October 2025 Contractor of the Month is: Loudoun Lighting

Can you tell us about your business?

Loudoun Lighting operates in and around Loudoun County in Northern Virginia just outside our nation’s capital. We are solely focused on landscape and architectural lighting both for residential and commercial properties and spaces. Formed in 2023, Loudoun Lighting is steadily growing and prides itself on meeting clients where they are at in what I refer to as “lighting maturity”. This area has a lot of opportunity to work on projects ranging from typical suburban homes, large estates near Washington D.C., to historic Hunt Country properties that serve as retreats from the city.

How did you get into the landscape lighting business?

Like so many others, my personal experience with lighting brought me into this business. My first real exposure was over 10 years ago when I bought a home that came with landscape lighting. It was a retail grade DIY system that - you guessed it - needed repair. Working on that system taught me what to avoid. Over time I began noticing lighting everywhere I went. Upon our move to Virginia I had the opportunity to work with professional lighting designers and installers with professional grade product to put lighting on our new home. This process gave me a greater appreciation for the craft. Even so, it was still several more years before I started Loudoun Lighting and left traditional corporate work. So far I’ve not read about, met or heard of anyone getting into outdoor lighting through a path I would describe as "on purpose." What I mean by that is that you’re not going to find someone who went through a high school, trade school or college path designed to land someone in this space. Rather, most end up in this space by taking a passion for the aesthetics or some other quality around lighting to marry that with another skillset. In my case, I brought my entrepreneurial upbringing to a 20 year corporate financial sales career with several public companies and then married those experiences to launch into lighting for the fun it brings.

What percentage of your business is landscape lighting/what other services do you provide (ie: landscaping, irrigation, electrical…)?

100%. We’re focused on landscape/architectural lighting for residential & commercial properties and despite many asks we do not do holiday lighting.

How long have you been installing landscape lighting?

My first install was in 2014.

What AMP products do you prefer to use? Which fixtures are your favorite?

It’s important to me that Loudoun Lighting be known for straight talk with clients. The PinnaclePro and the MiniPinnaclePro are well designed, sturdy fixtures that do most of the heavy lifting for us. These fixtures are no nonsense solid performers that I can look a client in the eye and confidently assure them that they are getting great value. Customers want simple. The PinnaclePro line empowers customers to swap a lamp if they are DIY inclined. It’s not that the customer will actually do so, it’s about the power in giving clients optionality and the feeling that they are in control; this is what we like that about the drop in fixtures. We build trust selling drop-ins and trust removes friction in the sales cycle and breeds follow on business.

What tips or tricks have you learned that have benefited your work from a design/installation perspective?

A simple laser pointer has been a great addition. I keep one in my pocket to help customers envision my design while we walk around their home. They don’t all know what a fascia or soffit is so it’s helpful to point to these areas where we’ll mount fixtures and then trace out where that fixture’s light will wash their home. Once the install is complete the laser is invaluable for ensuring a consistent aim of each fixture on and reduces the need for night-time walk through’s. Complex jobs still get a night walkthrough to confirm all elements of the design meet our standards, but the laser is a time saver nonetheless. Plus, it’s more fun to use a laser pointer outside than indoors giving a PowerPoint presentation, right? 😊

Tell me about your sales process. How do you find your customers? What is your sales process? Do you use sales tools such as a free demo…

The customer journey varies depending on whether they’ve had lighting previously or are first-time clients, but most find us online or by word of mouth. This has been true for both residential and commercial projects, though the sales process differs due to timelines, budget approvals, and decision layers. At the core of every client engagement is helping them identify and understand their goals and priorities. That’s not always a given. We help them through active listening, consultative selling, and a touch of one of my favorite books — The Challenger Sale. Because of this, we rarely do nighttime demos. We used to but quickly learned that if a client needs a night-time demo in order to decide to invest in lighting, they aren’t ready to invest in lighting. By the time we’ve defined the project areas and scope, clients have put their trust in us and typically defer to our design judgment.

Where do you find inspiration for your lighting designs?

I can’t go anywhere at night without noticing lighting and making mental notes of what I love and want to emulate, what could be improved or perhaps should be avoided. Some of the online forums are a collegial place for sharing and finding inspiration too. Finally, I’ll triangulate against principles from ILLI and AOLP.

What do you feel is the most personally rewarding part of installing a lighting system for a client?

The most rewarding part of this work is the call-backs. It’s not what you’re thinking. More than half of our clients call us back requesting additional lighting. Of course, we expect to have happy customers, but it still delights me how often clients proactively reach out to tell us how much they love their lighting and want more. This usually happens on night one, but sometimes it’s a month later when they’ve had time to live with it and are struck by its beauty again. We’ve received handwritten thank-you notes, invitations to corporate and social events, even gifts — one client who collected beers from around the world gave us a specialty bottle from Belgium. Each of these gestures is personal thanks for something they paid us for. When someone is writing you a check and thanking you, I doubt many other trades have that experience. It’s a personal compliment that we’re doing something different — humanizing Loudoun Lighting. Clients know they aren’t just a transaction, and they’ve made it clear that they don’t view us as just another contractor.

Tell us a little bit about you personally: What do you like to do outside of work? What are your hobbies?

Outside of work, let’s sum up my personal life through the lens of Faith, Family and Friends - in that order. I’m a sinner putting my faith in Jesus Christ as my Savior. Highly recommend this one. My wife and I recently celebrated a quarter century of marriage and we have the honor of raising triplets together. Our son and 2 daughters are seniors in high school and working college applications as you read this. With only ~43 weekends with them still at home I’m prioritizing every moment with them before having an instant empty nest. This has meant less time for friends lately! As for hobbies, what are those? Someday perhaps I’ll be able to resume construction on my model railroad.