AOLP LightLines

www.aolponline.org
LIGHTLINES
WINTER 2015
Early Bird
Registration
Deadline is
Jan. 22
OUR MISSION
To promote and advance the
landscape and architectural
lighting industry for lighting
designers and installers,
distributors and business-tobusiness manufacturers.
In This Issue
President’s Message . . . . . . . . .
2015 Board of Directors . . . . . . .
Advertising Deadlines . . . . . . . .
AOLP Lighting Award Contest . . .
2016 Conference & Expo . . . . . .
Safety on the Job . . . . . . . . . . . .
Prospecting Isn’t an Event . . . . .
Misreading Customers . . . . . . . .
Association News . . . . . . . . . . .
Members in the News . . . . . . . .
Committee Corner: COLD . . . . . .
Advertising Opportunities . . . . .
AOLP Contact Information . . . . .
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About LIGHT LINES
LIGHTLINES is an e-newsletter for members of the
Association of Outdoor Lighting Professionals.
It is published electronically
four times per year:
Spring issue is published in March
Summer issue is published in June
Fall issue is published in September
Winter issue is published in December
Come to Atlanta for AOLP 2016
Annual Conference & Expo
The AOLP Annual Conference & Expo is the premier event for the low-voltage
lighting industry. Held Feb. 18–20 in Atlanta, Ga., the conference is a great time
of year to focus on bettering your business. The event features education
sessions from experts in the industry. Topics for this year’s conference include:
➤ Digital Marketing
➤ Working with Landscape Designers
➤ Pruning for Your Lights
➤ Panel Discussions on Best Practices:
Design/Sales Process and Operations
Don’t forget to
Management
At the expo and reception, distributors and
manufacturers will share their products with AOLP
members, and networking opportunities are
available with other professionals in the field.
Certification is also possible in the days leading
up to the conference. Click here to learn how to
add certifications to your skill set.
Click here to view the conference attendee
brochure.
Click here to view the conference registration
form.
Click here to register online.
Don’t delay; register today! The deadline to receive
the early-bird registration rate is Jan. 22.
download the
conference
app.*
See page 3
for details.
*NOTE: There
will be NO printed
onsite booklet this year.
Conference app sponsored by:
AOLP LIGHTLINES
WINTER 2015
President’s Message
by Matthew Broyles, CLVLT, COLD
Holidays Ring in Season
of Intensity for
Outdoor Lighting Professionals
2015 Board of Directors
Matthew Broyles, CLVLT, COLD
President
Firefly Lighting LLC
86 Allen Road
Atlanta, GA 30328
404-275-4368
[email protected]
Paul Welty, CLVLT, COLD
Vice President
Innovative Nightscapes LLC
5130 Southwest Idaho St.
Portland, OR 97221
503-892-8238
[email protected]
John Niggli, CLVLT, COLD
Secretary
Lightscaping by Niggli Associates
2690 Chili Ave.
Rochester, NY 14624
585-426-5940
[email protected]
Gerry De La Vega, CLVLT
Treasurer
Terradek Lighting, Inc.
2000 East Center Circle #400
Plymouth, MN 55441
763-577-2425
[email protected]
Michael Deo, CLVLT
NatureScape Lighting
158 Clover Hill Road
Millington, NJ 07946
908-647-8004
[email protected]
Happy Holidays!
I hope that this newsletter finds each of you enjoying the holiday season with
family and friends. I know that many of you, as is the case for myself, are coming
off an intense season of Christmas lighting installations. I have had little time since
October to think about much else.
While I was busy pulling my hair out over Christmas lights, some fine folks were up
in Columbus, Ohio, at Wolf Creek Company taking a CLVLT exam. I would like to
congratulate the following members on achieving their certification:
Mike Imondi, CLVLT #1505, LDF Outdoor Lighting, Westerville, Ohio
Roger Howard, CLVLT #1506, NiteLiters, Inc., Owensboro, Kent.
Michael Richards, CLVLT #1507, NiteLiters, Inc., Owensboro, Kent.
Jason Sponzilli, CLVLT #1508, Sponzilli Landscape Group, Fairfield, N.J.
Joe Boff, CLVLT #1509, Wolf Creek Company, Inc., Columbus, Ohio
John Clemens, CLVLT #1510, Wolf Creek Company, Inc., Louisville, Kent.
If you have been putting off taking the CLVLT exam, there is another opportunity at
the upcoming conference in Atlanta.
Speaking of Atlanta, I hope that all of you will
make a point to join us at the annual conference.
The Conference Committee has been working
hard all year to make sure it is a great one. I
encourage you to make the investment in time
and money to come. You will not be disappointed.
