Ding!! Shining The Light On a Bright Idea
January 10, 2011 by Tim Byrd
When we come up with a good idea, we usually think, ahhh the light finally came on. Well, recently I sat down with the CEO of LED Source Lighting located in Wellington, Florida. Marcel Fairbairn is not your typical suited up corporate type, he is a rocker at heart (at least that is what he did in an earlier life), he got his start in a rock band when he was 16, and that led him to selling guitars in a music store of which he became a partner early on. Later he started and still owns Gearsource.com a company that deals in pre-owned production and concert equipment, which does millions a year. This in itself is a nice living that puts you in some rare circles to begin with, but Marcel is a super achiever, and one to never turn his back on a potential blockbuster.
In 2005 Marcel got a call from a friend in England who had a line on a new kind of lighting, and a new bulb. Recognizing the trend toward eco-conscious minded people, he knew the sales of LED lighting would only skyrocket. Gavin Cooper was the friend who now lives in Wellington where all this fun takes place. Imagine this, that a visionary guy who is going to change the world one business at a time is already feeling ecstatic about the potential, and the future of LED lighting. Here are the facts:
LED Lighting is the most energy efficient lighting solution currently available anywhere in the world. It’s 300% more energy efficient than compact fluorescent lighting, and about 1,000% more efficient than incandescent bulbs, while using 90% less energy to run.
Market Tracker Strategies Unlimited predicts global sales of general purpose LED’s will triple to $14.9 billion in 2013 from $5.1 billion in 2008, a compound annual growth rate of 24%.
To meet the demand and grow the company, LED Source has launched a franchise program, and it has been in effect since 2009. This move made LED Source the first and only franchisor of LED lighting in North America. The company expects to open 150 offices throughout North America during the next 3 years.
This is great news for many reasons, one aspect that really is a plus, is that these bulbs also don’t generate heat. I’d say Marcel’s future is so bright he’s got to wear sunglasses to go along with that hot R8 he drives. To bring the total local perspective into play, we feel that the cool quotient is at a high level that this is all right here in our back yard. Also you can see their work every time you see the fountains at City Place go on, and Marcel has another local angle going for him, LED Source is featured on HGTV’s show with Vanilla Ice where he fixes up houses and flips them. There is a much longer list of local usage of his products, but there isn’t room to list them all. To top it all of, he is a very fun guy, accessible, and willing to give advice as well.
When asked why Palm Beach County, he told me he loved the small town charm of Wellington with great schools for children as a plus. As a place to work, he said that business visitors flying in to do business feel good coming here, and he loves Clematis St. As far as the best place to play, he freely admits that besides his love for Clematis St, he loves mountain biking, and the trails. I enjoyed my time with Marcel, and cite that what he is doing is making a difference! He’s a good guy and turned me on to a great Wellington restaurant called deVine where Executive Chef David Palmateer insures that when people leave they have a satisfied stomach and a smile on their face.
Marcel Fairbairn and LED Source shining a light on why this is the best place to live, work, and play.
http://www.palmbeachliveworkplay.com/work/a-good-ideawhen-the-light-goes-on/
