Lighting expertise from concept to market strategy

GlidePath Consulting combines lighting design & creativity with proven business leadership to help designers, manufacturers, and agencies achieve growth.

Let's Discuss Your Goals

Services

Education

GlidePath develops and delivers educational content for the lighting industry, from AIA and LACES-accredited CEU courses to sales team trainings. We build custom programs for client delivery, or serve as the expert presenter at your events or training sessions.

  • CEU course development
  • CEU course delivery
  • Lighting training for sales teams
  • Custom training content (client-delivered)

Lighting Design

GlidePath offers lighting design consulting services, enabling owners and the design profession to access decades of experience to maximize their projects' lighting outcomes.

  • Entertainment
  • Retail Shops & Showrooms
  • Residential (private & multifamily)
  • Mixed Use Developments
  • Sites & Landscapes
  • Facade Lighting

Sales Leadership & Operations

GlidePath provides strategic consulting for lighting manufacturers and agencies navigating the U.S. market. From market entry and rep network development to specification sales strategy and channel alignment, we bring operational experience from both sides of the manufacturer-agency relationship, deeply rooted in architectural and theatrical lighting design.

  • USA Market Entry
  • Sales Strategy Development
  • Specification Sales Training
  • Linecard & Channel Strategy

Why GlidePath

  • • UCLA instructor, regular speaker at Penn State AE dept., co-founder of AAILA, founding member of Project Candle, long-time IESNA + IALD contributor.
  • • Theatrical and architectural lighting designer with projects coast to coast, from the FDR Memorial on the National Mall to CityWalk at Universal Studios Hollywood to the Henrybuilt Showroom in Brooklyn.
  • • Founder of Digital Filaments, grown to $18M in sales with a linecard of over 150 brands.
  • • Doubled Eastern Territory sales in 2.5 years for Prudential Lighting.
  • • VP of Marketing & Spec Sales at Illuminations Inc., managing agency branding, spec brands, multi-territory spec sales team, and Acuity partnership.
  • • Sales Strategy and Educational Content Consultant to Illumination Management.

Our Services

Comprehensive consulting solutions tailored to the lighting and architectural products industry

Education

GlidePath develops and delivers educational content for the lighting industry, from AIA and LACES-accredited CEU courses to sales team trainings. We build custom programs for client delivery, or serve as the expert presenter at your events or training sessions.

CEU Course Development

AIA and LACES-accredited continuing education content creation for architects, landscape architects, and lighting professionals.

CEU Course Delivery

Expert presentation of educational content at conferences, lunch-and-learns, and professional development events.

Lighting Training for Sales Teams

Technical and applications training to help sales teams speak confidently about lighting solutions.

Custom Training Content

Develop training programs for clients to deliver under their own brand, with ongoing support as needed.

Lighting Design

GlidePath offers lighting design consulting services, enabling owners and the design profession to access decades of experience to maximize their projects' lighting outcomes.

Entertainment

Themed environments, performance venues, arenas, and stadiums.

Retail Shops & Showrooms

Branded retail environments that showcase materials and craftsmanship.

Residential

Private residences and multifamily developments.

Mixed Use Developments

Integrated lighting solutions for complex multi-use properties.

Sites & Landscapes

Gardens, streetscapes, plazas, and exterior environments.

Facade Lighting

Building exteriors and architectural features.

Sales Leadership & Operations

GlidePath provides strategic consulting for lighting manufacturers and agencies navigating the U.S. market. From market entry and rep network development to specification sales strategy and channel alignment, we bring operational experience from both sides of the manufacturer-agency relationship, deeply rooted in architectural and theatrical lighting design.

USA Market Entry

UL/ETL readiness, rep recruitment, territory planning, and launch playbooks to successfully enter the U.S. market.

Sales Strategy Development

Go-to-market planning, target account identification, and sales process design.

Specification Sales Training

Spec positioning, objections handling, sales playbooks, and activity cadence development.

