Lighting Designer Dramatically Enlightens Clients

Lighting Designer Dramatically Enlightens Clients

You see, since starting Drago Illumination in September, 2002, Edenbaum has used his background in theatrical and architectural lighting and electrical engineering to educate and enlighten his clients about lighting.

His extensive background serves him well, as he plays many roles in the one-man operation, which offers everything from consultation and concept development to full turnkey design and construction servicess.

This gives him a unique advantage, he suggests. "I believe the traditional hierarchical business structure is ineffective, particularly for specialty consultants. Slow-reacting, large organizational structures can stifle the creative process [for both the client and the designer]. In addition, such organizational structures are expensive to maintain and operate, resulting in excessive costs passed onto the client," he explains.

Being the sole employee of the company has also allowed him to work on a variety of national projects something he is quite comfortable with, having done work all over the world in his previous role as a senior lighting designer.

"As a result of overnight mail and e-mail, geographic area has little impact on what I do," he offers, citing a current consulting job based in San Francisco, CA, as an example.

To that end, the company specializes in residential, retail, exterior and office lighting projects while catering to a broad range of clientele, including home owners, architects, interior designers, engineers, contractors and homeowners all without the benefit of a showroom, he points out.

In fact, Edenbaum works from his home office, a situation "that means I am working almost 24 hours a day and seven days a week," he describes.

Citing his client-centered, full- service business philosophy, he suggests that the only thing broader than his client base is the amount of services he offers.

According to Edenbaum, a unique aspect of his business is that it doesn't simply revolve around a client's design needs, but takes their budgetary concerns into account as well.

"[By starting the business] I wanted to take advantage of the strong demand within the industry for creating high-impact architectural lighting design while delivering dependability, speed and efficiency to the client without the high fees associated with larger design firms," he offers.

Edenbaum cites the company's mission statement, which reads: "Through a commitment to develop, and maintain, a business practice known for being dependable and reliable, Drago Illumination's design philosophy is to be creative and innovative, while remaining practical," which he says sums up his ultimate business goal.

In fact, he adds, "Building a client base which knows me for being true to my mission statement is how I want to be successful."

Seeing the light
According to Edenbaum, his success is the result of one simple equation: Having an informed client equals having a happy client.
"I have found that an educated and informed client is more apt to make a design decision which they will remain happy with at the end of a project," he explains.

To accomplish this, the firm's services include concept development, fixture selection, estimating, design implementation, construction management and operations management for projects of all sizes, he notes.

He adds: "Whether it is a short consultation, or a full turn key design and construction project, my design process includes educating clients about the aspects of good lighting practices."

In addition, Edenbaum suggests that other unique aspects of the firm are its specialty services, which include retrofit projects for modernization and energy cost analyses something increasingly in demand. He explains, "As opposed to just reducing energy at all costs, my approach is to find ways of saving energy while also improving the quality of light."