{"id":3761,"date":"2026-06-24T11:26:47","date_gmt":"2026-06-24T11:26:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lightingnewsnow.com\/?p=3761"},"modified":"2026-06-24T11:44:40","modified_gmt":"2026-06-24T11:44:40","slug":"lighting-one-convention-addresses-todays-retail-challenges","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lightingnewsnow.com\/?p=3761","title":{"rendered":"Lighting One Convention Addresses Today\u2019s Retail Challenges"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The 2026 convention, held a few days prior to Lightovation in Dallas, was filled with optimism and solidarity.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Over the course of two jam-packed days of educational sessions and one-on-one meetings, Lighting One members were laser-focused on brainstorming ideas for succeeding in today\u2019s business climate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Noting that the retail business has been undergoing a lot of changes, Lighting One<\/a> President Gregg Garofalo opened the convention with this observation: \u201cInternet sales are moving fast and pricing aggressively. Distribution channels are shifting. The housing market \u00a0has significantly slowed. Tariffs squeezing margins. And customers think twice before spending. That\u2019s the reality, and it has not been easy.\u00a0 But here\u2019s the difference: You don\u2019t always win on price, but you do win on experience, knowledge, service and relationships.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Garofalo emphasized that being part of Lighting One \u201cisn\u2019t just a label \u2014 it\u2019s a competitive advantage. There are real, bottom-line advantages that help you stay profitable.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a cooperative, Lighting One is able to offer some unique advantages. Garofalo outlined some of them to the membership in his opening address: \u201cRebates that put money back into your business. Cost savings on products that improve your margins. Reduced freight rates that protect your profitability. Lower credit card processing rates. Consumer financing options that help close more sales, and numerous other business efficiency programs that allow you to do more \u2013 with less \u2013 and do it with maximum impact. The more you engage, the more you use, the more you lean into what this cooperative offers, the greater your return.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are more than 360 Lighting One showrooms across the U.S. and Canada, which provides scale and reach that enables the cooperative to have a noticeable effect. \u201cDriving maximum impact is our theme this year,\u201d Garofalo remarked, adding, \u201cThe Lighting One Convention is about pushing each other. Learning from each other. Raising the bar for each other.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Each membership group plays an important role in bettering the industry as a whole.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOur showroom members bring the customer experience to life. Our manufacturers and suppliers drive innovation and product leadership. Our independent reps and industry partners connect and strengthen this entire network,\u201d Garofalo said. \u201cAnd when we\u2019re aligned, this network becomes a true competitive advantage.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During the closing evening event \u2013 which was a full-on FIFA World Cup theme \u2013 awards were given to the following:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lifetime Achievement Award<\/strong> \u2013 Alan Karen (Alan sent a video message of gratitude as he could not be at the event in person. “I love this industry. Thank you for this incredible honor,” he said. There will be a party in the Satco showroom on Wednesday, June 24, at 4:30p.m. to celebrate.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Humanitarian Award<\/strong> \u2013 The Director family, Connecticut Lighting Centers<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Gregg Garofalo noted that he has worked with all three generations of the Director family during his lighting career. In accepting the award, David Director said he was proud to have followed in the footsteps of his parents.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Supplier of the Year<\/strong> \u2013 AFX<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
The team at AFX was lauded for their long-time support of Lighting One.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Showroom Member of the Year<\/strong> \u2013 Larry Metz of Northern Lighting in Ohio<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
A heartfelt photo collage of Larry Metz\u2019 decades-long career at Northern Lighting in Westerville, Ohio was shared on the video screen. <\/em> <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In his closing remarks to the membership during the final evening of the convention, Garofalo said, \u201cThe commitment and contributions of everyone in attendance has enabled Lighting One to show and prove what people with a purpose and passion can accomplish. The past day and a half have been awesome with Ernie Harker\u2019s energetic and engaging AI session, Angie leading the impactful member-driven networking discussions, the initial direction for the benchmarking program, plus good food and of course drinks. The energy in the room during the supplier speed dating event was contagious, and the economic outlook session with Jeremy Bess and Patrick Luce was informative and engaging.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He added, \u201cWe thank each of you for your partnership, friendships, and determination to keep our industry and the Lighting One co-op strong, always evolving, stronger and brighter than ever. Have a great Lightovation week ahead.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During the evening event, the William Branham Agency won $1,700 in the 50\/50 raffle to benefit The H Foundation for cancer research. The company donated their winnings to add to the funds raised for The H Foundation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

To further help The H Foundation reach the next level of $15,000 for the night, Tony Zitoli of Lib & Co donated the remaining amount to reach that goal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Additional winners at the event included Texas Bright Ideas and Brady’s Design Center, both of which won FIFA-themed prizes from the Speed Dating Event. Two showrooms who registered for Lightovation before the Early Bird deadline \u2013 Pine Grove Lighting & Electric and Masterpiece Lighting & Home \u2013 will receive partial monetary reimbursement from the Dallas Market Center as a thank you. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here are some of the Lighting One members, enjoying the last evening of the convention. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
The sibling team of Cindy Agers Strong and Scott Agers of The Lighting Corner in Michigan.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Todd Tuchfarber of The Midwest Lighting Group and Greg Mazza of Savoy House.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
Barrett Gross and Neil Fleisher of Zafferano America. <\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
\u201cThis will be my last time here, I am retiring,\u201d Rick Spicer told me LAST year at the Lighting One convention. He and his wife, Suzanne, are consultants at Renwil.<\/em> <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
Eric Choi and Jerry Piscitelli of Bulbrite<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
Jennifer Johnson of The Light Center in Colorado and her husband Doug<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
In keeping with the FIFA World Cup theme for the night, the Lighting One staff temporarily wore Lighting One jerseys and displayed this AI-generated photo of their own team.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The 2026 convention, held a few days prior to Lightovation in Dallas, was filled with optimism and solidarity. Over the course of two jam-packed days of educational sessions and one-on-one meetings, Lighting One members were laser-focused on brainstorming ideas for succeeding in today\u2019s business climate. Noting that the retail business has been undergoing a lot…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":3767,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"iawp_total_views":119,"footnotes":""},"categories":[11,391],"tags":[415,248],"class_list":["post-3761","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business","category-featured","tag-convention","tag-lighting-one"],"yoast_head":"\nLighting One Convention Addresses Today\u2019s Retail Challenges - Lighting News Now<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Lighting One members attending the 2026 convention were laser-focused on brainstorming ideas for succeeding in today\u2019s business climate.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/lightingnewsnow.com\/?p=3761\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Lighting One Convention Addresses Today\u2019s Retail Challenges - 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