(Wellington, Fla.)—LED Source®, a franchised supplier of LED lighting, recently began working with Fort Lauderdale, Fla. based Pizza Fusion, a natural and eco-friendly pizza restaurant franchise, to provide LED lighting for a selection of their restaurants. With the launch of Pizza Fusion’s new prototype in December 2010, came the desire for a strategic, environmentally-friendly lighting solution for their restaurants.
“We've always incorporated LED fixtures into our stores in some manner because they are the greenest option for lighting and allow our guests to experience our restaurant design, and more importantly our food, exactly as we intended it,” says Vaughan Lazar, founder and CEO of Pizza Fusion. “But our new location in Tampa is the first to utilize a value-engineered plan for LEDs. Moving forward, all locations will be using LEDs as part of the new prototype and our commitment to a more efficient operation.”
LED lighting has become increasingly popular over the past several years as property owners look to update their lighting using earth-friendly products while saving money on energy bills and maintenance costs. Additionally, companies are taking advantage of federal tax incentives and local utility rebates, which can cover anywhere between 30-100 percent of the cost of the project. According to the U.S. Dept. of Energy, rapid adoption of LED lighting in the U.S. over the next 20 years would reduce electricity demands from lighting by one-third, eliminate 258 million metric tons of carbon emissions, eliminate the construction of 40 power plants and create financial savings that could exceed $200 billion.
“LEDs have come a long way since their introduction to the marketplace in 1997,” says Marcel Fairbairn, president and CEO of LED Source®. “Today, the color rendering, quality of light and color consistency in LEDs is outstanding and the fixtures are held to much higher standards than other technologies on the market. Though LED lighting can cost more than incandescent and fluorescent lights – requiring a higher initial investment – businesses will often see the payback in just a year or two.”
In addition to a new lighting strategy, Pizza Fusion’s new prototype features an all-new look and feel to the restaurant. The company will open two additional locations in 2011 in Miami Beach and Denver with more on the way. In working with LED Source®, Pizza Fusion was able to develop an overall lighting scheme for its restaurants and determine the right products for the job.
“LED Source® brought to the table a real value proposition to meet our strict and oftentimes progressive building criteria at an affordable price for our stores,” says Lazar. “They not only have an intimate understanding of the technical side of energy efficiency, but also proved invaluable in assisting with the overall lighting design.”
LED Source® is a national and international supplier of LED lighting that specializes in full-scale evaluations and retrofits through its Retrofit Division in addition to providing consultation all the way through to supply on new projects within their Architectural and Entertainment Divisions. Applications include commercial office space, schools, churches, theaters, art galleries, restaurants and nightclubs, special events, residential and landscape lighting and much more, including the world’s largest cruise ship and the stadium that played host to Super Bowl XLIII. The company recognized a fast-growing marketplace for LED lighting with boundless potential. As a result, LED Source® has consistently grown an average of 40 percent each year. Additionally, the company launched a franchise program in October 2009 and expects to have a network of 150 franchise offices throughout North America within three years.
