Category: Shopping Centers

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April 2021: Arkon Shines Light on New Publix

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The LED lighting firm has completed another high-end retail project.

Arkon Power recently completed its latest new construction retail lighting project, this time for commercial real estate developer Stiles Corporation at The Monarch Town Center in Miramar, Florida.

The Publix-anchored shopping center in Broward County features more than 140 LED fixtures and more than 90 light poles provided by Tarpon Springs-based Arkon Power.

“The ownership group was looking for a value-engineered option to help save on their bottom line,” said Ira Timmerman, Arkon project designer. “We were able to provide a lighting package that met their lighting requirements and saved a significant amount of money.”

After completing a photometric analysis, Arkon Power created a site design that provided 119 LED area light fixtures, 22 LED decorative post top fixtures, 92 direct burial aluminum light poles with engineered wind load calculations, and various LED wall pack and LED canopy fixtures. Using a combination of different light distributions, Arkon optimized illumination around the site’s center and eliminated dark areas and hot spots.

The Monarch Town Center at the intersection of Flamingo Road and Miramar Parkway hosts a number of national retail chains in addition to the Publix, such as Planet Fitness, Ross, AutoZone, Five Below and Great Clips.

According to Arkon Power’s Graham Brown, shopping centers anchored by brands like Publix Super Markets, Winn Dixie and Kroger demand exacting lighting standards, and the Central Florida LED provider has become an expert in the segment. Publix requires a 5 foot-candle average on the ground throughout its parking lots, along with a 3 foot-candle minimum.

Arkon Power has developed photometric plans for dozens of grocery-anchored centers using its in-depth knowledge of photometrics, LED fixtures, light poles and custom bracketry. LEDs provide plazas like Monarch Town Center unmatched energy and maintenance savings. In addition to saving money, shopping center lighting upgrades increase road appeal, attract new tenants, draw in customers, enhance safety and eliminate light pollution.

“Publix is extremely strict on their lighting minimums, and they only let a few companies provide their LED site lighting fixtures,” Timmerman said. “We have consistently delivered on the promise to meet these requirements and also to lower energy bills and provide better lighting for our customers.”

Additional shopping plaza projects completed by Arkon in Florida include the Publix-anchored Alafaya Square Shopping Center in Oviedo, Publix-anchored Tower Square and Hunters Crossing in Gainesville, Winn Dixie-anchored Mariner Village in Spring Hill, Winn-Dixie anchored Palatka Marketplace in Putnam County, Winn-Dixie anchored Shops at Cape Coral in Lee County, Cheddar’s Ocala Center in Marion County, Park View Shopping Center in Osceola County and Vero Beach Square in Indian River County.

Email info@arkonpower.com to learn more about this or any of Arkon Power’s other projects.

LED Lighting shopping centers pinellas county south florida hillsborough

Light Shopping

Posted on by Arkon Power

Arkon Power recently completed four new retail center installations.

Following a series of recent projects, Arkon Power recently announced shopping center lighting has become one of its fastest growing sectors. The Tampa Bay-based LED firm has completed four retail center installations across Florida over the last several months, company executives said.

“Shopping centers can be a highly demanding industry segment, and we’ve found our expertise in the area gives us a decided advantage,” Arkon’s Graham Brown said from the company’s Tarpon Springs headquarters. “These centers are often anchored by major national companies—CVS, Publix, Dunkin’, Tire Kingdom, Planet Fitness, Popeyes—and they require exacting LED lighting standards for all their locations.”

Arkon’s four recent installations include Cheddar’s Ocala Center in Marion County, Monarch Town Center in Broward County, Park View Shopping Center in Osceola County and Vero Beach Square in Indian River County. Arkon installed 14 direct burial concrete light poles and 20 LED fixtures for the Cheddar’s center, 91 aluminum light poles and 141 fixtures for Monarch, 34 concrete light poles and 39 LEDs for Park View, and 12 concrete light poles and 30 fixtures for Vero Beach.

Clients point to Arkon’s low up-front pricing, seamless project completion, customer service and ongoing support as its major advantages over the competition.

“We know Arkon is going to give us the best price,” one facilities manager said. “And beyond that, they just do the best job throughout the LED installation process.”

