Paul Pickard

Insight Lighting

Chief Technology Officer

Hustle Fund

Angel Squad Member

Korrus

Chief Strategy Officer - Lighting Technology

As progenitors of Human Light Interaction, we are physicists, color scientists and data scientists. We are power, product and firmware engineers. Inspired by our discontent with existing technology and solutions in light health, we are pioneering and setting the agenda for HLI, a new field of study that seeks to better understand human interactions with light and create technologies that better serve the needs of those interactions.

We believe that light can do more. Inspired by discontent with existing market solutions, our brands employ science to create technologies that deliver meaningful benefits across the diverse interactions humans have with artificial light every day.

Ecosense, a Korrus Company

I lead the Technology and Intellectual Property teams at Ecosense Lighting, an organization that develops and manufactures cutting-edge LED Lighting technologies and introduces them in fixtures for the specification and architectural lighting segments.  Our team developed Trov, the best-selling spec cove and graze linear LED accent product family in the world, and Rise, a Red Dot "Best of the Best" award-winning LED spot and flood family.  Ecosense's Lumium brand architectural linear products provide beautiful aesthetics, dozens of different shapes and configurations and customization flexibility to meet the creative visions of our Lighting Designer partners.  And now Ecosense has combined forces with the Soraa team to provide the best color quality solid state lamps available, and continue to push the envelope in color science and LED development.

We're a team that runs TOWARD hard problems, developing technology to solve such problems for people (installers, building owners, lighting designers, end users) - not just technology for technology's sake.  If you have a vision for the "next big thing" in light and are feeling frustrated in an environment were the mandate is to develop catalog fillers - drop me a line.  We're always scouting for new team members!

Cree

In my role as Systems Architect, I worked on strategic technology initiatives such as the Intellectual Property protection, validation and characterization of the new "FD" (Full Definition) variant of TrueWhite now available in Cree lighting products.  For my last year at Cree, I was also a member of the leadership team that developed and launched the new Cree lamps at Home Depot.  I helped lead the development 40W and 60W equivalent A19s, 65W equivalent BR30 lamps, and 40 and 60W "TW" high CRI lamps, as well as three additional lamp variants.  More information about these groundbreaking new light bulbs can be found at www.creebulb.com.

Systems Architect

In my role in R&D, I led a team of scientists and engineers to create enabling technologies or designs for breakthrough new products.  We explored areas as diverse as optics, thermals, mechanics, manufacturing methods, color science, component construction, electronics and electronics packaging and more.  At Lightfair 2011, the first major product family that the R&D group concepted was introduced - the revolutionary CR Series of troffers (CR14, CR22, CR24.)  The groundwork laid by the Advanced Development team provided key technologies and insights for  developments including the LM16, JB6, LRP38-10L, DR1000 Gen2.

VP, Advanced Development, LED Lighting

After leading operations for LLF, I transitioned full time to Product Development.  During this time, the European and Asia variations of the LR6 were designed and launched, along with the LR4, LR24, LRP38, multiple OEM products for Zumtobel, a comprehensive line of trims, cans, mounting fixtures and accessories.  In March of 2008, LLF was acquired by Cree, and now operates as Cree LED Lighting.

VP, New Product Development, LED Lighting

LED Lighting Fixtures

VP, New Product Development

I joined LLF (LED Lighting Fixtures) as employee #12 (#7 in the US), taking responsibility for product design and development, agency listing, sourcing, and manufacturing management.  At Lightfair in May of 2007 we launched the revolutionary LR6 downlight and showed prototypes of the LR4 and LR24 fixtures.  The LR6 went into volume production in July of 2007, becoming the first indoor LED lighting product to ship in significant volume (millions sold) and catalyzing the lighting industry to widespread LED adoption.

