Over the last 30 years, there have been changes that affect our everyday life. Years ago, people still listened to music on cassette tapes and vinyl records, and computers where in less than 1% of U.S. households. No one carried a cell phone, unless they were Gordon Gekko. When it came to general lighting for commercial and industrial lighting fixtures, the majority of them were all made in the U.S. If you wanted lamps or bulbs, you had three primary options: fluorescent, halide, and incandescent.
Today, virtually everyone streams music from their cell phones and computers. It is hard to remember a time when people actually talked to each other over the phone rather than sending a text or an email. One thing still remains the same at Los Angeles Lighting Manufacturing Company, fixtures are manufactured in the U.S.
Originally located in a small 7,500 sq/ft facility at 1765 Blake Avenue in the city of Los Angeles, LA Lighting produced fixtures that quickly outgrew the limitations of this humble location. With a new look for growth, LA Lighting moved across the LA River, 3 miles south of the original location to a 24,000 sq/ft facility located on 814 N. San Fernando Rd; however, LA Lighting quickly outgrew the capabilities of this location as well. Knowing there was a need for a much larger facility that could handle the production demands that LA Lighting was experiencing, they moved to a 50,000 sq/ft facility on 4 acres, located in the City of El Monte at 10141 Olney Street.
Bill Shapiro started LA Lighting Manufacturing Company, Inc., after his father closed his own fixture manufacturing company a few months prior. With the knowledge of how to produce a quality fixture, using nothing more than skilled laborers and machine presses, Bill turned a small fixture manufacturing company into what it is today. With his son, Robert Shapiro by his side, the two of them have grown LA Lighting from a fixture manufacturer for fluorescent lamps, into one of the last truly U.S. Made LED Lighting Manufacturers. With a reputation for producing quality fixtures with top-tier components, LA Lighting has become the manufacturer of choice when it comes to quality and design.
When asked how they overcame all obstacles the other fixture manufacturers would typically run into, both Bill and Robert would admit, it was not easy. They knew that by offering fixtures that other manufacturers were not willing, or able to manufacture, this would allow them to fill in the void, gaining a foothold into the market. The real advantage that LA Lighting will admit to over their competition is their ability to produce a quality fixture with a reliable lead time, while many others struggle to get their fixtures past customs.
LA Lighting is more than just a fixture manufacturer; with many of their employees celebrating 10, 15, and 20-year anniversaries, their people consider themselves part of the LA Lighting Family. Over the years, these same people have brought in their family members to work with them on the production line. Many of them have purchased homes, put their kids through college and they have always been there for each other through thick and thin.
Family is what LA Lighting is all about. A father and his son working side-by-side, motivating the employees to bring in their daughters, sons, sisters, brothers, wives, husbands to work along side of them, making what LA Lighting is today: 30 years of business, 30 years of family, and 30 years is just the beginning!
