Save Money With Lights

Working in a lighting company for more than 5 years, I have learned a lot about lighting and now understand many different terms such as LED, Lumens, CFL, output/input...etc.

However, although I understood the ‘concept’ of them, I didn’t actually feel they mattered much to my real life, as my mom was the one who took care of purchasing our home supplies.

Then I started living by myself…and I quickly realized every penny counts, especially when it comes from my own pocket. :-)

The first thing that matters the most to me is the electric bill. So a few weeks after moving into my own place, I started looking for Compact Fluorescent lamps to replace all of the Halogen lamps (I do this apparently because I’m working in a lighting company ). Moreover, since I listen to the benefits of using LEDs every day, I ended up purchasing a $40 LED lamp with the equivalent to a 60W halogen lamp for my bathroom, because they don’t get hot and are ok for damp location!Although I spent that money, and the effort to change the lamps, it was worth every penny, because compared to the month I was using Halogens as my lamp source, my electricity bill reduced by around 7%.

Now, who wants some FREE 60W halogen lamps :-)

- KaShing Lin

E-marketing Specialist

Transforming Family Values into Responsible Lighting

With Thanksgiving approaching, our thoughts focus on our families and paying homage to the people that have helped us in our lives.
For the past two decades, I have worked closely with the Wang family who own WAC Lighting. I attended company meetings during the day, but my wife and I have spent many evenings watching Tai, Shelley, Tony and Thomas receive recognition for their outstanding work in the community. The Wangs support a holistic business approach and continuing education, transforming their family values into what we now call Responsible Lighting.
27 years ago, Tony and his wife Tai came to the States with a dream of working for themselves, with their one-year-old daughter Shelley, in-tow. With little savings, they purchased a supermarket and doubled the business within a year through hard work and solid values. They later sold the store and founded WAC. I remember Tai recounted how she unloaded their first 40-foot container, just a month after the birth of their son Thomas. Fiscally conservative and dedicated, they valued integrity and doing things right the first time.
Years later, Tony was nominated for Entrepreneur of the Year, recognizing this gentleman for growing a small portable lamp company into a manufacturing leader of track and recessed lighting. Among her many achievements, Tai received Rotary’s Gift Of Life International Humanitarian Award for helping save many lives of Chinese children born with heart defects; the Ellis Island Medal of Honor for contributions to America while preserving her heritage, and the LaGuardia College’s Innovative Leadership Award. Tai has made dozens of expeditions for Alliance for Smiles, helping to provide necessary surgery for children born with cleft lips and palates.
Shelley Wald, WAC’s president, continues to astonish at such a young age. She already won the Residential lighting Industry Leadership Award, spearheads the ALA Young Executives Task Force, and delivers presentations on new lighting technologies. Shelley serves on the Board for the NY Asian Women Center to fight human trafficking and abuse, supports the H Foundation for cancer research, and along with her mother, was honored by Women Achievers Against the Odds. Also achieving success at a young age, Thomas Wang has grown into International Sales Manager based in Shanghai. Thomas attends scores of global events, often sharing his presence with international heads of state and commerce. Recently joining the family is Dirk Wald, Shelley’s husband and a lighting star who is working to expand the company’s endeavors and goodwill.
Under the Wangs’ leadership, WAC has become a true icon for Responsible Lighting, a global maker of energy efficient lighting. As we begin to enter the holiday season, the Wangs continue to inspire us to live with a strong sense of family, spirit, charity, altruism and joy.
~Chris Pica
Public Relations Consultant

In September of 2004 my friend of many years, Tom, and I were sitting in his living room while his parents were at work. Everything seemed perfectly fine until he looked over to me and said, "Uh-Oh", he then waived his hand in front of his face and began to have a seizure. Being alone and in a panic I managed to collect myself and grabbed my cell phone and dialed 911.
Shortly after EMS arrived and took Tom to the hospital. After 2 weeks of painful and stressful testing Tom was diagnosed with Brucellosis, a bacteria that enters the body through unpasteurized cheese, and causes legions to form on the brain. Tom had recently gotten home from a trip with his family to Portugal to visit his sister. Tom was prescribed bacteria fighting antibiotics and seizure preventative medications.

After 2 years of being on that medication Doctors realized that the legions were not only still present but had actually doubled in quantity and size.
Additional testing was done and it was eventually discovered that not only had Tom been misdiagnosed, he had also been wasting the last 2 years of his life taking medications he didn't need. Tom was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis and has been on medication for it since.

During Tom's time in the hospital getting tested I also learned that a cousin of mine who currently lives in Florida was also diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. Since their diagnosis our families have become much closer and have participated in Walk MS every year.

Every year since his diagnosis Tom, his family, and his friends make a point to attend Walk MS. It would mean a lot, to not only me but Tom and his family, if WAC got involved in the 2012 Walk MS. His team name is Team Chubbs, which was his nickname when he was a little kid. We would both be honored and proud to have WAC be a sponsor for his team.

