French Gerleman, an independent distributor of automation, electrical supply, datacom, power transmission and safety products, announced that their Quincy branch recently partnered with RAB Lighting to supply the Illinois Veterans Home with LED lighting to upgrade the lighting of their monuments and memorials.

Through RAB's Memorial Lighting Program, French Gerleman and RAB were able to donate approximately $3,100 of exterior LED fixtures along with the lighting layout and selection to illuminate nearly a dozen memorial monuments on the Home's property with new fixtures, including the WWII Memorial, the Korean War Memorial and the Vietnam War Memorial. They were also able to light a hallway in the administrative building that showcased art, flags and memorials. French Gerleman donated the layout and selection of lights, and the Veterans Home staff provided the labor to install the materials.

"When we heard about this program through RAB, we knew it was something we wanted to do as an organization to give back and show our support," said Rick Craven, French Gerleman Quincy Branch Administration Manager. "It was a great experience for us as a team to research and identify a local organization we would be able to help save money and receive the recognition they deserve."

The previous lighting at the Illinois Veterans Home was only partially functioning. They had a mix of incandescent, HID and fluorescent lights. The new, functional lighting provided will improve light levels and the quality of light for the monuments, as well as reduce energy consumption and require less maintenance. Over 15 years, this new lighting will save the Veterans Home more than $12,500 in energy.

"The monuments, memorials and paintings look better than ever thanks to the new lighting," said Rick Gengenbacher, Director of Marketing for the Illinois Veterans Home. "Not only does this beautify our grounds, but the annual energy savings will help us fund other projects to help the Veterans who reside at the Home. We cannot thank French Gerleman and RAB enough for their support of the Illinois Veterans Home."

French Gerleman’s Quincy branch, located at 1700 North 45th Street, is extremely community driven and always looking for ways to give back. This partnership with RAB to support the Illinois Veterans Home was their way of saying thank you for their service by helping them to save money on energy and improve lighting, inside and outside the home.

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