Georgia Bulldog 100 Archives - Business RadioX ®

Lighting Up Business Success, with Matthew Efird, Lighting Pros

November 6, 2024 by John Ray

North Fulton Business Radio

Lighting Up Business Success, with Matthew Efird, Lighting Pros

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Lighting Up Business Success, with Matthew Efird, Lighting Pros (North Fulton Business Radio, Episode 813)

The owner of Lighting Pros, Matthew Efird, joins host John Ray in this episode of North Fulton Business Radio. They discuss Matthew’s innovative approach to business, adding an outdoor lighting business to his seasonal Mosquito Joe franchise. Matthew elaborates on how his company, Lighting Pros, specializes in both residential and commercial lighting, with a notable focus on year-round outdoor lighting solutions, including temporary Christmas decorations and permanent installations. He highlights the importance of using high-quality materials and providing exceptional service, which has led to increased client satisfaction and retention. Matthew also touches on his experiences receiving the Bulldog 100 accolade and the decision to franchise Lighting Pros to help other seasonal business owners extend their operations.

John Ray is the host of North Fulton Business Radio. The show is recorded and produced by the North Fulton affiliate of Business RadioX® inside Renasant Bank in Alpharetta.

Matthew Efird, Founder, Lighting Pros

Matthew Efird, Lighting Pros, appearing on North Fulton Business Radio with host John Ray — **Matthew Efird, Lighting Pros**

Matthew Efird is the Owner of Mosquito Joe of North Georgia, Lighting Pros, and Lighting Pros Franchise. He sees his business as an avenue for serving and ministering to families throughout the Greater Atlanta area as well as to business owners throughout the United States.

Matthew and his lovely wife Hannah have four sons: Walker (6 years old), Noah, Abel (3 years old), Warren (1 year old), and a 9-year-old Goldendoodle named Fallon. Their second son, Noah Clifton Efird, was born on March 7, 2020, with Trisomy 13, and their family is thankful for the hours that they were able to spend with him before he went to be with Jesus. As a family, they love to travel, play board games and cards, go camping, and make memories with friends and family.

Matthew graduated with honors from The University of Georgia’s Terry College of Business. In 2024, he was proud to have Lighting Pros recognized as the 10th fastest-growing business founded or managed by a UGA Alumni. He was part of the inaugural UGA ILA Leadership Dawgs class of 2023, recognizing and investing in the emerging leaders within the UGA Alumni.

Matthew is driven by his faith and his love for people. He was honored in 2019 with the first-ever Union County High School Alumni Pacesetter Award, recognizing the most outstanding alumni setting the pace for the school’s alumnus. In his free time, Matthew loves speaking, reading, writing, and teaching his sons how to enjoy the outdoors. He and Hannah find fulfillment in serving others alongside each other.

He is excited to take the knowledge from the last five years of triple-digit growth in Lighting Pros and share it with his franchise system. His focus now is on investing in the long-term development of his teams to help his businesses continue to grow effectively. His greatest accomplishments in life have been marrying his beautiful wife and becoming a dad.

Lighting Pros

Lighting Pros is a premier provider of commercial holiday lighting solutions, specializing in creating festive atmospheres for businesses such as HOAs, hospitals, restaurants, and churches. The company focuses on delivering high-quality, professional Christmas lighting services, employing certified and insured professionals to ensure safe and durable installations. They also offer residential services, treating each home with care while providing a variety of decorative options, including roofer and gutterline lights, prelit wreaths and garlands, and custom orders tailored to client needs.

With a commitment to using only the finest materials, Lighting Pros aims to create memorable holiday experiences that last throughout the season. Their dedication to excellence has earned them recognition as one of the top 10 fastest-growing companies by the University of Georgia Alumni through the Bulldog 100 program. Clients can easily discuss their holiday lighting goals and receive complimentary quotes to transform their spaces into festive environments.

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Topics Discussed in this Episode

00:00 Introduction and Welcome
01:41 Meet Matthew Efird, Founder of Lighting Pros
02:25 The Business of Outdoor Lighting
03:18 Commercial Success and the ROI of Outdoor Lighting
04:44 Matthew’s Backstory and Business Philosophy
06:57 Challenges and Quality in the Lighting Industry
22:00 Franchising Lighting Pros
26:17 Success Stories and Client Impact
29:10 Conclusion and Contact Information
30:07 Final Thoughts and Announcements

Renasant Bank supports North Fulton Business Radio

Renasant Bank has humble roots, starting in 1904 as a $100,000 bank in a Lee County, Mississippi, bakery. Since then, Renasant has become one of the Southeast’s strongest financial institutions, with over $17 billion in assets and more than 180 banking, lending, wealth management, and financial services offices throughout the region. All of Renasant’s success stems from each of their banker’s commitment to investing in their communities as a way of better understanding the people they serve. At Renasant Bank, they understand you because they work and live alongside you every day.