As the newest member to the WAC family I would love to have everyone here get involved and become educated on the effects of MS. It could serve as a great learning experience and possibly serve as a comfort zone for others to share their stories and experiences.

Information on Walk MS can be found here:

http://www.nationalmssociety.org/walkmapregion.aspx

~George Feis - Graphic Design Temp

In my role as Lead Designer at WAC Lighting I am constantly trying to come up with new and exciting ads, graphics and displays. Sometimes it can be quite daunting trying to come up with new, fresh and engaging ideas. When I find myself in this situation I go to the internet to search a myriad of different design inspiration sites that I have bookmarked in a folder and constantly flip through while working. Design styles are always changing and these types of site are pivotal in helping me stay on top of new trends within the design community. Below are some of my favorite sites to go to when I get a little bit of "writers block". Not just for artists or designers, anyone can get some enjoyment out of viewing the wonderful artwork on these and many more sites.Enjoy!
http://abduzeedo.com/
http://www.behance.net/
http://alexvaranese.com/
http://dribbble.com/
http://cargocollective.com/stillontherun

~Nick Ponzo
Lead Graphic Designer

So, now that I am back East, many people have asked me what it was like living in California after having grown up in New Jersey and lived in New York. Ummm, should I really answer that? Are Californians reading this? Okay, okay, it wasn’t that bad, I’m exaggerating…um, a little. Yeeeees, it’s stunning there, and yeees, the weather is always nice, well, almost always… But, the hot Santa Ana winds there, in 85 degree weather, are definitely not fun, especially if you’re not under cover, and they did seem to last several months starting right around October. And occasionally, despite popular belief, it does actually get cold there, and I did get to wear my Polar worthy winter coat and tall boots, occasionally. ;-) Living there offered a lot, as I was in the gorgeous town of Newport Beach, thus I had the stunning coast of rolling hills and marvelous mansions, only one of which did I ever get to set foot in, by the way, as despite the OC Housewives’ trying to portray it, not everyone lives like that there. ;-) And I had the beach in the morning and the mountain snow in the afternoon, as the saying goes, as the mountains were only a few hours away from me, so I guess I could have surfed and skied in the same day – though who really does that?? Five years there and I can say I liked Cali, and I saw a lot of it (specifically San Francisco, which rocks, but then it is a whole lot like New York City, after all. ;-)). However, I just can not say I loved it, and here’s why. The people. Yes, the people. Don’t get me wrong, I made some really great friends while there, and hopefully they will let me be their friend for all the rest of my days (maybe not after they read this, though – Hi, Cali friends, love youuuuu!) ;-), BUT, ‘most’ Californians are just a bit strange. I’m sorry, it’s true. They are SOOOO different from east coasters. Not only do they talk slower, walk slower, drive slooooooower, but I think they are just a little too “chilled”, for me anyway. Some people reading this would think to be chilled is so totally cool, I mean, why would I criticize that? Don’t many believe that east coasters are all wound up and too nutty? Yeah, but I’ll take nutty or kooky any day of the week!!! In Cali, I think they thought I was on speed, or something. I was even asked once if I have an “off” switch. Okay, that one was actually really funny, but you know what I mean! Right?? On the east coast, and especially New York, you’re praised for your energy, complimented for your quick thinking and acting, and rewarded for your ability to do 500 things at once. In Cali, you show energy like that, and you are looked at like you’re an alien. There, east coasters are always told to slow down, take a breath….relaaaaaaax. But why? Why do I want to slow dooooown? Whyyyy? There’s so much to do!! Not enough hours in the day, ahhhhhhh! Besides, I can smell the roses as I am running by on my way to get everything done, right?! ;-) Well, perhaps I am exaggerating a bit again, but I think I’m painting the picture, right? The other thing about the people in Cali is that they are extremely non-committal. RSVPing for an event? What’s that? It’s a foreign concept to them. I threw a costume party one year, and I (almost literally) had to chase down people to get an answer, and then many who had said yes to the invite didn’t even show up (!), and many who had said no, well, they basically crashed the party!!!! Again, so different. I mean who does that? Right? Oh, and there’s more…. you could go months without hearing from a friend there, even if he or she is unemployed and sitting home eating bon-bons, as they just are “so chilled, dude”, that they wait for you to call/write/visit/announce that you’re even still alive. On the east coast, if you don’t text back in 3-point-2 minutes, they panic and assume you’ve been kidnapped. They contact all your other friends and family and coworkers to be sure you’re OK. And if you say no to a party, the host comes to your house and pulls you into the car and drives your butt to the party. Californians, or should I say ‘most’ Californians, just don’t care to get all riled up. “It’s cool”, they say, and they mean it. I mean, it is kind of enviable – in some ways, but I’m fairly certain that if I jumped off a bridge, most would say, “That’s cool…it’s what she wanted…it’s was her life”. Whereas on the east coast? Oh, totally different. Friends on the east would likely jump off before me, so totally loyal, even if I ended up changing my mind!!!!!!

