Environmentally friendly lighting company comes to MAREC

MUSKEGON, Mich. — Fledgling startup company Logical Lighting Systems, LLC plans to take high efficiency, environmentally friendly lighting options beyond America's living rooms and into its malls, hospitals and office buildings. The company has moved into business incubation space at Grand Valley State University's Michigan Alternative and Renewable Energy Center (MAREC).   
   
The move to MAREC provides Logical Lighting Systems and its two employees access to on-site lab facilities for product testing and evaluation, meeting and office space, as well as Grand Valley’s business consultation and support services.
    
Arn Boezaart, interim director of MAREC, noted that research shows that more than 70 percent of all lighting in commercial buildings will be LED-based by 2030 — along with municipal street lighting and other outdoor lighting. “Logical Lighting will provide an opportunity to advance the use of LED lighting in the Muskegon and Lakeshore region,” Boezaart said.
   
Logical Lighting Systems Company CEO Jason Jespersen said that, while public attention has focused on residential conversion from incandescent and florescent lighting to more efficient sources, Logical Lighting Systems will address the enormous potential for energy and cost savings in the country's workplaces and public spaces.
   
“With millions of lights burning nearly 24/7 in office buildings, hospitals, shopping malls, hotels, and public places, it's no wonder that commercial buildings account for 51 percent of total energy consumption for lighting in the U.S.,” Jespersen said. “This presents us with an enormous opportunity to leverage smart technologies, like LED lighting, to put a real dent in energy inefficiencies and in turn reduce the amount of emissions being pumped into our atmosphere.”   
   
In addition to creating energy efficient lighting strategies, the company offers a wide variety of indoor and outdoor LED replacement lamps and fixtures. Logical Lighting Systems also specializes in the design and installation of energy monitoring equipment for the easy control of electrical systems, and to maximize customers' energy savings.
   
About the Michigan Alternative and Renewable Energy Center
Located at 200 Viridian Drive in the Muskegon SmartZone, MAREC opened in 2003 with a mission to serve as a catalyst for economic development, a business accelerator and center for research, development and the commercialization of alternative and renewable energy technologies. MAREC is not only a business incubator and research and development center for alternative and renewable energy technologies, but also serves as a major demonstration project of those technologies. The MAREC facility is certified LEED Gold and is a model for lighting innovation — a well-suited backdrop for a new company that will move residential and commercial lighting to a new level. MAREC includes 2,000 square-feet of open business incubator space and 2,000 square-feet of secure laboratory space. For more information, contact MAREC at (616) 331-6905.

About Grand Valley State University
Grand Valley State University, established in 1960, is a four-year public university. It attracts more than 24,400 students with its high quality programs and state-of-the-art facilities. Grand Valley provides a fully accredited liberal undergraduate and graduate education and has campuses in Allendale, Grand Rapids and Holland, and centers in Muskegon and Traverse City. Grand Valley is a comprehensive university serving students from all 83 Michigan counties and dozens of other states and foreign countries. Grand Valley offers 77 undergraduate and 28 graduate degree programs. The university is dedicated to individual student achievement, going beyond the traditional classroom experience, with research opportunities and business partnerships. Grand Valley employs more than 1,700 people and is committed to providing a fair and equitable environment for the continued success of all.