Kirlin Lighting Welcomes New President, Logan Gerhard, and Announces Leadership Team Expansion

Detroit, MI – The Kirlin Company, a leader in the engineering, design, and manufacturing of lighting solutions for healthcare and architectural applications, is excited to announce the promotion of Chris Brownell to CEO and to welcome Logan Gerhard as President. This pivotal moment in the company’s leadership evolution reflects the sustained success and growth led by Chairman and Owner Jana Kirlin Brownell, the fourth generation of the Kirlin family to operate the company. In partnership with her son, Chris Brownell, who joined Kirlin in 2019 as the fifth generation of continuous family management, the executive team is expanding to capitalize on Kirlin’s enduring legacy of delivering superior, sustainable, and human-centric lighting solutions.

As its new President, Logan brings to Kirlin an impressive background in the lighting industry spanning sales, marketing, manufacturing, operations, product development, and entrepreneurship. His deep understanding of the market, particularly within the architectural lighting sector, was honed during his tenure as President of LF Illumination and Delray Lighting, and as General Manager of the RSA Lighting brand at Cooper.

Expressing his excitement about the new role, Logan remarked, “I am thrilled to join Kirlin, a company with a rich legacy that is committed to the future of innovative lighting. I look forward to contributing to its growth and continued focus on solution development, setting new benchmarks for quality, sustainability, service, and excellence within the lighting industry.”

Jana Kirlin Brownell, Chairman of Kirlin, echoed this sentiment, stating, “I am very excited to add Logan to Kirlin’s talented and passionate team; his expertise will undoubtedly keep our company at the forefront of lighting innovation. His vision for Kirlin’s future aligns perfectly with our mission, to create innovative lighting solutions of unmatched quality, empowering lighting professionals to design spaces that go beyond illumination to enhance the human experience.”

Chris Brownell, who has served as Kirlin’s President since 2022, shared insights on the company’s direction, “At a time when much of our industry is facing consolidation, Kirlin stands out by strategically expanding and attracting great talent. Our commitment to remaining independent and family-owned enables us to stay nimble, supports product innovation, and ultimately allows us to serve the lighting industry in a way that only we can. Kirlin’s time-tested approach coupled with Logan’s leadership sets us on a path to further success and greater impact.”

The entire team at Kirlin welcomes Logan and invites members of the lighting industry to visit booth 918 in the Grand Ballroom at LEDucation this March, where the company will be showcasing its latest innovations.

About Kirlin: Founded in 1895, Kirlin is a testament to enduring family ownership and a commitment to American manufacturing excellence. As a certified woman-owned business led by Jana Kirlin Brownell, Kirlin not only champions quality and innovation at its Detroit, MI headquarters and factory, but also contributes to its local community as a federally-certified HUBZone business, creating jobs in a Historically Underutilized Business Zone.

Kirlin is recognized as a premier lighting manufacturer, addressing complex design challenges with groundbreaking solutions across diverse applications, including healthcare facilities, schools, theatrical settings, mass transit stations, natatoriums, public spaces, and laboratories. The company’s dedication to excellence has been acknowledged through numerous awards, including 2023’s “Coolest Thing Made in Michigan”, annual recognition in the IES Progress Report, numerous Architectural SSL Product Innovation Awards, and designation as one of the “Michigan 50 Companies to Watch” in 2023 by Michigan Celebrates Small Business.

For further details about Kirlin, please visit our website at www.kirlinlighting.com.

And the Award Goes to…

The Progress Report Awards were announced at the IES Annual Conference in Chicagoland last week. We’re over the moon to say that we’ve kept our (now 4-year) streak alive! This award is given to products that showcase significant advancements in lighting and helps shape the future of the industry.

So what product received the award this year? Surprise! We’ve DOUBLED our awards from the IES this year! Both Hitsville Task Light and the MCL Cove won the Progress Report.

Hitsville

Hitsville has made a marked difference in the behavioral health world. It is the first behavioral health task light on the market to offer an adjustable LED module for precise hot aiming and a flexible mounting position. As the only task light on the market in behavioral health to offer continuous touch dimming on the faceplate, it gives patients a small piece of control over their environment. With 3 field-changeable optics, the fixture is adaptable to different layouts and gives designers flexibility to choose what is needed.

MCL Cove

The MCL Cove light is the only MRI-safe RGBW cove light on the market, providing vivid, saturated colors that can change even during the scan. The fixture, like the rest of the SmartLED MRI family of products, provides all the components to make the fixture function, including a DMX controller with pre-configured color scenes. Both the MCL Cove and the MRL-2 linear slot offer plug-and-play RJ-45 connections for easy installation for the color-changing version.

Previous Winners

INFRALED PRO

In 2020, our INFRALED PRO series won a Progress Report award for several features, including the various sizes that cater to the different needs of the hospital, the ability to change the dimming levels on the remote as well as move the fixture to where it’s needed, and it’s ultra-high CRI of 95+ to ensure quality lighting.

Behavioral Panels

2021 came along, and so did the IES award for our behavioral health scenic panels and white panels. With a robust frame and thick polycarbonate lens, these fixtures are up to the challenge for this demanding environment. Available in surface or recessed mounting, the surface version is the shallowest on the market.

MRL-2 Slots

Not to be outdone, in 2022 our MRL-2 linear slot fixture took home the prize! At 2.5″ wide, you have the option of static white or RGBW color changing. The RGBW version gives the patient a distracting and soothing element in the room. It is also unique in that it has plug-and-play wiring and is the only solution on the market that can change color during the MRI scan!

Kirlin Lighting to be Honored at the 19th Annual Michigan Celebrates Awards Gala

Kirlin Lighting has been recognized as one of the 2023 awardees for Michigan 50 Companies to Watch, presented by Michigan Celebrates Small Business. Kirlin Lighting was acknowledged on stage at the in-person awards ceremony during the 19th annual Michigan Celebrates Small Business Gala on May 2, 2023.

Success is best when shared, and the event gathered over 800 guests at the Breslin Center in East Lansing, Michigan to celebrate the achievements of this year’s award recipients.

Kirlin Lighting has been committed to quality since our inception in 1895. We proudly design and manufacturer our products in the heart of Detroit and are committed to being Made in America. We are grateful to all of our hardworking team to constantly maintaining our high level of standards – from sale to production to customer service and beyond.

The past three years have been a challenging landscape for business owners, but small businesses have learned to become nimble and innovative in order to accomplish their goals. The 2023 awards gala will put Michigan’s small businesses in the spotlight and give them a chance to share their success stories with the supporters who helped them get to where they are today.

“MCSB has always prided itself on its spirit of collaboration and celebration,” said Jennifer Deamud, MCSB Board Chair. “We love seeing our awardees celebrating one another’s success and sharing in this amazing moment is each awardee’s journey. It’s true— success is best when it is shared.”

Additional information can be found at MichiganCelebrates.org.

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Michigan Celebrates Small Business (MCSB) is a collaboration of trusted statewide founding organizations who offer resources for small businesses. Since 2005, Michigan Celebrates Small Business awards gala has placed a spotlight on how small businesses positively impact our communities and state. The MCSB organization is focused on supporting, promoting and celebrating small businesses in Michigan.