For more than a century, The Kirlin Company's mission has been to lead the lighting industry by designing and manufacturing superior quality, high performance and innovative luminaires. Below is a capsule of its history, including many of the best-known innovations it has produced for the lighting industry.

In 1895, Otis M. Kirlin, an electrical pioneer, founded The Kirlin Company in St. Paul, Minnesota. It started as a manufacturer of electric power plants and associated lighting products, including decorative porcelain sockets designed for the carbon arc lamp and the incandescent lamp. In the early 1900s, Kirlin's decorative lighting greatly increased residential and institutional demand for electric power, which required long hours of service by The Kirlin Company.

In the 1920s Hand-crafted artistic chandeliers, using glass and metals from Kirlin's own brass, bronze and glass foundries evolved from the production of decorative porcelain sockets. The Kirlin Company relocated to Detroit, Michigan to take advantage of the area's technology, manufacturing expertise and skilled labor. At that time, the average cost per chandelier was twice the cost of a Cadillac automobile!

World War II redirected Kirlin's work to support the U.S. government's requirement for products, such as engine parts for the P-51 Mustang fighter planes. Otis Kirlin, still actively working and inventing for the company, patented the first cruise control system for automobiles, among a host of other patents.

In the 1960s John A. Kirlin assumed leadership of Kirlin, initiating the development of many Kirlin hallmarks, including the WhisperPack™ encapsulated, cool and quiet HID ballast. In addition, Kirlin's metal halide luminaires made their debut and Kirlin squares were augmented by a full line of "circulars".

As Kirlin celebrated its Centennial, innovation and new product development proliferated. The result was a premier product mix designed to fulfill discerning lighting specifiers' objectives for commercial and institutional lighting. With the patenting of INFRALITE®, or Infrared Remote Controlled Directional Recessed Patient Lighting, Kirlin formed a second operating division, Medical Lighting, and created a dedicated sales force for the market. Coinciding with the New Millennium Tungsten Halogen and Incandescent catalog launch, Kirlin opened its Reflection Point Lighting Showroom, Education & Technology Center in Detroit.

Today, the fourth generation of the Kirlin family continues to lead the company in innovative directions, such as the recent introduction of a complete family of IC-Rated L.E.D. downlights.

Congratulations to Jana Kirlin Brownell and the entire Kirlin company for being this month's Charron Incorporated Featured Manufacturer.

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