Harry Kallick, chairman of Varaluz Lighting and managing partner of Solar Sign Light LLC, will be inducted into the American Lighting Association’s Lighting Hall of Fame on Sept. 11 at the 2012 ALA Annual Conference in Scottsdale, Arizona.
The Lighting Hall of Fame was established in 2000 and is presented to individuals who have provided a lifetime of devotion to the industry, as well as to the ALA. The selection criteria are based on their magnitude of success in the lighting industry, the number of years of service, the impact of their contributions to the industry and to the association, and their level of peer respect.
A lifelong entrepreneur, Kallick has been a lighting industry leader for most of his adult life. His most prominent achievement was the founding and building – and eventually selling – of Kalco Lighting, Inc., based in Las Vegas. Established in 1981 in Southern California by Harry and his wife, Marcy, Kalco Lighting pioneered the coordination of lighting with accent furniture.
“I’ve been in business 25 years, and I’ve known Harry during most of that time,” says Craig Motz, owner of Southern Lights in Burnsville, Minnesota. “Harry has always been ahead of his time. Kalco was one of the first manufacturers in the lighting industry to create the finishes the company is known for. And Varaluz has now become a very hot line because of their unique products. Harry was a big part of that,” adds Motz.
Kallick served as chair of the 2001 ALA Annual Conference Committee and 1995 Membership Campaign Committee. He was also a major supporter of launching the ALA BiNational Advertising and PR program. Kallick served on the Lighting Board of Governors for the Dallas Market Center for 10 years, including service as vice chairman and chairman of the board for four years.
He continues to innovate through Varaluz Lighting and Solar Sign Light, two eco-focused companies. Kallick’s forward-thinking and keen leadership ensure that he will remain a major force in the industry for years to come.
Well Deserved! While good management of a business is one thing, inductees into the Hall of Fame should also be innovators and thus leaders within the Industry, which Harry Kallick most certainly was and is. Few may know to just what a degree of an innovator Harry and his Team at Kalco were, and now continue to be at Varaluz. In my five year tenure with Kalco I acquired a real appreciation for all the design innovations Harry brought into the decorative lighting industry, eventually emulated by dozens of other companies creating 100’s of millions in combined revenues for our industry from his original; hand forged scroll iron designs, had painted multi-step finishes, and unique shading option inspirations. As to Marcy, she was the wind beneath Harry’s Wings, the Sparkle in his eye, and an extraordinary partner as well as hostess and good will ambassador to clients, employees and reps alike. Congratulations Harry!