See, that’s the thing. The heart and soul of east coasters is so truly deep and genuine. It’s loud like we are, and beats at a fast pace just like the speed of the cars on the streets of Manhattan. Oh, and don’t get me started on the work environment….. Yes, I made several great friends at work in Cali, I really did, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to have worked with them, but you see, that’s also where I got the “off switch” comment made, and that’s also where the ability to juggle 500 things at once was seen as alien-like! Slooooow dooooown, they said…..relaaaaaax. Ahhhhhhhh. LOL. So, one day while at work, I logged on to a competitor’s website and said, “Wow, that company is really awesome”, only to get the response of “Oh, we can’t keep up with them! They come out with too much and too fast!!!” Hmmmm, “Really?”, I thought to myself, “isn’t that what we’re supposed to do in this ‘ever-changing-technology-advancing-in-a-nano-second’ environment?”. So you see, folks, in short, though I loved the soft sand of Newport Beach, the stunning rounded sky-touching mountains of Big Bear, the golden arches of San Francisco, and more….I can leave them behind as far as my ‘residence’, and actually that’s exactly what I did. This past June, after 5 years as a “slightly alien-like nutty blonde” with “no off switch” on the west coast, I traded in my flip flops and I happily came back home to New York, back to my nutty but lovable family, back to my kooky but soulful friends, back to the smell of Fall, the gorgeous colors of foliage, and soon, the falling snow on the city streets. And, with all that, I can still have my ‘beach’ in the summer.  Best of all worlds, right? So, rewind to my return home, and picture it: As I walked down the city streets of the Big Apple a few weeks ago, and as I stood with goose bumps on the anniversary of 9/11 right on Lexington Avenue praying for those that lost their lives that day to peacefully rest in heaven, I thanked God for my decision to come back, and for being “home”. Oh, and lucky me? Remember that ‘competing company’ I mentioned earlier? The one I envied? Guess where I work now? That’s riiiiiiiiiight, folks. Lucky me, working at W-A-C with like-minded nutty and kooky, lovable and loyal east coasters, none of whom ask me if I have an “off switch”……….. ;-)

~Tammy Impagliazzo
Sr. Marketing Manager

Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Unless you live under a rock, you are well aware that October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Whether you are at the supermarket, the mall and even the Bank you are surrounded by those who are wearing pink and working to help raise awareness and money for a cure! It is very easy to get involved and I came across a great website that can help you get started! It’s Susan G. Komen’s Passionately Pink for the Cure® website. (www.Passionatelypink.org) Not only is Passionately Pink for the Cure is a fun way to start a fundraiser for Susan G. Komen for the Cure® it is so simple (and FREE!) to get started and supplies you with tons of information and support materials at your fingertips.

Here is how you can get started:


1. Register as a Passionately Pink Team Captain. The registration process should take you less than 5 minutes and when you are done you will have access to your own customizable Passionately Pink fundraising page, where you can accept donations and track your progress!
2. A Passionately Pink Fundraising Kit containing promotional and educational material, collectible lapel pins and much more will come in the mail approximately 2 weeks after registration. (All promotional and educational materials are also available right online for download)
3. Roll Out the Pink Carpet and have fun going passionately Pink for the Cure! Whether you are having a Jeans Day, a bake sale, girls night out or something completely different, wear pink, have fun and join in the promise to find the cure for breast cancer!

Pink is not just a color...it is the strength, hope, faith and courage for all the women fighting to become a survivor! Be tough enough to Rock the Pink and show the world you care!

~Rebecca Procops Marketing Coordinator

We will miss you - Steve Jobs

It was a sad news when I heard Steve Jobs (one of my favorite idols) passed away last night .
I remembered the first computer I used in school, and now with all the “ i “products around my house (I believe in yours too), we cannot deny his creative inventions have greatly influenced the world and brought us to the “future”.



Here are my favorite inspirational quotes by Steve Jobs found on mashable.com ( http://mashable.com/2011/10/05/steve-jobs-quotes/):

- “Being the richest man in the cemetery doesn’t matter to me. Going to bed at night saying we’ve done something wonderful, that’s what matters to me”

- “You can’t just ask customers what they want and then try to give that to them. By the time you get it built, they’ll want something new.”

- “When I was 17, I read a quote that went something like: “if you live each day as if it was your last, someday you’ll most certainly be right” It made an impression on me, and since then, for the past 33 years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself” If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?” And whenever the answer has been “No” for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something.”

- “I want to put a ding in the universe.”


We will miss you Steve Jobs...

by KaShing E-marketing Specialist at WAC Lighting