Welcome to the LEDs Magazine weekly newsletter for Oct. 16, 2019. Wow, it seems like every newsletter column I’ve written recently has started with an apology of some sort, and the Sapphire Award entry process has been at the center of some of the issues.
Well, as I write this we are having some problems in accepting the Sapphire Awards entry payments with us on our deadline for entries. We will accept entries for a few more days and we are diligently trying to resolve what appear to be random problems. We are using the same general entry scheme that we have used in the past. But it’s connected to a different back-office processing system at our relatively-new parent company Endeavor Business Media.
Please don’t give up on your entry if you are having issues. If need be, we will find a manual method to accept nominations. And don’t forget those Illumineer of the Year entries.
Moving to the news, it’s not often in the trade press when on a random Tuesday afternoon an email hits your inbox that simply stuns you. I find the LED and solid-state lighting (SSL) sectors fascinating technically, but it’s not like I’m covering phone calls to the Ukraine or a budding mid-east crisis. Still, I didn’t foresee in any way the news that arrived mid-afternoon Tuesday — Signify is acquiring Cooper Lighting.
We had only recently reported that the Eaton lighting business would revert to the Cooper name as it was to be spun out into the public market. Now evidently, Cooper Lighting will operate as a Signify business unit.
I generally try to use only a small portion of this column to communicate about our own internal programs and events. But I have several things I really want to tell you about today, so please indulge me. We are doing our first ever LED and SSL sector salary survey. You are all encouraged to participate in the survey and each respondent with be entered in a drawing for one of two $25 pre-paid credit cards. All respondents will also receive a detailed summary of the survey results. The survey will only be active for another week, so please respond as soon as you can.
We also have some more news about our HortiCann Light + Tech conference coming Oct. 31 in Denver. We have added Jonathan Webb, founder and CEO of AppHarvest, as a speaker. Here “App” has no relation to smartphone software but rather to the US Appalachia region where Webb is leading the construction of the largest LED-lit greenhouse in the US that will totally rely on rainwater for operation. The intriguing presentation is entitled “From Coal to Crops: Creating an AgTech Hub from Within Appalachia.”
We also have a webcast coming for you next Monday, Oct. 21. The focus is the use of modeling and simulation software to realize the best results in LED and SSL product developments. Join us at 11:00 AM Eastern time.
You will find many more stories of interest in today's newsletter. Please note my relatively new email address. And always feel free to contact me to discuss content we post or to pitch a contributed article.
- Maury Wright, (858) 748-6785, [email protected]