Neighbors

Hello Neighb !

MY FAVORITE MOVIE I COULD NEVER GET TIRED OF WATCHING AND WHY…

“Sing 2.” We have already watched it about 10 times. Something about the color in this movie catches my attention and I can’t get enough.

WHEN I WAS YOUNGER, I WANTED TO

BE… a mathematician. I took extra math classes in high school for fun. I became an artist and librarian instead, so I think it all worked out.

THE SONG I WOULD SING AT

KARAOKE NIGHT IS… anything by Adele.

HI, MY NAME IS… Sami Lange

I’VE LIVED IN DESERT RIDGE FOR A LITTLE OVER TWO YEARS AND I LOVE

IT BECAUSE… it is so convenient. We have wonderful neighbors, large parks, convenient shopping, and the most gorgeous scenery to walk in.

A TYPICAL DAY IN MY LIFE

INCLUDES… waking up early for a quiet cup of coff ee, heading to Paradise Valley Community College where I work as a librarian, spending time on homework with my kids, and making paper quilts in my art studio.

MY FAMILY IS… everything. My husband and I celebrated 18 years of marriage this year, and our son and daughter keep us busy with interests in soccer, karate, and art-making.

ONE THING I CANNOT LIVE WITHOUT

IS… daily meditation. It clears my head and rejuvenates me each morning.

THE ONE PERSON WHO MOTIVATES

ME IS… my dad. He is constantly learning and growing and I couldn’t be more impressed with his commitment to leading a fulfi lled life.

THE LAST THING THAT MADE ME LAUGH OUT LOUD WAS… realizing my second grader won a game of Uno when I had 28 cards in my hand. I won’t pretend that doesn’t happen on the daily!

THE PERFECT DAY… would start like every day with a hot cup of coff ee and oat milk. Then it would include studio time with my kids, and I would cut and dye several hundred pieces of paper for a new paper quilt. A park visit and long walk would be included. An afternoon nap and barbeque with by my husband would fi nish off the perfect weekend day.

MY FAVORITE LOCAL NONPROFIT

IS… Arizona Helping Hands. There are a lot of ways to support this charity that provides for children in foster care. I like going on to the wishlist and purchasing items that get shipped directly to the charity.

My favorite international charity is Room to Read. This organization provides books and builds libraries for children who wouldn’t otherwise have access. I previously partnered with Room to Read and created a charity drive to raise $5,000. I sold original artwork to fund the building of a library for fi fth graders and 100% of the art sales went to the charity drive.

MY LIFE IS… full. I consider this a beautiful thing despite having had a diff erent vision initially. Several years ago we moved to Arizona from northern California to get closer to family and leave the fi res. It was one of the best decisions we have ever made.

THE BEST GIFT I’VE EVER RECEIVED

WAS… my family. I don’t know how I would move through this world without them. The kindness, guidance, and support I get from my entire family is irreplaceable.

MY DREAM VACATION WOULD BE… going to New York. I haven’t been yet. I hope to take a week in the next few years to travel there and spend a lot of time eating and visiting art museums.

THE BEST PIECE OF ADVICE I’VE EVER

RECEIVED IS… change your thinking, change your life.

Cover Story BRIGHT IDEA

Level 5 Lighting Booms as it Illuminates Arizona Year-Round

By Shay Moser

As a new roofi ng business owner, Derek Forsgren set out to grow his company with an emerging product. He off ered his customers permanent, color-changing lighting along with shingles and tiles. The concept has taken off in a big way.

His company off ers permanent holiday and accent lighting. It’s an all-in-one system for residential and commercial use. Level 5 Lighting provides programmable and customizable permanent exterior LED lighting systems that can be used all year round for holidays, backyard entertainment, sporting events, as well as accent and security lighting. The permanent lights are customized to match the roofl ine and are nearly undetectable during the day.

“Brittany Burk, my sister, suggested I look into these permanent lights for my roofi ng company,” explains Forsgren. “I said OK, but I wasn’t gung-ho on it. And then she told me again, ‘You need to take a look at this.’” Forsgren and Burk began researching lighting companies thanks to his sister’s nudges. Jellyfi sh Lighting, based in Salt Lake City, Utah, stood out for it’s standard of quality for being discreet from the street, energy-effi cient, long-lasting, and maintenance-free.

THE ONLY JELLYFISH LIGHTING AUTHORIZED DEALER IN ARIZONA

“Being able to hide the lights during the day and let them come out at night and be beautiful was important,” says Forsgren. So, he became the sole

authorized dealer and installer of Jellyfi sh Lighting in Arizona. “They have the most discreet, powerful, and bright light on the market. The lights mount under home or building trim in a custom track color that encases all wires, so there are no exterior power supplies,” he says.

