Transcript
Rob Vaughan: Good afternoon, everyone, and welcome to Episode 6 of the First Call Facility Focus Forum. I’m your host, Rob Vaughan, joined by a couple of outstanding guests and industry peers today from Keystone Technologies. I have Bob Shostek, ESCO Territory Manager, and Todd Tiberi, Director of National Account Sales. Fellas, we’ve worked together for a long time. It’s great to have you today. How are you?
Todd Tiberi: Great. Great to be here, Rob. Anytime we get to see you, my friend, we are beaming, so thank you.
Rob Vaughan: I sincerely appreciate that. We’ve had a lot of great topics on the podcast so far across multiple Facility Focus Forums, but we haven’t had a chance to talk much about LED lighting retrofits yet. I’m very excited to talk to the two of you today. Keystone is a real industry leader in LED technology. Starting off here — in a lighting industry with more LED brands and competition than ever before — for those both familiar and unfamiliar with Keystone, please talk a little bit about the company and what has allowed your brand to thrive with such longevity.
Todd Tiberi: Yeah, Rob, I think what’s allowed us to thrive comes down to a couple different things. We started in 1945 manufacturing magnetic ballasts, and we’re still family-owned and operated today. Our core competency has always been around the power source of a fixture. What we did was build an LED fixture line around that expertise. When you see failures or weak points in LED fixtures, they’re usually related to the power source. I love the fact that all of our power sources — or drivers — within our LED line are ours. That leads to an extremely low failure rate and really strong product reliability. Bob, do you know the statistics? I think it’s less than one-tenth of one percent.
Bob Shostek: Yeah, our failure rate is one-tenth of one percent, and Todd’s exactly right. The heart and soul of fluorescent or HID fixtures was the ballast. Today, the heart and soul of an LED fixture is the driver. That’s the primary failure point. Since we manufacture the driver ourselves, we can design our fixtures around it, which greatly improves quality and reduces failures.
Rob Vaughan: Product quality is obviously key, especially when it comes to the longevity of your business. To be around for decades in this industry is impressive. I always smile when I see companies that have only been around five years offering seven-year warranties. Keystone can truly back up its warranties with strong technology, a tremendous team, and a family atmosphere. Looking a little further, LED lighting has changed tremendously over the years. It’s become more efficient and experienced so many positive transitions. In your eyes, what are some of the most dynamic changes you’ve seen in LED technology and development?
Todd Tiberi: I think selectability has been a huge innovation over the last five to ten years. Now you have the ability to select multiple wattages, multiple color temperatures, swap optics, use multiple mounting options, and even change fixture configurations — all within one SKU. That level of selectability and customization has really evolved since the beginning of LED technology.
Rob Vaughan: You hit on something really important there, Todd. Years ago, LED technology was more expensive and required stocking so many different fixture types. Now, instead of ordering 15 different SKUs, you can order one product that offers multiple color temperatures and wattage levels to customize brightness and performance. Bob, what technological advancements stand out to you? This isn’t exactly your first year in the industry — I think you may have been around during the Abraham Lincoln administration, if I’m correct.
Bob Shostek: Well first of all, Rob, let’s get this straight — back in 1945, I was not alive. Maybe Jean Lindamann was. We’ll have to ask him about that. But seriously, there are two major things I’ve seen. The first is controls and how much easier they are to integrate with LED technology. Fluorescent and incandescent systems took a beating when controls were applied. LEDs are much more robust when it comes to dimming, switching, and automation. That’s probably the biggest advancement I’ve seen and likely where the next phase of LED technology is headed. The second is efficiency. When LEDs first started, we were talking about 10–15 lumens per watt. Today, some of our tubes are producing 200 lumens per watt. The products continue to become more efficient, better built, and capable of producing higher light output
Rob Vaughan: That’s such a key point, Bob. We have a lot of facility managers listening who are trying to make decisions about LED upgrades. When LED lamps and fixtures first came out, they could cost $20–$25 per lamp or fixture. Now they’re often below the $10 threshold while offering better lumens per watt and longer warranties. The technology is dramatically better and less than half the cost it was a decade ago. That improves ROI and makes LED projects long-term investments instead of short-term fixes. Shifting directions a bit, there are dozens of strategies when it comes to LED lighting projects. Todd, bluntly put, what makes for a great project? And Bob, what makes for a great product?
Todd Tiberi: For projects, it starts with communication between everyone involved. What are we trying to accomplish? You can design a project in a million different ways. Some customers prioritize maintenance savings, others focus on aesthetics, energy savings, rebates, or cost. Understanding the goals of the project helps guide the entire design and execution process.
