Thursday, January 29, 2009

Kichler: Lighting Up Our Lives

By James Gilbert Pynn

Being the best is never a birthright. It's a difficult endeavor and the climb is fraught with competition and a fickle marketplace. So it is that I tip my hat to the indomitable Sam Minoff. In 1954, Mr. Minoff had the gumption to buy a little lighting company in Cleveland. The owner of the company, Leonard Kichler, asked Minoff to promise him he would never change the name of his beloved store. Furthermore, Kichler asked his commitment to excellence and customer satisfaction be extended to the customers he worked to please since 1938. With a handshake, Mr. Minoff took on the burden of building a better light bulb. Or at least a better light fixture.

Honesty, loyalty, and quality. These are the pillars upon which Sam Minoff transformed Kichler Lighting into the world's foremost lighting company. Hard work saw Kichler Lighting earn four ARTS Lighting Manufacturer of the Year awards " a distinct honor in the halogen-warm world of lighting. Furthermore, Mr. Minoff was honored as a member of the Lighting Hall of Fame. Did you not know there was such a distinction? Sam Minoff knows. He is also the inaugural winner of the Arts Lifetime Achievement Award.

Keeping it in the family, Sam Minoff brought in his sons, Barry and Roy, to help. The company is dedicated to customer care, product value and design excellence. To that end, consumer surveys have consistently put Kichler at the top of the list when it comes to reliability, quality and ease of installation. This customer confidence has turned Kichler into a multi-million dollar enterprise.

The crucial and ever-important design team is tasked with creating perfect, awe-inspiring works of art. They are commissioned to travel the globe in search of the latest trends, styles, designs and colors. A Kichler must stand the test of taste and time. To ensure their customers have a panoply of options to choose from, the Minoff family is constantly updating and renovating their inventory, without ever sacrificing quality.

A simple purchase made more than fifty years ago has has transformed the way we see our homes and ourselves. Kichler Lighting is dedicated to helping young designers (like myself) and do-it-yourselfers infuse their homes and offices with fixtures that will best express your taste, personal style and personality. Contemporary to traditional, casual to urban, Kichler can provide " Sam Minoff and his sons have made sure of that. Bless you, Sam! - 15336

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