Denis Caldora visit

We had a wonderful visit with Denis Caldora this morning. Most people in the lighting industry know who Denis is, but for those of you outside our world, let me tell you a bit about him. He helps lighting showrooms and manufacturers' showrooms with merchandising and design. He also consults with our vendors and assists with sales trainings, designer nights, and various other things. Today he was re-introducing us to Hanover Lanterns. They are a factory in Pennsylvania that actually still makes products right there, in the USA! I'm wondering, does "made in the USA" affect your buying decisions? There are very few lighting companies that ARE still made here, and although they cost more, I'd love to know if our customers still consider that important? Send me some feedback (you can post comments on our Facebook page or on the blog, or send me an email at cschla@dominionelectric.com)!

Erin Schwartz with Denis Caldora

Denis was showing us the angel on his back!


Amanda Leonard, Denis, & Eileen Naughton

Denis & Amanda

Just for fun!

Ok, so these aren't really "lights"....
But my mom went to the flower & garden show in Philly a couple of weeks ago, and she sent me this picture, and I just couldn't resist putting it on the blog!
Can you tell that the lamp shades are made of flowers & plants? Don't I wish we COULD sell things like this!!!


I just got back from walking a 1/2 marathon in Virginia Beach, so that's all I have time for today. Hope I made you smile!

Troy Lighting on sale

I've drastically marked down several Troy Lighting exterior lanterns in Chantilly, so I thought I should show you the great deals. We're open Monday to Friday from 8 to 5 and Saturdays from 9 to 3, so come check out these bargains!

#1452EB ~ Original price $460.80 ~ Marked down to $109! We have 3 in Chantilly, plus 3 more in Arlington.

B1471AGB ~ Originally $230.40 ~ Marked down to $55 ~ Only 1 left!

B1472AGB ~ Originally $376.20 ~ Marked down to $89 ~ 3 in stock.

B9241NR ~ Originally $271.80 ~ Marked down to $65 ~ 2 in stock.

B9242NR ~ Originally $403.20 ~ Marked down to $105 ~ 4 in stock.

B9243CI ~ Originally $720.00 ~ Marked down to $150 ~ Only 1 left!

BCD8980OR ~ Originally $205.20 ~ Marked down to $49 ~ 2 in stock.

BCD8981OR ~ Originally $273.60 ~ Marked down to $65 ~ 6 in stock.

BCD9130NAB ~ Originally $282.60 ~ Marked down to $79 ~ Only 1 left!

BIW6910AN ~ Originally $203.40 ~ Marked down to $49 ~ 2 in stock.

P9244NR ~ Originally $403.20 ~ Marked down to $96 ~ 3 in stock.

P9896OBA ~ Originally $374.40 ~ Marked down to $99 ~ 2 in stock.

PCD8983OR ~ Originally $437.40 ~ Marked down to $84 ~ 4 in stock.

If you would like any other details about any of them, please let me know (cschla@dominionelectric.com). But hurry ~ deals this amazing won't last long!

Jim Pishner's 50th anniversary

Yesterday we celebrated a major milestone for one of our employees. Jim Pishner, our Executive V.P. of Operations, has been with Dominion Electric Supply for 50 years! I thought my 20 was pretty great, but he puts my years to shame! We had a luncheon for him in Arlington ~ here are some pictures:

Richard Sharlin, our owner, with Betty & Jim Pishner.

Richard is handing off the scrapbook that all the employees put together ~ an amazing walk down memory lane!

Rick Williams, our President & COO, with Betty & Jim Pishner, and Richard Sharlin


Mike Stombock, Kathleen Cunnigan, Liz Erkenbrack, Jim Pishner, Richard Sharlin, and Maria Castillo


Rolando Depaz, Lorie Woolsey, and Marcia Hussey

They told us yesterday that over half of our 250 employees have been with the company for over 10 years. In today's times of lots of job-hopping, we think that's pretty impressive! And did you know that Dominion Electric Supply is still family owned and locally operated? It's true!

Our newest post card mailer ~ 10% off coupon

Patty Jordan, our director of marketing, just sent me this ad copy. These will go out in postcard packs a few times this year, but as always, you can print them from the Blog or our Facebook fan page any time!

The fixture pictured is by Murray Feiss. What do you think of it? It appeals to me a lot, with the mixture of the drum I love, PLUS the sparkly crystals to appeal to my Diamond Lil side! :-)

Philips Lightolier Solid-State Lighting Product Showcase

A bunch of us attended this Product Showcase for Philips Lightolier's new Solid-State Lighting products on Tuesday night in Tysons Corner. Here are my pictures:

This is Ronna Cohen (a friendly competitor), Tina Kareskie of Philips Lightolier, and me (Catherine Schlawin) of Dominion Electric Supply

Me & Tina ~ We have known each other for about 20 years, since I was a "baby" in our industry, right out of college!

Marcia Hussey, showroom manager in our Laurel store, Amanda Leonard, my assistant manager in Chantilly, and Linda Morley, Arlington showroom manager

Debbie Fortney, our outside saleswoman, with Brian Burke of Philips Lightolier

Tina with a guest

Barret Gorman of Philips with our Oscar Moreno, Ursela Santana, & Mary Barvir

Oscar, Ursela, & Mary


The most exciting residential product is their new LED retrofit kit for existing Lightolier frame-in kits, like the 1102P1 and 1002P1. It is REALLY bright and gorgeous!

Washington Post's Tip of the Week

I love the way this Washington Post article begins: "Once upon a time, 30 or 40 years ago, the words "green kitchen" meant that your kitchen looked like the inside of an avocado." Here's a link to the article:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/03/02/AR2010030202932.html/
It's called "Eight Steps to a More Eco-Friendly Kitchen", and I'll bet you can guess that one of the steps involves lighting! Yes, #7 says "Pay attention to lighting ~ Avoid turning on the kitchen light when natural illumination is sufficient, and replace incandescent bulbs and fixtures with energy-efficient LED lighting."
In a related email I get from the Washington Post, titled "Home and Garden Tip - Ideas For Your Kitchen Renovation", they say "Install dimmers on your lighting. It's great for creating a warm ambiance at night." As our former Lutron rep, Sarah Smart, used to say, you wouldn't buy a stereo without a volume control, so why would you install a light without a brightness control? And today we know that dimmers save energy, so all the more reason to put them on every (non-CFL) light in your house!

NARI magazine

I went to the Home & Garden Show last weekend at the Expo center here in Chantilly. When I passed by the NARI booth (National Association of the Remodeling Industry), they handed me their magazine. And right there on the back page was our ad, featuring Erin Schwartz and Bill Altizer! Aren't they a handsome pair?!

This is the cover of the magazine:

We are proud to be associated with so many of these fabulous remodelers. If you'd like to learn more about NARI, you can find them at http://www.nari.org/

I'm curious, did anyone else go to the Home Show? I was a bit disappointed ~ seemed like there were too many people selling mops and not enough remodelers and products to see. I'm wondering if anyone else has comments about that? If so, click on the comment button below! (Or if you're reading this on Facebook, you can just post a comment as usual.)

Stonegate sconces

Eileen Naughton, a lighting designer in my showroom, just sent me this link:

http://angieseckinger.com/client/Indahl/Drimak//




She helped this designer select these gorgeous Stonegate sconces. Isn't that a beautiful bathroom?! The designer is Kristi Drimak of Indahl Interiors in Ashburn, VA.

If you're a designer or client, and we've helped you with lighting, we'd love to see & share your pictures as well, so please send them! You can post them to our Facebook page, or email them to me at cschla@dominionelectric.com.