VP, Operations

Acuity Brands Lighting

"Acuity Brands Lighting has created the ABS Leaders Development Program, a unique program designed to provide opportunity for demonstrated leaders in our business to dedicate themselves fulltime to become experts in ABS, thereby accelerating ABS itself. The program is equally designed to develop future leaders for ABL that have broad multi functional exposure, have learned to think and work collaboratively across functions and have mastered the application of ABS tools. Immersion in ABS is expected to create leaders where ABS is second nature in much the same way as learning a foreign language in the foreign culture accelerates the learning and provides for a deeper and richer understanding."

ABS Leader

Lithonia Lighting

Designed and implemented new org structure and hand selected staff for New Product Engineering group.  Led development of Lithonia’s Aggregate Planning and LEAN Product Delivery System processes.  Coordinated technology and human resources for major industry initiative to deliver 4X typical Lithonia Lighting products to launch by LightFair ’07.  Managed 6 direct and 14 indirect reports, covering new product engineering for the commercial product groups at Lithonia Lighting (about $1.2B in revenue at that time.)

Director of New Product Engineering

Managed a group of 6 direct/10 indirect reports, covering new product development, industrial design, sustaining engineering, and engineering services for a $130M revenue business unit focused on Emergency Lighting.  Drove the redesign program for the business unit's #1 product family from concept through first production samples in 10 weeks (7 months start to finish for product launch) achieving a $2M annual cost reduction.  Granted the "Chairman's Award" for two projects providing in excess of $350K/month contribution.

Engineering Manager - ESG

Product Design Manager

Code Blue Corporation

Technology Manager

Robertshaw Controls Company

Product Design Engineer

Hi – thanks for stopping by my LinkedIn page!  I’m a mechanical engineer by education, but a systems guy by training.  If I have a superpower, it is the ability to make connections between business problems and one or more loosely related technologies to create unique and consequential solutions. 

I took a job with an intrapreneurial startup straight out of college and like to jokingly tell people it ruined me on real jobs ever since.  What it (and my experience in subsequent startups) did teach me was how to tackle “impossible” problems, to be comfortable with ambiguity, and to seek out ways to make a dent in the universe.  

I’ve had the good fortune of working with superstar teams to achieve several “firsts”: the first mass-market LED downlight module (the LR6 with LED Lighting Fixtures), the first LED troffer (Cree’s LR24) and first mass market troffer family (Cree’s CR family), and the first LED A-lamp (light bulb) under $10 (sold at Home Depot, by Cree.)

I’ve been in lighting for over 24 years now, but have adapted from traditional lighting to LED, then into semiconductors and color science, and on to the physiological impact of light on humans (or Human Light Interaction.)  I’m incurably curious and welcome the opportunity to learn new disciplines, tackle new challenges, and strive to leave the world a better place than I found it.

I’m most proud of my contributions, however small, to the success of those around me.  Some of my colleagues have been kind enough to leave me recommendations here – but make no mistake, they’ve all been instrumental in my growth as a professional and person as well.  For this, and the friendships that resulted, I am forever grateful.

If you’ve managed to read all the way to the bottom of my About section, consider this my “thank you”: if you ever need an introduction, advice, or even help with a thorny technical problem – reach out!  I’m a big believer in “pay it forward.”  If I don’t have the time to help you out, I’ll tell you up front, but you won’t know until you ask!  I’m looking forward to hearing from you!

Just because a competitor's product is successful doesn't mean that product specification is a good target for which to aim.

I was asked to build a product to reach a niche from which my employer was being shut out during bidding.  Fortunately, I'd addressed this specific niche in a previous job very successfully, albeit at a much higher price point.  I iterated between optical simulations on a custom designed optic and AGI32 renders of the product used in application until I had something that offered 5x-10x the performance (on the figure of merit cited by Lighting Designers) of all the other products in the category.

When Sales reviewed it, they asked for the optical distribution to be changed to more closely match that of the top seller in the category - assuming that was the benchmark.  I explained that doing so would make the product much less effective in application, and provided the renders to prove my point.