About North Fulton Business Radio and host John Ray

With over 800 shows and having featured over 1,200 guests, North Fulton Business Radio is the longest-running podcast in the North Fulton area, covering business in our community like no one else. We are the undisputed “Voice of Business” in North Fulton!

The show welcomes a wide variety of business, non-profit, and community leaders to get the word out about the important work they’re doing to serve their market, their community, and their profession. There’s no discrimination based on company size, and there’s never any “pay to play.” North Fulton Business Radio supports and celebrates business by sharing positive business stories that traditional media ignore. Some media leans left. Some media leans right. We lean business.

John Ray, Business RadioX - North Fulton, and Owner, Ray Business Advisors — **John Ray, Business RadioX – North Fulton, and Owner, Ray Business Advisors**

John Ray is the host of North Fulton Business Radio. The show is recorded and produced from the North Fulton studio of Business RadioX® inside Renasant Bank in Alpharetta. You can find the full archive of shows by following this link. The show is available on all the major podcast apps, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google, Amazon, iHeart Radio, and many others.

The studio address is 275 South Main Street, Alpharetta, GA 30009.

John Ray also operates his own business advisory practice. John’s services include advising solopreneurs and small professional services firms on their value, their positioning and business development, and their pricing. His clients are professionals who are selling their expertise, such as consultants, coaches, attorneys, CPAs, accountants and bookkeepers, marketing professionals, and other professional services practitioners.

John is the national bestselling author of The Generosity Mindset: A Journey to Business Success by Raising Your Confidence, Value, and Prices.

Georgia Bulldog 100 Winners for 2012

September 24, 2012 by angishields

[Chirbit:http://chirb.it/85E3mL]

The Georgia Bulldog 100 is a program that determines and awards the 100 fastest growing businesses that are owned or operated by University of Georgia Alumni each year.

Honorable Steve Jones/UGA Alumni President

On January 5, 2011, Judge Jones was nominated by President Barack Obama to become a United States District Judge. Judge Jones was sworn in as a district judge on March 4, 2011. In this role, Judge Jones presides over cases that involve the United States government, the United States Constitution, federal laws, controversies between citizens of different states, and other matters.

Prior to his nomination to the district court, Judge Jones served as a Superior Court Judge in the Western Judicial Circuit (Athens-Clarke and Oconee Counties, Georgia). Judge Jones was appointed to the Superior Court in 1995. In this role, Judge Jones presided over civil and criminal cases. In addition to his regular caseload, Judge Jones also presided over the Western Judicial Circuit Felony Drug Court Program, a program that integrates alcohol and substance abuse treatment with court supervision. Prior to his 1995 Superior Court judicial appointment, Judge Jones served as a Municipal Court Judge (1992-1995), as an Assistant District Attorney (1987-1991), and as the Director of the Child Support Recovery Unit (1978-1985).

Judge Jones is a “Double Dawg” and earned his Bachelors degree in Management in 1978 and his Juris Doctor in 1987.

In addition to all of his accomplishments, Judges Jones Â also serves on the Board of Directors for the UGA Alumni Association as President. Judge Jones is married to Lillian Kincey.

Anthony Moore/jobTopia

Anthony Moore is withÂ jobTopia, a recruiting, executive search and contract staffing firm. Â Anthony graduated from the University of Georgia in 1993 with a degree in Marketing. Â He is an Atlanta native who grew up in Gwinnett County and went to Riverwood High School in Fulton County. Â Anthony is politically active in the GOP.

John Shurley/GH&I

John Shurley is an Audit Partner and leader of the fraud, forensic and litigation support service team with GH&I, Gifford, Hillegass & Ingwersen,LLP. John has conducted numerous fraud and forensic examinations. He provides clients extensive experience in the review and preparation of audited financial statements and the development of accounting systems for various business concerns.

