In the lighting world, Q2 started with LEDucation in mid-April and, while the business seems to be steady, for most it appears to be “unremarkable.” And we’re launching the 2026 Q2 Pulse of Lighting survey to verify. What does “unremarkable”


In the lighting world, Q2 started with LEDucation in mid-April and, while the business seems to be steady, for most it appears to be “unremarkable.” And we’re launching the 2026 Q2 Pulse of Lighting survey to verify. What does “unremarkable”
While national chains are reporting strong growth as they benefit from data centers and all in the industry seeing topline performance grow due to wire pricing, the challenge is that operating costs continue to rise for electrical distributors. So, the
A couple of weeks ago NAED held its 2026 National meeting in Orlando. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to attend this year as I committed to speak at the Electric League of Western PA on the topic of Improving Project Profitability
The data center market seemingly changes on a daily basis. There are new data center construction announcements. The hyperscalers announce new partnerships. There is new technology designed to support the latest platforms and unleash more capabilities. And there is a
Data centers are set to drive $650-$900 billion in 2026 CAPEX, making them one of the strongest growth engines in nonresidential construction and distribution. The opportunity spans the full ecosystem—from upstream IT components to midstream REIT and hyperscale infrastructure to
We’re coming up upon mid-year. For many sales appear to be good. But are they? Those who are benefiting from the data center boom, or perhaps an industrial project in their market, or are a beneficiary of the Iran War
At the end of the year, Neil Ashe, CEO of Acuity, described the 4th quarter (their first quarter) lighting business as “tepid”, and our 2025 Q4 Pulse of Lighting report affirmed, and shared a 2026 Outlook If the definition of
For many we entered 2026 feeling as if we moved to the frozen tundra and, throughout the first couple of months the weather was “challenging” (and understatement) and a brake on the business. For others, the construction industry has been
For electrical distributors, their largest asset, and greatest differentiator, is their people. While inventory is a large line-item expense, the reality is that you can operate a electrical distributorship with little, if any, inventory if that is your business model.
We’ve shared that lighting is a significant segment in the electrical distribution industry. Typically, it is 15% of a distributor’s business. More so if they are in the commercial construction segment and in a metropolitan area (and yes, the percentage
As the calendar turned, many in the lighting industry said “good riddance” to 2025. It was a rocky road given the impact of tariffs on the project market and product pricing. At the end of the day for most it
MaxLite is a winner again. This time it’s for their AE Switch Remote Control Area Light, which was the EC&M Product of the Year Outdoor Category Winner. MaxLite, a leader in energy-efficient lighting solutions since 1993, announced that its AE
It’s a little unusual when two name-brand companies in our industry come together and openly collaborate on an offering, using the strengths of both companies. This isn’t to say that companies don’t sell components to each other, as that is
Over the past month or so I’ve noticed a number of manufacturers who have changed reps since NEMRA. It’s interesting timing as you would think that this would occur at the end of the year with companies reviewing their reps
nVent announced 4Q 2025 and full year 2025 results on February 6. The fourth quarter performance included record sales and backlog, and new product introductions while acquisitions performed ahead of expectations. Sales were about $1.07 billion, up 42% y-o-y, with
Legrand announced full year 2025 earnings on February 12. As many know, this is a very diversified company specializing in electrical and digital building infrastructures through a range of high value-added products and solutions including lighting, controls, power management and