4 minute read
A Beacon of Light
By Parker Allen
EiKO Transforms Garber Automall with a Comprehensive Lighting Retrofit
In the world of automobile dealerships, first impressions are paramount. Garber Automall, a prominent dealership in Green Cove Springs, Florida, found a way to overhaul its aesthetic, as well as address safety issues and save on energy costs, through a strategic lighting upgrade.
Clayton Rix, outside sales representative at local distributor Lamp Sales Unlimited, initially approached Garber with the idea of doing a comprehensive lighting retrofit. Garber’s external lighting infrastructure had been neglected for years, leading to an 80% outage of the old metal halide fixtures across the entire property.
Rix’s pitch to Garber focused on two key points. The first was the issue of safety. Customers were hesitant to shop at the dealership at night due to the lack of adequate lighting.
The second point was the issue of aesthetics. Garber wanted to make their cars “pop.” The inadequate lighting was hindering the dealership’s ability to showcase its vehicles effectively during nighttime operations.
Rix and Casey Hogue of EiKO met with Garber to discuss the scope of the project and identify specific lighting needs. EiKO then took these notes to their engineer to create a detailed lighting layout, ensuring the lighting solution would meet their specific requirements.
They came back to Garber with a detailed project proposal, which Hogue noted was more competitive than bids from several “tier 1” manufacturers that Garber had received. Their analysis revealed a payback period of less than two years. The quick ROI was crucial, as Garber was fully funding the project themselves.
Garber gave them the green light to proceed, with the requirement that they didn’t want the project completed in stages. They wanted a full turnkey solution.
To ensure this, Rix connected EiKO with Dobson Electric, a trusted local electrical contractor, to handle the installation.
BEFORE
The team installed a total of 535 fixtures across Garber’s facility, all of them EiKO’s VERT area lights, replacing the existing metal halide fixtures on a 1:1 basis. Although the dealership did not incorporate controls upon installation, as most of the fixtures operate on photocells, EiKO’s Control Ready products allow for controls (standalone or networked lighting controls) to be added at any time.
The project faced the added challenge of commencing during the height of the pandemic, when lead times on products were notoriously long. However, the team adapted to the circumstances by making custom orders and expediting delivery. The entire project, from the initial contact to completion, took approximately six months.
The installation of LED fixtures not only met safety requirements but also made the dealership's lighting more vibrant. It helped their vehicles "pop" and significantly improved the overall appearance.
A few months after project completion, Hogue happened to be travelling through Jacksonville on a work trip. He spotted what looked like a new, brightly lit sports field in the distance, standing out among the surrounding darkness. As he got closer, he realized it was a car dealership. Then it hit him – that’s our car dealership. That’s Garber. The project had transformed the automall into a beacon of light, a stark contrast to the darkness-plagued facility that had been there several months prior.
AFTER
PROJECT CREDITS
MANUFACTURER
Casey Hogue, EiKO Global, LLC
CONTRACTOR
Keith Dobson, Dobson Electric, Inc.
DISTRIBUTOR
Clayton Rix, Lamp Sales Unlimited, Inc.
