In The Lite, Habitat for Humanity named Small Businesses of the Year

Rachel Kroeger

Staff

May 12, 2025

WAUSAU – Two North Central Wisconsin organizations were recently recognized as Small Businesses of the Year by the Wausau Chamber of Commerce.

In The Lite Electric – a full-service electrical and home automation contractor located at N3543 County Road K in Merrill – was dubbed the winner in the chamber’s for-profit category and Habitat for Humanity of Wausau – the local arm of the national organization working to ensure vulnerable communities have safe and humane housing – was recognized in the competition’s nonprofit category.

According to the chamber, the awards – which were presented at this year’s Business EXPO held last month – recognize business growth, community involvement and innovative efforts in the Wausau region.

In The Lite

Dan Langhoff – owner and master electrician of In The Lite – said he spent 10 years working “for a major electrical firm” in Central Wisconsin before making a career switch into teledata network engineering.

Then, following the events of Sept. 11, 2001, Langhoff said “there was a big shake-up in the industry,” and he found himself in need of a new job.

“So, we started In The Lite, doing any and everything we could to bring money in,” he said. “As we started to grow on the electrical side – since my experience had been in the electrical field, and then working in the teledata area – (I began) seeing the need to bring those two together under one roof for the clients.”

Teledata infrastructure – such as phone wiring or fiber optics – Langhoff said goes hand-in-hand with electrical infrastructure in construction projects, but the work is often handled by separate contractors.

“(I) really started looking for ways to provide (both),” he said. “Back then, (we were contacted) if a customer wanted not just outlets and lights in the room, but if they wanted phone wiring, (too).”

As teledata technology became obsolete, Langhoff said In The Lite expanded into the home automation industry.

“(It’s) evolved into customized lighting, into smart products, into sound systems, into automated systems, and it’s just continued to grow,” he said. “Something that I’ve really tried to (do) – not only back then, but still today – (is to ask) what (technology) is on the cutting or the bleeding edge out there that we can incorporate and bring into our clients’ homes today.”

Langhoff said regardless of the project, customers are always happy to have one point of contact for their electrical, sound, lighting and automation needs at In The Lite.

Services offered

Though In the Lite has expanded into the home automation industry, Communications Director Sasha Everett said the company has not lost its roots in electrical infrastructure.

“We specialize in residential and commercial electrical projects of all sizes,” she said. “Electrical work, standby generators, in-floor heat, solar panels – anything that has to do with electrical (work).”

The home automation side of In The Lite’s services, Everett said, includes “lighting, shades, sound and security – again, residential and commercial automation.”

“So what that means is whole home lighting systems or automated shades, security (and) sound systems,” she said. “We (also install) permanent outdoor holiday lighting.”

Offering a wide variety of highly technological services, Langhoff said, requires an employee base that covers a wide range of skill sets.

“What we’ve done is – in these other (home automation) areas – we’ve added people to the company that are dedicated to those areas,” he said. “They don’t have terminologies – as you would, say, a ‘master sound’ person – but they are certified, and they are trained to be masters in their areas so that they can bring their (knowledge) of that to us.”

Having individuals on staff who specialize in each of In The Lite’s service areas, Langhoff said, allows In the Lite to build entire systems where lights, shades, security and sound can collaborate.

That ability, Everett said, is extremely useful when a project is in the beginning stages.

However, as walls go up, she said it becomes increasingly difficult and more expensive to design and install both automation systems and general electrical work.

“People call us after they’ve completed a project with someone else, and they come in and (say), ‘They never told us that we have these options,’” she said. “It’s generally more expensive to do it after the fact.”

To ensure In The Lite serves every need a customer has, Everett said the team has to help them discover what those needs are.

“When we go in – even if it’s not an automation project, but an electrical project – we like to tell you all of the options,” she said. “(It’s) just trying to be forward-thinking in all areas of a project, and also understanding that both electrical and lighting and home automation are all very customizable.”

Because the company operates within a customizable industry, Langhoff said when In The Lite is called in for a project, it always looks for additional ways to add value for the customer.

“I don’t care if you’re there to put in one outlet or 100 outlets – (we) talk with them about what their need is,” he said. “Because the problem that I see in the electrical industry (is) electricians come in, (quote you) ‘X’ amount of dollars to wire your house and that’s all (they’re) doing – ‘here’s what the code says, and I’m gone, give me a check.’”

At In The Lite, Langhoff said employees, technicians and designers know that the more they talk to the client, the more value they could potentially add.

“(We) take a minute, talk to people, find out what they want to do (and) how they want to live in the space,” he said. “We’re not living there. When we walk away, we may never see the place again, (but) these folks have to be there every single day.”

‘I was speechless’

Being a North Central Wisconsin native – “our office is located 400 yards away from where I grew up” – and having worked and lived in the Wausau area most of his life, Langhoff said winning the Wausau Chamber of Commerce’s Small Business of the Year award was “very surreal.”

“I went back and watched the interview when they came to me, and I can honestly say, I was speechless, (and) that doesn’t happen a lot,” he said.

As an employee of the community-oriented company, Everett said Langhoff has made it a point to recognize the team effort that went into receiving the award.

“After it was announced that we won, Dan sent out a message to the whole team, just saying… ‘this is a group effort, not a single-person win,’” she said. “I think the team that we have here, we feel like a family. We really do take pride in our work, and we take pride in where we work.”

Every day since receiving the honor, Langhoff said he and his team have only become more and more appreciative of the recognition.

“Because we have (the award) now displayed in our office – we have it highlighted with our lighting – and every day I walk by that and I get a big smile on my face,” he said. “It’s nice to be recognized by your peers. Our goal is to be recognized and be appreciated by our customers, but when that migrates into being appreciated by your peers and set (us) apart like that, it does speak (to our hard work).”

For more on In The Lite, visit its Facebook page or website, inthelitellc.com.

Habitat for Humanity of Wausau

Tiffany Arnold – executive director of Habitat for Humanity of Wausau (HFHW) – said since joining the organization in 2022, the local chapter of the nonprofit has grown from helping one family a year, to 18 families a year across all of its programs.

“We have shown a tremendous amount of growth in our service to the community and our programming to better achieve our mission of bringing safe, affordable housing to the local community,” she said. “As we’re expanding our programming, I think the community has been able to recognize that we have stepped up and are doing more to try to achieve that goal.”

Through in-house initiatives like its Rock the Block neighborhood revitalization program, first-time homebuyer education classes and Ramp Up Marathon County, Arnold said HFHW has been able to reach more underserved populations and provide them with the tools they need to safely live in their homes.

“One of those most underserved populations that we really want to highlight is the senior citizens living on fixed income,” she said. “They don’t have the ability to maintain our houses anymore on their own… (so) the places where they want to live become hazardous for them to even remain there.”

With the increased visibility from the Small Business of the Year award, Arnold said HFHW is launching an extension to its critical home repairs program, which focuses on installing grab bars in the homes of senior citizens.

“It’s just an unmet need in our community,” she said. “So, we are going to use our platform as a Small Business of the Year to recognize a group of individuals who have been underserved and launch a new project simultaneously.”

As a volunteer-operated nonprofit, Arnold said HFHW’s programs depend on individuals offering their time to complete construction projects.

For more information on upcoming projects and volunteer opportunities, visit HFHW’s website, habitatwausau.org.