Featured Innovator: Jeff Clarkson, Lumlit

American Steel: What do you do?
Jeff Clarkson: I design and build custom high-performance LED lighting.

AS: Why do you do what you do?
JC: I thought it would be fun. I have a Ph.D in materials science, and I’m connected to the semiconductor industry. Not all of the chips manufactured for semiconductors are identical; some are higher-yielding, but because they’re non-standard, I can get my hands on them. They use about 30 percent of the energy, and are about five times brighter, than a lot of the LED products already being mass produced. I was going through school, looking for a job and playing with different ideas. I took some measurements and found that I had access to LED technology that was light years ahead of what’s in place right now, and I thought I’d be able to come up with some unique and interesting designs.

AS: What brought you to American Steel?
JC: Originally, I was building all this stuff in my loft in Oakland. It was a completely undesirable setup. I needed a dedicated workspace. I’m mostly a one-man show, and I don’t have any interest in scaling up production. Because of my credentials and the reputation I’ve built, I can provide design consulting and work one-on-one with high-end firms. I also do solar cell and energy consulting. But I have a very lean business model: I don’t mass-produce items, and I don’t have a loan from the bank or investors because that might limit my product’s versatility. One of the core values of Lumlit is versatility. So I need my space here to be flexible as well – and affordable.

AS: How has working in American Steel helped your business grow?
JC: It’s opened up a world of possibility. I originally moved in because Brian Pepin [also a tenant and electrician] introduced me. Now, if I have a question about materials or how to do something, I can probably find someone in the building to help me. If I need to know about glass, I can go ask Jay [Musler]. Just today I found some new folks to help me cut materials. Asking for help from others is also a great way to see what everybody else is working on. The community here has completely enhanced my ability to make my designs a reality.

AS: How have you been able to contribute to the community?
We needed new address signs on the building, and they have to be illuminated at night. But no electricity runs to the exterior walls where they’ll hang. I came up with a solar panel design that will charge a battery to backlight the [plasma-cut metal] signs from inside.

AS: What brought you to Oakland?
JC: I didn’t know how awesome Oakland was until I moved here: it’s central to everything, and I think it’s the most diverse city in the Bay. I really admire the underground scene — the original thought and original practice of things, all the original investigation. Before moving here, I had been at a wine tasting in Sonoma with someone from Oakland. I had this terrible brainwashed conception of Oakland from the media — all you hear about is angry people who riot — and I said so. He challenged me to walk around Oakland at night and see how I really felt. So I did. I went to the Buttercup Grill and I walked around at night, and it was great. Now, I know being in the Bay Area is essential to the success of Lumlit. If I took the same business model to Florida, no one would care. Other parts of the country don’t buy into tech appeal and green appeal in the same way.

AS: What do you do for fun in Oakland:
JC: I like to hike, but it’s urban hiking, like exploring the city’s industrial infrastructure. I also take bonsai classes in the bonsai garden at Lake Merritt.

AS: What’s your next big adventure?
JC: I’ve been doing some prototyping work for UC Berkeley, and may be moving into more specific field research, which is what Ph.Ds in materials science usually focus on. But whatever I do, I’ve learned so much from Lumlit: working with all the components, the metalworkers, the glassblowers, the architecture firms. I’ve learned about supply chains and coordinating design and project management in general.

AS: Thanks for lighting up our lives, Jeff!

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