The brilliant, robust features also drew Forsgren to Jellyfi sh Lighting, which owns and manufactures the system in Utah. Weatherproof, bright three-diode lights are dimmable and use less than one watt per light at the most brilliant white. The controller is a modern Lenux based computer installed indoors that receives continual updates and is low voltage (rated for 25,000 hours, which is about 15 to 20 years of regular use). The computer and mobile app allow users to manage multiple colors, patterns, movements and eff ects, light levels, sections of lights, and even each light individually. Owners can also save several nightly and weekly timers and calendar events for holidays and other special occasions.

“They’re always updating the controller,” Forsgren says. “The new features or updates get automatically added to your computer.”

Jellyfi sh Lighting only had one way of installing their lights, but being a roofer, Forsgren created several ways to add Level 5 Lighting to Arizona’s stucco homes with fl at roofs.

THE ‘LEVEL 5’ IN LEVEL 5 LIGHTING

Despite opening in June 2020 during Covid lockdown, with the fi rst installation in September 2020, Level 5 Lighting has grown from a team trio — Forsgren, Burk, and Thomas Ferraro Jr. to 15 employees, including offi ce administrators, certifi ed lighting trainers, lighting installers, and sales representatives.

Initially, Jellyfi sh Lighting trained and certifi ed Forsgren in Utah. Now Level 5 Lighting has leads who train employees to install the system. Lighting installers must be certifi ed in 90 days, and the company doesn’t subcontract lighting installation. All lighting installers work for Level 5, eliminating scheduling delays and providing workers’ compensation. Typically, a two-person crew installs the lights in a day. For commercial properties, it can take three to four people. “I’ve always believed that you can be successful if you give good service and take care of your customer,” Forsgren says. “Be honest about what you’re doing and answer any questions. If you don’t have the answer, that’s OK. Call them back when you have the answer.”

These business values are why a sales representative visits every new customer after they reserve Level 5 Lighting.

“Every house is a little bit diff erent,” explains Forsgren. “Color is important. So, we make it a requirement to send out a sales rep on every appointment. First, we measure the whole house and discuss your needs and whether this is a good fi t. Then we give an estimate on site.”

Level 5 Lighting also off ers a three-year warranty on the system.

“We provide help with HOAs,” says Forsgren. “Some people will do it without permission. Others will ask and get permission. But the homeowner is responsible for it.”

Customers can also use Level 5 Lighting simply to brighten a boring backyard. “It’s a great application for backyard living, pergolas, and the environment,” Forsgren says. “We can even put Level 5 Lighting on block wall fences to light up a backyard area for playing cornhole or golf.”

LEVEL 5 LIGHTING SHINES COMMERCIALLY, OUT OF STATE

Forsgren ‘s roofi ng and sales expertise has grown Level 5 Lighting onto more than homes and backyards. Apartment buildings and restaurants have installed Level 5 Lighting, and Forsgren recently tested adding lights to the front of Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport. In addition, the owners of Saff ord Copper Mine, located in Graham County, Arizona, and eight miles north of the city of Saff ord, want Level 5 Lighting to illuminate a 150-foot Christmas tree for the top of the mountain.

“The tree will have close to 6,000 LEDs,” says Forsgren. “I’m going through all the technical stuff to ensure it works. After that, I think we’ll be able to see it from space. “I like new challenges, such as fi guring out how to add lights to a diff erent style house and coming up with solutions,” Forsgren says. In addition, we’re starting to get a lot more commercial applications, so that’s fun to fi gure out.”

Forsgren explains the “level 5” in Level 5 Lighting: “We want to get fi ve stars every time we go out to a job from beginning to end. So, we have lots of good reviews, and people recommend us because of our service; we answer your questions and the phone.”

No wonder Level 5 Lighting has become the new Jellyfi sh Lighting authorized dealer for Nashville, planning to open three to fi ve locations in the next one to three years.

Nashville homes are a lot diff erent, says Forsgren. “They get snow, so the pitches on the roof must be a lot deeper. So, it’s a little more challenging.”

While Level 5 expands into Nashville, the lighting company is ramping up for its busiest month in October, when people are preparing for the holidays. Forsgren says they typically sell out by Halloween.

To receive a consultation from Level 5 Lighting, visit level5lighting.com or call 602-643-5922.

This content is sponsored by Level 5 Lighting.

PERMANENT HOLIDAY & ACCENT LIGHTING

www.Level5Lighting.com 602.643.5922

Level 5 Lighting provides discreet during the day, programmable & customizable permanent exterior LED lighting systems that can be used ALL year-round for holidays, sporting events, as well as accent and security lighting. We are an Authorized Jellyfi sh Lighting Distributor.

North Tatum Times Discount 20% OFF LABOR

Must present coupon. Cannot be used with other o ers. Exp. 9/30/2022.