Arkon has long been expert at developing photometric plans for grocery-anchored shopping centers, and the firm has recently expanded its capabilities, working with national fast causal restaurants, sit-down dining chains and drugstores. Using its in-depth knowledge of photometrics, LED light fixtures and custom bracketry, Arkon delivers lighting to any shopping center’s specifications while saving the property owner money on energy and maintenance.

“It’s very specific by place,” Brown said. “Fort Lauderdale can be different from Miami—or Miramar for that matter. We deal with all local requirements, so our designs meet both regulatory and client needs.”

In addition to saving money, shopping center lighting upgrades attract new tenants, draw in customers, enhance safety and eliminate light pollution.

“Many of our latest jobs have been new construction, where we complete the entire design—photometric studies, footcandle requirements—and based on that make sure the light goes only where it needs to go,” Brown said. “We expect to do many more shopping centers in the near future.”

Email Info@ArkonPower.com to learn more about this or any of Arkon Power’s other projects.

Shopping Center Lighting a Bright Spot for Arkon Power

Posted on by Arkon Power

A Winn Dixie-anchored outlet in Central Florida is the latest in a string of shopping center lighting jobs Arkon has completed.

Arkon Power continues to grow its position in the shopping center LED lighting space. The firm has completed dozens of lighting upgrades projects for customers across the country; the latest job brought upgraded lighting to the Mariner Village shopping center, anchored by grocery giant Winn Dixie in Spring Hill, Florida located in Hernando County.

“Arkon has done several shopping centers for us,” said Paul Frahm, construction manager for Bruce Strumpf Inc., which manages more than 4.3 million square feet of Florida-based commercial property, including Mariner Village. “Everyone is making the move to LED for energy conservation and cost.”

Frahm said Arkon has become his go-to provider for LED fixtures and technical solutions. He said Arkon is consistently lower on cost and more efficient than other suppliers.

According to Arkon Power Technical Manager Graham Brown, the LED lighting company has become an expert in developing photometric plans for grocery-anchored shopping centers. Arkon truly understands the needs of national grocers, Brown said. Winn Dixie, for example, typically demands 6 foot-candles on the ground throughout its parking lots. Publix-anchored shopping centers require 5 foot-candles.

Using its in-depth knowledge of photometrics, lighting design and custom bracketry, Arkon is able to deliver lighting to any shopping center’s specifications while saving the property owner money on energy and maintenance.

“In the case of Mariner Village, I said, ‘look, the guys from Arkon are going to give us the best price,” Frahm said. “And the improvement is a huge added value.”

In addition to saving money, shopping center lighting upgrades attract new real estate tenants, draw in retail customers, enhance safety for after-dark customers and eliminate light pollution.

“There is no way we would ever go back to putting high pressure sodium bulbs in,” Frahm said.

Email Info@ArkonPower.com to learn more Arkon’s work on site lighting for shopping centers or any other projects.

Arkon Helps Real Estate Manager Create Long-Term Value with Site Lighting

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Alliance Exchange installed LED lighting to make a new retail-storage outlet more attractive and energy efficient.

Mark Blanton of commercial real estate brokerage and management firm Alliance Exchange was considering leasing LED lighting from his local utility company. Alliance was working on a new development in Odessa, Fla., that would house a retail outlet and storage facility, and Blanton knew he wanted the low energy and maintenance costs of LEDs.

But after examining the lease option, he decided a permanent solution from Arkon Power would give his company an asset with long-term value.

“We kind of did the cost-benefit analysis and looked at the savings, and it just made sense,” Blanton said. “I’m personally not a fan of renting anything if I can help it.”

Once Blanton had decided to purchase his own light poles and fixtures, he knew just who to contact. He’d met Arkon Power executives multiple times at trade shows over the years, and he respected them as experts in the field.

Arkon Power Technical Director Graham Brown went to work after speaking with Blanton, performing a photometric analysis on the retail and storage site and suggesting LED street lights and direct burial concrete poles. The new lighting design would feature eight 240-watt fixtures, seven 30-foot poles and one two-way bracket.

“We were able to put together a design that would give the facility more light and save them on costs in the long run,” Brown said. Brown noted that by purchasing the lights, Blanton’s firm added an asset to the property, rather than incurring a liability owed to the local utility company.

Blanton said the up-front cost of LED lights has come down enough to make their benefits—energy efficiency, low maintenance, high-level brightness—worthwhile. And while it’s too early to say just how much Alliance Exchange is saving via its new LED lights, Blanton said he’s been happy with the results and the lights “look fantastic.”

