From the EDITOR

When I was president of the Illuminating Engineering Society (IES) over 20 years ago, we had MOUs with various organizations. We were quite active with some organizations and very inactive with others. Sometimes, once the ink was dry on the MOU, it was put on a shelf, and nothing happened.

In April, NALMCO entered into a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with IES. This MOU enables future collaboration between the organizations on consensusbased guidelines and publications. As partners and joint developers of the American National Standard titled ANSI/IES/NALMCO RP-36, Recommended Practice: Lighting Maintenance, both IES and NALMCO seek to advance lighting knowledge and improve the quality of lighting.

RP-36 holds great importance for both organizations; I believe it is crucial for us to explore other areas of common interest. One potential area is the development of a Recommended Practice for EV Chargers. While NALMCO has taken a lead in embracing this opportunity, I am sure IES would follow suit.

Additionally, education is another domain where both organizations possess strengths. While IES has a more comprehensive education program, I believe NALMCO excels in certification. There is an opportunity for IES and NALMCO to learn from each other in these respective areas.

To solidify the partnership and promote mutual benefits, the IES and NALMCO have agreed to establish a mutually beneficial relationship, encourage coordination among their documents where appropriate, create joint documents when mutually beneficial, share educational opportunities, designate committee representatives, and advocate for each other's organization.

In 2016, IES recognized the necessity of reducing their reliance on income generated from LightFair and sought to diversify their revenue streams. The memorandum of understanding (MOU) presents an opportunity for both organizations to collaborate, not only in creating recommended practices (RPs) and providing education, but also in exploring new avenues for generating joint revenue. This partnership opens doors for innovative initiatives that can benefit both organizations financially.