lot on this podcast. Sure. The the lighting design came came later, earlier for you than it did for us, but but later in the in the history.

SPEAKER_03:

It did. I mean, we still we we were working with lighting designers back then. Sure. However, the flexibility and the offering of lighting has transpired over the years. So it's it's it there, it's it's more unique in in terms of of the overall uh control. I mean, controls have changed so much, as you know, over the years. Yeah, we back then we were just controlling halogen.

SPEAKER_01:

That's right, right? Just that's right.

SPEAKER_03:

No, no, no.

SPEAKER_01:

And there was a lot of ebbs and flows. It got it got popular and then it sort of fell off, and then it's kind of ebbed back. We just as a quick aside, we just closed on a on a new home, which we think is gonna end up being a retirement home and when we love it down to the beach.

SPEAKER_03:

Oh, congratulations.

SPEAKER_01:

Thank you. Yeah, and we have had lighting control in the last couple of homes that we've had. So now it's let's let's call it 10, 15 years. I don't know, 15 years. And most like literally today, when we got up, like going to we're we're yelling at each other about who's got to get out of bed to go turn the light off because you got to go across the room to a switch. I mean, that is archaic. Like, who goes to a switch? Seriously, the horror. Oh, the wife is not happy right now. Oh my goodness. So tell us more. So, what did you do at ETC? We we talked about lighting, of course, but what was you what did you do?

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah, I I sales and systems design. You know, I started installing, spending two to three days a week out installing, learning the business, learning how to wire, learning how to install keypads, and then learning how to program and design. And and so when we started that, we I think we had 12 people in the company. And then after 10 years and and deciding to move off in my career, I think we had 67 when I left. So I moved into sales management uh back then. And uh what year was that? Do you remember? This was 1996 through 2006.

SPEAKER_01:

So in 2006, there were 60 odd people. That's correct. And that's when you you left to go into the kind of the vendor side of things.

SPEAKER_03:

The manufacturer side. Yeah, I had had an opportunity with light, yeah. Yeah, light light touch lighting, light touch lighting controls. Okay. Uh back then, light touch is certainly one of the big three, I would say. You had light touch, you had vantage, you had you had Lutron coming coming into it uh with their homeworks product. And you know, I had that opportunity to move, move up to the east, family in Georgia, family in Virginia. It was a great opportunity to move uh to Greenville, South Carolina, and and start working for Light Touch, it was a regional sales manager. So it moved from Light Touch to Crestron to Vantage or Lagrande, Vantage, lighting controls, and and so I spent um the better half of 19 or so years on on the manufacturer side.

SPEAKER_01:

Did you did you move uh you said family? Was that sort of the driving force of leaving ETC and going to the manufacturers?

SPEAKER_03:

I would say it's it was a big part of it. Yeah. Starting to have have kids down there in South Florida and just wanted the kids to grow up around their around their grandparents and just had a great opportunity with with Light Touch. ETC was the largest light touch dealer in the country. I knew the product early on. I knew the product well, I knew the people in the country.

SPEAKER_01:

Andrew, Rob is the first person in history who moved from South Florida to near the grandparents. As a for so for two things. One, grandparents always move to where the grandkids are, especially if they're in Florida. That's true. That's where a lot of people retired. Yes. So okay, so so we we've gone through Light Touch, and now now you're with Diode Elemental. Elemental LED. And why don't you tell us about that product? Something that we use and actually have displayed here. Uh at it in actually, we just redid the entire linear in our experience center with Lucetta. So yeah, I love it.

SPEAKER_03:

Thank you. Thank you. Yeah, it's yo, Elemental LED is a really unique company and certainly attractive. You know, when when I departed, Le Grand Vantage, I was looking, you you look at people, products, and company. And when I in spending this time in the industry and and knowing a lot of people, knowing a lot of companies, I began to really narrow it down in looking at the companies I wanted to work for and work work with. And you look at the people in the company. You know, one of the things I've gotta I've gotta uh give kudos to Randy Holescale, the president and owner of the company, uh, as well as Paul Irwin, our chief revenue officer. They've built a foundation of support that is just unmatched in the industry that I that I see. You were talking about their culture, their culture of the people want to come to work. And you want to be around people who want to come to work, who smile, who have high energy, they serve first, and that's what it's all about. And so that foundation was very attractive to me. And then you look at the the product, the product of is it a quality product? Is it innovative? Is the company overall investing in the CI channel? I knew I wanted to stay in the CI channel. I love the business. And so you you look at all those facets and the characteristics, and that's where elemental LED comes into play.