Linecard & Channel Strategy

Territory-by-territory analysis, conflict reduction, distributor engagement, and national account alignment.

About

Education, design, and business strategy for the lighting industry

GlidePath Consulting brings together education, design, and business strategy to serve the lighting industry, from CEU development and delivery to architectural lighting design to sales leadership consulting.

Founder's Story

William "Billy" Hodges is a teacher at heart. He began his lighting career as a theatrical and architectural lighting designer, with projects spanning coast to coast... the FDR Memorial on the National Mall, CityWalk at Universal Studios Hollywood, Staples Center, the Longwood Gardens Meadow, and the Henrybuilt Showroom in Brooklyn, among many others. Design has been a through-line across his entire career, even as he built deep expertise in the business side of the lighting industry.

On the commercial side, Billy founded Digital Filaments from scratch and grew the agency to $18M in annual sales with a linecard of over 150 brands in one of the most competitive markets in the country. He doubled Eastern Territory sales in 2.5 years at Prudential Lighting and served as VP of Marketing & Spec Sales at Illuminations Inc., managing agency branding, spec brands, a multi-territory spec sales team, and the Acuity partnership.

Billy co-founded AAILA (now NEMRA Lighting Division), was a founding member of Project Candle, and has been a member of both IES and IALD for decades. He's taught at UCLA and speaks regularly at Penn State in the Architectural Engineering department. Most recently, he's served as Sales Strategy and Educational Content Consultant to Illumination Management.

Affiliations & Leadership

  • • Certified Professional Manufacturer Rep (CPMR)
  • • Co-founder American Association of Independent Lighting Agencies (AAILA)
  • • Founding member, Project Candle
  • • Former UCLA instructor and regular speaker at Penn State University in the AE dept.
  • • Long-standing IESNA + IALD member

Case Studies

Real-world examples of successful lighting industry consulting projects

Design - Henrybuilt Showroom, DUMBO

Challenge: Renovating a historic building with modern, flexible lighting.

Solution: Designed a highly adaptable LED system showcasing materials and craftsmanship.

Results: Elevated brand presentation and client experience.

Consulting - Prudential Lighting

Challenge: Stagnant sales growth.

Solution: Implemented spec engagement plan and sales strategy.

Results: Doubled sales in two years.

Consulting - Illumination Management

Challenge: Fragmented brand and rep network.

Solution: Conducted linecard analysis, mapped territories, proposed national sales structure.

Results: Framework for scaling multiple international brands in the U.S.

Resources

Industry insights and thought leadership for lighting professionals

Articles & Guides

Territory Mapping 101

Comprehensive guide to structuring agent coverage for optimal market penetration.

Spec Sales Playbook

Converting features into win themes that resonate with lighting designers and specifiers.

Launch Cadence

12-week market entry framework for successful product and brand launches.

Applications Insights

Lessons learned from architectural design projects and real-world implementations.

Resources coming soon. Contact us for immediate access to these frameworks.

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about lighting industry consulting services

Do you focus only on design or consulting?

Both — GlidePath supports design projects and strategic business engagements, each informed by decades in the lighting industry.

What's your design specialty?

Flexible, modern architectural systems — showrooms, workplaces, and branded environments. We're at our best providing well crafted solutions to illuminate your designs.

What kinds of companies do you consult for?

Manufacturers, agencies, associations, and designers across the U.S. lighting market.

Do you work on retainers or projects?

Both — projects for specific launches, retainers for ongoing support.

Engagement Models

Design Projects

Short-term creative engagements (showrooms, workplaces, applications support).

Diagnostic Sprint (2–3 weeks)

Focused business analysis with prioritized action plan.

Launch Project (8–12 weeks)

Market entry, linecard changes, or product rollout.

Momentum Retainer (quarterly)

Light cadence to keep priorities moving.

Interim Leadership (fractional)

Temporary coverage with clear handoff.

Let's map your path forward

Ready to discuss your lighting industry goals?

Phone

215-620-1160

Also available for confidential advisory and short sprints.