‘I’ve already lived my worst days on earth’
Making IT personal for 25 years
January 8, 2024
HORTONVILLE – Since 2017, BNH Lighting, LLC has been doing what it can to carve out a niche in the illumination business in Northeast Wisconsin.
President Jeremy Bellile said the Hortonville-based business isn’t just an electrical contractor or just a lighting company – it is a full-service LED lighting retail and design company that creates custom solutions for homes, businesses and industrial facilities.
Bellile said the business, which he started alongside his wife Angela, is named after their two children – Brayden and Hannah.
Embracing energy-efficient lighting
An electrician by trait, with more than 25 years of experience, Bellile said during the latter years of that career, he started focusing on learning as much as he could about lighting – including LED lighting – as he worked with a variety of electrical contractors to design and sell lighting to them.
Bellile said his initial intentions with the business were to:
Educate people on the opportunities to embrace energy-efficient LED lightingShare his design services for new and retrofitted commercial businesses, industrial businesses, residential and schoolsMake an impact on people’s lives in the process
“A lot of people come to us when they are looking for lighting because they seek an expert,” he said. “We’re not a big box store, but we offer most everything they do and (our) try-before-you-buy program (allows) you to see if you like the lighting, the brightness, etc. before committing to the purchase. A lot of people take advantage of that.”
Bellile said BNH always offers a free personalized consultation, which includes a free energy audit.
As part of the consultation, Bellile travels onsite to a home or business – or, if it’s out of the area, he does an assessment using FaceTime.
Bellile said his goal is to create a turnkey energy-efficient lighting package tailored to the individual or business.
Though he “drummed up a lot of business” by cold calling companies, Bellile said word of mouth built the business – which got its start as an at-home endeavor.
He said he now also works with general contractors to develop and sell lighting packages.
“In the past, I did a lot more retrofitting of existing homes or buildings,” he said. “More recently, architects and general contractors are reaching out to us to design lighting systems that they buy directly from us versus relying on electrical contractors to design.”
In every situation, Bellile said his goal is to deliver the right lighting package using LED lighting efficiencies at the lowest cost – which he accomplishes by purchasing directly from suppliers and working diligently to create a package that is eligible for Wisconsin’s Focus on Energy rebates in the process.
BNH Lighting’s Jeremy Bellile was recently named 2023 Technical Business of the Year Award by the Fox West Chamber of Commerce. Submitted Photo
“We focus on the rebate as much as we can to help bring down the cost of the project,” he said. That, Bellile said, includes working with several trusted electrical contractors who bid labor to them as installation.
Bellile said his attention to detail and experience with customer service comes into play as well when it comes to managing and submitting the paperwork for clients to obtain Focus on Energy rebates, which he admits can be an intimidating undertaking.
An ever-changing market
Because LED lighting efficiencies change regularly, Bellile said he strives to stay up to date on the latest technologies to benefit his clientele.
For example, he said LED lighting is typically 50-75% more energy efficient than fluorescent lighting, so an upfront investment in LED saves on the electric bill.
That said, Bellile said it’s a common myth that “brighter is better.”
He said he regularly educates clientele about the importance of embracing lighting that mirrors natural light throughout the day.
For example, Bellile said, upon waking, light is generally a bit orangeish and measures at 2,000 Kelvin (the color temperature of a light bulb).
As the day goes on, he said, natural light becomes more white and measures closer to 6,000 Kelvin midday and slowly inches back toward 2,000 Kelvin as the day approaches sunset. Bellile said he strives to incorporate lighting that mirrors that natural light progression and doesn’t jolt the human body.
“Lighting has a lot to do with your eyes, and if you look at a very bright cell phone right away in the morning, your body is running chaotically right away versus waking slowly,” he said. “It’s the same concept with lighting. You don’t want it bright right away, and you don’t want in-office light super bright because then your eyes are dilated wide all day.”
In addition, Bellile said there’s a case for the common office lighting to be one way to accommodate the light illuminating from computers, for example, and then complement that with ambient lighting.
“I often suggest 30 to 50 candles – a measurement of light – in an office setting versus 75-100 candles of light when playing sports in a gymnasium, for example,” he said.