SPEAKER_01:

Well, okay, so we so really cool, sounds like a great company to be around. Now let's talk about the product because that's what our, I know our listeners are going to be interested in. Give us an idea of like the difference in say a professional grade solution, standard grade solution, something you could get on Amazon or you know, any number of places that you could go to. What is the difference? Like quality, kind of go into what makes uh Lucetta, Diode LED, what makes them different? Why would our customers choose you?

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah, that's a great question. I think there's multiple answers here, but if you look at just ultimately the build quality, the performance, you know, per the performance is not cheap. It's performance determines the price of our products and and solutions. You know, it starts with a significant investment in research and development. And if you you came out to Reno, our corporate headquarters, you would see the investment in automation, the investment where we take automation and people together to build a high quality product. It's it's designed, it's engineered, it's manufactured in Reno, Nevada. And you know, what one of the philosophies that Randy has taken, and really it helps build the culture of the company, is you know, with the 80 plus patents plus another 24 that that we have in pending, we have specific specifications that our products are are built from. And we don't stray from that. It might sound bold, but but that's the reality is the end our our engineering team, our partners are held to or are accountable for that level of quality. You just don't stray from it.

SPEAKER_01:

And we test, we have multiple levels of quality control with channels, with tape light, with anything that's so when a customer, okay, so when a customer is looking at that and you've got this rigorous uh adherence to a quality standard, and then they look at that versus some other alternatives. What are they gonna see? What what differences will they actually notice?

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah, I mean, it's it's a couple of things. It's it's the build quality of the product from the PCB PCB boards to the soldering to it's the little things, Mark. It's like the phosphor coating is proprietary. We manufacture our own phosphor coating. Why? Consistency. Yeah, the quality of the consistency of the tape light. You know, with tape lighting, it's so easy to see the imperfections.

SPEAKER_01:

It it really is versus a recessed light.

SPEAKER_03:

Right? Because it's all together. Yeah. So if you if the the binning process, you know, they they talk a lot about uh about that.

SPEAKER_01:

What what is a what is a bin? What is a binning process? I do know what it is, but I'll let you explain.

SPEAKER_03:

No, it's it's truly it's selecting the LEDs and and putting LEDs, placing LEDs in groups based off of the color and the brightness and the consistency of the color and brightness. And we have a team that works with partners in selecting in and selecting that one you know S S C So it's it it's the let me let me throw out an idea.

SPEAKER_01:

So if anybody's seen the movie Fracture, uh in Fracture and I gotta re um who was uh Silence of the Lambs? Who was Hannibal Lecter? Who's the who's the uh Anthony Anthony Hopkins? Anthony Hopkins character in Fracture. Uh he he kills his wife. Well and you you well you find this out in the beginning, and it's not that, it's how he does it. But he's this genius, he's a genius engineer, and he's he has this scene where he's talking about when he was a kid, his dad was an egg farmer, and his job was to he had his dad um he looked at all the eggs and he was looking for imperfections. And his dad said, If it's if the egg is perfect, put it in this bucket, and if it's not perfect, perfect, put it in this bucket. He comes back and there's no eggs in the perfect bucket, they're all in the imperfect bucket. And the guy said, He he said, Yeah, I couldn't, I I would see hairline cracks, and I would see the binning process, long story there, but the binning process as I understand it is similar to that.

SPEAKER_03:

It is.

SPEAKER_01:

You're like, okay, I want to see the perfect um representation of light out of this LED.

SPEAKER_03:

That's correct.

SPEAKER_01:

And if it's not, it goes in the imperfect bucket.

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah, or it goes into the two, three, four, five, six, seven bucket.

SPEAKER_01:

Which which are which could be set up for things that aren't quite as critical.

SPEAKER_03:

It is. You you really the eye begins to see the deviations and the and the differences in the quality of the LEDs when you get into the threes and the fours and you go up from there.