I wish all of you a happy, healthy and prosperous
New Year!
org
www.aolponline.
SUMMER 2015
MessageCLVLT, COLD
Presidentby’sMatthew
Broyles,
AOLP Office
2207 Forest Hills Drive
Harrisburg PA 17112
717-238-2504
Fax: 717-238-9985
Membership
Help Jump Start
ed
and Get Involv in Harrisburg for
met
is
the Board of Directors
session. The meeting
Earlier this month,
strategic planning
direction of the
the annual AOLP
on the overall
s
year as we focus
and committee
advance the
association staff
productive of the
To promote and
ral
coming year. The
always the most
set goals for the
those goals.
landscape and architectu
ns of achieving
organization and
for the last
for lighting
budget implicatio
has been the case our
lighting industry
then work on the
financially, as
,
To jump start
on is doing well
designers and installers tohave been sluggish.
Although the organizati
numbers
ip
businessour membersh
distributors and
to roll out a
several years,
urers.
AOLP is planning
To jump start
and to have a
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later this year
for
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set
n show
marketing
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is planning to roll
presence at the
n
Beach, Calif., and
a marketing campaig
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later this year.
our organization
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has always plagued percent of the
Planning Goals
One issue that
AOLP Strategic
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on. Right now
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and without those
Directors . . . . .
lack of participati
2015 Board of
doing all the work, I would first like to
work and
So
membership is
........ 2
s for your hard
would get done.
Advertising Deadlines
various committee
10 percent, little
we are today.
who serve on the
for
would not be where
see if
thank all of you
How to Get Paid Plan . . . . . . 3
please look to
Without you, we
you
AOLP.
to
that
nt
ask
Landscape
I
Your
commitme
me or Lisa
currently volunteer,
Simply contact
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you who do not
more of
like to lend a hand.
Leverage Lighting
And for those of
to have many
...... 4
in which you would get started. We would love
great
Market Your Business
to
there is an area
to help us accomplish
5
executive director,
............
. Please volunteer
Ruggiers, AOLP’s
Safety on the Job
role in your association
the
you take an active
of our industry.
6 Tricks for Creating
..... 6
things on behalf
organization!
Perfect Sales Proposal
support of the
8
your continued
...........
Thank you for
Association News
.. 8
............
New Members
10
.
.
.
.
.
.
.....
Committee Corner
. . . . . . . . . . . 11
Member Spotlight
ies . . . . . 12
Advertising Opportunit
n . . . . . 12
AOLP Contact Informatio
OUR MISSION
Paul Gosselin Sr., CLVLT
NightScenes Corp.
205 Deer Forest Road
Kingsland, TX 78639
325-423-0653
[email protected]
LIGHTLINES
In This Issue
About LIGHT LINES
for members of the
.
LIGHTLINES is an e-newsletter
Lighting Professionals
Association of Outdoor
It is published electronically
four times per year:
in March
Spring issue is published in June
Summer issue is published
in September
Fall issue is published
in December
published
is
Winter issue
Contact AOLP at
717.238.2504 or
[email protected]
to reserve your space.
www.aolponline.org
2
If you have been
putting off taking the
CLVLT exam, there is
another opportunity
at the upcoming
conference in Atlanta.
ADVERTISING
OPPORTUNITIES
2016 DEADLINES
Spring (published in March) – Feb. 12
Summer (published in June) – May 13
Fall (published in September) – Aug. 12
Winter (published in December) – Nov. 11
AOLP LIGHTLINES
WINTER 2015
2016 AOLP Annual Conference and Expo Highlights
Become a CLVLT or Sign Up
for the COLD Program
How can you set yourself apart from the competition, gain
respect, acquire knowledge and invest in your future? By
becoming certified!
Become a Certified Low-Voltage Lighting Technician (CLVLT)
or sign up for the Certified Outdoor Lighting Designer
(COLD) program held in conjunction with the AOLP Annual
Conference and Expo in February at the Embassy Suites
Atlanta – Buckhead in Atlanta, Ga.
Want to Be Prepared
for the Conference?
Members praise the AOLP Annual Conference and Expo for
its educational and networking opportunities. For your
convenience, the CLVLT exam and COLD sessions are held in
the days prior to the conference at the conference hotel.
Registration deadline is Jan. 15.
Download the AOLP Conference
App* to Stay in the Loop!
COLD: Year 1 Session (Tuesday, Feb. 16,
and Wednesday, Feb. 17)
Room change for an event? The AOLP Conference App will
let you know and help direct you with maps of the hotel.
