Solatube International has appointed new leaders as part of its push for growth.
Robert E. Westfall, Jr., president of Solatube since 2008, has stepped in as CEO, and will continue his advisory role in the company, according to an Oct. 9 press release. Francisco Lopez will assume Westfall’s former role as president of the company. Lopez previously built and led retail teams at J.P. Morgan, Chase & Co., and spearheaded strategies in the hot tub and bath industry at Jacuzzi.
Solatube, which manufactures tubular daylighting devices, was acquired by Kingspan Light + Air in December 2021. “We've had some aggressive growth plans and we've been working with Kingspan to grow the company,” Westfall said in an interview. The company, which has historically had a strong presence in the school market, is expanding its products to better serve industrial and commercial businesses, he said.
Westfall said he began his new role as CEO in September. He noted that the expansion plan involves introducing additional colors and intensities to its Integrated LED Light Kit, part of the company’s SolaMaster series. The light kit, which allows the integration of natural light and traditional electric light from a single fixture, features dimmable LED technology and provides customizable lighting options with 0-10v controller compatibility. While the company is expanding its core daylighting products internationally, there’s also an opportunity in ventilation products that it hopes to scale to commercial businesses, he said.
Traditional skylights in buildings located in hot regions increase the heat load, especially when air-conditioning is turned on, Westfall said. Solatube’s endeavor to bring natural light into all parts of a building involves screening out damaging ultraviolet rays and removing infrared wavelengths that create heat, Westfall said. By opening up a small portion of the roof to bring in natural light, facilities managers may not need to deal with the repercussions of upgrading HVAC systems to bring down heat, he explained.
Marci Bonham, president of the Americas at Kingspan Light + Air, said the leadership changes at Solatube position the overarching company to enter a new phase of growth and strengthen its position as an industry leader in daylighting solutions.