SPEAKER_01:

And so yeah, you mentioned how it's so different than halogen. And just for people to sort of visualize in your mind, if you're looking at one light bulb and it's coming down, and there's another light bulb across the room, if they're way off, sure. But if they're only a little off, you can't really tell. Right. But when it's a string of consistent light, like a line of light, it is so easy to tell when it's a little bit off or when it shifts. And that's what these don't do. These don't shift.

SPEAKER_03:

That is you, you're exactly right. I mean, those are those are the things that we are very stringent on and very strict on in terms of our selection of our our our die outs on our tape light.

SPEAKER_01:

And we've noticed that, and that literally that is why one of the main reasons we changed the showroom because. Because we we saw that uh in your product. And that's one thing, a hugely important thing. But you also have some really cool solutions like the black, uh, the um the oh gosh.

SPEAKER_03:

Um well, we have the flex, the the flex tape, and the and now we're developing the the plaque channel with the black lens. So that does affect the the lumen output. Sure. About 90%. But if you know that going in and you show that to a client, maybe you're designing a a a dark home theater, for example.

SPEAKER_01:

We got it right here, right?

SPEAKER_03:

That's what we have. Exactly, with the with the dark walls and the dark furniture and the dark carpet, and you want that light to disappear when it's off. But when it's on, you'll provide that the the quality of light or or unique look, uh visual color, visual impact, right, in in in the room. And and so we're we are creating some unique products in in that aspect, and and that's really CI is driving that.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, and this is great for our for design uh partners that are listening out there. Hi. Thank you for listening. Thank you. Um when you want to create an effect, but you do want it to disappear, and then you want it to appear when you want, just exactly like Rob just described. That they have product that allows you to do that. The other thing from an installation standpoint, you've got the you've got the tape that you can actually like cut anywhere.

SPEAKER_03:

Right.

SPEAKER_01:

Which is uh again, from a uh from an end user perspective, like what what does that mean? But usually you can only cut it at certain places. That's right. And so it's you don't necessarily get it exactly right because you're limited. That's right. But in this product, you can do that.

SPEAKER_03:

We can, and that's the Linair Flex product and it free cut. It's amazing. And there are different you have top bend, side bend, 3D bend, a micro 3D bend, just based off the application, and that has a IP or e-gross protection rating, so you can install it outside around fireplaces.

SPEAKER_01:

Yes, I was just gonna get to this.

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah, it's it's so it and now we offer it in RGBW, so color changing and effects can come into play. So it's beautiful, it's a great product.

SPEAKER_01:

Talk about some of the unique lighting possibilities, things like uh uh granite or showers or outdoor anything like that.

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah, it's it you know, and that's the unique thing about linear lighting, tape lighting. The growth of it is tremendous because you have you have tape light that could be used for for just straight ambiance and and and general lighting, right? But task lighting and accent lighting. And there's so many options and so many opportunities to uh to provide our products or or linear lighting in the in in these applications. But there's been so many unique uh unique styles accenting this this wood paneling here on the on the on the wall and and wood slats and and providing just accents into the room to draw your eyes. Yeah. And so it's it's really that aspect, and that's where you know teaming up with lighting designers who really understand that aspect of of uh a layer lighting.

SPEAKER_01:

I know you guys aren't the only ones doing it. We're not, but I will say that you uh on your website you display it. There is some incredible stuff. There's the basic stuff, which is cool. Like, you know, if you're doing toe-kick lighting or under cabinet, which is super cool. It's fun. There's uh you know, there's the task lighting like you're talking about, whether that's in a kitchen or an office or something, right? But I challenge the the ladies out there listening, go and check out like the things in showers.

SPEAKER_03:

That's right.

SPEAKER_01:

Where you have lighting like you know, waste or down kind of so you don't have any hard lighting coming down at all. It's very spa-like, very it just creates this great mood, super cool. And then check out the accent walls or the the granite countertops that are lit from the bottom. And if you are like, what is he talking about? I'm telling you, go to the website, you're gonna be blown away. Yes, that's right.

SPEAKER_03:

No, it's it's crazy, and that's again becoming more popular, backlighting the stone with light bottom panels, right? It's countertops in bathrooms, it's beautiful, beautiful.

