Last week, HLB Lighting Design announce a merger with 186 Lighting Design Group. We emailed a few questions to Carrie Hawley, CEO of HLB Lighting Design about the merger with 186. Below are her responses:
DL: Was it a merger or an acquisition?
Carrie: “It’s a merger as noted in the press release attached. We will be working together under the HLB Lighting Design brand moving forward, and Gregg’s team will be focusing on further developing 186 Lighting Design Group’s already successful client base with the deeper resources available as part of HLB Lighting Design.”
DL: We hear that 186 is one of the premier residential lighting companies so congratulations, why is HLB interested in residential?
Carrie: “HLB has always had a high-end residential portfolio but we hadn’t specifically focused on developing this project type. When the right opportunities would come our way, we would consider them and selectively move forward with high-end residential work that interested us. Teal and Gregg have been friends for decades and have always had very deep respect for each other’s different focus areas. 186’s portfolio is stunning and represented what we consider to be a premier high-end residential studio that aligned perfectly with HLB’s focus on design excellence. We are excited to expand the opportunity to work in the high-end residential market for our entire team and help support and expand 186’s strong client base. At the same time, the merger gives the 186 team expanded opportunities to work in markets beyond high-end residential. There’s great synergy in both directions. It’s an exciting new chapter for both HLB and 186.”
DL: Do the cultures line up well between the two companies?
Carrie: “ …For both 186 and HLB, it’s always been first and foremost about the people. Our people are our future. The decision to move forward with a merger only worked because of our very aligned cultures and philosophies. We spent 6 months getting to know each other and talk about the future, and after each meeting, it became more and more clear that this was a good decision for all. The decision became very easy, and we’re so excited.”
Read the press release here.