I think my competitor has been investigating me again. I almost admire the obsession.

In a recent article about IES, he somehow found room to devote several paragraphs to your humble editor. I’m flattered, although I don’t recall being on the IES26 program.

So what did this investigation uncover?  Brace yourselves.

The National Lighting Bureau has revenues of less than $50,000.

It files an IRS e-Postcard.

EdisonReport and NLB use the same mailing address.

And Randy Reid serves on the NLB Board of Directors.

Woodward and Bernstein can rest easy.

For anyone awaiting the next shoe to drop, I can save him some investigative work: I am not merely an NLB board member. I am a proud NLB board member and I previously served as its Executive Director. In addition, I am a proud Past President of the IES and if the NLB and IES can find a way to work together, then I am ecstatic!

The Sinister E-Postcard

My competitor seems particularly impressed with his investigative discovery that NLB files an IRS e-Postcard.

He’s correct.

The IRS permits small tax-exempt organizations with annual gross receipts normally of $50,000 or less to file Form 990-N, commonly called the e-Postcard.

That’s not a loophole. It’s not something NLB is hiding. It’s simply the tax filing the IRS established for organizations of that size.

Yet somehow, in the telling, the humble e-Postcard begins to sound like evidence recovered from a locked filing cabinet during a midnight raid.

NLB is a small nonprofit.  That is apparently the scandal.

What his article doesn’t seem particularly interested in discussing is why people volunteer for small industry organizations in the first place. They don’t do it because the organization has millions of dollars. They do it because they believe they can contribute something to the industry.

About That Mysterious Address

Then there is the address.

My competitor reports that EdisonReport’s headquarters and NLB’s listed contact address are in the same building in Tennessee.

Correct again.

Perhaps the next investigation will determine whether they also use the same ZIP code.

There is a considerably less exciting explanation: I served as Executive Director of NLB, continue serving on its board, and the organization used my business address.

I realize that explanation lacks intrigue, but occasionally the boring explanation is the correct one.

And Then There Is the Missing Board Member

My competitor also reports that I was identified as an NLB board member in March 2026, despite my name not appearing on the organization’s board webpage since 2024.

Again, I can clear this one up without convening a grand jury.  I am on the board.

Apparently, a webpage didn’t get updated. It happens.

I appreciate my competitor keeping such a close eye on my affiliations. With several websites to manage, perhaps I should put him on the payroll.

An Unnamed Source

More troubling is this statement: “One former NLB board member…said they genuinely could not explain” what NLB does or what impact it has.

Who?

He doesn’t say.

It’s another cheap shot that makes it impossible for readers to evaluate the source, understand the context or determine how knowledgeable that person was about NLB.

If you’re going to use an anonymous former board member to diminish an organization, readers deserve some basis for evaluating why that person’s assessment should carry weight.

Apparently, I’m the one person in this story whose name isn’t difficult to publish.

The Real Difference

In one respect, I appreciate this latest article because it highlights a genuine difference between my competitor and me.

For decades, I have volunteered throughout the lighting industry, not simply reported on it. My service to IES has included Regional Vice President, Treasurer, Vice President, President and Past President, followed by serving as Executive Director of the National Lighting Bureau, where I remain on the board.

Along the way, I have been humbled and honored to receive two IES Presidential Awards as well as the NLB Chairman’s Award.

That service has always been about giving something back to an industry that has given me a wonderful career. Beyond volunteering, I also financially support industry nonprofits because I believe their work matters.

I’m proud of that record.

Perhaps my competitor has a similar record of volunteer service and being chosen for leadership within lighting organizations. If so, I’m not aware of it. But I can speak to my own record, and I’m quite comfortable having readers judge it.

My involvement doesn’t place those organizations beyond criticism. EdisonReport has criticized IES when I believed criticism was warranted. Being involved in an industry does not require surrendering your independence.

But it does give you an appreciation for the people doing the work.

What I Saw in Denver

At IES26, I spent much of the conference doing what I went there to do: attending sessions and reporting on what I learned.

I’ve already published seven articles from the conference, and I expect to publish a few more.

I did not hang out at the table tops and solicit advertising dollars. Instead, I listened to researchers, designers, volunteers, emerging professionals and industry leaders. The Progress Report returned to the stage, and I was there to report on it. My coverage included awards, education, Society initiatives and, most importantly, the people who gave their time to make the conference successful.

That’s the lighting industry I want EdisonReport to cover.

What the E-Postcard Really Says

My competitor is very skillful with words, and I don’t believe his use of the word  “e-Postcard” is accidental. To me, the apparent purpose is to make NLB sound insignificant—perhaps even a little ridiculous—because it operates on less than $50,000 a year.

I see it differently.

I admire an organization that can operate on a shoestring while volunteers give their time—and, in some cases, their own money—to advance our industry.

And perhaps that illustrates the biggest difference between us.

My competitor seems drawn to controversy and to finding ways to tear people and organizations down.  I have always believed my role is to help build this industry up.

Readers can decide for themselves which approach better serves our industry.