Innovation & Job News

LED Optical Solutions illuminates Grosse Ile, Warren

Thursday, December 09, 2010

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Energy, Government, Green Building, Sustainability

LED Optical Solutions is getting ready to ship the first orders of its new LED streetlights, a product that could make the ultra-energy-efficient technology more accessible to local municipalities.

The Washington Township-based startup has created an LED bulb for streetlights that can screw into normal decorative light fixtures, such as the acorn-style lights commonly found in downtowns. That helps cut out the normally high installation costs for LED streetlights.

"It maximizes the existing infrastructure," says Paula Duffett Wheeler, director of sales and marketing for LED Optical Solutions.

The company has eight employees and 15-20 independent contractors. It is already shipping some of these lights, which use only 45 watts, compared to 150 watts for normal lightbulbs, to the pilot projects in Grosse Ille and Warren. The technology developed by the 2-year-old firm launched it into the semi-finals of the Accelerate Michigan Innovation Competition.

"We have already gotten a ton out of the Accelerate Michigan Innovation Competition," Duffett Wheeler says. "The exposure alone as a semi-finalist adds huge credibility when it come to attracting customers."

Source: Paula Duffett Wheeler, director of sales and marketing for LED Optical Solutions
Writer: Jon Zemke

Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

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