Future of Mullins' Elite Lighting is bright

"So, now, we’ve opened up our doors for the people to buy direct from us,” Connie Siegal said, adding that her company’s success is a result of the Marion County people who come in to work everyday ...

Lining the walls of the Elite Lighting office are dozens of framed pictures of the “Elite Team,” including the Las Vegas trip Connie and Bruce Siegal shared with the “20-year group.”

As the unemployment numbers in Marion County loom large, one small company remains viable. In operation for nearly 24 years, Elite Lighting Company in Mullins provides a catalog of products to hundreds of customers throughout the southeast. President of the company, Connie Siegal, has a project that thrives with the assistance of a dedicated staff of 16 in a 15,000 square foot facility that houses an office and warehouse. Her employees handle the office, warehousing and sales.

Her husband, and Executive Vice President, Bruce Siegal once owned and operated Supreme Lighting Company in Mullins. Bruce Siegal’s father, a transplant from New Jersey, started the Marvel Lamp Company in 1963. Since the 1930’s, four generations of the family have been involved in the lighting business, Bruce Siegal said.

Connie Siegal has a degree in education and was working as a substitute teacher. She said she quickly made the transition to buying products and becoming an independent distributor. “I actually had an office set up at Supreme, so I would go out and buy the product, knock on doors, sell it, come back write up the invoice and deliver it myself,” she said of her start in the business.

Connie Siegal said she always wanted to start her own business and eventually became more involved and busier. Her first hire was administrative assistant Judy Garris. “She’s been with me for 24 years and is very dedicated,” she said, adding that along with Garris, four more of her employees, Ann Sinclair, Joel Caplan, Donna Powers and David Grimsley, have also been with the company for more than 20 years.

Connie Siegal said all of her employees play a vital role, including Johnnie Streets and Faye Smith, who work in the supply warehouse, and driver Charles Rogers. “She’s the best boss I’ve ever had, and I’ve worked at many places,” Garris said. Rogers said Siegal cares about her employees and everyone feels as if they are part of a family.

“We sell lighting fixtures to customers in Georgia, Florida and the Carolinas,” Connie Siegal said, breathing a sigh at the thought of the number of industrial and commercial accounts she supplies. “We sell to a lot of the hospitals, hotels, property management, just anybody that need light bulbs,” she said, adding that the company is working to fill the need for local customers, specializing in hard to find products.

“So, now, we’ve opened up our doors for the people to buy direct from us,” Siegal said. Bruce Siegal calls Elite Lighting an end-user distributor, one that sells products to customers that don’t resell the items.

Connie Siegal said she was still selling light bulbs when she met Chicago native Gary Bellos 12 years ago. Bellos is the vice president of operation and has helped the company to expand so that it now sells lighting fixtures, designs lighting layouts and conducts energy audits. “So, now we can do the complete package,” she said, adding that over the years the business has changed because of new government mandates to save energy.

“Now we’ve adapted and integrated new energy saving products into our catalogue,” she said. Elite specializes in keeping up with the new technology, she added. “That’s what we’re trying to do, educate our customers on why they should upgrade to a more energy saving product and save money,” she said.

Despite the current economic climate, Siegal said her team remains afloat by working hard and staying on top of the new technology. “Also, we pride ourselves on customer service and knowing our product,” she said. Bruce Siegal said Elite Lighting Company is in a good position, being able to supply industries that are going to need such a product to operate.

“We’ve tried to keep the company on the cutting edge of technology, separating ourselves from other lighting distributors,” Bellos said of the company’s expansion. Connie Siegal grew up in Marion and has been married to Bruce for 34 years. She said her company’s success is a result of the Marion County people who come in to work everyday.

“They’re wonderful and very dedicated. I couldn’t have done it without them,” Siegal said.