“Graham was very much on top of everything, and I have nothing but good things to say about him and the company in general,” Blanton said. “We will look to Arkon again in the future.”

Email Info@ArkonPower.com to learn more about this or any of Arkon Power’s other projects.

Arkon, Hybridge Team Up to Brighten Publix with LED Site Lighting in Central Florida

Posted on by Arkon Power

When the expansive Alafaya Square Shopping Center needed a lighting upgrade, LEDs were the ideal choice.

Real estate advisor and developer Hybridge had to deliver for the anchor tenant at one of its Florida shopping centers in Seminole County.

The high-volume Publix grocery store in the Oviedo-based Alafaya Square Shopping Center needed improved lighting for the safety of its many after-dark customers. The solution, provided by Arkon Power, was high-powered, sunlight-like LED fixtures.

“The brightness from the existing metal halides just wasn’t adequate,” Arkon Technical Manager Graham Brown said. “The safety benefit of LED lighting, for Publix, is immeasurable. And the end result looks fantastic.”

Working closely with Hybridge Director of Asset Management Chris Dowd, Brown and his team were able to drill down on Alafaya’s requirements and deliver a solution that would pay for itself in just over two years while providing significantly more light than the shopping center previously enjoyed.

Arkon replaced Alafaya’s 63 1,000-watt metal halide fixtures with 68 320-watt LED streetlights. Even with the addition of five lights, Hybridge expects to see its power bills reduced by nearly 70% for the property, in addition to significant savings on maintenance costs.

Arkon developed custom bracketing to optimize the position of each of the 68 new fixtures, increasing efficiency and eliminating light pollution. The LED provider was able to save Hybridge on up-front costs by using Alafaya Square’s existing light poles.

“It’s really quite a large area to light,” Brown said. “We enjoyed the challenge of dialing in the photometric plan throughout the parking lot and near the retail areas.”

According to Arkon Director of Business Development Eleni Lelekis, Hybridge has been pleased with the results.

“They’re a great customer and told us how happy they were with the service,” she said. “We’re already quoting another project for them that we’re excited about.”

Email Info@ArkonPower.com  to learn more about this or any of Arkon Power’s other projects.

Brightwork Finds Bright Solution For Shopping Center in Tampa

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Arkon LED teams with real estate developer to satisfy commercial tenant needs

Brightwork Real Estate is quickly becoming an experienced LED buyer. And its senior project manager, Tom Williams, said the company has been very pleased with Arkon LED’s work on its latest development, a commercial center in Hillsborough County.

“We’re using LEDs in some other places, and the cost savings and pricing are great,” he said. “Obviously we are happy with the work Arkon did.”

For Brightwork’s latest project, Arkon was able to add value by performing a detailed photometric analysis and delivering custom LED light fixtures and light poles that perfectly suited the tenants of the shopping center.

“We’ve worked with the anchor tenant on this project, WOW! That’s Fast, in the past,” Arkon President Eleni Lelekis said. “We know exactly what they want in their lighting design, and we were able to deliver that same level of customer service to each of the businesses that will make this center home.”

Arkon was involved in the design, photometric planning to ensure optimal light distribution, and sourcing on the lighting install for this new construction project at 10902 North Dale Mabry Highway. The commercial center includes Eyeglass World, Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen and Outback Steakhouse in addition to WOW! That’s Fast (WOW). Design work began in February 2015, and the job was awarded in April after several layout revisions. Arkon delivered the lights and poles for installation in August.

For this shopping center, Arkon engineers recommended 41 270-watt LED shoebox lights—10 silver fixtures for WOW and 31 bronze heads for the other tenants. WOW received five of its signature orange poles, and 19 bronze poles completed the center.

“We were able to give WOW and the other tenants poles and fixtures that were consistent with their overall branding,” Arkon Project Manager Graham Brown said. “Not only did the customer prefer the aesthetics of our options, we were also to save them a great deal of money.”

Brightwork Real Estate specializes in commercial development for their own accounts and private and corporate clients. From initial concept and vision, to site acquisition, to plans and construction, to finished product, the Brightwork team leverages its knowledge and experience to deliver professional service. Arkon LED executives said they were proud to be involved with the developer.

“Brightwork is a savvy real estate company, and we knew we could help them with this project,” Lelekis said. “We look forward to working with them in the future.”

Email sgibbs@arkonled.com to learn more about this or any of Arkon LED’s other projects.

