John Kujawa lived and worked a variety of jobs around the world before returning to Delray Beach to settle, raise a family and start his LED lighting company, Lumitec. Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star
Lumitec’s offices are both high tech and high touch, thanks to its founder and president, John Kujawa.
He believes in giving customers the latest LED technology for marine lighting, while creating a fun, open work atmosphere for his employees in Delray Beach.
“I wanted to take the essence of Silicon Valley culture and translate that into manufacturing,” he said. Lumitec employees wear jeans to work, conference rooms are called “mosh pits” by its engineers, and whiteboards abound at the Delray location.
That fun, but hard-driving atmosphere translated into a whopping 937 percent revenue increase in three years that was noted by Inc. magazine. It publishes an annual list of the 500 fastest-growing private companies in the nation; Lumitec, with 2011 revenues of $3.4 million, ranked 399 on the Inc. 500 list in 2012.
“It’s an external confirmation that what we have done is unique,” said Kujawa (pronounced key-YA-va). “It feels good to be recognized.”
He likes saying his LED lights are “made in the USA,” because that stamp indicates Lumitec lights are quality products. The Delray Beach location also allows the company to be more responsive to its boatbuilding customers.
Lumitec’s marine lights for recreational boaters are sold through a worldwide network of distributors and retailers. It offers interior, exterior and underwater LED lights and marine LED flood lights. The company also serves the public sector with scene LED lights and commercial truck products for firemen, EMTs and police. Its high-powered LED flood lights and night-vision goggle lights are used by U.S. Special Forces.
When naming his 6-year-old company, the 44-year-old took a structured approach.
“Researched the Latin roots of possible names, and then wrote them on flash cards which were shown to friends who are mostly boaters, family and colleagues and asked them what the word meant and their reaction to it,” he said. Lumitec topped Xygolux, Illuminex and some straight-forward lighting company names.
The high-tech atmosphere defines the Lumitec factory. The company prides itself on rapid product development and investment in research and development. It has an electrical lab, optics lab, design studio and machine shop where prototypes are made, all outfitted with the latest equipment.
Even so, Kujawa says managing people is his biggest challenge as an entrepreneur. “People are the most crucial,” he said. “We have a team of people with varying needs and work styles.”
Some are so engaged that they take work home with them where they will do Internet research. Others have families and need to disengage from their work when they go home but they delve into their work while at Lumitec. Both types are valued by Kujawa.
When hiring, he looks for employees who have had to overcome hurdles in the workplace — because there will be obstacles in research and development, he said. Then, he wants to know what they did to stay on track and meet deadlines.
— Jane Smith
Q. Where did you grow up and go to school? How do you think that has influenced you?
A. I grew up here in South Florida, attended Florida State University for undergraduate, and eventually went to Stanford University for my master’s degree in engineering management. After graduate school, I lived and worked all around the world before moving back to Delray. I think this diverse spectrum of academic and cultural environments has given me a broader perspective on situations and events.
Q. What professions have you worked in?
A. A good part of my career was spent in engineering in Silicon Valley, working first for a computer hardware company and then for a few different software startups. Prior to that I was in marketing in Atlanta. Before and through college I was a bartender, Jet Ski mechanic, confectionery chef, and I had various other odd jobs. My career path is nonlinear, if nothing else.
Q. What professional accomplishments are you most proud of?
A. I am probably most proud of having started Lumitec and built it to the level it is today. I have worked at other startups, but those were well-funded by venture capitalists and were already moving when I was hired on as part of the core team. Lumitec was truly built from scratch. Seven years ago, it was just an idea and an empty office/lab space. Today we employ more than 30 people in research and design, sales, operations and manufacturing.
Q. What advice do you have for a young person selecting a career today?
A. Certainly the well-worn mantra “do what you love” has merit. I would add: Be willing to take risks, think longer term, and to look past the monetary rewards of a particular job. As an employer I love to see candidates who have succeeded in different types of jobs. This tells me they are flexible, they learn well, and they will likely be able bring different points of view to the table. Similarly, in my own career I have had many different jobs. This has allowed me to confidently and knowledgeably manage many different aspects of my company, from the hands-on engineering, to finance, to marketing, even down to working in our machine shop/prototyping lab.
Q. How did you choose to live in Delray Beach?
A. Family, location and the laid-back unpretentious vibe. Before Delray, my wife and I were living in the marina district in San Francisco working in software. We could see the Golden Gate Bridge and the bay from our window. It was stunning. When we decided we were going to start our family, we wanted to plant longer-term roots closer to our families.
My sister had lived in the Nassau Street historical district, and we always loved it. It is warm, with the beach, shops, and great restaurants just steps away. What’s more, the people in this area just seem better grounded, less edgy, and more unpretentious than in other parts of South Florida. There’s a great neighborhood feel.
Q. What is your favorite part about living in Delray?
A. Living in an ocean-side, pedestrian-friendly neighborhood. In cities like New York or San Francisco, you can park your car on Friday evening and not get in it until Monday morning. Here in Delray we have the same thing, in a quiet community setting with the Atlantic Ocean as a backdrop.
Q. What book are you reading now?
A. With three children ages 3 to 7, most of my reading these days is out loud, and most of my books are “pre-selected.” Let’s just say I’ve learned a lot about trains, sharks, dinosaurs and princesses.
Q. What music do you listen to when you need inspiration? When you want to relax?
A. I haven’t bought a CD in probably five or seven years. I listen almost exclusively to Pandora, which keeps things current and new, and exposes me to interesting new tunes. I seed it with Dave Matthews, Maroon 5, Government Mule, Rolling Stones and Bob Dylan. I get an interesting and eclectic mix.
Q. Do you have a quote that inspires your decisions?
A. “Whether you think you can or think you can’t, you are right.” — Henry Ford. Looking back, I can attribute many of the things I’ve accomplished in my life to just believing it could be done.
Q. If your life story were made into a movie, who would you want to play you?
A. I think Shrek would be the best fit. He’s goofy, sometimes a little addlepated, but succeeded through perseverance. And, like me, he ended up with an amazing wife, magical children and a fairy-tale life.
Photo by Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star
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