Five Questions With: Michael J. Goeller
posted September 22, 2009 in Resident News

 

Michael J. Goeller is chief operating officer of ICON International Inc., a North Kingstown-based company that designs commercial lighting systems. (Before 1999, the company was known as Illumination Concepts and Engineering Inc.) He talked with Providence Business News about what the company does and how business is holding up in its sixth decade.

PBN: What exactly do you do at ICON?

GOELLER: ICON provides innovative lighting solutions to schools, hospitals, retailers, offices, museums, transit systems and architectural monuments across the country. Most people take lighting for granted – they flick a switch and it’s there – but there’s so much more that goes into designing and crafting the right lighting system, and when it’s done right, it sets mood and provides the tone for an entire project.

We have designed and developed thousands of lighting system across the country, including award-winning lighting systems for the Washington Arch in New York City and for Target stores, but our headquarters remains in Rhode Island, as it has been since 1947.

PBN: What are some of the more interesting clients you have worked for?

GOELLER: We are just finishing a lighting system for a high-profile office building in Washington, D.C., that includes a three-story staircase accented with a water wall. Our challenge: design a continuous lighting system to be installed under the staircase, illuminating the space upward. The result: a lighting system that delivers theater and drama to this beautifully designed space.

We’re in the process of working on another project for an extremely high-end luxury automobile maker that calls for highly-polished stainless steel lights that reflect upward off a reflective ceiling and splash down onto a very impressive showroom.

PBN: I know you’re also working on lighting El Museo del Barrio, the museum in New York City that is currently being renovated. Are there special considerations and challenges when creating the lighting design for a museum?

GOELLER: We’re constantly working on new product innovation, and our team rose to the challenge for the El Museo del Barrio, which was heralded by The New York Times as “an institution in its ascendancy.” The renovation of this signature building required extensive specialty lighting. ICON’s lighting system includes closed circuit television, speakers, dimming sensors, motion sensors and both track and fluorescent lamps; it’s truly a “smart” lighting system.

Incidentally, the newly renovated museum opens Oct. 17.

PBN: How has your business held up during the recession?

GOELLER: ICON has worked hard to position itself to be successful. I believe what sets ICON apart from its competition is three things: our commitment to quality; our ability to create truly innovative solutions; and our attitude – we do whatever it takes to deliver absolute satisfaction.

Given our economy, I am often asked: “So, how’s ICON doing?” I am always happy to report that our business is stable and our profitability is up. What sets us apart from our competition will ensure our future success.

PBN: Do you find LED lighting is getting more popular as companies place more emphasis on energy efficiency?

GOELLER: Certainly there is a lot of interest in LED lighting. Our new R&D department has developed four LED products in the last year alone.

Understanding how to marry the science of lighting with the science of LEDs has enabled ICON to design and develop the most viable LED track light available today. As your readers may already know, the LED is not a light in the traditional sense, like an incandescent light bulb or a fluorescent tube. Rather, it is based on the semiconductor diode – a computer chip. (For a local look at our innovative LED lighting, check out the produce department at the new Dave’s Marketplace at Quonset in North Kingstown.)

ICON is a world leader in this new field, but there is still much work to be done; while LED lighting has a longer life and uses less energy, it is still a costly technology.

We are in the process of developing our next generation LED track light. As the technology improves, more and more viable products will be introduced – and we plan to be at the forefront.

LED isn’t the only way to be energy-efficient, though. Using photometry and computer models, we developed new technology for reflector systems for linear lighting that directs light where it needs to be. They use less electricity while still delivering the desired foot-candle reading.

The full article can be found at PBN.com.