TLQ timeline

  • 1940

    • 1942 : Founder Sylvan (Sy) Shemitz attends the Wharton School at University of Pennsylvania.
    • 1946 : Sy takes on leadership of the family electric supply business, New Haven Electric.
    • 1948 : Sy becomes a member of Illuminating Engineering Society (IES) of North America.

  • 1950

    • 1950 : Sy visits GE's Nela Park facility and begins to formulate ideas on uses of lighting in architecture.
    • 1957 : Sy's first lighting showroom.

  • 1960

    • 1960 : National Electric Week promotes use of more energy with exhibition of huge 75,000W bulb.
    • 1964 : PROJECT: Boston Subway
    • 1964 : PROJECT: Jefferson Memorial, completed in 1973, first use of asymmetric reflectors.
    • 1965 : PROJECT: Beazley Realtors office, first use of task/ambient lighting.
    • 1968-73 : Sy is a visiting lecturer at University of Pennsylvania.

  • 1970

    • 1972 : PROJECT : ARCO, first use of energy efficient task/ambient lighting with office systems.
    • 1973-86 : Sy is a visiting lecturer at Yale University
    • 1975 : Sy named a fellow of IES.
    • 1976 : Manufacturing of elliptipar® products begins using a patented extruded reflector using an ellipse and two parabolas as surfaces to maximize light delivery.
    • 1977 : Sylvan R. Shemitz Designs, Inc. is established for design and manufacture of products as a lighting design firm.

  • 1980

    • 1983 PROJECT : United Concourse at Chicago O'Hare International Airport, features use of photosensors to redirect light.

  • 1990

    • 1991 PROJECT : Grand Central Terminal renovation, features lighting using surrounding buildings.
    • 1998 PROJECT : Norte Rio de Janiero.

  • 2000

    • 2005 : Introduction of tambient® product line, energy efficient task/ambient lighting solutions.
    • 2007 : Sy, still at the helm of his company, passes away at 82 while sailing with his family on his yacht Light Fantastic. His daughter Allison Schieffelin, is named CEO and president of SRSDI and prepares to expand its technologies and product lines with goals for growth.
    • 2007 PROJECT : The Bloch Building, Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art. The acclaimed addition prominently features glowing translucent glass exterior walls lit by elliptipar modified cove F306 and F308 fixtures.
    • 2008 PROJECT : JetBlue Terminal 5, JFK International Airport, NY. The ceiling is illuminated by custom elliptipar F139s and enclosures and linear F308 in coves.
    • 2009 PROJECT : Aria Resort and Casino, Las Vegas. elliptipar F164 luminaires light the fins of the distinctive crown of the two curvinear steel and glass towers.
    • 2009 : A new company name, The Lighting Quotient, introduced as "the next generation of Sylvan R. Shemitz Designs, Inc." and maker of elliptipar and tambient brands.
    • 2009 : LED optics technology fraqtir in development, uses refraction and total internal reflection with high-performance components.