SPEAKER_01:

Uh it's things that we never even imagined uh, you know, 10 years ago. Like we didn't even know you could do it, right? Or it would work, sure, but it does. It does. Andrew, you're you're they're so loud. Oh, are they loud? We you know, we have people outside. This is an actual real podcast. We are we have people outside making noise. Um so, Rob, what do you see the future of like like where are we going?

SPEAKER_03:

Wow, the sky's the limit. Um, we've we've got a lot of things in play that uh really can't share right now. But you know, lighting done. That's ridiculous, and it doesn't make any sense. I think that was the wrong drop, but okay, we'll go with that. Typical manufacturer answer. Yes. You know, but the the the lighting is changing, the controls are changing. We've we've evolved from, and we talked about it earlier, controlling halogen and then MR16 and the CFLs, and and now the the evolution of LED and DMX and Dolly, dynamic control of the lighting is is really coming more and more into play. It's it's that flexibility that it offers the clients and to to really deliver the right light the way they want it to be, the the mood we we we talk about uh health and wellness. There's certainly that aspect of it, if that's important to the client, especially up north, you know, with uh you know the the seasonal disorders that people have. I was up in I was up north last week with with a dealer, and he was telling me about his wife who who has this seasonal disorder, and they installed tunable lighting, full color tunable in their home. And what a difference that has made for the people.

SPEAKER_01:

Go a little deeper to that, family. So when you say seasonal disorder, I I honestly am not totally sure I know what that is. Well, that's because you don't live up north.

unknown:

That is true.

SPEAKER_03:

You don't have the snow that's seven months out of the year and the gray skies that are that day. It's depressing, it creates depression for people.

SPEAKER_01:

Wow, okay. Yes, and so how does how does the light help help that?

SPEAKER_03:

Well, it it ult ultimately it it's adjusting in the home to bring that natural light, more natural light into the home. It's not so gloomy and warm all the time and dark all the time, where they can adjust that lighting based off of the time of day and based off it brings that natural feel, it makes you feel better. And it and ultimately, what he was telling me is done tremendous wonders for his wife and his family.

SPEAKER_01:

And so we talk about circadian rhythms, which is what I'm assuming that we're alluding to here. Sure, which is that progression of light from early in the morning and it follows the sun on a perfectly sunny day. It follows the sun all the way uh around from again that sort of entry-level warm till you get to that blue-white task, that's right. Uh you know, high energy type light, and then back down to the kind of the warm glow to get you ready for sleep.

SPEAKER_03:

That's that's right. And then you went with control systems and and the aspect of control systems, working with alliances with with our control system partners to deliver that to a client. So based off of the time of day, they press that button, the light is going to come on to you know that that natural glow if it's 2 p.m. in the afternoon, the high, the highest light.

SPEAKER_01:

I am so glad you brought that up because that's something that's misunderstood a lot. People think they're so used to you know, you turn on a light switch and the light comes on, you turn the light switch off and it goes off, whatever color it is it is. Sure. And then they think, okay, well, maybe I can dim that. So that's kind of cool. And then they go, well, all right, I can change the color temperature. I sort of understand that. But what we're saying is this is dynamic. So you press the same button, but at five different different times of the day, you get five different colors of light and temperatures of light, correct? Correct.

SPEAKER_03:

You nailed it. Yeah, that which is cool. Exactly. Exactly. And so it's you know, circadian rhythm is part of that human-centric experience. I mean, human-centric is is lighting for humans. It's it might be different for for you than it is for me and in my home and in your home.

SPEAKER_01:

Sure. Now you talk about control. You guys don't actually, by and large, don't really control, correct? I mean, you don't pr you don't uh sell a control platform. How do you work with who do you work with and that sort of thing?

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah, we don't you? That's a great, great question. We work, we work with all the all the companies out there, um, you know, Control 4 and Crestron and Lutron and Advantage and and even RTI, URC, Savant. We are, and you know, that's one thing with my background and working with Elemental LED and Lucetta CI. We are uh we've got a plan in place and we're we're continuing to grow our alliances with the with the control companies. We just hired a control guru from Legrand Vantage, Aaron Severson, who's gonna come work for us, because we are developing a ultimately we want to be the easiest company to control and to work with in the marketplace, certainly when it comes to linear lighting. And we're we are the leader leader in linear lighting, but we know that we can be better at at control integration.

