Light Waves Concept, Inc., New York City-based manufacturer of LED and track lighting systems, announced the opening of a new factory in Brooklyn to house its track, cable, and studio lighting production lines. The factory is located in Southwest Brooklyn’s Bush Terminal, a former railroad terminal built in 1903. The new branch will focus on energy efficient commercial and municipal developments and retrofits.
Light Waves’ track lighting sales have increased 49.6% since December of 2004. According to CEO Joel Slavis, the rise in sales is due in part to new products and energy efficient retrofits of company staples.
“This year we retrofitted all our Flex track kits and Star cable kits with Phillips 35W IRC bulbs, which use 30% less energy while emitting 30% less heat and producing the same amount of light as a standard IRC. These have been a big hit with our customers because of their energy savings.”
Light Waves also introduced a new fixture to their Light Speed line which functions as a replacement for traditional office lights and uses new energy-efficient fluorescent tubes. Slavis describes them as being “easier on the eyes than previous generations” of fluorescent office lights.
The factory in Bush Terminal is 7,000sq.ft and will house a new staff, which Slavis said he expects to “double in a year.” In keeping with numerous subsidies and state and city programs introduced to boost business in Manhattan and the four outer boroughs after September 11th, Light Waves received assistance from several agencies in the move.
The Southwest Brooklyn Industrial Development Corporation, New York Industrial Retention Network (NYIRN) and the Industrial Technology and Assistance Corporation (ITAC) all helped in brokering the deal. Slavis, who recently became an Ally of the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority’s (NYSERDA) Small Commercial Lighting Program, has been in the New York lighting industry for 20 years.
“I come from three generations of New Yorkers and we have all been proud to do business here,” he said. “The city has treated us well.”