Landscape Lighting Tips Focus of LRC Conferences The Lighting Research Center of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, N.Y., is offering several Landscape Lighting Institutes in 1999. The seminars are designed to address the need for practical and comprehensive instruction in landscape lighting. Part 1 will be held May 21-23 and Sept. 30-Oct. 2. Part 2 will be held Sept. 16-19 and Oct. 2-5. Janet Lennox Moyer, IALD, senior lighting designer for LRC and author of "The Landscape Lighting Book," will lead all sessions. Call (518) 276-8716 or see www.lrc.rpi.edu.
New Product Removes Need for Color Gels
Itasca, Ill.-based SkandaLights Inc. introduces Color Kinetics - Full Spectrum Digital Lighting. Color Kinetics generates colors and lighting effects with its microprocessor-controlled red, green and blue LED lamps, removing the need for color gels in lighting dislays. More than 16.7 million lights can be mixed from the three primary-colored lamps. The product won Lightfair '98's "Best New Product of the Year" award. The company's C-Series is for use in point-of-purchase, visual merchandising, signage, architectural, entertainment and theater applications.
Texas Roofing Contractors Set Date for Convention The Roofing Contractors Association of Texas convention will be held Oct. 6-8 in Arlington, Texas. More than 600 roofing and waterproofing contractors attend this show each year. Exhibitor space is still available. Call (800) 99ROOF1.
'Iron Maiden' Baler Fights Department Store Theft Standard trash compactors and balers don't fit the needs of all companies. At Century 21 Department Stores, thieves would sneak expensive items into the stores' balers, then return later, after the bale was made, and break open the bale and take out the goods. The bales were so tight that the items couldn't be seen. The department store chain's vice president came up with a solution: arming the balers' press heads with spikes to destroy any hidden items. It turned to Springdale, Ark.-based JV Manufacturing to design and build the "baler-cum-iron maiden." The company works with prospective clients to design balers and compactors fitting specific needs, as well as producing its Cram-A-Lot line of equipment.
Flat-Profile Expansion Joint Fights Ponding Problems North Tonawanda, N.Y.-based SITURA Inc. manufactures REDLINE, a flat-profile joint with monolithic seaming and elastic that eliminates water-ponding problems that occur with standard, raised expansion cover details. The joint has no metal parts and requires no intensive caulking or adhesives. The product is installed with asphalt or coal-tar-pitch-based products. See www.situra.com.
Register now for Code Expo The three model code organizations (BOCA, ICBO and SBCCI) are coming together for the first time at International Code Expo '99 Sept. 12-17 in St. Louis. Booths are still available for the exhibit portion of the expo. Call Peggy Trent at (800) 423-6587 for more information.
RBRC Challenge: Recycle Batteries Through its Charge Up to Recycle! program, Gainesville, Fla.-based Rechargeable Battery Recycling Corp. (RBRC) encourages recycling of Nickel-Cadmium (Ni-Cd) batteries. The batteries are used in cordless and cellular phones, camcorders, power tools, and cordless vacuums. Users can drop off the used batteries at participating retailers: ACE Hardware, Circuit City, Car Phone Store, Ameritech, Batteries Plus, BellSouth Cellular, RadioShack, Black & Decker, Target or Wal-Mart. For more information see www.rbrc.com.
New Maintenance Software Features Enhancements State College, Pa.-based OmniComp Inc. has released Service Call 2.3, an improved version of its maintenance management software. The latest version offers enhancements such as one-page work-order entry, simplified import/ export capability, automatic price markup for inventory and labor, "Back in Service" date tracking, improved work-order printing, and more. See OmniComp's website, www.omni-comp.com, for more details.
Construction Co. Veteran Promoted Roger Stachler has been promoted from vice president of construction to executive vice president of Livingston, N.J.-based Eastman Construction Co. Inc. As vice president of construction, Stachler was responsible for the 11-month completion of the award-winning Bell Communications Research Building, also in Livingston. He has been with the company since 1978.