Not sure what’s
happening at a certain Big thanks to TerraDek Lighting,
sponsor of the conference app!
time? The app’s
schedule can keep you
on track, and you can
create your own so
you won’t miss
anything you really want to see! Need recommendations
on where to eat in the area? The app has that too!
COLD: Year 3 Session (Tuesday, Feb. 16)
Click here to access the COLD registration form.
For more information on COLD, click here.
CLVLT Exam (Wednesday, Feb. 17)
Click here for the CLVLT registration form.
For more information on CLVLT, click here.
If you have any questions about these certification
programs, please contact Kelly Clark, AOLP Certification
Coordinator, at 717-238-2504 or
[email protected].
You can find and download the app in the App Store
(iPhone users) or Google Play (Android users). Search AOLP
to find the app and download it for FREE!
Time to Shine! Sponsorship &
Expo Opportunities Available
If you are a sponsor or exhibitor and do not see your
information on the app, be advised that we continue to
update the app with the information we receive. Looking for an opportunity to reach lighting designers and
installers from across the country? Do you want to show off
your products and services and increase your company’s
visibility? Consider exhibiting at the AOLP Annual Expo, to
be held Feb. 18–20 in Atlanta, or sponsoring…or both!
*NOTE: The conference app will take the place of a printed
onsite booklet this year.
“The AOLP Annual Conference is first-rate.
This exclusive group has put together an
exceptional program for the betterment of
the landscape and architectural lighting
industry. If you consider yourself an
outdoor lighting professional, mark your
calendars now for the next and all future
conferences.”
Sponsorships offer visibility before, during and after the
conference. Exhibiting offers real face time with current and
potential clients. Why not mix and match the sponsorship
and exhibitor options to customize a package that gives
your company just the right exposure to AOLP members?
Click here to download a copy of the 2016 Sponsorship &
Expo packet, which contains the sponsorship opportunities
and exhibitor information. For more information or to
discuss customizing a special package for your company,
contact Lisa Cary at [email protected] or 717-238-2504.
Thomas Womack, Southern Lights of Raleigh, Inc.
3
AOLP LIGHTLINES
WINTER 2015
2016 AOLP Annual Conference and Expo Highlights
Book Your Hotel Room by Jan. 25
Hope to n
i
see youta!
n
Atla
AOLP has negotiated discounted room rates for the days of
the conference, as well as two days before and one day
after the conference, based on availability.*
Click here for more
information about the conference.
2015 Best of Show Winner
The reservation deadline is Jan. 25. Call (404) 261-7733
and mention our group name, AOLP – Association of
Outdoor Lighting Professionals. Click here to reserve your
room. Online group code: AOL
Embassy Suites Atlanta – Buckhead, 3285 Peachtree Road
NE, Atlanta, Ga.
Room Rates (plus tax) 2-room suite with 1 king bed: $139
2-room suite with 2 double beds: $139
All rooms come with
refrigerator, microwave,
free WiFi, complimentary
hot breakfast and
complimentary evening
reception.
Vote for Lighting Awards
Watch for an email in January with information
about casting your vote for the 2016 Lighting
Awards. All members who vote will be entered into
a drawing to receive $100 off a future AOLP
purchase, such as membership, conference
registration, etc. The lucky name will be drawn at
the Awards Dinner on Thursday, Feb. 18, at the AOLP
Annual Conference & Expo in Atlanta.
*Rooms in the AOLP
block are available on a
first-come, first-served
basis. The negotiated
room rate is only
available until our block
is full or the Jan. 25
deadline date is reached.
4
AOLP LIGHTLINES
Safety on the Job
WINTER 2015
WHY TALK ABOUT THE WEATHER?
Actually, we have no control over rain, snow, sleet, wind,
lightning or sunshine, but we can control what happens on
our job as a result of the elements. Some of the biggest
problems on construction jobs are caused by wind and
lightning. Wind probably causes the most accidents; lightning
can be deadly.
particularly when it’s equipped with lightning rods. You’ll also
be fairly safe in an automobile or truck. But never take
shelter under an isolated tree or where you’re in contact with
a tractor, crane or other equipment. If you get caught out in
the open, stay as low as you can. It’s much safer to be down
in a ditch than on top of the ground.
Watch Out for Wind
Rain Can Ruin a Job
Don’t let the wind catch you off guard. Not just tornadoes or
hurricanes, but everyday winds and unexpected gusts can be
dangerous. Wind just loves to pick up anything it can and sail
it away. So when it’s windy, securely tie or weigh down
supplies and materials.
Don’t loiter on the leeward side of unbraced walls, lumber
stacks or anything else that can be blown over by a sudden
gust of wind. In many instances, workers have been seriously
injured when an unbraced wall or form was blown over on
them while they were sitting in its shade during lunch or
before starting work.