Rob Vaughan: I really appreciate that answer. We take a lot of pride in customization ourselves. Some facility managers focus strictly on cost. Others care most about energy savings, utility rebates, aesthetics, or warranty coverage. Whether it’s a massive distribution center or a chain converting a thousand locations, customization is everything. Bob, what makes for a great product in 2026?
Bob Shostek: It starts with quality. If you’re a contractor, project manager, or maintenance professional, the last thing you want to do is climb that ladder again or bring the bucket truck back out. You want the product to work, operate reliably, and last the full warranty period. The second thing is inventory and stocking. We live in an Amazon world now. People expect product availability immediately. If you don’t have inventory, you slow projects down and delay closeouts. The third piece is service. When I walk into Chick-fil-A, I know I’m going to get great service. That’s something CLS, First Call, and Keystone all have in common. We’re family-owned companies that genuinely enjoy helping people.
Rob Vaughan: Those are really great answers, guys. Bob, I appreciate the unexpected sponsorship plugs for Amazon and Chick-fil-A there. But the key word with everything you both said is reliability. When it comes to projects and products, people want reliability. With that in mind, Bob, what are some of the larger challenges we face with LED lighting projects in today’s market, and how does Keystone help mitigate those risks?
Bob Shostek: One of the biggest challenges right now is market saturation. The lighting industry used to consist of a handful of major ballast and lamp manufacturers plus maybe a few dozen fixture companies. Now, if you look at the DLC list, there are over 4,000 companies with DLC-rated 4-foot tubes. That rapid expansion has created a lack of quality and reliability in many areas of the market. People ask, “Why can I buy this for $3 when everyone else sells it for $10?” Well, there’s usually a reason — quality and reliability. The other major factor is what I call “LED 2.0.” Facilities upgraded to LED eight or ten years ago, and now those warranties are starting to expire. Companies don’t want to keep climbing ladders for maintenance. They want partners like CLS to come in, help extend lifecycle performance, improve efficiency, and provide another ten years of dependable lighting.
Rob Vaughan: That’s a great point. Different customers are at different stages in their lighting journey. Some are transitioning from legacy technology to LED for the first time, while others are upgrading first-generation LED systems to newer, more efficient products. Todd, that leads me to my next question. Clients always ask me, “What’s the next big thing in lighting?” What should facility managers be looking at for future projects?
Todd Tiberi: I think the next big thing is AI. And I’m not talking about Allen Iverson, the great Philadelphia 76er. I’m talking about artificial intelligence. We’re already seeing AI help with project planning, product cross-referencing, takeoffs, and information gathering. It’s making projects more efficient and easier to execute. Looking ahead, AI will likely become integrated into products, controls, and predictive maintenance systems. Maybe every fixture driver eventually communicates data and predicts failures before they happen.Those are some of the exciting developments coming quickly.
Rob Vaughan: I appreciate that perspective. My last question is for both of you. What’s your favorite part about your job? And do you have a memorable project story or experience that stands out over the years? Bob, let’s start with you.
Bob Shostek: My favorite part is helping people. When you help somebody, it comes back tenfold. That’s been the key to surviving the hectic evolution of this business — from stopping at pay phones to check messages to carrying computers in our pockets with hundreds of emails coming in every hour. At the end of the day, it still comes down to people and helping people. As for a memorable story, I once worked with a large manufacturer and helped create a new product for a major motor company. When I came to Keystone, they said, “That’s exactly what we want to do here.” Every day, we ask customers how we can help them. Whether you’re talking to a customer, working with engineering, dealing with UL approvals, pricing, or product development, there’s something incredibly rewarding about seeing a product come full circle and being able to say, “I helped create that.”
Rob Vaughan: I really appreciate that, Bob. Honestly, if people asked me my favorite part of the job, I’d say exactly the same thing — the people and helping customers solve problems. There’s a lot of joy in building customized solutions.Todd, same question for you. What do you love most about what you do?
Todd Tiberi: It’s definitely the people. Not only the people we work with internally at Keystone, but customers like yourself. It’s incredibly rewarding helping people you genuinely like and consider friends. That’s absolutely the best part of the job.
Rob Vaughan: It really is a competitive industry. There are more options than ever before, and that can be overwhelming for customers. That’s why working with people and products you trust matters so much. It all goes back to reliability and making sure we find the right fit for every customer. Todd, we’ll save our Philadelphia 76ers discussion for another podcast because we definitely don’t have enough time for that today. But I really appreciate both of you joining us. LED lighting continues to be such a hot topic, and you both shared tremendous insight today. You’ll have to promise to come back again soon. Thank you both so much, and stay tuned for our next Facility Focus Forum podcast. Take care, everybody.