SPEAKER_01:

So are you saying that you're sort of control brand agnostic? We are okay, okay. So it doesn't really matter what you have as far as what what keypads or what remotes or whatever, uh, you'll work with any any of them. That's correct. Okay, very cool. Now, lastly, before we kind of move off to something a little more fun, what because this is not I don't know why I said that. This is so fun. I don't know why I said that, Andrew.

SPEAKER_00:

We're learning so much.

SPEAKER_01:

We are lighting's awesome. It is learning can be fun. It is. So we've talked about linear a lot. Oh, I'm sorry, you were gonna say.

SPEAKER_03:

No, I mean, it lighting is awesome, and it's it's the it is the paradigm shift in our industry. You know, it was it was networking, shades, and now it's lighting.

SPEAKER_01:

We completely agree. Now, I I we have identified for many years as a service company, and we continue to do that. We feel that service is the most important thing uh that we offer our customers. If we go to product, if we take service off the table for a second and we go to product, we are of the belief that lighting will completely dominate our industry within the next few years.

SPEAKER_03:

I believe that.

SPEAKER_01:

It is on a trajectory that is so hockey stick right now. Uh you know, we we very rarely do a project that we do not not only have lighting control on, sure, but have some level of lighting design. Linear being the big one. Sure. It's not the only one, it's a big one. Uh and so that leads me into my kind of my last question for you. We've talked a lot about linear, and I think that that you you guys really hang your hat on that. Um, do you have plans to get into other products, other linear uh other non-linear lights uh design right now?

SPEAKER_03:

It's not part of the plan. We we're staying in our sandbox of developing the the highest quality, the best linear lighting solutions that we can offer. You know, one of the exciting things that is is uh we're we're putting plans into place is for our CI dealers, we're delivering so Lucetta CI is a division today of elemental LED, which we talked about a little before, yes. It's gonna be a brand at the beginning of 2026, a complete Lucetta CI experience for our custom integrator partners like yourself, like Sound Vision. And what is what does that mean? It's the the products are going, we're gonna continue to develop product specifically for the CI channel. All of our products are Lucetta CI products. That's so it's not diode LED, it's not Lucetta. So it eliminates a lot of channel conflict. It's specific to it's only sold to the CI channel. It's it's it's developed and delivered specifically for our CI integrators. And that's the that's the investment that this company that Elemental LED is making.

SPEAKER_01:

And we have found as a quick pitch for just all integrators, not not necessarily just us, that the um that that hockey stick yeah trajectory of linear light is it's it's a real thing. And when we go out to homes, I mean we there's so much detail that goes into it. You were talking about you know the different ways that that wire gets into the light, if it's the side or the top or the bottom. You got it. Like so you have to plan for that. We we plan for things like when it comes in under a cabinet, you know, where does the the channel go? Where does the the lens go? That's right. How do you have the lens go all the way? So if you look under the cabinet, it looks consistent. And that's the kind of product, not only the light, which is the most important thing, sure, but also the ability to integrate or or just get it to work. We find that the electrical community, while they probably have the ability to do that, that's just not something they are really geared up to do. It seems to fit more in our in our little sandbox. No doubt. So that's why products like Lucetta are so important to us because you guys allow us to deliver the kind of end result. In fact, you were just talking about in the beginning. You said, you know, customer comes. We I hired you, Rob. Right. I want you to deliver on the promise that you, you know, you that you promised us. That we need those kind of products to be able to do that. So we're very thankful for them.

SPEAKER_03:

No, you're welcome. You know, it's our it's our job to make you the hero in front of your clients and to understand that again, we be being in the CI channel for as long as I have, I have great empathy for for what you do and standing in front of clients who demand excellence. They expect excellence and they're willing to pay for it. That's right. They're they're value, they're value and not price-driven. That's that's exactly it. And and in my travels, the integrators that are successful selling lighting are the ones who are not seeing the dollar signs, but they're seeing the impacts. We were talking about earlier, the impact that lighting can make on in their home, certainly the aesthetics of their home, but just their family, the safety, the security, the aesthetics, yes. The wellness, if that's what's important to the client, there's the wellness factor.