Rain may be good for the farmer, but it can wreak havoc with
an outdoor project. It can turn a site into a gigantic mud pie.
Water seems to get in everywhere. Rain can ruin materials
and supplies and generally make things downright messy.
Steel gets slippery, equipment gets stuck and we get wet.
By covering equipment, materials, tools, supplies and
ourselves, we don’t give rain a chance to do as much damage
as it could. Remember to also eliminate slipping hazards by
sweeping water out of low areas.
Don’t Slip on Ice and Snow
When we work in colder climates, ice and snow make things
slippery. Clean and sand any work surfaces where there is ice
and snow. You need the best possible footing you can get.
Lightning Hurts
Every so often we read about workers being struck by
lightning. We all like to keep things moving until we’re rained
out, but when lightning is around, it’s safer to take shelter
early. Very often an electrical storm occurs without rain. Or a
lightning storm precedes the rain. So, the safest thing to do is
to seek shelter when you see lightning.
You’ll be reasonably safe from lightning inside a structure,
Controlling the Weather?
We can control the weather only as far as it affects the job.
Just remember that common sense usually dictates the right
thing to do in any situation.
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AOLP LIGHTLINES
WINTER 2015
Prospecting Isn’t an Event; It’s a Campaign
does connect with the prospect, she simply references the
last letter or package sent and then goes into her call script.
by Marc Wayshak
Meet Bill. Bill is responsible for sales at his company and
considers himself a tenacious worker. Whenever he
discovers a new prospect, he enters him or her into the
system. From there, he will attempt to contact that person
by phone, through email and even via office visit if
possible. However, after a number of failed attempts, Bill
is likely to toss the person into the sea of dead prospects.
Here are a few key techniques from Laura’s process that
can translate into a successful prospecting campaign for
any salesperson:
1. Create multiple steps. Plan out ahead of time what
your campaign will look like and what you will send to the
prospect at each step. Make sure that everything you send
over is of actual value to the prospect. Brochures don’t cut
it! Instead, create three to five different pieces to send the
prospect, which can each serve as a legitimate reason to
connect. Even in the event that you don’t hear back after
step 2, you are still slowly making yourself known to the
prospect, which makes him that much more likely to take
your call the next time.
Does this sound familiar to you? This is, after all, the
typical approach to prospecting. Besides being
disorganized and tedious, the process yields less-thanstellar results because it inhibits prospects from becoming
familiar with the salesperson’s organization.
Instead of adopting the common haphazard approach to
prospecting, it’s time to think of every outreach effort as
part of a larger campaign to engage prospects.
2. Call and email in between steps. Since you’ve sent
something of value to the prospect, you now want to
follow up to learn what matters most to her. The goal of
any campaign is to simply get through to the prospect. By
having a consistent process, you simply follow directions
and let the campaign do the real work. As soon as you
actually reach the prospect, you start the selling process.
Meet Laura. Laura used to employ a strategy similar to
Bill’s in which she would attempt to reach prospects seven
or so times before giving up. Now, she uses a campaign
approach to reach prospects. Here is what her new process
looks like:
Identify: Once she identifies a prospect, she adds him or
her to her customer relationship management (CRM)
system along with all the relevant information she can
find.
3. Warm them up with personal touches. People still
open mail, especially when it’s personal, so don’t just send
boilerplate letters and packages to prospects. Make them
personal with handwritten notes and individualized
gestures. One step in your campaign could be to send a
letter with a business article that may be highly relevant
to the prospect based on his current situation. The key is to
show that you’ve done your homework and see the
prospect as more than just a number.
Outreach 1: She attempts to call the prospect. In the likely
event that she doesn’t reach the prospect, she leaves a
message saying that she is going to send over a letter
with best practice case studies that highlight how she
could add value to the prospect’s organization. She
reiterates this information in an email.
Remember, developing a prospecting campaign can be a
bit of work upfront, but once you have it laid out, all you
have to do is follow the steps. By taking every prospect
through this same campaign, you slowly build connections
in a world where it is increasingly difficult to get through
the barrage of voicemail, gatekeepers and other barriers.
Send Letter 1: She sends a letter containing best practice
case studies.
Follow up on Letter: She now attempts to contact the
prospect at different times of the day over the course of a
week or two without leaving a voicemail.
Announce Package: She leaves a voicemail and email
explaining that the prospect will be receiving a package
with some ideas for a new program.
So give it a shot. Lay out your campaign, and take your
next series of prospects through the steps. The more
prospects you have in a particular campaign, the easier it
is to implement a systematic approach.
Send Package: She sends a big package with more highvalue ideas to help the prospect.