  • 2010

    • 2010 : LED product line debuts as fraqtir with patented optic cove S301 and S305, which earns NGL Best in Class and other awards.
    • 2010 PROJECT : Glumac, Orange County Offices. tambient furniture-mounted lighting is featured in the New Buildings Institute first completed "Office of the Future" tambient lighting with controls contributed to earning the project LEED Platuinum certification.
    • 2011 PROJECT : Medical Imaging of Fredericksburg, VA, uses LED cove S301 remote driver fixture in its MRI room
    • 2011 PROJECT : Martin Luther King Jr. National Memorial, Washington, DC. The inscription wall is illuminated with custom F164 luminaires
    • 2011 PRJECT : Gensler, Los Angeles. tambient L302 crisp rectangular benching luminaires with controls used in prize-winning LEED Platinum office design
    • 2011 PROJECT : Glumac, Portland, OR. tambient L801 monitor arm luminaires with controls utilized in a benching workspace for a LEED Platinum renovation.
    • 2012 Outdoor LED S170 earns an NGL Outdoor 2012 Best in Class plus other awards. An amber LED "wildlife friendly" ground lighting version and prize-winning outdoor linear S171 follow.
    • 2012 PROJECT : Chapel of Our Lady, Xavier College Preperatory, Phoenix, AZ. The bright white barrel vault ceiling is washed by rows of LED S305 cove lighting
    • 2014 : elliptipar® with fraqtir LED product line continues continues to expand as new and adapted form factors debut with LED configurations. The classic elliptipar reflector proves and excellent heat sink/housing.
    • 2014 : tambient® introduces LED product to the line, starting with the popular oval for monitor arms and crisp rectangular form for benching.
    • 2015 : elliptipar® introduces large LED fixtures for indoor, S104, and outdoor, S172. S172 is a IES Progress Report 2015 Selection and Architectural Products PIA ’15 winner
    • 2016 : Introduction of LED low-profile linear wall washer elliptipar® S144 is followed by point source fixtures with the same form factor, in three sizes: S141, S142, S143. Both linear and point source versions receive awards/recognition
    • 2016 : tambient® LED L305/L306 for benching wins Platinum ADEX 2016 Design Journal Award
    • 2016 : High performance elliptipar® LED cove S31X family (S314, S315, S316, S317, S318) is introduced, with the increased light output prompting the addition of a 175mA option. ADEX Design Journal 2017 Platinum award
    • 2017 : The elliptipar® S43X family (S431, S432, S433, S434) of high-lumen LED indoor fixtures with damp location option provides a high performance entry to replace 1000W conventional sources. IES Progress Report 2017 Selection, LEDs Magazine 2018 Sapphire Awards Finalist
    • 2017 : tambient® introduces a mast mount version of L305 with two integral monitor arm interfaces
    • 2017 : The Lighting Quotient celebrates 40 years of manufacturing our elliptipar and tambient product lines with guests at a 1940s themed party at the Barnes Foundation in Philadelphia prior to LightFair International
    • 2017 : Xtra-small linear S112 wall washer introduced — an elliptipar® powerhouse in a housing slightly larger than a quarter in diameter

    • 2017 PROJECTS : Wintrust Financial Corporation, Chicago, IL
      World Trade Center Transportation Hub, New York, NY
      Slover Library, Norfolk, VA

    • 2017 : S43X Series wins the IES 2017 Progress Report Selection Award

    • 2018 : As of January 1st, The Lighting Quotient’s standard product listings are all LED sources, reflecting the scope of our LED product development over the past 10 years
    • 2018 : The S100 is introduced — an indoor xtra-small wallwasher with remote driver with surface, pendant and cantilever mounting options and high performance LED 
    • 2018 : An outdoor small elliptipar® linear LED with integral driver — the S175 in vertical plane and uplighting orientations — is introduced 
    • 2018 : S43X is recognized as a finalist of the LEDs Magazine Sapphire Awards
    • 2018 : S112 Linear LED Wallwasher wins the PIA 2018 Architectural Products Product Innovation Award

    • 2018 PROJECTS : Bowery Mural Wall, New York, NY
      Julian B. Lane Riverfront Park - Tampa Pavilion, Tampa, FL

    • 2019 PROJECT : Union Station Great Hall Renovation, Chicago, IL
      Pan Am Pool Renovation, Winnipeg, CA

    • 2019 : The S106 Indoor XtraSmall wallwasher with integral driver is introduced

    • 2019 : The S204 Indoor Large Semi-Recessed Adjustable with Integral Driver is introduced

    • 2019 : The S230 Fully Recessed Asymmetric Wall Washer is introduced

    • 2019 : The S410 Large High Lumen Ensconce is introduced

    • 2019 : The S41X XtraSmall Ensconce with Remote driver series (S414, S414, S415, S416, S417, S418 and S419) is introduced 

    • 2019 : The S531 Indoor bi-asymmetric stack/aisle light with baffle and integral driver is introduced

    • 2019 : A new tunable-white cove adjustable color option is introduced

  • 2020s

    • 2020 : S120, S121 and S124 100th Anniversary Edition elliptipar® are introduced as an Indoor Small elliptipar Integral Driver luminaires

    • 2020 : S51X series (S511, S513, S514, S516, S518) is introduced in various configurations based on Small Linear Low Brightness Down light with Wide Batwing Uplight with Remote Drivers

    • 2020 : Two new outdoor luminariers are introduced — The S150 is an XtraSmall Outdoor Asymmetric with Remote Driver and the S151 is an XtraSmall Outdoor Linear with Remote Driver

    • 2020 : S121, S150 & S151, S11x Series (S112, S115, S116, S118), G305 Germicidal tambient®, and the S51x Series (S511, S513, S514, S515, S516, S518) are all introduced

    • 2020 AWARD : S419 Linear Asymmetric Uplight/Grazer wins the PIA 2020 Architectural Products Product Innovation Award.