1. Loveland’s
Lighting Innovations
bends the rules
Nov. 23-Dec. 6, 2007
Special Section B
www.ncbr.com
GREEN BUSINESS
Lighting Innovations gets ‘green’ light to shine
Flat light panels’
LEC technology
outshines bulbs
By Luanne Kadlub
news@ncbr.com
What would you do if you could let there be light any-
where without worrying about bulbs?
Illuminate a countertop from below? Light up the dance
floor or the walls of your building? Surround your prized
collection of (fill in the blank) in a soft glow? Put your com-
pany logo in eye-catching places where no light bulb has
ever gone before, like on a pillar or the side of a moving
bus?
Lighting Innovations, a CeeLite LEC reseller based in
Loveland, can help make the impossible possible — if it has
anything to do with illumination, that is.
Linda McKellar, president and CEO of the two-year-old
business, has teamed up with Pennsylvania-based manu-
facturer CeeLite to market the revolutionary lighting source
deemed one of the Best Inventions of 2006 by Time and the
2006 Product of the Year by Electronics Products maga-
zines. And not only is CeeLite’s technology cutting edge —
the name of the business’ Web site, flatlitebulb.com, sums it
all up — it’s energy-saving and easy on the environment.
Image courtesy of Lighting Innovations
But first, what is this new light source?
CeeLite’s shielded three-wire panels sandwich light-
emitting capacitors and patented Sylvania phosphors BENDING PERCEPTIONS — This light sheet developed by Ceelite LEC in Pennsylvania emits white light by exciting phosphors and light-emitting
between a series of electrodes and encase the entire LEC capacitors encased in polymer sheets with an electric current. The lights can be bent and imprinted with logos or designs.
setup in screen-printable polymer thick-film compositions
similar to shrink-wrapped laminates. Running an electrical
from that of a small cell phone to a sheet of drywall. Pan-
Signs of the times
current into the system through a flatline inverter generates
els can be connected to form an infinite array of sizes and
Signage, however, is one of the primary uses of the pan-
a changing field within the phosphors that causes them to
configurations. They can even be cut.
els. Best Western Hotel and Conference Center at Inter-
emit very white light.
“I love introducing this to new clients,” said McKellar,
state 25 and U.S. Highway 34 tapped into the new technol-
The result: Panels that light up across their entire surface
who started Lighting Innovations after her previous posi-
ogy when it underwent its recent renovation. General
that are so thin they bend — one the size of this newspaper
tion as an administrative assistant for a real estate compa-
Manager Amanda West is glad she did.
page weighs less than six ounces — and can be imprinted
ny was eliminated when the company downsized.
West, tired of dust-collecting fluorescent signs, was
with logos or designs as easily as a T-shirt.
“I didn’t want to work in another office setting,” she
attracted to the slim design of the CeeLites. She ordered
CeeLite’s fabrication process is proprietary, but the com-
said.
three signs to promote the hotel’s Monroe’s Lounge, one
pany claims it uses environmentally friendly and degrad-
So she began investigating products she could sell that
exterior and two inside.
able chemicals, and that the LEC panels consume less ener-
wouldn’t require a lot of setup and on-hand inventory. She
gy than traditional fluorescent bulbs. “They’re simple to take care of. There’s minimal main-
started out selling carpet runners before she ran across
Because the panels are so thin, their uses are limited only tenance and I don’t have to replace light bulbs,” she said.
CeeLite and looked into becoming a reseller.
by one’s imagination. “Pretty much if you can create it, I How well lit they are was proven during a recent foggy
can light it,” said McKellar. She works with business owners, contractors and
morning, West said, when she could clearly see the outside
CooperSmith’s Pub and Brewing in Fort Collins uses homeowners. Much of her job is to educate prospective
Monroe’s sign from the highway.
CeeLite to illuminate its top-shelf liquors. Thunder Moun- clients about the new technology.
Longevity is determined by how long the lights are lit.
tain Harley Davidson in Loveland uses it in signage. And a “Once they have hands on and actually see the light
A CeeLite panel left on 24/7 will do its job for about four
Loveland homeowner designed an elaborate panel, then their brains take over and they start asking
years, McKellar said, while those on a timer can last up to
sculpture/waterfall using the waterproof lights. ‘Can we do this?’ or ‘Can you help me with this?’”
15 years.
That project, McKellar said, is by far the most expensive The answer is “always,” McKellar said.
“But they last a lot longer than fluorescent light bulbs,”
one she’s helped put together. The lights cost about $114 The lights are currently manufactured in Taiwan, but a
McKellar points out, adding that hot spots common with
per square foot, so that panel the size of this page would U.S.-based plant will open soon. Turnaround time is three
fluorescents are a non-issue with the new panels. They’re
cost less than $200. to four weeks.
also impact- and vibration-resistant and range in size
© 2006 Northern Colorado Business Report, Inc.
May not be reproduced without written permission.