Follow Up on Package…
About the Author:
Send Letter 2…
Marc Wayshak is a sales strategist, the
author of two books on sales and leadership
and a regular online contributor to
Entrepreneur Magazine and the Huffington
Post Business section. Get his free eBook
“25 Tips to Crush Your Sales Goal” at
http://gameplanselling.com/. (Twitter:
@MarcWayshak)
Follow Up on Letter…
And so on…
She uses this same campaign for each new prospect. Yes, it
is more labor-intensive than the haphazard approach, but it
slowly builds a connection with the prospect even in the
very likely event that she can’t get through. Of course, if she
6
Marc Wayshak
AOLP LIGHTLINES
WINTER 2015
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AOLP LIGHTLINES
WINTER 2015
Marketing & Sales Tips
Misreading Customers Means Missed Sales
electricians are not the same. For example, out of the
nearly 80 million 18- to 35-year-old Millennials, there’s a
segment of 6.2 million with an annual family income of
$100,000 or more. They’re the affluent Millennials, and
they’re quite different from the other 62 million nonaffluent Millennials of the total group.
by John Graham
Selling is never easy. Never. But salespeople often make it
even tougher for themselves by letting customers get
away empty-handed. It isn’t that customers don’t find
what they want or what they’re looking for. It’s just that
they don’t want to deal with the salesperson.
According to the study “Money Matters: How Affluent
Millennials are Living the Millennial Dream,” this group
is in a second phase.
Basing decisions on
“Compared to nonaffluent Millennials,
opinion, inaccurate
affluent Millennials
information or hearsay
over index when it
leads to misreading
comes to changing
customers —and
jobs, buying a home
missed sales.
and making home
improvements in the
last 12 months,” and
they also “over index when it comes to expecting a child
in the next 12 months,” states FutureCast, the study
sponsor.
With the 800-pound Internet gorilla lurking over every
sale, today’s customers are much more demanding when
dealing with salespeople. If the experience doesn’t meet
their expectations, they’re gone.
More often than not, misreading customers causes them to
look elsewhere, and this means missed sales for you. It
doesn’t need to happen and here’s how to avoid it:
1. Be sure you’re speaking with the right “customer.”
Wrapped up in every customer is a handful of different
customers who behave differently depending on the
situation. The first job is figuring out which of these
customers you’re dealing with at the moment so you can
respond correctly. Here they are:
• The “I want to know more” customer. This customer
requires patience, so ask clarifying questions and get
them talking. Don’t push, but gently pull them along
until they’re comfortable.
It’s clearly good to be cautious when making marketing
and sales assumptions about any group. Basing decisions
on opinion, inaccurate information or hearsay leads to
misreading customers —and missed sales.
• The “I have all the answers” customer. Let this
customer talk and tell you all about it; don’t cut them
off. This person wants to be the salesperson so let them
feel they made the buying decision on their own.
3. Don’t stop with first impressions. A marketing
manager arranged a meeting to talk about working with
his company. After a 400-mile drive, he arrived in a
near-ancient pickup truck, wearing ragged jeans, a
wrinkled shirt and dirty boots. There was little doubt
about that first impression: the meeting was going to be
a waste of time.
• The “I know what I want” customer. By listening
carefully to these customers, you may find
inconsistencies in their thinking. Then by asking them
follow-up questions, these customers may recognize that
what they thought they wanted was not a good idea
after all.
Not recognizing it, we instantly pigeonhole customers —
and that can be a mistake.
First impressions may not tell the whole story. The man
in the dirty boots is a good example. He was for real; his
company became our largest account.
• The “I can’t make up my mind” customer. Here, the
salesperson becomes a resource, offering options and
comparisons and making note of the customer’s
responses so the person can recognize the best solution.
Never get carried away with first impressions, and be
prepared to discard those that don’t fit.
By making sure you’re talking with the right customer,
salespeople take a big step toward making the sale
rather than losing it.
4. Always offer options. There’s a lot to learn from
companies that do a great job capturing customers by
offering options. The Honda Accord, for example, comes
in several models, each with a basic price: LX, Sport, EX,
and EX-L.
2. Think individuals, not groups. Even though everyone
is unique, we lump people into groups — doctors,
servers, business owners,
blue collar, boomers, Gen
Choices engage
Z, old people, Hispanics
customers so they
and on-and-on. In reality,
don’t go away.
we know that all
Hispanics, accountants or
Choices engage customers so they don’t go away.
To be effective, options must be realistic and not so
many that they become confusing or frustrating to
continued on page 9
8
AOLP LIGHTLINES
WINTER 2015
We think that customers show their appreciation by
being loyal to a company, brand or salesperson. However,
what we label as loyalty may be something quite
different. It may be nothing more than convenience,
price, laziness, inertia or habit. Nothing more.
