NeoCon Creates Partnerships Beyond Designers

CHICAGO — Most people assume manufacturers come to Illuminate at NeoCon to meet designers.

That’s true. But it’s only part of the story.

While walking the show floor this week, I discovered another reason companies exhibit at NeoCon. They come to meet other manufacturers.

I saw that firsthand at the QTL booth. Hunter Tremaine. VP of Business Development told your humble editor about the company’s new partnership with Fry Reglet, a California-based manufacturer known for architectural trims, reveals, wall systems, and aluminum extrusions.

The relationship demonstrates how companies use NeoCon to build business-to-business partnerships that often lead to new products and new revenue streams.

A Partnership Years in the Making

According to Hunter, Fry Reglet entered the lighting market several years ago. The company integrated LED lighting into many of its architectural systems. However, Fry Reglet specializes in aluminum fabrication, not light engines.

That created an opportunity for QTL.

“We’re very excited to announce our new partnership with Fry Reglet,” Hunter said. “They’ll now be incorporating QTL light engines into their systems.”

Hunter added that many people in the industry had hoped to see the two companies work together for years. NeoCon provided an ideal place to showcase the partnership for the first time.

Why Fry Reglet Needed a Lighting Partner

To better understand the partnership, I spoke with Patrick Sullivan of Fry Reglet. Patrick explained that customers increasingly asked the company to integrate lighting into its architectural products.

“We had a lot of demand from customers,” Patrick said. “They wanted to do what we do with signage, wayfinding, and architectural details, but also incorporate lighting.”

Today, Fry Reglet incorporates lighting into column covers, wall systems, trims, and other architectural elements. QTL now supplies the light engines behind many of those solutions.

The arrangement benefits both companies. Fry Reglet gains access to QTL’s lighting expertise. Meanwhile, QTL reaches projects it might never have touched on its own.

NeoCon’s Hidden Value

The partnership highlights something many attendees never see.

Manufacturers don’t come to NeoCon only to meet designers. They also meet with suppliers, partners, and complementary manufacturers.

One company builds the architectural system. Another supplies the light engine. A third provides controls.

Together, they create products that ultimately reach the specification community.

Designers may drive attendance at NeoCon. Yet partnerships like the one between QTL and Fry Reglet remind us that plenty of business happens behind the scenes.