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Ken Ceppos, Bob Ceppos, and Carmen Sherbert established the Agency in 1976, bringing with them a solid background in fluorescent fixture manufacturing. In the 70's, the largest project Continental completed was the King Abdul Military Academy in Saudi Arabia. The scope of virtually building a small city, including the Royal Palace, was an immediate introduction into the technologies of the day…Metal Halide site lighting, improved fluorescent colors, and the old stand-by: incandescent in a myriad of designs.
In the 80’s, the lighting industry and CONTINENTAL went through a great many changes---Low Voltage and Halogen became the standards of the decade. Randy Deutsch joined the firm, and our focus shifted to a Specification Agency with a strong emphasis on Retail Lighting.
Litelab changed its focus from disco to designers, and our clients included many high-end retailers, including Polo, Chanel, Gucci, and Louis Vuitton. At the turn of the century, Litelab again revamped its product line and developed The Museum Series. This resulted in the largest track and head order to light priceless works of art in the new addition to The Museum of Modern Art, NYC, which opened November 2004.
The 90’s was the decade for growth…from the birth of the dot.coms to the proliferation of cell phones. For the lighting industry, it was the time of re-inventing the fluorescent tube into Compact Fluorescent. T12’s became obsolete, replaced by the new standard, T8, followed by T5’s and T’2. The most important project we completed was the emergency lighting in the stairwells of the World Trade Center, immediately following the attack in February 1993. We like to believe that those fixtures helped light the way to safety for thousands of people that horrible morning on 9/11. Suddenly, we realized the heroic dedication of essential services we take for granted, such as our Police and Fire Departments. They deserve the best we can provide, including decent, well-lit quarters.
The one constant from decade to decade has been and will continue to be the need for people, the need for a Rep to help you wade through the maze of information that is as distracting as it is helpful. Since 1976 our goal at Continental Lighting has been to provide friendly, informed, and timely service to the lighting community---ARCHITECTS, ENGINEERS, INTERIOR DESIGNERS, LIGHTING CONSULTANTS, CONTRACTORS AND DISTRIBUTORS.
We at Continental will continue Representing Excellence. We plan to be there ready to provide you with anything you need to help you Light the way through the 21st Century.