Marketing & Sales Tips
continued from page 8
customers. A financial advisor may present three
scenarios for a client’s consideration, while a real estate
agent may show a client several styles of homes.
Options should create discussion and further interaction.
In other words, customer loyalty is an illusion. It lets us
think the interchange with customers should result in
their loyalty — and that’s a big mistake. Today, nothing
— absolutely nothing — stands in the customer’s way
from getting what the
customer wants, the way
Far too often,
the customer wants to
salespeople make the
get it and where they
mistake of trying to
want to get it.
5. Don’t tell customers what to think. “Do you love it?”
asked the interior decorator after delivering the
reupholstered sofa cushions. The couple murmured a few
words, “It’s bright and different.” But at that moment,
one thing was certain: they didn’t love it.
Far too often, salespeople make the mistake of trying to
“guide” customers and tell them what to think: “This a
great buy.” “Isn’t this a perfect floor plan for your
family?” “Don’t you just love the color?” “This is going to
look great in your home.”
“guide” customers and
tell them what to think.
We misread customers
and lose them when we
expect their loyalty. Our
task is to focus on doing
everything possible to give them a great experience.
That’s the only reward that counts.
Customers want help and suggestions, but they don’t
want salespeople telling them what to think. When that
happens, it’s a turnoff.
Misreading customers costs sales. To prevent this from
happening, it takes doing battle with our assumptions,
particularly those that influence how we think about
customers and what we expect from them.
6. Forget about customer loyalty. It’s only human to
believe that we have loyal customers. When some leave,
we make excuses as to why they left. It’s tough seeing
customers leave. It’s as if they are rejecting us. It
negates everything we’ve done for them. Breaking up is
painful, particularly after making customer care a top
priority and bending over backwards to satisfy them.
John Graham of GrahamComm is a marketing and sales strategistconsultant and business writer. He publishes a free monthly
eBulletin, “No Nonsense Marketing & Sales Ideas.” Contact him at
[email protected], 617-774-9759 or
www.johnrgraham.com.
WANTED:
A Few Good Articles
To make LightLines better, we need members to be
article “feeders” to our staff. Please help us out!
• Have you or your company been featured in the
media? Let us know for Members in the News.
• Have you written an article about the outdoor
lighting industry? Send it in, and
we’ll reprint it.
• Do you have an experience you
want to share with your fellow
members? They would love to read
about in LightLines.
• Did you recently complete a project that was
difficult or you are especially proud of? Tell us
all about it and send in accompanying photos
while you’re at it.
Inspiration
in the palm of your hand!
Send articles about AOLP members, by AOLP
members or that would be of interest to members to
Amy at [email protected].
.com
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AOLP LIGHTLINES
WINTER 2015
AOLP Association News
REMINDER: Year 2 COLD Personal Growth
Projects Due by End of Year
Year 2 participants of the Certified Outdoor Lighting
Designer (COLD) program must submit their Personal
Growth Project by Dec. 31, 2015, if they want to continue
with the COLD program. The project requires you to
develop a concept lighting plan that you would present to
a customer and then present it to your peers at AOLP’s
2016 Annual Conference in Atlanta, Ga.
Read the PGP Year 2 Description Sheet for project
requirements. If you have any questions, contact Kelly at
717-238-2504 or [email protected]
AOLP Seeks Contributions
to Consumer Website
Thank You for a Successful CLVLT Exam!
A Certified Low-Voltage Lighting Technicians (CLVLT) exam
was successfully held at Wolf Creek Company in Columbus,
Ohio, Dec. 7 in which six people became certified (see
page 2 for the list of names). Thank you to Brooke Perin,
CLVLT, COLD, of Wolf Creek Company for hosting the event,
as well as the proctors who took their time to help
administer the exam:
• Kyle Adamson, CLVLT – Red Oak Design
• Jon Albrecht, CLVLT – Wolf Creek Company, Inc.
• Ron Carter, CLVLT – Kichler Lighting
• Chris Mitchell, CLVLT, COLD – Niteliters, Inc.
• Dave Reed, CLVLT – Niteliters, Inc.
• Mike Southard, CLVLT, COLD – Kichler Lighting
AOLP’s consumer website, youroutdoorlighting.com,
promotes and advances the landscape and architectural
lighting industry and AOLP members to consumers by
offering a gallery of inspirational photographs and
educational articles written by members. It also has a
search function that promotes AOLP members.
Help us make the website a success by…
1. Sharing the site on your social media and including a
link to it on your own website. It is a great consumer
education and marketing tool.