Shopping Center, Arkon Develop Partnership with LED Site Lighting

Posted on by Arkon Power

Formosa Gardens is attracting more tenants by upgrading to LEDs.

Mary Ellen Kerber and her employer at Formosa Gardens have an addiction. They can’t get enough, and they keep going back to their favorite dealer.

“We’ve done two LED installations for Formosa Gardens Shopping Center, and both of them have worked out great,” said Greg Papandrew of Arkon LED. “Now we’re in the process of doing two more projects with them, and we’re looking at one more.”

It all started late last year, when the Kissimmee, Florida., based shopping center was looking to upgrade its 19 1,080-watt high pressure sodium lights. The lights were driving up the utility costs for Formosa’s tenants, and it was making it difficult to attract new tenants, as well. Arkon LED suggested a combination of its 120- and 200-watt LED fixtures that would reduce Formosa’s power consumption by 70%.

“Arkon was very helpful and knowledgeable compared to some of the other companies we were looking at,” Kerber said. “So far we’ve been very happy with it. When no tenants complain, that is a good thing, and I’ve even gotten a couple of positive comments.”

When Formosa wanted to brighten another area of its parking lot, it came back to Arkon. The company installed two additional poles with one fixture each in the dark area, overcoming several concerns with power availability and finding a way to place the poles in a position that saved Formosa more money.

On the horizon for Formosa are the replacement of more then 50 roadway light poles on rent from the local power utility with a decorative LED lamp and 90 decorative lights on the roof of the facility with a lower wattage LED. If all goes well, the company will also be considering upgrading its neighboring hotel parking lot, pool area and landscaping lighting with Arkon LEDs.

“We believe in relationships,” Kerber said. “We felt better with Arkon LED.”

At the end of the day, the most important thing for Kerber was a company willing to tell her the truth about what it could do. Formosa has numerous lighting installations, and Arkon explained an LED solution is not right for all of them.

“Arkon’s sales associate was very honest,” Kerber said. “I worked with some companies that said they could do it all, where Arkon said it would take too many years to recoup our money on some projects.”

Email Info@ArkonPower.com to learn more about this or any of Arkon’s commercial LED projects in Osceola County and throughout the state.

Shopping Center Saves Big With LED Shoeboxes

Posted on by Arkon Power

Shopping Center Saves Big With Shoeboxes

  • High Pressure Sodium Lights Drew Excessive Wattage
  • Replacement With 120-Watt Shoeboxes Saved 74%
  • Project Is Expected to Pay Back in Less Than 3 Years

High pressure sodium bulbs were eating into Loukas Zagaris’ bottom line. With 465-watt fixtures lighting his shopping center, Northgate Plaza in St. Petersburg, Fla., his monthly utility bill was through the roof.

 

Zagaris contacted Archon Power about possible solutions. Archon’s engineering team first considered replacing the HPS lights with the same number of 75-watt designer streetlights, yielding an 84% reduction in energy usage. However, light field studies showed more light output would be necessary for adequate visibility and security.The team settled on 120-watt shoeboxes, reducing the shopping center’s wattage draw by 74%. Based on the center’s annual energy usage, the team estimated the new lights would pay for themselves in less than three years.

 

“Archon Power worked hard to find the ideal solution for my shopping center,” Zagaris said. “Now we’re getting better light than before for much, much less. And the Archon team couldn’t have been easier to deal with.” Zagaris said the increased light was particularly beneficial because it didn’t require additional light poles, which would have increased the cost of the project and been unsightly. He indicated feedback from Northgate Plaza tenants has been positive, as they are now getting the exposure and security they require for their businesses.

 

TECH TIP OF THE MONTH:
HANDLING LED HEAT

The heat is on, and LED manufacturers have to do something about it. All electronic components generate heat, and effective heat dissipation technologies are required to ensure proper LED operation and fully-rated life. 

 

The IESNA recently published the inaugural edition of LM-80—the Approved Method for Measuring Lumen Maintenance of LED Light Sources, which specifies the precise methods LED manufacturers must use to reliably evaluate the lumen depreciation of LEDs over a fixed time period. Cree, the chip supplier for many of Archon Power’s LEDs, uses LM-80 methodology to verify that their products will provide 70% of initial lumens for at least 50,000 hours.

 

For more information about anything in this newsletter, please contact Info@ArkonPower.com