Tampa’s OttLite Technologies was founded in 1989 with a line of lighting products that improved fluorescent lights to more closely match true sunlight, allowing people to see better in their homes or offices.
OttLite held an established position on the shelves of retailers like JOANN Fabrics, Michaels, Lowes, Costco and more.
But sales stagnated as LED technology took over the lighting market, leaving OttLite in a difficult spot.
John Sheppard, a former Coca Cola executive, was brought on in 2016 to OttLite to fix it.
“This is a company that needed a turnaround and had the opportunity to become more innovative,” he said. “We developed an exclusive proprietary technology called ClearSun. It’s the closest light to natural daylight on the (LED) market.”
OttLite’s new ClearSun technology is an LED light that has a proprietary phosphorescent coating which balances the harsh, bright blue light produced by standard LEDs spectrum in order to decrease eye strain. While a standard LED light typically measures about 70 or 80 on the color rendering index compared to 100 CRI for natural sunlight, OttLite’s ClearSun technology reaches 97.
Because it so closely replicates natural sunlight, the ClearSun technology makes it so your eyes don’t have to work so hard indoors, reducing eyestrain by up to 51%, Sheppard explained.
“It’s a very health and wellness focused light,” he said.
On October 1, OttLite rolled out its newest ClearSun product, a wireless charging LED makeup mirror with a mobile phone stand so that consumers can easily see their phone for YouTube makeup tutorials, video chats and more.
“And, with over 88 billion beauty-related video views on YouTube, this on-trend design is poised to help consumers watch and try out beauty tutorials using the integrated wireless charging stand and lighted mirror – both adjustable for maximum viewing,” the company wrote in a press release.
OttLite has about 30 employees at its Tampa office. While Sheppard declined to provide revenue figures, he said the company has remained in the $30-$50 million range, adding “we expect to double that in the next two years.” The products are manufactured in China.
Sheppard said that while its primary market for its fluorescent products was crafters – people who needed to match paint or fabric colors, or see tiny stitches on sewing machines – he and his team have found more applications for its ClearSun product line.
For example, a dermatologist uses the lights so that she and her patients are able to see true skin tones. Redness in skin that would be easily visible in natural sunlight is dulled by the high levels of blue light produced by standard LEDs.
“She told me (she has) people fighting to use that examining room,” he said.
OttLite’s product line features USB ports to charge your smartphone or other electronic devices, color-changing bases, night-time modes, adjustable necks and compatibility with Amazon Alexa and Google Home.