Bellile said he taps into educational aspects like these to help people create a home or business setting that fits with the overall environment of peacefulness, productivity, etc. – depending on each client’s goal.
No two setups, he said, are the same, which is why BNH Lighting strives to do much more listening to understand than talking.
“We design the lighting systems with you, for your home or business, because you’re the one who lives/works in it,” he said.
From at-home to brick-and-mortar facility
About five years ago, Bellile moved his business from a home-based operation to 313 E. Main St. in Hortonville.
The property, he said, allows him to illustrate many of the products he sells “in action.”
That said, Bellile said the majority of BNH Lighting’s work is performed visiting people’s homes or businesses throughout the state to do site evaluations or, if it’s a new build, reviewing blueprints together.
Bellile said his work has also taken him to other parts of the United States.
He said about 75% of his work is focused on commercial and industrial businesses, including schools, churches and government, and the remaining 25% is consumer-based – whether that’s working at someone’s residence or a consumer who walks through the doors in search of a ceiling fan or lighting.
Ninety-nine percent of the lighting BNH Lighting offers, Bellile said, is LED in nature.
BNH Lighting recently replaced CFL bulbs with LEDs in the lighting display in a client’s new showroom. Submitted Photo
As of three years ago, BNH began offering permanent holiday/outdoor lighting installation.
Bellile said he interviewed three major manufacturers of holiday lighting before choosing who to align with as his vendor of choice – and over the past year has worked with an electrical contractor to develop their own outdoor holiday lighting system.
“The advantage is that technology support, if needed, is performed by the local electrician who installed the system – no waiting for some prerecorded technical support,” he said.
Consumers seeking the appeal of year-round holiday lighting that can transform with the season, Bellile said, has taken off for BNH Lighting.
In October, BNH broadened its options one step further by offering solar lighting as well.
Bellile said he’s shared his lighting knowledge with clients and prospective clients, to help them understand the differences between warranties and guarantees.
“It comes back to shopping local with someone you know and the commitment we have for our customers and our community,” he said.
A member of the community
A self-described proud member of the Northeast Wisconsin community, Bellile has been working with students at New London High School – providing them an opportunity to learn about marketing a real business.
As part of the partnership, Bellile said students assessed his marketing tactics, created a marketing plan and presented their ideas.
One student, he said, works with him every week to help implement several of the students’ ideas for the business.
“I told them not to hold back when evaluating my business, and they came back with a pamphlet of pros and cons and improvements and a market analysis,” Bellile said. “They were learning and engaged. They had several great ideas they could do, and they are working on that right now with my social media and website, for example.”
Bellile said this isn’t the first interaction he’s had with the school district and its students.
About five years ago – with the help of a student – he proposed a retrofitted system of lighting for the New London School District and all of its schools.
“She helped to sell the lighting package for the high school to the district’s (school) board (through her DECA project based on energy-efficient lighting),” Bellile said. “She ended up not only working for me that summer but took the project to place in the Top 10 at the national DECA competition.”
In 2020, he received the Mayor’s Award for the City of New London, an award given to a business outside the area that had contributed significantly to the community.
Jeremy Bellile said LED light fixtures with occupancy sensors help maximize energy savings when no one is occupying the space. Submitted Photo
“We were able to generate around $200,000 in rebates with energy-efficient lighting upgrades with the school district and businesses in (New London),” he said.
Bellile said he has helped other schools, churches and businesses in the area with lighting projects as well.
Steady growth
Though the COVID-19 pandemic slowed the growth of the business a bit, Bellile said he has returned to pre-COVID growth levels.
The business, he said, has garnered awards as well – earning the Technical Business of the Year Award from The Fox West Chamber of Commerce in 2020 and 2023.
In 2024, Bellile said he’s looking forward to continuing the business plan that has made the business successful thus far and installing more permanent exterior lighting for businesses.
“Customer service is a big thing,” he said. “Whether you spend $20 or $2 million, I treat you the same way. I don’t tell you what to put in your home or building. I listen to what you want and provide recommendations and solutions. I want the result to be what you would like, and I work hard to keep costs down as much as we can.”
For more information on BNH Lighting, LLC, visit bnhlighting.com.