2. Contributing to the site with articles, photographs,
infographics, blog posts, lists, news or other publishable
information that promotes the outdoor lighting industry.
Please contact AOLP Director of Communications Michelle
Keyser at [email protected] for more
information or to submit website content.
Stay Connected to AOLP with LinkedIn
The AOLP LinkedIn Private Members Forum is a members
only benefit that allows you to connect and interact with
other AOLP members. With LinkedIn, you can post and view
job openings, engage in
discussions about the
lighting industry, pose
questions about projects you
are working on and get advice from AOLP members on
project-specific issues you may be experiencing. The best
thing about this LinkedIn forum is that it is private – for
AOLP members only! For this forum to be successful and a
useful benefit to everyone, we need all AOLP members to
participate! Don’t waste any time – join today! For those
who have smart phones or tablets, you can download the
free LinkedIn app to make access to the forum even easier!
AOLP Exhibits at Irrigation Association Show
AOLP exhibited once again at the Irrigation
Association Trade Show in Long Beach, Calif., Nov.
11–12. Big thanks goes to Eric Mitchell, CLVLT, of
Northeast Nursery who set up the booth! AOLP
regularly exhibits at related industry trade shows
to promote membership, certification and the
conference. Photo by Eric Mitchell.
10
AOLP LIGHTLINES
WINTER 2015
AOLP Association News
Members in the News
Paul Gosselin, CLVLT, president
of NightScenes Landscape
Lighting Professionals in Austin,
Texas, wrote an article for the
November 2015 issue of
Landscape Contractor magazine
in which he addresses the rights
and wrongs of outdoor lighting.
In the article, he shows
examples of poor products and
installation and instead
promotes the need to have
quality products installed by a
professional.
To accompany Paul’s article,
Mike Southard, CLVLT, COLD,
international sales of landscape
lighting for Kichler Lighting, sent
in photos of lighting bloopers he
has collected over the years.
This same issue also features an article about Joel Mayor,
CLVLT, of Texas Outdoor Lighting in Austin, Texas, and his
efforts to light up the Alamo.
Member Benefit
Spotlight:
Recruiting
a New Member
Means $$ for You
Did you know that as a member you possess the ability to
recruit a new member to join AOLP and earn money
toward your membership and/or conference attendance?
It’s easy and can save you a lot of money. Check it out
here.
Here’s how to get started:
Connect with
AOLP Online
• Print out some membership applications from the
AOLP website.
Did you know that AOLP
has three ways for you
to stay connected with
the Association and
your peers through
social media? So, what
are you waiting for?
Join today and get
connected online!
• Write your name on the referral line provided.
• Take them to the upcoming AOLP Annual Conference
and Expo and hand them out to everyone who is a
potential AOLP member!
Please direct any questions to Angela Burkett at
[email protected] or call 717-238-2504.
11
Did you know AOLP has
more than 1,700 followers
on Twitter? Connect today!
AOLP LIGHTLINES
WINTER 2015
“The COLD Program provides an opportunity for
participants to take their design styles beyond
the norm. It is designed to expand the thought
process and considerations one makes not only
when developing a conceptual design, but
when interacting with the client, accessing
project needs, and presenting projects. Part of
this is taught in classroom presentations, but in
my opinion, much is learned during the many
group discussions analyzing examples and
student assignments. Becoming a Certified
Outdoor Lighting Designer is one way to
indicate that you are willing to invest in your
development and mastery of your craft.
Committee CORNER
S P O T L I G H T
Each issue, this feature will focus on a specific committee,
its function and its members. If the featured committee
sounds like the perfect fit for you, please contact one of
the committee members listed below to learn more.
COLD Committee The COLD Committee oversees the Certified Outdoor
Lighting Designer (COLD) certification program. Members
work to update all COLD documents and improve the
program. (NOTE: You must be COLD certified to participate
in the committee.)
“The biggest benefit of being a member of the
COLD Committee for me is the continuing
education. I am amazed at how much I get out
of the sessions, especially through the group
discussions.”
Current committee members:
Scott Williams, CLVLT, COLD, Chair, University of
Oklahoma, Norman, Okla.
Matthew Broyles, CLVLT, COLD, Firefly Lighting, LLC,
Atlanta, Ga.
Heinrich Fischer, CLVLT, COLD, Sundown Designs - NY,
Fairport, N.Y.
— John Niggli, CLVLT, COLD,
Lightscaping by Niggli Associates
Chris Mitchell, CLVLT, COLD, NiteLiters, Inc., Owensboro,
Kent.
John Niggli, CLVLT, COLD, Chair, Lightscaping by Niggli
Associates, Rochester, N.Y.