John began his working career with Ernst & Young in Atlanta, where he was a member of the audit department for five years. While at Ernst & Young, he was responsible for audit engagements of nonprofits and public and privately-held companies in the manufacturing, construction, distribution, healthcare, textile and soft drink industries.

John received his B.B.A. in accounting from the University of Georgia. While attending college, he received several honors and held various elected offices in student organizations.

Stacey Anderson/Queen of Hearts Antiques & Interiors

Stacey Anderson is the owner of Queen of Hearts Antiques & Interiors, along with her husband Jim. Â Stacey is a 1980 graduate of the University of Georgia with a degree in Journalism. Â While a student at UGA, she was a member of the Kappa Delta Sorority, serving as Treasurer & Standards President. Â Stacey and Jim have been married for 26 years and have two grown sons, Tyler and Keaton. Â Stacey was born and raised in Atlanta.

Meredith Carr/UGA Alumni Association

Meredith Carr serves as the Associate Director of Alumni Relations at the University of Georgia.

Special Edition: Georgia Bulldog 100 2012 Winners

September 17, 2012 by angishields

[Chirbit:http://chirb.it/NyfGvr]

High Velocity Radio welcomes Darrick Wilkins and Bob Pinckney, Georgia Bulldog 100 2012 Winners. Â The Bulldog 100 is a program that determines and awards the 100 fastest growing businesses that are owned or operated by University of Georgia Alumni each year. Â Also appearing on today’s program is Joe Harper and Chris Goodwin.

Darrick Wilkins/LTC Tree

LTC Tree is a national Long Term Care Insurance agency founded by Darrick Wilkins. Darrick grew up in Stone Mountain, GA and then attended The University of Georgia. He graduated from UGA after majoring in Economics and then joined John Hancock Financial for two years before leaving and founding LTC Tree. LTC Tree has grown over the past 13 years to be the nation’s number one virtual Long Term Care Insurance agency. Darrick currently lives in Sandy Springs, GA with his wife Natalie and daughter Ella.

Bob Pinckney/EvoShield

Robert H. “Bob” Pinckney, IV, is the CEO ofÂ EvoShield,Â an emerging Georgia based company with a new kind of athletic protective gear â€“ gear that actually custom molds to the athlete. EvoShield is one of the fasted growing sports brands in the country, doubling sales every 9 months.Â Following graduation from the University of Georgia with a Business Degree in Economics, Bob attended the prestigious Harvard Business School earning his MBA. After Harvard, he returned to Georgia as Director of Development with Portman Properties in Atlanta and San Francisco. Bob went on to a career with Probursa Investment Bank in New York and Mexico City as the President and CEO of their International Broker-Dealer. He eventually left Probursa to create and build several global high-technology Telecommunications companies with a client base spanning Asia, Latin America, and the US. With his passion for creating global companies and recognizing the potential for impacting the lives of many with EvoShieldâ€™s unique protective apparel, Bob led a group of investors in 2010 in providing EvoShield with growth capital and became the CEO. He currently serves on the Alumni Board of the Terry College of Business at the University of Georgia and is a guest lecturer for the Terry College.

Joe Harper/Harper, Inc.

Joe Harper is a sales and marketing professional working in the Atlanta area. Over the past eight years, Joe has led several companiesâ€™ efforts to conceptualize, build and implement complete sales and marketing programs. His latest venture, Harper Inc., is the evolution of a traditional business founded two decades ago by his father Steve Harper. Before joining Harper Inc., Joe served as the Director of Marketing for Milner/Comsquared, a technology company based in Norcross, GA, where he implemented both CRM and marketing automation for the entire sales organization. With a passion for business process automation, he enjoys tackling difficult problems with a mix of business knowledge and the right tools for the job. Joe is also an avid photographer, world traveler and adventurer and added â€œDadâ€ to his list earlier this month.

Chris Goodwin/Qsource Networks

Chris Goodwin is the Director of Sales at Qsource Networks and has been serving businesses with their technology support needs for about 5 years, with a focus on the SMB space. In addition to maintaining current technical certifications, Chris applies his experience from being a business owner in understanding his clientsâ€™ technology and budgetary needs.

Join 200 Peachtree for an evening of live entertainment, complimentary wine and hors dâ€™oeuvres, and networking with some of the brightest stars in Atlantaâ€™s small business community! Â Septemberâ€™s event happens on Thursday the 20th from 6pm-8pm. Â See 200 Office to register!