The takeaways: 

- Know what job the product is being "hired" to do
- A competitor's marketplace success could just be the result of a "good enough" product - so look for opportunities for meaningful improvement
- Communicate the "why" before the "what" - so the design team can deliver what was intended, rather than merely what was asked for
- Build the "story" you want to be able to tell in the market - and let that be the North Star of the development process

Happy Tuesday!

#innovation #leadership #ProductDevelopment #electronics #systems #SystemsOptimization #10X #storytelling #WhyBeforeWhat

Product & Innovation Leader | Scaling Breakthrough Technologies into $100M+ Businesses | IP Development and Strategy | Angel Investor | CTO

"In this article we call for a fundamentally different paradigm: the Octopus Organization, inspired by the remarkably adaptive, curious, and intelligent sea dweller. That animal, whose arms can think and act independently yet work in perfect concert, offers a model for building companies that can thrive in complexity and embrace continuous change. Octopus Orgs tap the intelligence of their people, integrating a range of efforts naturally and gracefully. They sense subtle signals, learning and shifting course at speed to navigate uncertainty."

Jana Werner and Phil Le-Brun craft an excellent narrative on organizational transformation in this insightful Harvard Business Review article.  Whether it is traditional systems implementations (like ERP or CRM) or AI, it seems that many transformational company initiatives look to automate and streamline existing processes, rather than questioning if the processes themselves need to be changed altogether.

The "Tin Man" vs. "Octopus" organization encapsulates this challenge, and the authors offer concrete steps to help build a highly adaptive company culture with systems that support such flexibility: curiosity, experimentation, principle-based decision processes, empowering ownership at the deepest levels of the organization, and so much more.

A longer read, and well worth the time.

Happy Wednesday!

#leadership #leaders #management #managers #culture #OrganizationalDesign #processes #adaptability #flexibility #experimentation #curiosity #innovation #people #PeopleFirst #ownership #octopus #TinMan #transformation

This is brilliant.

#physics #2YearOlds #education #book #MechanicalEngineering #kids #toddlers

"When leaders constantly push forward without stopping to mark their progress, they risk more than burnout. They deprive themselves of a buffer against stress (self‑affirmation), a source of ongoing motivation (self‑reward), and the mood lift that fuels creativity and good judgment (the progress principle). Over time, this can compound into lower resilience, waning drive, and poorer decision quality—undercutting the very effectiveness they’re chasing."

The problem with having very high personal expectations is that even big wins feel like just scraping the bottom of the"good enough."  Those accomplishments don't feel worthy of celebration, because we didn't reach out own internal high bar.

The advantage of having been part of both successful and failed startups (for me) is this: I recognize how little control I actually had over the outcome.  Funding, macroeconomic environment, team, market timing, and just plain luck played into the outcomes as much as my effort level.  I worked myself into the ground for 2 years and was part of an equity exit.  I did the same for over 10 years and walked away with nothing.

I've shifted my mindset to judge career experiences more on relationships built, new learning, and energy invested than outcomes.  If I built strong teams and good friendships, and know I put everything I had into achieving success, how is that any less worthy of celebration when the end result wasn't a payout?

Lan Nguyen Chaplin, Ph.D. highlights some of the pitfalls to avoid and ideas to facilitate celebrating progress in this insightful Harvard Business Review article - great read!

Happy Thursday!

#leadership #leaders #management #managers #progress #SmallWins #celebrate #resilience #AvoidBurnout

"Enjoying original works of art in a gallery can relieve stress, reduce the risk of heart disease and boost your immune system, according to the first study of its kind."

This study shows not only that enjoying art (beauty) can have a positive impact on your health, but that HOW you enjoy it (doing so in a curated space designed for purpose) has a major impact as well.  (The bold is my added emphasis.)

Architecture and the built environment - the way it is designed, the materials used, the way it is lit, the experience it provides visitors - have a profound influence on us as humans.  We should treat the decisions that go into these spaces with the appropriate care.

#architecture #neuroarchitecture #beauty #AEC #BuiltEnvironment #materails #lighting #experience #health #wellness #science #care #craftsmanship

https://lnkd.in/dCznzAii

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