Attention, CLVLTs!
Nels Peterson, COLD, Nordic Lighting, Minneapolis, Minn.
Staff liaison: Kelly Clark, AOLP Certification Coordinator,
[email protected]
Here’s an Easy Way to Earn
Continuing Education Credits
Want to get more out of
your AOLP membership?
Share your expertise as a technician, and write an
article for AOLP’s industry newsletter, LightLines. Each
article will earn you one continuing education credit
(CEC) with a limit of four CECs per year. Please submit
your articles and direct your questions to AOLP
Director of Communications Michelle Keyser at
[email protected].
Then, consider volunteering with a committee.
Committee members reap a variety of
benefits, including developing relationships
with professionals from around the country,
staying abreast of the latest industry trends
and providing an important voice in the future
direction of the association.
Wanted: Lighting Photos
Landscape Architect magazine is seeking projects to
feature in its upcoming Lighting issue in April. Send a
half-dozen low-res images to Alli Martin at
[email protected] with "Feature
Submittal" in the subject line. Include a short
paragraph describing the project and its location and
including your complete contact information. If your
project is selected for publication, you will have to
provide 12-15 high-resolution images. The deadline
to submit images for consideration is Jan. 15.
To find out more about the AOLP committee
structure, please visit the AOLP website. If you
are interested in lending your skills to a
specific committee, please fill out the
volunteer form on that page and submit to
[email protected]. We look forward to
hearing from you!
12
AOLP LIGHTLINES
WINTER 2015
Attention, Manufacturer Member Companies:
Make Plans for 2016!
Are you taking advantage of
your FREE ad in LightLines?
Two Ways to Spotlight Your Products
Looking for a way to target your advertising and
show off new or existing products in 2016? Consider
a Product Spotlight through AOLP.
LightLines, AOLP’s quarterly e-publication, is received
by more than 160 companies and 15 distributor
members and is always full of good information. We
know our members love reading LightLines because
they have told us so through surveys, through open
and click rate tracking reports and by sending us
direct emails complimenting the publication.
All manufacturer members of AOLP receive one
quarter-page ad in each issue of LightLines for FREE
as one of your member benefits – that’s a $400
value! If you are not currently taking advantage of
this benefit and would like to, simply send your
FREE quarter page ad (3.5” w X 4.5” h; full color;
JPG, TIF or PDF) to [email protected]. The
deadline for submitting ads for the next issue of
LightLines is Feb. 12.
One more additional advertising benefit for
manufacturers only… If you would like to UPGRADE
your advertising presence in LightLines, you can
always submit a half- or full-page ad and just pay the
difference in the price. To take advantage of this
offer, please fill out and submit this advertising
contract – just make sure to note UPGRADE and the
new ad size in the Ad Size column on the contract.
The Product Spotlight provides a platform to highlight
your outdoor lighting products, introduce new
products and educate an audience of faithful readers
on the benefits of using your products. This is a great
way to make sure your products are top-of-mind with
our members.
Two exclusive advertising options are available
through AOLP:
1. LightLines ad – one-half page ad for a cost of $250
2. Email blast – limited to one per month for the cost
of $100 each
Each Product Spotlight consists of the product name,
a description, one to two images and your company
logo. To better target your advertising, YOU decide
exactly which LightLines issue or which month your
Product Spotlight will be seen by more than 230
AOLP members.
Click here to download the AOLP Advertising
Information packet, which includes all of the details
about the Product Spotlight.
If you have any questions, please call AOLP
Headquarters at 717-238-2504 or email
[email protected].
Association of Outdoor Lighting Professionals
2207 Forest Hills Drive, Harrisburg PA 17112
Office Hours: Monday thru Friday,
Phone: 717-238-2504, Fax: 717-238-9985
8:30 a.m.–5 p.m. Eastern Time
www.aolponline.org
Material in this e-newsletter may
be republished with permission
of AOLP and with proper line
credit. Mention of commercial
products in this publication is
solely for information purposes
and endorsement is not intended
by AOLP. Material does not
directly reflect the opinions or
beliefs of the Board or staff.
AOLP Staff Contacts:
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR: Lisa Ruggiers, [email protected]
NEWSLETTER EDITOR: Amy Bobb, [email protected]
Find us on Facebook!
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AOLP’s staff wants you to get the
most out of your experience with
AOLP. We are available to serve
you, so please do not hesitate to
contact staff with any question or
concern that you may have. For a
full staff listing, please click here.
Tweet with us!
Share AOLP’s consumer website,
www.YourOutdoorLighting.com
with your clients!
Join us on LinkedIn!
13