 Retailer: Organic Garden Center \ Old Orchard Aquarium
Location: Skokie, IL
Month: January 2012
"There are amazing similarities between indoor horticulture and indoor aquarium aquatics. So much so that we opened an indoor garden shop, “Organic Garden Center” adjacent to our long established aquarium shop, “Old Orchard Aquarium”. Both industries focus on growing. Hydroponics concentrates on growing and sustaining terrestrial plants while the aquarium world is all about growing and sustaining fish, invertebrates, corals and aquatic plants. The two industries similarly require cont
 ainment vessels for holding water or growing media; and feature water movement, filtration, fertilizers, supplements and nutrients to properly maintain their respective environments. The other main ingredient for successful growth in both industries is lighting. Organic Garden Center opened in January of 2011. While reading a trade publication, prior to opening, I came across an attractive Sunshine Systems advertisement for LED lighting and saw that the headquarters for this lighting company was in Wheeling, Illinois, very close to our location. (As opposed to the usual California, Oregon, British Columbia or Michigan) I called them on the phone and they were kind enough to let me talk to the owner, Larry.
Not only did I get a good overview of their products but also received excellent insight about the hydroponics and in-door garden industry. I realized there was someone “in my corner” that would help me with my start up company.
 It has taken a long time for LED lighting to be accepted in the indoor garden industry. Old habits are challenging to transform. Sunshine Systems has worked hard to overcome these stereotypes.
LED lighting is also a popular trend in the aquarium trade. It seems every aquarium manufacturing company is introducing their version of LED lighting in a euphoric attempt to capture market share, many times with an unrealistically expensive price tag. Sometimes in the aquarium business, the manufacturers let their “end users” act on their behalf for their research and development. They will rush a product to market with out doing proper due diligence only to have products either fail or not live up to the projected expectation…. This all being done at the expense of the “Hobbyist” along with their corals and live plants.
As an established light manufacturer, Sunshine Systems has a solid track record of making quality products at an affordable price. The internal components are of the highest caliber. They were the natural choice to test the LED phenomenon for coral growth.
 We were given light fixtures adjusted to appropriate reef spectrums to test coral growth. The tests began well over a year ago and continue to this day. We wanted to see if: 1. corals would grow, 2. show proper color, 3. have an overall ambient eye appeal and 4. the fixture would hold up under challenging salt-water conditions. The lights performed admirably not only in the store but now in various customers’ reef aquariums.It is a privilege to be selected for this honor. We look forward to working with Sunshine Systems in both arenas. The quality of the results has been excellent above and beyond the energy savings and expected cost savings for bulb life."
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