If there was a starting lineup for our team at Inspired LED, Grant Wilkes would be the one that the fans would go wild for during his entrance. That’s exactly what happens here, just without the arena. Grant is our go-to player with his keen sense of business development, his savvy eye for designs, and his ability to step up and take on a good challenge; he can work out a solution for almost any lighting project thrown his way. Let’s study his play-by-play routine in this week’s employee spotlight.
Q: Grant, how long have you been at Inspired LED now?
I’ve been at Inspired LED for 3 years. I actually took the position as a temporary job when I came back from teaching in South Korea. I was soldering, shipping and testing products at first, but quickly jumped into making instructional product videos. From there it molded into design work and creating custom systems. Now, I’m handling business development and sales. It’s been quite a learning experience working here. You really get to see the ins-and-outs of how a small, growing business operates in a market that is the future of lighting.
Q: What is the most interesting thing you are working on/developing right now?
Currently, I’m working on getting our products into as many distribution channels as I can. There is no reason everyone shouldn’t be using our products! In terms of projects, I just finished up a lighting project for local guy working on a massive custom chandelier. It looked like something from the Jetsons. It was two giant acrylic circles interlocked. We are all pretty shocked at how amazing it looked when the project was complete and installed. There’s a sense of accomplishment when you see huge, detailed projects come to life. I’m fortunate enough to work with several designers, artists and contractors whom bring a lot of creative and fun projects to my doorstep.
Q: When you’re not at work (“the off season”) what do you like to do?
I recently became a father and husband, so that is how I mostly spend my time. Baby Lady is almost 11 months now, and I couldn’t be more head over heels for that little gem. If I can catch a few minutes of free time I typically try to get out of the house and do something outside. There’s tons of hiking/backpacking around Arizona that I take advantage of as much as possible. I still try to skateboard from time to time. It’s a hobby that took up most of my life growing up, and I still try to keep up when I can. If I’m not doing any of the 3 things above, you’ll catch me playing video games…another hobby that was a large part of my youth that I still can’t seem to give up.
Q: Being a local to the area, have you seen a shift towards LED Lighting recently?
Absolutely!! Everyone needs light – it’s a great industry to be in. I love the shift to more energy efficient lighting solutions. It almost feels like it’s becoming the “IN” thing to do. People seem to want light everywhere these days, and I don’t blame them. LED lighting can really change the dynamic of any job or project. Being able to customize lighting to perfectly fit almost any application is amazing in itself. LEDs are the future and I’m glad I am able to help push and build that growth, especially when it’s local.
Q: In your mind, what is the best product Inspired LED offers currently?
That’s a tough question to answer. Flexible LED Strips are the backbone of the company, so I’m kind of partial to them, but we have so many great products. We recently released an RF dimmer that looks and feels just like a standard rocker switch. It also generates its own power and will never require a battery. It essentially provides the look and feel of a hardwired system, but is all plug and play. It’s actually the product that use in my own kitchen – the Independence Dimmer. I’m also really excited that we have an outdoor rated flexible strip that allows for long runs without voltage drop. The Infinity Series has the ability to run 50-60’ linear runs powered from only one end, at 12V, that is revolutionary. Being able to run those long lengths with few cable drops helps everyone out, especially the folks in the field doing installations.
Q: If you could attend any concert in history, what would it be?
It’d be pretty sweet to see David Bowie in his prime. Any concert would do, probably a massive venue like Woodstock or something along those lines.
