How LED is Transforming the Industry

This sponsored content was provided by Eaton's Ephesus Lighting. What is sponsored content?

Whether you're renovating an existing facility, building a new one or looking to maximize the use of your outdoor surfaces, lighting plays a major role. To learn more about how LED lighting has evolved, how it has impacted the athletics and recreation industries and what to think about when you're considering updating your own lighting, Athletic Business caught up with Mike Lorenz, president of Eaton's Ephesus Lighting business.

How has the evolution of LED lighting affected athletics and recreation?
After we illuminated the first professional sports arena with LED lighting, an industry that had not changed for more than 50 years was suddenly disrupted. Since then, this same high-end lighting has trickled down to the college, high school and municipal levels, although the needs are much different. This trickle down is the result of proving the technology and its benefits on a big stage, which allows more risk-averse municipal sports venue operators to see how the technology could benefit them.

How does lighting directly impact programming and revenue generation?
Athletic directors should be concerned with satisfying three publics: players, fans and the wider community. When it comes to lighting, LEDs can benefit all three. LEDs provide a high quality of light that uniformly illuminates the playing field with minimal glare, hot spots or unintended shadows. This helps maximize player performance and provides the best stage to view an event. Plus, LED lights consume 70 percent less energy, which means not only cost savings, but extended programming when it would have previously been too expensive to host.

What should a facility operator consider when undertaking a lighting project?
The financial investment required to install new lighting or retrofit an existing solution is still the primary concern. As with any building or renovation project, make sure you're taking advantage of budget-saving resources and grants, and understand the long-term cost and savings. For example, we recently worked with a municipality that reallocated funds set aside just for maintenance of their traditional lighting systems for the installation of a maintenance-free LED system.

As the sponsor of this year's AB Show keynote by Charles Duhigg on "The Power of Habit," what are some habits that have led to your success?
I have three main principles that have guided my success. The first is staying focused by figuring out what matters most and attacking it with passion. Second, I'm always checking my gut decisions against new learning to make the best business decision I can. And lastly, I push forward by taking lessons from the past and leaving all of the baggage and disruptions at the door.

This sponsored article originally appeared in the October 2017 issue of Athletic Business with the title "How LED is transforming the industry." Athletic Business is a free magazine for professionals in the athletic, fitness and recreation industry. Click here to subscribe.