SPEAKER_01:

Sure, sure. Well, this has been really educational, very cool. Andrew. It's that time again, Andrew.

SPEAKER_00:

So, Rob, before we go, we always like to gauge our uh guest music interest. Oh, why don't you tell us who is your favorite band artist? What's your jam?

SPEAKER_03:

Wow, I love to listen to all types of music. Opera is a big Andrew. Growing up in in Georgia, my band was REM.

SPEAKER_01:

Oh yeah, Athens based.

SPEAKER_03:

Andrew, you probably don't know who they are. I knew. But Mark said it.

SPEAKER_00:

You don't know who REM is? Maybe if you play me a song, I may know it.

SPEAKER_01:

Oh my gosh. Oh my gosh. Yeah, they were the quintessential. I'm I'm sorry. Well, maybe not steal your no, no, it's a case.

SPEAKER_03:

So you you love just different type, but REM was was my band growing up in in Georgia, Athens, as Mark said, an Athens, Georgia band. And then just I you know, I love all types of uh of music from from the alternate 90s alternative. I constantly listen to to Creed and Stone Temple Pilots. Oh yeah, sure. But then when I want to rock in the car or just relax and and go, it's it's country. Yep.

SPEAKER_01:

Okay, living in a lot of how country are we talking? Are we talking old school Nashville? Are we talking country rock pop now?

SPEAKER_03:

Oh, I like the old school Nashville. Oh yeah, oh yeah, okay. So give me give me some. You know, the Alan Jackson's the relaxed okay, sure. The old Garth Brooks. I've got friends in low places.

SPEAKER_00:

Hey. Now, did you go to UGA?

SPEAKER_03:

No, no, I went to Western Carolina University.

SPEAKER_01:

Oh, you oh you're catamunt.

SPEAKER_03:

Baseball player, catamunt, yeah. Oh, no, no kidding. I was gonna go to UGA.

SPEAKER_01:

I have my twins are there. Oh, really? Yeah, I have two, I have two boys that'll be graduating in the spring. Fantastic. Hey Michael, hey Matthew, what's up? You going to football games? I have not. They go all the time. Oh, I'm sure. Yeah, they're they're huge, huge UGA, you know, huge Bulldog fans.

SPEAKER_03:

Oh yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

So, okay, so uh REM, um, your favorite song is Wow.

SPEAKER_03:

Man on the Moon from REM. Oh yeah, yeah, Man on the Moon. Very classic, classic tune.

SPEAKER_01:

And and you know the story about uh uh The One I Love.

unknown:

No.

SPEAKER_01:

So that that is a song. That was popular. It was incredibly popular, and it was written, it was a very dark song, but it didn't say people thought it was like uh like a boyfriend-girlfriend song, but it's all about like literally breaking up with one girl and finding another, and it's a very dark song, actually, yeah. So there you go.

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah, there's your REM there's there's the REM thing for him.

SPEAKER_01:

They were huge, Andrew. They they did kind of burn bright, and then I mean they they're they're still popular, but they they had this very they did they crest kind of thing.

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah, I mean it was 80s all the way. Oh, that's that was my favorite concert. It was the document tour in the Fox Theater downtown.

SPEAKER_01:

Oh yeah, the Fox Theater in Ohio. Oh, yeah.

SPEAKER_03:

Oh, sure, that's cool. That was awesome.

SPEAKER_01:

Well, this has been super fun. We've learned a lot. We appreciate you being here. We're we're actually having an event tonight, and before actually, before I say that, because we're talking about music and we're talking about favorite bands, and we're recording this in the week that Ace Fraley, the the guitarist from KISS, you did died, which was my first favorite band in 1976. That was a uh that was the first album I ever got. Yeah, yeah. So that's that's a sad, sad day that that happened.

SPEAKER_03:

It was a sad day.

SPEAKER_01:

But uh, we got an event tonight where you came in for that, which we're super appreciative for. Thank you very much.

SPEAKER_03:

Oh, you're welcome. Look forward to it.

SPEAKER_01:

And we're we're good, Andrew. We are. Thanks for joining us, Rob. You're welcome, Andrew.

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Mark DiPietro

Host
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Michelle Ferlauto

Host
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Andrew New

Producer